Fundamentals of Management, 8th ed

Chapter 12: Communication in Organizations

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Businesses continue to look for effective ways to communicate with their customers,

employees, job seekers, customers, and investors. Adopting multiple languages is one

increasingly common method for getting messages to different stakeholders. Communi-

cation has always been a vital part of managerial work. Indeed, managers around the

world agree that communication is one of their most important tasks. It is important

for them to communicate with others to convey their vision and goals of the organiza-

tion. And it is important for others to communicate with them so that they will better

understand what is going on in their environment and how they and their organization

can become more effective.

This chapter discusses communication, one of the most basic forms of interaction

among people. We begin by examining communication in the context of the manager’s

job. We then identify and discuss forms of interpersonal, group, and organizational com-

munication. After discussing informal means of communication, we describe how orga-

nizational communication can be effectively managed.

COMMUNICATION AND THE MANAGER’S JOB

A typical day for a manager includes doing desk work, attending scheduled meetings,

placing and receiving phone calls, reading and answering correspondence (both print

and electronic), attending unscheduled meetings, and making tours.

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Most of these

activities involve communication. In fact, managers usually spend over half their time

on some form of communication. Communication always involves two or more people,

so other behavioral processes, such as motivation, leadership, and group and team inter-

actions, all come into play. Top executives must handle communication effectively if they

are to be true leaders.