A520.4.3.RB_SharpMelissa

Throughout this course, you will be asked to reflect on a set of questions presented and respond in a well-written post to your Reflection Blog. Do not simply list and answer the prompts. Instead, write your blog, incorporating your thoughts into your reflection. Make certain to incorporate your own experiences into your reflection.

This exercise will give you practice in identifying obstacles to effective interpersonal communication and applying principles of supportive communication. For some of you, you may have little experience distinguishing between defensiveness and disconfirmation. In addition, you may have little experience putting into practice the eight attributes of supportive communications. This exercise will address both. 

Read the following excerpt from an e-mail sent by a CEO to 400 company managers at a high-technology company called Cerner. Reflect on the eight attributes of supportive communication and detail how you might apply those over the next 30 days in your job to avoid some of the problems associated with this communication. 

“We are getting less than 40 hours of work from a large number of our K.C.-based EMPLOYEES. The parking lot is sparsely used at 8:00 A.M.; likewise at 5 P.M. As managers – you either do not know what your EMPLOYEES are doing, or you do not CARE. You have created expectations on the work effort that allowed this to happen inside Cerner, creating a very unhealthy environment. In either case, you have a problem and you will fix it or I will replace you. NEVER in my career have I allowed a team that worked for me to think they had a 40-hour job. I have allowed YOU to create a culture that is permitting this. NO LONGER.”

First of all, the CEO’s e-mail is incredibly accusatory. I cannot speak for others but I know that it is difficult for me to accept messages that are accusatory in nature. When I feel that I am being attacked, I become defensive. Whetten and Cameron (2016) identify defensiveness as a major communication barrier in which individuals become agitated and feel threatened and punished by the communication. If I received this e-mail from my CEO, I would feel defensive, disrespected, and belittled. The language of this e-mail is filled with anger, accusation, and distance. In receiving this e-mail, I would automatically assume that the sender does not care about me or any of the other recipients.

The CEO’s mean-speech is definitely evaluation communication. According to Whetten and Cameron (2016), "evaluative communication makes a judgement or places a label on other individuals or on their behavior" (p. 198). Statements such as "you are incapable" or "you messed it up" are often used in evaluation communication (Whetten and Cameron, 2016).In reviewing the CEO's e-mail, we can see that his communication style is not supportive because his language is filled with evaluative communication. 

The CEO's e-mail also focuses more on his managers than it does on the problem; therefore, this CEO is exhibiting person-oriented communication. Person-oriented communication is taking place when the characteristics of the individual are the focus and not the problem (Whetten and Cameron, 2016). When a person’s character becomes the focus (when it has no right to be the focus), the accuser's actions are a form of character assassination. If the CEO’s e-mail was sent to me, I would feel like my character was being unjustly scrutinized; I would have a hard time listening to the CEO’s feedback; I would also have a hard time trusting him.

In supportive communication, “you statements” are not used. “You statements” focus on a person whereas problem-focused statements address the problem and not a person’s character. In the next 30 days I want to monitor my communication as it relates to Whetten and Cameron’s (2016) eight attributes of supportive communication (p.194). I want to make sure my words are descriptive and not evaluative, in that, I want to explain incidences without telling a person they are wrong for their actions (Whetten, 2016). At the same time, I want to be honest without watering-down the truth. I appreciate that Whetten and Cameron (2016) noted that supportive communication's goal is not merely to be liked by other people or to be judged to be a nice person, nor is it used to produce social acceptance; supportive communication is about solving problems faster; supportive communication means less conflict and more understanding; finally, environments with supportive communication can experience higher rates of productivity.

So that I hold myself accountable to monitoring my communication in relation to the eight attributes of supportive communication, I am going to type the attributes out and tape them on the wall by my office desk. In addition to paying attention to the way I communicate, I am going to ask my friends and family about my communication style and welcome the feedback!

As I stated in this week’s discussion response, I love all things communication because I love learning about the most effective communication techniques. Because I believe in the power of clear communication, I am excited to try this 30-day exercise so that I am better at what I love!

Whetton, D. A. & Cameron, K. S. (2016). Developing management skills,
        9th ed. Boston, MA: Pearson.