OFA $$511$$ CA Test Notes

Vocabulary flashcards covering communication models, barriers, decision-making styles, and Belbin’s Team Roles based on the OFA $$511$$ CA test notes.

Communication Process

The exchange of information, ideas, and emotions between individuals or groups, often influenced by cultural tapestry and linguistic diversity in the South African context.

Basic Model of Communication

Includes a sender, a message, a channel, a receiver, and feedback, which can be complicated by language barriers and historical context.

Sender

The person who is conveying the message.

Message

What is being said during the communication process.

Receiver

The person to whom the message is being said.

Feedback

How the message is received.

Medium

How the message is sent.

Context

The situation or setting within which the communication takes place.

Noise

What interferes with the transmission of the message.

Code

The set of rules used to interpret and convey a message, including words, pictures, sounds, and symbols.

Language Diversity

A barrier to effective communication involving misunderstandings due to language differences.

Hierarchical Structures

Different levels of management and staff that can inhibit open communication.

Historical Context (South Africa)

Apartheid history that continues to influence workplace dynamics.

Communication (Transaction)

Interaction where participants create a meaning through the exchange of symbols either verbally, in writing, or through body language.

Verbal Communication

Communicating thoughts through words such as ideas, opinions, direction, dissatisfaction, emotions, and pleasures.

Active Listening

A critical skill involving concentrating on the speaker, understanding their message, responding thoughtfully, and remembering key information.

The Sandwich Method

A type of giving feedback where negative feedback is sandwiched between positive comments.

Non-verbal Communication

Everyday communication including postures, facial expression, eye gaze, gestures, and tone of voice.

Kinesics

The study of motion, including body movements and positions.

Electronic Communication

The way people share information using electronic devices instead of face-to-face or paper.

Intranet

A smaller, local version of the internet.

Extranet

An extension of an organization’s intranet that is extended to specific users outside the company, usually partners, vendors, and suppliers.

Information Retrieval (IR)

The science of searching for documents, for information within documents, and for metadata about documents.

Remote Communication

The exchange of information between people who are not in the same physical location using technology.

Empathy

The ability to understand and share the feelings of others, closely tied to the African concept of Ubuntu.

Networrking

One of the interpersonal skills that need to be developed to improve social skills.

Interpersonal Behaivour

Behaivour requiring skills such as mentoring, motivating others, and network building.

Interpersonal Conflict

Conflict between $2$ or more individuals, such as difficulty with a co-worker.

Intrapersonal Conflict

Conflict within the person, for example, a moral dilemma or making a decision at work.

Intragroup Conflict

Conflict between individuals within a group, such as a dispute over budget allocation.

Leadership

Inspiring organizational success by radically affecting workers' attitudes about what an organization should be like and inspiring basic values like trust, fairness, and reliability.

Conflict

A situation where $2$ or more ideas, interests, values, goals, or individuals are in opposite or disagreement with each other.

Decision-making

An integral part of modern management that involves making rational or sound decisions.

Irreversible Decisions

Permanent decisions that cannot be retracted, used when there is no other choice.

Reversible Decisions

Decisions that are not final and binding and can be changed at any point of time to recognize errors.

Deferred Decisions

Decisions put on hold until the decision maker thinks that the right time has arrived to implement the act.

Speedy Decisions

Decisions that enable management to make the maximum of the opportunity available at hand.

Investigational Decisions

An experimental type of decision where the final decision cannot be made until preliminary results are positive.

Authoritative Style

A leadership style where the leader is the exclusive decision maker which subordinates act on.

Facilitative Style

A leadership style where the leader and his subordinates work together to arrive at a decision.

Consultative Style

A style where decisions are made in consultation with the subordinate.

Delegative Style

A style where the leader passes on the responsibility of making decisions to one or more of his subordinates.

Strategic Decisions

Occasional decisions made annually by top management that can have an enormous impact on the organization.

Tactical Decisions

Decisions with a medium risk impact exercised frequently in the office by middle management.

Operational or Routine Decisions

Daily or hourly decisions made by supervisors and team leaders that have a lesser impact on the organization.

Teams

Groups of people with comparable values who are working together to achieve common goals.

TIER Framework

A framework for facilitating team effectiveness: T (Develop the Team), I (Develop the individual), E (Enable the Team Process), R (Recognise and Reward).

Shaper

An action-oriented Belbin role that avoids complacency by finding the best approach to issues; characterized as extroverted.

Implementer

An action-oriented Belbin role that turns ideas into actions but is inflexible and resistant to change.

Completer

An action-oriented Belbin role that pays attention to detail and finds delegation difficult.

Team Worker

A people-oriented Belbin role that provides support and ensures team members work together.

Coordinator

A people-oriented Belbin role, also known as the chairperson, who is an excellent listener.

Resource Investigator

A people-oriented Belbin role that is innovative, curious, and searches for options and contacts.

Plant

A thought-oriented Belbin role that is introverted, prefers working apart from the team, and is a poor communicator.

Monitor - Evaluator

A thought-oriented Belbin role consisting of critical thinkers who are strategic and perceived as unemotional.

Specialist

A thought-oriented Belbin role that prides itself on skills and expertise which limits their contribution.

Programmed Decisions

Standard decisions that always follow the same routine.

Non-programmed Decisions

Decisions where each is not quite the same as any previous decision.