Intercultural communication teamwork and leadership/CCOM103/Communication in the workplace/Interpersonal communication

Read Chapter 16.3 and 16.4 in Business Communication for Success. Chapter 16.3 discusses Maslow’s (1970) popular hierarchy of needs theory and how it may generally apply to workplace communication. This reading also discusses Shutz’ (1966) related interpersonal style typology. While these theories are intuitively appealing, like the also popular learning styles theory, it’s important to recognize that stereotyping people can lead to bias and negative self-fulfilling prophecies. To avoid making inaccurate assumptions, think critically about the evidence for your beliefs, and truly consider other perspectives (Marshik, 2015). As you learned earlier, people are multidimensional and often behave differently in different contexts. Chapter 16.4 discusses relationship theory on how social intimacy develops and key principles of appropriate self-disclosure. This theory is important in business communication because people need a sense of interpersonal comfort to communicate openly, especially in conflict or crisis situations. Relationship-building is also an important way to engage client feelings of connection to your business products. Recommended: Chapter 16.3 Exercise 2, and all Chapter 16.4 Exercises.

Read – William Kremer and Claudia Hammond’s 2013 article in the BBC News Magazine “Abraham Maslow and the pyramid that beguiled business”. This article presents current academic and business views on Maslow’s theory. While there is no empirical evidence for his theory, his peers acknowledge his important contribution to shifting managerial styles from the old transactional view to a more people-centred, relational approach.

Reference: Tesia Marshik. April 2, 2015. Learning Styles & the Importance of Critical Self-Reflection, TEDxUWLaCrosse. YouTube. [18.04 min.]