Interpersonal Relations Vocabulary

human relations

Covers all types of interactions among people—their conflicts, cooperative efforts, and group relationships.

total person

A person's collective single system that is composed of several separate characteristics such as emotional control, self-awareness, or physical fitness

organizational culture

The collection of shared values, beliefs, rituals, stories, and myths that foster a feeling of community among organizational members.

scientific management

A movement initiated by Frederick W. Taylor that focused on how jobs, work, and incentive plans can be designed to improve productivity.

Hawthorne studies

Became a sweeping investigation into the role of human relations in group and individual productivity. These studies also gave rise to the profession of industrial psychology by legitimizing the human factor as an element in business operations.

informal organization

A network of relationships that exerts considerable influence on workers' performance.

communication

The means by which we come to an understanding of ourselves and others.

self-awareness

The ability to recognize and understand your moods, emotions, and drives, as well as their effect on others.

self-acceptance

The foundation of successful interaction with others.

motivation

The influences that account for the initiation, direction, intensity, and persistence of behavior.

trust

The building block of all successful relationships with coworkers, customers, family members, and friends.

self-disclosure

The process of letting another person know what you think, feel, or want. It is one of the important ways you let yourself be known by others.

conflict resolution

If your job includes supervisory-management responsibilities, you will spend a great deal of time in conflict resolution to resolve conflicts among members of your staff.

impersonal communication

A one-way communication process that transfers basic information such as instructions, policies, and financial data.

interpersonal communication

The exchange of information between two or more people.

feedback

If interpersonal communication is to be effective, some type of feedback, or understood response, from the person receiving the information is necessary.

semantics

The study of the relationship between a word and its meaning(s).

culture

The accumulation of values, rules of behavior, forms of expression, religious beliefs, and the like, for a group of people who share a common language and environment.

cultural intelligence

The ability to interpret human actions, gestures, and speech patterns in a foreign culture.

nonverbal messages

The messages (other than spoken or written words) we communicate through facial expressions, voice tone, gestures, appearance, posture, and other nonverbal means.

active listening

Active listening is fueled by curiosity and requires your complete concentration on what you are hearing, body language that exhibits your listening attitude, and feedback as to what you think the speaker is trying to tell you.

critical listening

The attempt to see the topic of discussion from the speaker's point of view and to consider how the speaker's perception of the situation may be different from your own.

empathic listening

Listening with your ears, your eyes, and your heart.

horizontal communication channels

Ways to move information among people on the same level of authority, such as all the store managers of a national retail clothing store chain, all department chairpersons within a college, or all the administrative assistants within an organization.

vertical communication channels

Represent the means whereby information can move up and down through all levels of authority within an organization.

cross-functional communication

Task groups staffed with a mix of specialists, focused on a common objective. These teams are often temporary groups with members from different departments and job levels.

upward communication

The process of encouraging employees to share their feelings and ideas with their managers.

enterprise social networks

Are similar to social media networks like Facebook and LinkedIn, except they are customized to an organization. The purpose of an ESN is to streamline communication, increase collaboration, and share knowledge across an organization.

virtual office

Networks of workers connected by the latest technology

social media

Refers to the use of Web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue.

blog

A discussion or information site, usually written by one person, used to communicate perspectives and information about certain topics.