MANAGEMENT COMMUNICATION IN TRANSITION

中國經濟管理大學  IM Mgt Comm 4e

 Communication is the work of managers, day in and day out.

I. The daily work of managers.

 A. Managers are in constant action.

  1. Switch frequently from task to task.
  
  2. Change their focus of attention to respond to issues as they arise.
  
  3. Engage in a large volume of tasks of short duration.

 B. Managers spend most of their time interacting with others.

  1. Engage in interactions both inside and outside the organization.
 
  2. Talk and listen when in action.

II. The majority of managers cluster around three core management roles.

 A. Interpersonal roles are the richest source of information for managers because         of their immediate and personal nature.    

  1. The figurehead role is exhibited when performing ceremonial duties of their position.

  2. The leader role is exhibited when demonstrating their responsibility for the work of the people in their unit and their actions.  This is where the influence of managers is most clearly seen.

  3. The liaison role is exhibited when establishing and maintaining contacts outside the vertical chain of command.

 B. Informational roles of managers are required because not even the most             expensive management information system can match the speed and intuitive          power of a well-trained manager’s brain for information processing.

  1. The monitor role allows managers to scan the environment for information.

  2. The disseminator role allows managers to pass privileged information directly to subordinates.

  3. The spokesperson role allows managers to send information to people outside of their organizations.

 C. Decisional roles are used by managers to make decisions on behalf of the              organization and the stakeholders with an interest in the organization.

  1. Interpersonal and informational roles often aid the decision making              process.

  2. The entrepreneur role is shown when managers seek to improve their           businesses, to adapt to changing market conditions, and to react to opportunities as they present themselves.

  3. The disturbance or crisis handler role depicts managers who must involuntarily react to conditions.

  4. The resource allocator role involves managers making decisions about who gets what, how much, when, and why.

  5. The negotiator role is used to resolve disputes with people inside and           outside the organization.

III. Although the specificity of managers’ work may differ, there are a few major characteristics relating to every job.

 A. The time of managers is fragmented.  This often drives managers to overwork and can force them to complete tasks superficially.

 B. Values compete and the various roles are in tension placing managers in the  middle when making many decisions.  Managers cannot satisfy all parties involved, thus decisions are often based on the urgency of the need and the proximity of the problem. 

 C. The job of managers is overloaded due to significant reorganization efforts to         make businesses more efficient, nimble, and competitive.  Downsizing, coupled with high-speed data processing and remarkably efficient telecommunication systems has greatly increased the number of people directly reporting to managers.

 D. Efficiency becomes a core skill for successful managers.

IV. The emphasis of management roles is what varies in a manager’s job.

 A. The role of the entrepreneur is gaining importance as managers become               increasingly aware of threats and opportunities in their environment.  Managers who are carefully attuned to the marketplace and competitive environment will look for opportunities to gain an advantage.

 B. The leader role is gaining importance as managers must become more               sophisticated as strategists and mentors.  Managers need to become more active mentors to attract and retain skilled employees.

 C. Managers must create a local vision as they help people within their organization to grow.

V. The 21st Century workplace will require three types of skills, each of which will be useful at different points in your career.

 A. Technical skills are most valuable at the entry level, but less valuable at the senior levels.  These skills constantly change and become outdated.

 B. Relating skills are valuable across the managerial career span and are more              likely to help you progress and be promoted to higher levels of responsibility. These skills help you form relationships with people both inside and outside of the organization.

 C. Conceptual skills are the least valuable at the entry level, but more valuable at         senior levels in the organization.  These skills permit you to look past the details of everyday work assignments and see the bigger picture.

VI. Talking is the work of managers.

 A. One-on-one conversations allow an enormous exchange of information.

 B. Managers spend an astounding amount of time on the telephone.  The amount of time per telephone call is decreasing, but the number of calls per day is increasing.

 C. Video teleconferencing makes direct conversations to people around the world a simple matter.  These exchanges can be informal, conversational, and not much different than if the parties were in the same room.

 D. Managers give many presentations to small groups of three-to-eight people in both a formal and informal manner.

 E. Most managers are often required to speak to larger audiences of several dozen, or perhaps, even several hundred.  These presentations are often more formal but still involve one manager talking to others, framing, shaping, and passing information to an audience.

VII. The major channels of management communication are talking and listening.

VIII. The role of writing plays an important role in the life of any organization.

 A. Managers use writing as a career sifter; if you do not demonstrate your ability to put ideas on paper in a clear, unambiguous fashion, you will most likely not last.

 B. Managers at all levels of most organizations draft, review, edit, and dispatch their own correspondence, reports, and proposals.

 C. When a document leaves your desk, it takes on a life of its own.  Documents become the property of the organization they are sent to and therefore they are free to do as they see fit with your writing.

 D. Managers create meaning through communication, thus communication is invention.

IX. Information is socially constructed.

 A. Information is created, shared and interpreted by people.

 B. Information never speaks for itself; it almost always requires some sort of interpretation, explanation or context.

 C. The context of a message is always of paramount importance to the listener, viewer, or reader in reaching a reasonable conclusion about what she sees or hears.

 D. If the messages you send as a manager are to have the impact you hope they will, they must come from a source the receiver knows, respects, and understands.