Effective Communication And Feedback
Release: Nov 17 2009 02:27 Author: Members View: 21943 times Print Bookmark and Share
If employees are tickled to see the boss, I know that he or she is a great
hands-on manager.
J. W. Marriott, Jr.
After completing this article, you will be able to
* Define communication and explain its importance as a management tool.
* Contrast formal and informal methods of communication.
* Discuss the common forms of upward and downward communication used
by supervisors and managers in the hospitality industry.
* Outline circumstances that call for verbal, written, and electronic communication
methods.
* List common barriers to effective communication and describe techniques
for overcoming such barriers.
* Explain the difference between active and passive listening.
* Identify guidelines for providing positive and negative employee feedback.
Excellent interpersonal or human relations skills are absolutely
required if you hope to eventually become a successful supervisor,
manager, or owner of a profitable hospitality enterprise. This is especially
true for both lower-level managers and owners who have daily contact
with both employees and valued guests and customers. Because the communication
process contributes significantly to our overall interpersonal skills,
our ability to communicate effectively will undoubtedly play a huge role in
the success or failure of the operation.
THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS
The communication process is simply the sending and receiving of information,
which is a powerful thing. Information enables managers and supervisors
to make sound business decisions. Without it, important decisions about the
organization, its environment, its products and services, and its employees and
customers are made in a vacuum; nothing could be more dangerous for a hospitality
business. Information is also an important key to employee satisfaction.
For employees, a lack of sufficient information will often lead to high-stress levels
and low morale among workers, two significant causes of turnover in the
hospitality industry.
If information is the engine that drives the business, then the communication
systems that management puts into place are what fuel the engine. Communication
systems may be written or verbal and can be a combination of both
formal and informal methods for circulating information throughout the organization.
AN EXAMPLE FROM MARRIOTT
When J. W. Marriott Jr. tours one of his hotels, he likes to stroll the entire property
with the general manager at his side. Marriott is not only interested in the
hotel’s “numbers,” but he also pays attention to the way the general manager
interacts with the hotel’s staff. Speaking of one such stroll, Marriott said that he
and the hotel’s general manager were “greeted by smiles, teasing, and hellos
from just about every Marriott associate we passed. What’s the big deal? Why
was I so pleased? At Marriott, the reaction of staff to the GM is the ultimate litmus
test of how well a hotel is run.”
This hands-on, management-by-walking-around (MBWA) approach has
been an important part of Marriott’s corporate culture for more than 75 years.
It also illustrates an effective informal communication method. Other exam-
ples of informal communication may include an open-door policy and even the
employee grapevine. Formal communication methods may consist of such
things as memos, reports, employee suggestion boxes, and employee newsletters
or bulletin boards.
WHICH COMMUNICATION METHOD IS BEST?
The extent to which management needs to convey or receive information, as
well as the type of information that needs conveying, will best determine the
optimal form of communication. Clearly, matters affecting policy, procedures,
and other issues of importance will require more formal methods of delivery.
The intended audience, or those who will receive the information, will also
determine whether a more formal or informal approach is necessary. Formal
communication often addresses task-related issues and tends to span the organization’s
chain of command. Examples include the following:
* A supervisor gives directions to an employee about how to greet a guest.
* An employee offers advice to a work team in her department.
* An employee suggests a way to improve productivity to his supervisor.
* A supervisor interacts with other supervisors at a weekly staff meeting.
* An employee responds in writing to a request made by his supervisor.
Informal communication may or may not follow the chain of command; it
may move in any direction, and it is as likely to satisfy social needs as it is to
facilitate the functions of business. Informal communication methods such as
MBWA, which was illustrated in the Marriott example, encourage effective twoway
communication among staff as well as between managers and subordinates.
The traditional open-door policy, in which employees are free to walk
into any manager’s office with their problems, is another way to foster informal
communication. Most workers are reluctant to take a problem to their boss,
or even to their boss’s boss, so the best open-door policy is the one in which
the manager gets up from her desk and walks out of her office to talk to employees
in their space.
THE EMPLOYEE GRAPEVINE
Perhaps the least understood method of informal communication is the employee
grapevine and the rumors and gossip it provides. When two employees
chat in the break room about their trouble with a supervisor, this is grapevine
communication. Some managers see this as a positive source of informal communication,
and they have an interest in the grapevine because it provides useful,
off-the-record feedback from employees—if managers are prepared to listen,
understand, and interpret the information. The types of information that management
finds useful with regard to the employee grapevine are illustrated in
Figure 13.1.
Figure 13.1 Types of feedback “heard through the grapevine” that should be
of interest to managers.
* Information about problems or anxieties that employees may have
* Incorrect feedback that is evidence of breakdowns in communication systems
* Insights into goals and motivations of employees
* Identification of job problems that have high-emotional content
* Information about the quality of supervision
* Information about areas of job dissatisfaction
* Information about acceptance of new policies and procedures
Managers who keep their employees in the dark about company concerns
have the potential to breed anxiety and fuel gossip and rumors, a generally
less-positive form of grapevine communication. A recent study conducted by
ISR, a global employee research and consulting firm headquartered in Chicago,
found that the majority of employees view the employee grapevine as more
informative than what they hear from their boss when it comes to work issues,
and 63 percent of workers said that rumors are usually how they first
hear about important business matters. Good leaders are good communicators,
and this research shows that some managers have a lot to learn when
it comes to communicating with their employees. One thing is certain: The
employee grapevine will never go away, so wise managers will learn to tap into
the grapevine’s value as a way of identifying key issues of importance to employees.
DOWNWARD AND UPWARD COMMUNICATION
The most effective hospitality managers and supervisors make use of extensive
communication systems to keep people informed. Although the goal is to facilitate
an open, two-way flow of information, most messages are of the top-down
variety. Downward communication is information that begins at some point
in the organizational structure and cascades down the chain of command to
inform or influence others. Downward communication is necessary to execute
decisions and to give employees information about the organization. Successful
hospitality operations should use a variety of downward communication
methods because the diversity of multiple-communication channels is more
likely to overcome barriers and reach the intended receivers. Examples of
downward communication include company and department newsletters and
bulletin boards, e-mail and recorded messages, reports, booklets, and meetings
held to inform employees about company issues.
Upward communication originates within the organization’s lower levels
and filters to its higher levels. This sort of communication is initiated by employees
who seek to inform or influence those who are higher up in the organization’s
hierarchy. In many hospitality businesses, there is probably no area
of communication that is more in need of improvement than upward communication.
When supervisors have a good relationship with their line employees,
and when two-way communication between these groups flows freely,
upward communication is very powerful in that it allows employees to participate
in the day-to-day decision making that goes on in the organization. Some
hospitality businesses encourage this form of communication by using employee
suggestion boxes. Workers are encouraged to write down their ideas
or concerns and drop them in a special box, sometimes anonymously, where
upper management will later retrieve them and, hopefully, act on them. In
some instances, organizations will reward an employee who has come up with
a cost-saving idea or with an idea to increase business and revenue. The state
of Indiana encourages state government employees to utilize its employee suggestion
program.
When information does not flow freely and upward communication is
blocked, it may result in chaos and may even create dangerous conditions.
VERBAL AND WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
Managers and supervisors must constantly rely on their verbal communication
skills. Meeting with an employee, training a new hire, instructing staff members,
as well as soothing the ruffled feathers of a disgruntled guest are all superb
examples of instances in which
Effective Communication And Feedback
Release: Nov 17 2009 02:27 Author: Members View: 21943 times Print Bookmark and Share
If employees are tickled to see the boss, I know that he or she is a great
hands-on manager.
J. W. Marriott, Jr.
After completing this article, you will be able to
* Define communication and explain its importance as a management tool.
* Contrast formal and informal methods of communication.
* Discuss the common forms of upward and downward communication used
by supervisors and managers in the hospitality industry.
* Outline circumstances that call for verbal, written, and electronic communication
methods.
* List common barriers to effective communication and describe techniques
for overcoming such barriers.
* Explain the difference between active and passive listening.
* Identify guidelines for providing positive and negative employee feedback.
Excellent interpersonal or human relations skills are absolutely
required if you hope to eventually become a successful supervisor,
manager, or owner of a profitable hospitality enterprise. This is especially
true for both lower-level managers and owners who have daily contact
with both employees and valued guests and customers. Because the communication
process contributes significantly to our overall interpersonal skills,
our ability to communicate effectively will undoubtedly play a huge role in
the success or failure of the operation.
THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS
The communication process is simply the sending and receiving of information,
which is a powerful thing. Information enables managers and supervisors
to make sound business decisions. Without it, important decisions about the
organization, its environment, its products and services, and its employees and
customers are made in a vacuum; nothing could be more dangerous for a hospitality
business. Information is also an important key to employee satisfaction.
For employees, a lack of sufficient information will often lead to high-stress levels
and low morale among workers, two significant causes of turnover in the
hospitality industry.
If information is the engine that drives the business, then the communication
systems that management puts into place are what fuel the engine. Communication
systems may be written or verbal and can be a combination of both
formal and informal methods for circulating information throughout the organization.
AN EXAMPLE FROM MARRIOTT
When J. W. Marriott Jr. tours one of his hotels, he likes to stroll the entire property
with the general manager at his side. Marriott is not only interested in the
hotel’s “numbers,” but he also pays attention to the way the general manager
interacts with the hotel’s staff. Speaking of one such stroll, Marriott said that he
and the hotel’s general manager were “greeted by smiles, teasing, and hellos
from just about every Marriott associate we passed. What’s the big deal? Why
was I so pleased? At Marriott, the reaction of staff to the GM is the ultimate litmus
test of how well a hotel is run.”
This hands-on, management-by-walking-around (MBWA) approach has
been an important part of Marriott’s corporate culture for more than 75 years.
It also illustrates an effective informal communication method. Other exam-
ples of informal communication may include an open-door policy and even the
employee grapevine. Formal communication methods may consist of such
things as memos, reports, employee suggestion boxes, and employee newsletters
or bulletin boards.
WHICH COMMUNICATION METHOD IS BEST?
The extent to which management needs to convey or receive information, as
well as the type of information that needs conveying, will best determine the
optimal form of communication. Clearly, matters affecting policy, procedures,
and other issues of importance will require more formal methods of delivery.
The intended audience, or those who will receive the information, will also
determine whether a more formal or informal approach is necessary. Formal
communication often addresses task-related issues and tends to span the organization’s
chain of command. Examples include the following:
* A supervisor gives directions to an employee about how to greet a guest.
* An employee offers advice to a work team in her department.
* An employee suggests a way to improve productivity to his supervisor.
* A supervisor interacts with other supervisors at a weekly staff meeting.
* An employee responds in writing to a request made by his supervisor.
Informal communication may or may not follow the chain of command; it
may move in any direction, and it is as likely to satisfy social needs as it is to
facilitate the functions of business. Informal communication methods such as
MBWA, which was illustrated in the Marriott example, encourage effective twoway
communication among staff as well as between managers and subordinates.
The traditional open-door policy, in which employees are free to walk
into any manager’s office with their problems, is another way to foster informal
communication. Most workers are reluctant to take a problem to their boss,
or even to their boss’s boss, so the best open-door policy is the one in which
the manager gets up from her desk and walks out of her office to talk to employees
in their space.
THE EMPLOYEE GRAPEVINE
Perhaps the least understood method of informal communication is the employee
grapevine and the rumors and gossip it provides. When two employees
chat in the break room about their trouble with a supervisor, this is grapevine
communication. Some managers see this as a positive source of informal communication,
and they have an interest in the grapevine because it provides useful,
off-the-record feedback from employees—if managers are prepared to listen,
understand, and interpret the information. The types of information that management
finds useful with regard to the employee grapevine are illustrated in
Figure 13.1.
Figure 13.1 Types of feedback “heard through the grapevine” that should be
of interest to managers.
* Information about problems or anxieties that employees may have
* Incorrect feedback that is evidence of breakdowns in communication systems
* Insights into goals and motivations of employees
* Identification of job problems that have high-emotional content
* Information about the quality of supervision
* Information about areas of job dissatisfaction
* Information about acceptance of new policies and procedures
Managers who keep their employees in the dark about company concerns
have the potential to breed anxiety and fuel gossip and rumors, a generally
less-positive form of grapevine communication. A recent study conducted by
ISR, a global employee research and consulting firm headquartered in Chicago,
found that the majority of employees view the employee grapevine as more
informative than what they hear from their boss when it comes to work issues,
and 63 percent of workers said that rumors are usually how they first
hear about important business matters. Good leaders are good communicators,
and this research shows that some managers have a lot to learn when
it comes to communicating with their employees. One thing is certain: The
employee grapevine will never go away, so wise managers will learn to tap into
the grapevine’s value as a way of identifying key issues of importance to employees.
DOWNWARD AND UPWARD COMMUNICATION
The most effective hospitality managers and supervisors make use of extensive
communication systems to keep people informed. Although the goal is to facilitate
an open, two-way flow of information, most messages are of the top-down
variety. Downward communication is information that begins at some point
in the organizational structure and cascades down the chain of command to
inform or influence others. Downward communication is necessary to execute
decisions and to give employees information about the organization. Successful
hospitality operations should use a variety of downward communication
methods because the diversity of multiple-communication channels is more
likely to overcome barriers and reach the intended receivers. Examples of
downward communication include company and department newsletters and
bulletin boards, e-mail and recorded messages, reports, booklets, and meetings
held to inform employees about company issues.
Upward communication originates within the organization’s lower levels
and filters to its higher levels. This sort of communication is initiated by employees
who seek to inform or influence those who are higher up in the organization’s
hierarchy. In many hospitality businesses, there is probably no area
of communication that is more in need of improvement than upward communication.
When supervisors have a good relationship with their line employees,
and when two-way communication between these groups flows freely,
upward communication is very powerful in that it allows employees to participate
in the day-to-day decision making that goes on in the organization. Some
hospitality businesses encourage this form of communication by using employee
suggestion boxes. Workers are encouraged to write down their ideas
or concerns and drop them in a special box, sometimes anonymously, where
upper management will later retrieve them and, hopefully, act on them. In
some instances, organizations will reward an employee who has come up with
a cost-saving idea or with an idea to increase business and revenue. The state
of Indiana encourages state government employees to utilize its employee suggestion
program.
When information does not flow freely and upward communication is
blocked, it may result in chaos and may even create dangerous conditions.
VERBAL AND WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
Managers and supervisors must constantly rely on their verbal communication
skills. Meeting with an employee, training a new hire, instructing staff members,
as well as soothing the ruffled feathers of a disgruntled guest are all superb
examples of instances in which
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