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C O M M U N I C A T I O N A N D S U C C E S S F U L A P P R O A C H T O S I M U L E A R N S C E N A R I O 3 Katherine Barocio Katherine Filut Priscilla Hernandez The information presented in this paper describes the principle, components and styles of communication, as well as the strategies and tactics used to reach a 90 percent completion level in Virtual Leader Scenario 3 (VL3). Prior to introducing these concepts it is important to explore and define our efforts and motivation behind achieving these outcomes. It is also imperative to offer a transparent understanding of perceived barriers and the actions taken to avoid or overcome those obstacles, reaching our desired outcome. Outcome Directed Thinking (ODT) Having a clear result or outcome and consistently focusing on it
immediately changes your behavior. Focus on the results you are
committed to, and you’ll find yourself consistently moving toward the
result you’re after. – Tony Robbins Outcome directed thinking is a direct and focused process that allows us to begin with the end in mind. When the final outcome is defined and formalized, a clear message of communication focuses the attention and efforts of the team. Similar to an architect who drafts the final product before beginning the building process, a leader must also define the final outcome. Below you will find the ODT Map, outlining our team’s goals, motivations, barriers, and resolutions for this white paper on communication and leading people in directing work. As a group, our focus was to create a comprehensive Flash Report so that the reader has a well-­‐
produced document, clearly defining the processes of effective communication, and applying that knowledge to achieve a 90 percent completion rate within VL3. Our outcome was based on more than just a letter grade for this activity; our motivation is centered around having a strong understanding of the principles of communication and using that information to support our professional careers, and enhancing our skill level as leaders. You will see below that there are several barriers identified in achieving this goal, however, based on the knowledge of our group and the resources provided there were readily available solutions to overcome those obstacles. ODT Map TEAM MOTIVATION PERSONAL MOTIVATION -­‐ DEMONSTRATE A STRONG UNDERSTANDING OF COMMUNICATION AND LEADERSHIP -­‐ RECEIVE A GRADE OF 90 PERCENT OR BETTER ON FLASHREPORT4 -­‐ EARN A VL CERTIFICATE BY RECEIVING A 90 PERCENT IN ALL VL LEVELS
-­‐PRACTICE COMMUNICATION AND LEADERSHIP TACTICS -­‐INCREASE LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS -­‐ USE LEADERSHIP CONCEPTS IN PROFESSIONAL CAREERS GOAL: CREATE A COMPREHENSIVE FLASHREPORT 4, DEMONSTRATING THE LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS NECESSARY TO ACHIEVE 90 PERCENT SUCCESS IN VIRTUAL LEADER 3 SOLUTIONS OBSTACLES *VL3 -­‐ COMMUNICATION: WORKING WITH SEVERAL EMPLOYEES/COLLEAGUES *MEETING AGENDA ITEMS INCREASE MEETING TENSION AND REQUIRE STRONGER LEADERSHIP TACTICS *GROUP IS STILL NEW TO CREATING WHITEPAPERS *SHORT TIME FRAME TO COMPLETE ALL REQUIRED ASSIGNMENTS *LACK OF KNOWLEDGE ON GENERAL SYSTEMS THEORIES (GSTS) * USE TACTICS SHARED IN BB DISCUSSION BOARD, SUGGESTIONS FROM GROUP MEMBERS AND COURSE COACHES *USE BEST PRACTICES DISCUSSED TO MONITOR TENSION, LEADERSHIP AND POWER * REVIEW FEEDBACK FROM WHITEPAPER TO CREATE A STRONGER FLASHREPORT * DIVIDE UP RESPONSIBILITIES, CREATE TIMELINES AND DUE DATES *USE COMMUNICATION READINGS PROVIDED AND ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO UNDERSTAND GSTS Defining Communication and Processes “You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can't get them across, your ideas won't get you anywhere,” according to Lee Lacocca, American Businessman for both Ford and Chrysler motor companies. Our text, Communication in Organizations; It’s Not a Preexisting Social Grace, clearly introduces the idea that communication is not a well-­‐mastered, common practice among businesses. Instead, communication is defined as being one of the most difficult concepts to describe based simply on our own diverse understandings and experiences. Regardless of its complexity it is one of the most crucial skills that a business must have in order to survive. Not only does communication increase efficiency within an organization, it also is essential to conducting business and meeting the needs of the clients that are served. To better define the process for achieving maximum efficiency and customer service through communication we must take into consideration two distinct communication groups: internal and external environment which comprises the entire organizational environment. Internal environment is the transfer of knowledge between employees, management and other areas in which the organization has direct control. External organization, however, is outside of the company’s control and often includes customers and the overall community. Once we determine where the communication lies, it is important to consider the three major components, provided by our text, to understand communication: I. The Process of Communication: Between two or more people and having direct influence on one’s thinking and behaving II. The Structure of Communication: Relationship between the people involved in the communication III. The Function of Communication: Supports individuals by limiting or reducing uncertainty or inexactness Communication can be broken down even further into three elements: Transmission of Informacon Must be present for communication to occur Understanding Common Use of Symbols Will vary depending on communication style, culture, and previous exposure or experience. The first two elements are easy to grasp based on their simplicity of sending information and receiving or understanding information. The last element, Common Use of Symbols, introduces and brings awareness to the idea that communication is received and understood differently based on an individual’s diverse understanding and experience with communication. The communicator must be sure to use common language or common symbols relevant to the area of discussion in order to effectively transmit the message. When we understand that not all common use symbols are common for all audiences, we can conclude that the same symbols used by one person in order to receive information accurately, can be completely different for another individual or group of individuals. "The art of communication is the language of leadership,” James Humes, author and former presidential speechwriter. As we dive deeper into understanding the factors affecting the communication process, we must be aware of the main methods used to communicate within an organization. The first of these is the written method, which includes emails, letters, reports, memos, text messages, social media, etc. User of written communication should be cautious in representing their tone. It is important to clearly set the tone and focus of a written communication so that the receiver does not misinterpret the message. The next two methods, Verbal and Non-­‐Verbal often occur simultaneously within a conversation. Strong leaders with effective communication skills learn to read both the verbal and non-­‐verbal cues. Verbal is defined as either a face-­‐to-­‐face meeting, over the phone or even a webcasting meeting. Non-­‐Verbal Communication is often underestimated and can be see through gestures or even less apparent actions including simple body movements. To better understand the flow of communication we look to the General Systems Theory proposed by Bertalanfy in the 1930s. This system looks at the entire operational environment, representing a continuous loop of input, process, output and feedback. Several models have been presented since the development of the GST. For the purpose of outlining the components and sub factors affecting communication, we will focus on Berlo’s Model: There are many communication models that represent the process of transmitting and receiving information with respect to the GST. As part of the effective communication process, it is equally important to select the most appropriate communication model in order to successfully explain the factors affecting the communication process and supporting logic behind the model. It is also imperative that as a leader, we understand our own style of communication and the supporting models that best represent our communication method in order to demonstrate the process and successfully reach our outcomes. Communicating Change in an Organization Furthermore, as a group we observed some of the difficulties in communicating change in an organization. In VL3, we observed change in the form of new ideas or relaying new information, such as was when Cory brought up the idea of cutting expenses and inviting Rosa to visit with the clients. By allowing Cory to explain her reasons behind her decisions and opinions it became much easier for the listeners to accept the ideas. Meanwhile, Will seemed adamant and, therefore, resisted the idea of discussing the Call Center. As it turned out, discussing the Call Center led to ideas of improvement and initiatives that made Herman happy. Communicating change in an organization results in three ways. The receivers will accept, resist, or feel neutral towards the idea. Thus it is important to monitor and absorb the reactions as the sender because communication can often impact listeners differently than intended. With that being said, audiences can often resist change. How we go about communicating it and relaying that information is imperative to how it is understood. Communication is dependent on the way the receiver perceives and the sender comprehends the information being shared. Often times, audiences will resist when they are lacking information or don't find the information being communicated informative or to their benefit or even too much work for them. This information being communicated must be disseminated by invitation to change using clear and simple steps and even allowing them ownership or the decision to change. Some audiences are easy to accept change, many of the modern contemporary ways of thinking include easily adapting or adjusting to changes. Therefore, communicating change can often be supported by audiences who accept the change because they understand that change leads to progression. By doing so, we prioritize what's important to the audience and the organization and learn to appreciate the innovation behind these decisions. Although it is not always easy for people to accept change when it is communicated, many people will come around slower than others. Some receivers can be neutral about change being communicated to them because they do not feel threatened by the change and are not open to suggestion. These audiences need to be mobilized and influenced. Many times, if their peers are in support, it is easier to take the audience from neutral to acceptance if you play your cards right. Neutral audiences need to be engaged when being communicated with. Although they are not resisting, they are not accepting either, and that can create a domino effect. Barriers can be overcome regardless of the audience’s response to organizational change. The barriers can occur in both the sender and the receiver during the communication process. Receivers can recognize barriers and consciously overcome them. If they are passive during the process they will not recognize the barrier and thus the sender cannot overcome the blockage. Communication Styles We researched different styles of communication and found various terms such as passive, aggressive, assertive, cooperative, submissive, etc. Ultimately, we found most important that the differences between each style is what matters to those who desire to be effective. For example, a leader in a workplace with an aggressive style must recognize if he has a direct report with a passive communication style. If he does not, he risks limiting the organization’s capacity by not inviting others’ ideas. The passive employee might not feel comfortable in speaking up and sharing valuable input to the aggressive communicator. It is vital for leaders in organizations to understand differences and adjust their styles in order to connect and build relationships with others and welcome idea-­‐sharing. We will discuss more details further along specifically for how this approach helped us in the Virtual Learner scenario 3, but first, here is a basic description of communication styles: Passive (submissive) – One who appears timid, reserved, may not be openly willing to share personal thoughts or input Aggressive – One who dominates the situation, must be heard and wants to share what they are thinking/feeling Passive-­‐Aggressive (cooperative) – One who quietly shows their emotions such as, frustration or anger through acts of aggression Assertive – One who clearly states what’s on his or her mind Virtual Leader Scenario 3 Approach In scenario 3 of SimuLearn, each group member attempted the “Explore” method over four times before better understanding how to maneuver the outcome. Here’s what we discovered: In order to achieve a 90% or better in Explore or Assess modes, Cory (that’s our character) has to consider what ideas are worth supporting, she has to gauge the level of tension in the room for each meeting participant, she has to know each participants’ individual agenda, and she must stay focused on what her objective is (in this module the objective is passing the call center idea). Specifically, the ideas worth supporting were “call center work, Rosa’s sales call, go to party, and cut expenses.” The two ideas we did not let pass were “minutes on the web” and “Will’s sales retreat” because these two had negative impacts on either the financial performance, customer satisfaction, or employee morale and were not essential tasks. In order to successfully get all hidden ideas discovered on the table, we ensured Herman’s tension was raised just enough to get him to mention the “call center” idea. This took a few attempts before realizing it was he who needed to bring it up. We did not allow Cory to start the meeting since she is not the highest authority in the room. Once pressing “resume” to launch the scenario, we waited a few seconds without any actions and Will threw his idea for “Rosa’s sales call” onto the table for discussion. After slow and tedious dialogue back and forth with other topics and staying neutral to Will’s ideas, he then again tossed another hidden idea for his “sales retreat” which was one we did not let pass. When we did introduce “cut expenses” we did so by right-­‐clicking the mouse versus left-­‐clicking as this presents a “negative” idea without hurting our personal influence scores. After discovering Herman’s hidden “call center work” idea, Cory frequently, but timely, supported Oli and Rosa, who are her direct reports, while also supporting Herman, who has higher authority than Cory, to gain their cooperation for the ideas she wanted passed. We remained neutral to Will by clicking in the middle of his tension bar so to not alienate him or his ideas, although it became clear that we were not letting pass his “retreat” idea. Our group agreed that this third scenario helped us become more familiar with navigating the SimuLearn modules and comprehending how to control the situation at hand. We better understand how to read the characters’ tension and how to support or oppose their ideas and their behaviors (i.e. yawning showing boredom or pushing away from the table showing tension). We also support SimuLearn more now that we see how the lessons mesh together to assist us in the real world. Closing Thoughts on Communication and VL3 In conclusion, Scenario 3 – “Status Quo” helped us see how communication can flow in the workplace. If a leader goes into a conversation with no consideration in his or her mind but to win the outcome regardless of the cost, then he or she is not a good leader. He or she may be effective, but not a leader people would want to work with much less follow. A great leader wants to communicate effectively and efficiently. Yes, this third scenario took time to navigate through, but what fruitful conversation doesn’t? Cory, the leader, approached her objectives with care and patience. She entered the meeting knowing what she wanted to achieve but still managed to hear others’ ideas and opinions on her ideas. She read team members’ body language and verbal expressions to gauge the tension in the room and to stay in control of time and topic flow. She was able to listen to the messages she was receiving and determine good from bad information in order to make ultimate decisions. This scenario was an example of how successful companies employ great leaders who communicate effectively. Not only through one style, although they may have their personal preference, but in an adaptable fashion with the aligned goal to enhance business and individual performance. A leader who can synchronize their way of getting messages across to their intended audience is communicating with a purpose to gain alignment and buy-­‐in. References Simulearn.net. “Scenario 3.” Retrieved July 12, 2014 from: http://www.simulearn.net/pdf/VL_Workbook_V2v2.pdf Zelmann, Malinda. “Four Effective Styles of Communication in the Workplace.” Retrieved July 13, 2014 from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/four-­‐effective-­‐styles-­‐communication-­‐
workplace-­‐15280.html Communication Models, “Understanding Communication.” Retrieved July 10, 2014 http://www.tutorialspoint.com/management_concepts/communication_models.htm Six Sigma Online.“The Importance of Business Communication.” Retrieved July 10, 2014 http://www.sixsigmaonline.org/six-­‐sigma-­‐training-­‐certification-­‐information/the-­‐importance-­‐of-­‐
business-­‐communication.html