Week 3: Communication and Conflict Management

A collection of vocabulary flashcards for key concepts in communication and conflict management.

What is communication?

The social process of exchanging information between two or more people.

Why is communication important in management?

Supports all four functions of management: planning, organising, leading, and controlling.

What are the four elements of the SMCR communication model?

Includes: Sender, Message, Channel, and Receiver.

What is the sender in the communication process?

The person who initiates and sends the message.

What is the message in the communication process?

The actual content being communicated, including verbal and nonverbal elements.

What is the channel in the communication process?

The method used to communicate the message, such as face-to-face, email, phone, or video call.

What is the receiver in the communication process?

The person who receives and interprets the message.

What is channel richness?

The amount of information a communication channel can convey.

Which communication channel is richest?

Face-to-face communication, as it includes verbal and nonverbal cues.

What is nonverbal communication?

Includes tone of voice, facial expressions, eye contact, gestures, posture, and body language.

Why is nonverbal communication important?

Helps interpret emotion, attitude, sincerity, and intent behind a message.

What is formal communication?

Official communication through organisational channels, such as emails and meetings.

What is informal communication?

Unofficial communication outside formal workplace channels, such as casual conversations.

What are common barriers to communication?

Includes language barriers, attention barriers, emotional barriers, mental barriers, and status barriers.

What are the five communication purposes?

Tell, Sell, Consult, Join, Deflect.

What is a people-oriented communication style?

Focuses on how an issue affects people, relationships, customers, or clients.

What is a problem-oriented communication style?

Focuses on facts, evidence, logic, and theories behind an issue.

What is the difference between high-context and low-context communication?

• High-context = indirect, relies on nonverbal cues and situation

• Low-context = direct, clear, and focused on the message itself

What are three key strategies for communicating cross-culturally?

1. Be clear about your message

2. Use language everyone can understand

3. Repeat or reinforce key points

What are the five steps in the listening process?

Receiving, Attending, Perceiving, Interpreting, Responding.

What is signal amplification bias?

Believing you have communicated more clearly than you actually have.

What is conflict?

A process in which two or more parties have competing interests over goals, ideas, or scarce resources.

What is the difference between a win-lose and a win-win conflict outcome?

• Win-lose = one party wins, the other loses

• Win-win = both parties work together to find a solution that satisfies both sides

What are the five conflict management styles?

Competing, Avoiding, Accommodating, Compromising, Collaborating.

Which conflict management style is usually best in the workplace?

Collaborating, as it aims for a win-win outcome.

What is task conflict?

Disagreement about how work should be done; can sometimes be functional.

What is person conflict?

Conflict caused by personality clashes or emotions; usually dysfunctional.

What does “focus on the problem, not the person” mean in conflict management?

Addressing the issue itself rather than blaming or attacking the person.

What is negotiation?

The process where two or more parties with conflicting interests work to resolve their differences.

What is the best overall goal in workplace conflict management?

Achieve a win-win resolution where both the issue and the relationship are handled effectively.