Competitive Effectiveness Exam #2

Value of Positive Relationships

• Results in better physical and emotional well being

• Helps people PERFORM BETTER, CONCENTRATE MORE on the task at hand

• Seek to avoid the the dysfunctional communications: complimentary feedback is ‘easy’; difficult feedback is ‘hard’

• strengthens individual performance, relationships, ultimately the team

‘Headwinds’/obstacles for Building Positive Relationships

• Contributors to frequent organizational relationship problems

• Reliance on technology

• Dominance of e-mail

• Less face-to-face communication

• Too much information, low quality

High Quality Connections: Both Temporary & Long Term

• Research support high quality connections yield:

• Sense of energy & engagement for both parties

• Sense of cooperation & responsiveness for both parties

• Enhance physiological changes … YOU FEEL BETTER

Relationships Between Communication and Interpersonal Relationships

Supportive Communcations

• Communication that builds/strengthens interpersonal relationships

• Seeks to preserve healthy relationships in positive & challenging situations

• Delivering both compliments and adverse feedback

• Conveys feelings of mutuality and respect

• Beyond just be a ‘nice person’

• Important in any customer service environment (i.e., service issues, customer complaints, misunderstandings)

Coaching & Counseling

Coaching focuses on ABILITIES:

• Giving advice, direction or information to improve performance

• Lack of ability; insufficient information

• I CAN HELP YOU DO THIS BETTER
  Counseling focuses on ATTITUDES:

• Helping someone understand and resolve a problem him/herself by displaying understanding

• Enhance understanding and increase insight

• “I can help you understand the problem (opportunity) more clearly”

Two Major Obstacles to Supportive Communication

Defensiveness:

• Energy is spent on constructing a defense rather than on listening

• Aggression, anger, competitiveness, and avoidance are common reactions
  Disconfirmation:

• Energy is spent trying to portray self-importance rather than on listening

• Showing off, self-centered behavior, withdrawal, and loss of motivation are common reaction

Principles of Supportive Communications (8)

1. Congruent (vs. incongruence)

2. Descriptive (not evaluative)

3. Problem - Oriented (vs. person oriented)

4. Validating (vs. vagueness)

5. Specific (vs. too broad, general)

6. Conjunctive (stay on point with the point!)

7. Owned (take responsibility)

8. Supportive Listening (vs. One-way, Talk/Listen Ratio)

Congruent Communications

Communication is accurate and honest without jeopardizing interpersonal relationships

Minimize sugar coating

Descriptive not Evaluative Communication

Three Step Process

• Describe the event, behavior, circumstance… objectively

• Focus on the behavior, reactions, possible consequences, impact to team

• Focus on solutions, not the person

Problem or Issues Orientated Feedback vs. Person Oriented

• Aligned with Descriptive, focus on BEHAVIORS OR EVENTS

• A “non-starter” - focusing on personality or traits

• Link feedback to the norms/standards/expectations jointly developed and agreed upon by the Team in the Charter

Validating vs. Not Validaating

• Ensure respectful collaborative interactions

• Build to mutual recognition of problems and solutions

• Recognized that MISTAKES HAPPEN, now you (and all) need to be part of the solution

• Avoid NON-VALIDATING: ‘put downs’; ‘one-upmanship’;indifference

• Pay attention to your non-verbal persona

Be Specific & Timely (useful) vs. Too General (non-useful)

• Communications are specific and identify something that can be understood and acted upon

• Avoid focusing on extremes and absolutes which deny any alternatives; “My way or the highway!”

• Ensure constructive (not destructive) feedback occurs as close as possible to the event occurrence… recency matters

Conjunctive vs. ‘Wandering’/Irrelevant

Conjunctive - communications/interactions joined to a previous message (stay on point with current subjects, don’t focus too much on past stuff or get caught up in it)

Disjunctive - communications/interactions:

• Lack of opportunity for others to speak

• Extended Pauses

• Minimal Topic Control

Rigorous Meeting Management

Taking turns speaking; time management; topic control

Owned vs. Disowned

Owned - Take responsibility, avoid deflecting the matter and being defensive

• Yep this one is on me

Disowned - Not taking responsibility and getting defensive and using excuses as, ‘Well, I assumed/Most students would do the same/ lots of people say”

Supportive Listening

• Requires active listening, responding effectively to someone’s statements

  • In skills important for managers, EFFECTIVE LISTENING WAS RANKED HIGHEST

  • Individuals usually understand about 25% of what is communicated

One Way Listening

Only listening to what you have to say or not listening to others ideas and only going with what you believe

• Examples: “As I said before, I don’t understand your position”

The Four Types of Responses

Advising (More of a Direct Response)

• Provides Direction, Evaluation, Personal Opinion, or Instruction

• Creates listener control over the topic

• Watch: can produce dependence - ensure transfer of knowledge

Deflecting

• Switches the focus from the communicator’s problem to one selected by the listener

• Appropriate if reassurance or expanded perspective is needed

• Watch: must be clear not to imply that the communicator’s issues are not important … looking to BOOST MORALE

Probing

• Asks questions about what the communicator said

• Used to gather information

• Four General Ways to Probe

  • Elaboration - can you tell me more

  • Clarification - what do you mean by that

  • Repetition - let’s make sure we’re clear

  • Reflection - hmmm, how long has this been an issue?

Reflecting (more of an open, nondirective response)

• Mirror back to the communicator the message that was heard

• Involves paraphrasing and clarifying

• Shows understanding and empathy

• Watch: it could appear that the listener isn’t listening

Personal Management Interview

• Formal Structured interactions with direct reports using supportive communication techniques

• Personal time with the manager (issues, transfer information, coaching and counseling … not performance appraisals)

• ONE-ON-ONE meeting between management and subordinates

  • Step 1: A role-negotiation/clarfication session which sets expectations of employees and managers

  • Step 2: A set of ongoing one-on-one meetings to foster development and improvement

Culture and Supportive Communications

• Language pattern and structures are dramatically different across cultures

• There are, however, universal principles that apply to interpersonal problems

• Research indicates that cultural differences are not significant enough to negate the principles of supportive communications

Conflict

Usually perceived as something that is negative

• Healthy Conflict - competing business idea, solutions

• Externally: contracts, MOA’s, terms sheets

Management - Conflict Management

Fundamentally, the goals of conflict management are to:

• Don’t avoid the obvious situation

• Leverage the positive aspects of conflict (clarity!)

• Resolve organizational and interpersonal conflict

• Minimize the impact of conflict on team/project goals and objectives

Two Primary tools for Managing conflict

1. Understanding the source and focus of a particular conflict

• diagnosing properly

2. Selecting the appropriate strategy/approach for resolution

• Matching approach to situation

Focus of the Conflicts

People Focused:

• "In-your-face” confrontations in which emotions are fueled by moral indignation

• Emotionally charged … misperceptions; feelings of resentment

Issue Focused:

• Negotiations in which participants agree how to allocate scarce resources

• Key persons for important projects; Capital allocations among SBU’s

Sources of Interpersonal Conflicts - 4 Common Types

Personal Differences: ‘we all bring something different to the table’

• Always will be present … experiences, etc.

• Conflicts stem from personal values and needs

• Value of building and managing a diverse workforce!

Informational Deficiencies: Misinterpretations, incompleteness

• Conflicts evolve from misinformation and misunderstanding

• Usually less emotional, more easily resolved through clarification

• Avoid ‘escalation of commitment’; don’t jump the gun

Role Incompatibility

• Conflicts evolve from the perception that assigned goals and responsibilities compete with those of others

• Example: Forecasted vs. Actual Sales … Operations vs. Production

Environmental Induced Stress: uncertainty & poor risk assessment

• Conflict results from the stressful events of the organizational environment

• Labor market (primarily healthcare jobs)

Negotiation

Process by which multiple parties come to an agreement

Distributive Negotiation

Win-lose, a battle so to speak

• Better suited for non-repeated negotiations

• Lack of building relationships, contentious

Integrative negotiation

Win-win, cede less important items

• Each party focuses on the best outcome/solution for all

• example, employment bonuses; construction contracts w/preferred subcontractors; railroad strike avoidance

Zone of Possible Agreement (ZOPA)

• Boundaries for the negotiation

• Buying an automobile; ebay transactions; trade deals

Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA)

• Your most desirable options in challenging negotiations balanced against what you are will to accept

• Stronger BATNA = better positioned for the negotiation

• BATNA is the best course of action you can take if a negotiation fails and no agreement is reached. It represents your backup plan or next best option outside the deal.

Reservation Price (PART OF BATNA)

Price you are willing to pay

• Plan to know in advance - avoid mistakes, rushed decision

• Important if part of a negotiating team

Anchoring

Set the expectation for an acceptable offer

• Anchoring in negotiations is when one party sets an initial offer (the anchor) that shapes how both sides evaluate later offers and counteroffers.

Goals

Perhaps Obvious clearly defined goals are needed!

• Distributed (buy for as low as possible)

• integrative (build lt relationships); are better most of the time than distributed

Five Categories of Responses in Negotiations or Conflict

1. Forcing

2. Accommodating

3. Avoiding

4. Compromising

5. Collaboration

Forcing Response

• Satisfy Personal needs at the expense of the other person

• Formal Authority, bullying, manipulation

• Outcome: You feel vindicated; other person feels defeated

Avoiding Response

• Neglects Interest of both parties by sidestepping or postponing

• Reflects inability to handle emotion of conflict or cooling off period necessary

• Outcome: nothing (or things get worse) long term frustration

Accommodating Response

• Satisfying other part’s concerns but neglect your own

• Preserve a relationship at the expense of genuine appraisal of issues

• Outcome: Other person can advantage of you; decreased power and credibility

Compromising Response

• Seek partial satisfaction for both parties; temporary vs. enduring

• Expedient, not effective, solutions - ‘spread the pain’ evenly

• Outcome: Gamesmanship and suboptimal resolutions likely

Collaborative Response

• Seek to address concerns of both parties

• No assignment of blame; agree on facts & solve the problem together

• Outcome true “win-win” strategy out of the five categories

• Aligned with “supportive communication in building positive relationships” concepts previously discussed

Situational Factors to Consider

• Issue importance

• Relationship importance

• Relative Power

• Time Constraints

(Collaboration generally yields the best outcomes; however, it is also the most difficult to implement!)

Four Phases of Collaborative Problem Solving

1. Problem Identification

2. Solution Generation

3. Action Plan Formulation and Agreement

4. Implementation and follow-up

Initiator

Frame what you will say, wait until emotions subside

• Maintain personal ownership

• •Describe problem in terms of behaviors, consequences

  •Avoid drawing conclusions and attributing motives

  •Encourage two-way discussion

  •Approach problems incrementally – build rapport & understanding

Responder

• Establish a climate for joint problem solving

• Seek additional information by asking questions

• Agree with some aspect of the concern complaint expressed

• Things that should concern you (where you may become the initiator)

  • •Reduced assignments, others are doing your work

    •Peers are working harder than you are

    •You’re out of the loop

Mediator’s Role - HR Director, Colleague, etc.

•Establish a problem-solving framework.

•Maintain a neutral posture regarding the disputants.

•Serve as facilitator, not judge.

•Ensure discussion to ensure fairness.

•Focus on interests, not positions.

•Ensure all parties agree on the solution.

Organizing

Process of establishing orderly uses for resources within the management system

Organizing Skill

Creating a network of people throughout the organization who can help solve implementation problems as they occur

Organization (Chart)

End result of the organizing process

The Five Main Steps of the organizing process

1. Reflect on plans and objectives

2. Establish major tasks

3. Divide major tasks into subtasks

4. Allocate resources and directives for subtasks

5. Evaluate results of organizing strategy

Weber’s Bureaucratic Model

• Bureaucracy is not an end in itself but rather a means to the end of a management system goal

• Detailed procedures and rules

• Clearly outlines organizational hierarchy

• Impersonal relationships among organization members

Critcs of the Model

• Ignores the human variables (people management)

• Can lead to inefficiencies (hierarchies)

Bureaucracy

Bureaucracy is a structured, hierarchical system of administration used by governments and large organizations to manage complex tasks through specialized roles, fixed rules, and non-elected officials

Division of Labor

Individuals specialize in doing a part of the task/responsibility vs. the entire task

Ex. The assembly line in a production factory

Specialization

Skills in performing the task increase

Coordination

Synchronizing task to complete overall task and the organizations objectives

Relationships, communications fuel effective coordination … remember the team concepts

Formal Structures (Mechanistic)

• Defined and depicted relationships

Informal Structures (Organic)

• System or networks of interpersonal relationships that exist within an organizations

• More spontaneous

Organization Chart (KEY MANAGEMENT DOCUMENT)

• Graphic illustration of firm’s organization structure

• Hierarchical, generally the skeleton of a company

• Boxes are organizational entities represented by leadership & management positions

• Lines designate formal communication lines

Vertical Dimension

Top down; ‘chain of command’

Hierarchy

Horizontal Dimension

Span of control of management

• Large spans tend to produce flatter structures

• Watch the layers, leads to bureaucracy

Scalar Relationship

Chain of management from ‘C-suite’ to the lowest identified organizational level

• A clear line of site facilitates communication for any organization to achieve its objectives

Unity of Command

Individual has clear reporting relationships

an employee should receive orders and report to only one direct supervisor. This structure ensures clear accountability, prevents conflicting instructions, reduces confusion, and strengthens organizational discipline by establishing a single chain of command

Departmentalizing

Establishing the relevant departments from plans & objectives

• lateral subdivisions or specialties within an organization

Departments

Unique group of resources established by management to perform organizational tasks

5 Types of Departmentalization

1. Functional

2. Product

3. Geographic

4. Customer

5. Matrix

Organizational Change Drivers

1. Structural Change - Growth Driven, M&A, competition, evolving goals and objectives

2. Technological Change - e-commerce; EV’s; robotics; R&D efforts; etc … alignment of human resources

3. Cultural Change - acknowledge, though be careful … understand the stakeholders groups

General Communication

Transfer of understanding and meaning from one person to another

Business Communication

Process of transmitting information about and within the organization

• Example; Email agenda sent to your team with a list of items to be discussed at the next meeting (same for the minutes)

Communications Model Components

1. Source of sender = initiator

2. Encoding = skills, attitudes, knowledge, social cultural system

3. Channel = informal or formal medium

4. Decoding = translating the message

5. Receiver = skills, attitudes, knowledge, social cultural system

6. Feedback = message successfully understood

Factors Affecting Encoding

1. Skill

2. Attitudes

3. Knowledge

4. Social Cultural System

Written Communication

Tangible verifiable, more permanent than oral

• More likely to be well-thought out

• Marketing plan, Management Assignments

• Tend to consume more time to produce/edit, etc. vs. oral

Oral Communications

• Enables a more rapid response and dialogue

• Prompt and better feedback mechanisms

  • Receiver can quickly summarize

Grapevine Communication

Beware of the grapevine - rumor mill

• Managers need to be aware as it will always exist

• How should they respond if approached

• Usually evidence of truth but needs to be verified

• Avoid Perpetuating

In business, the "grapevine" refers to the informal, unofficial communication network within an organization, often referred to as "water cooler talk" or gossip

The Importance of Delivery

Researchers found that 55+% of face-to-face conversation is communicated through body language!

Common Barriers to Effective Communications

1. Filtering - Deliberate filtering by sender - the spin for favorability

2. Perception - receiver’s side of filtering

3. Information overload - be judicious (rule of three)

4. Emotions

5. Language - industry jargon, buzzwords, technical

6. Culture - nuances

7. Gender - style differences

Techniques to Overcome Communication Barriers

1. Seek Feedback

2. Simplify Language

3. Active Listening

4. Regulate/Constrain Emotions

5. Watch Nonverbal Cues

Organizational Behavior

Study of the actions of people at work

Six Important Workplace Behaviors

1. Employee Productivity

2. Absenteeism - Physical and mentally in the game (costs the organization an average of 35% of payroll)

3. Turnover

4. Organizational Citizenship - teamwork, ‘above and beyond’, avoiding unhealthy conflicts, volunteering. etc

5. Job Satisfaction

6. Workplace Misbehavior

Three Psychological Factors in Understanding Individual Behavior

1. Attitudes and Attribution Theory

2. Personality

3. Perception

Three Components of Attitudes

Cognitive = beliefs, opinions, knowledge, and opinions held by a person

Affective = emotional, feeling of an attitude

Behavioral = intentionally act in a certain way based upon the cognitive and affective components

Cognitive Dissonance

Cognitive dissonance, proposed by Leon Festinger, is the mental discomfort experienced when holding two or more contradictory beliefs, values, or behaviors. It causes tension that motivates people to align their cognitions by changing behaviors, justifying actions, or ignoring new, conflicting information.

Influencers on Personality of Development

1. Physiological - stature, health, gender

2. Cultural - norms and values

3. Family & Social Group

4. Role Determinants

5. Situational - uncontrollable events (structural changes in family and/or environment)

Personality; Six primary ones to understand

1. Self-Esteem

2. Locus of control

3. Introversion - Extroversion

4. Authoritarianism - focus on clear power and status differences … reality its a balance and situational

5. Dogmatism - inflexibility, closed-mindedness

6. Dependability

5 Dimensions of Emotional Intelligence for Management

1. Self-awareness

2. Self-management

3. Self-motivation

4. Empathy

5. Social Skills

Perception

Is a process by which individuals interpret their sensory impressions to give meaning to their environment

Perceptual Selectivity

‘What we see’

the subconscious or conscious process of filtering the overwhelming, constant stream of environmental stimuli to focus on only a few relevant, meaningful, or intense inputs

Perceptual Organization

Familiarity

Meaning or recognition attached to an object, easier to determine appropriate action (i.e., higher than normal values)

Distinctiveness

behaviors in consistent situations vs. a unique behavior in a situation

Consensus

everyone responds similarly

Attribution Theory

• Helps managers understand some of the causes of employee behavior

• Can assist employees in understanding their thinking about their own behaviors

explains how individuals interpret the causes of behavior, successes, and failures, distinguishing between internal (dispositional) and external (situational) factors

Fundamental Attribution Error

Underestimating or overestimating influence of internal and external factors

Self-Serving Bias

Overestimating one’s ability

Selective Perception

Systematically screen or discredit information we don’t wish to hear

Perceptual Defense

Tendency to distort/ignore information this is personally threatening or culturally unacceptable

Halo Effect

General impression based upon single characteristic

Managing Diversity

Five Generations in the workforce perspectives, attitudes and behaviors tend to vary

Response Salience

Focus on more immediate needs (priorities), wages vs. workloads

Response Disposition

Tendency to recognize familiar objects more quickly (importance of past learnings), predispositions

Essence of Entrepreneurship

New business ideas and/or doing things differently

Three Primary Areas of Focus in Entrepreneurship

1. Risk Tolerance

2. Prior Experiences & Skills Evaluation

3. Personality orientation of the individual

Risk Tolerance

Individuals entrepreneurs must be aware of their risk tolerance and establish a business consistent with that tolerance