DIPLOMA IN TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT

PAPER: I
ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR

RESPONSE SHEET: 2

QUESTIONS ANSWERED: 3 & 4

SUBMITTED BY:
JIVETA CHAUDHARY GROVER
REGISTRATION NO.: 69/22711
JULY 2013 BATCH





INDIAN SOCIETY FOR TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT
TRAINING HOUSE, B-41, QUTAB INSTITUTIONAL AREA, NEW
MEHRAULI ROAD, NEW DELHI - 110016
REGISTRATION NO.: 69/22711
NAME: JIVETA CHAUDHARY GROVER
PAPER NO.: I (ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR) RESPONSE SHEET NO. : 2 QUESTION NO. : 3 & 4

Page 2 of 7

QUESTION 3

What is meant by group? The balance theory by Theodre Newcomb is a comprehensive
theory of group formation. Explain.

ANSWER 3

Group
A group is defined as two or more individuals, interacting and interdependent, who
come together for a mutual objective. According to Schein, three main conditions
need to be fulfilled for an aggregation of people to be called as a group viz., people
must interact with one another, people must be psychologically aware of each other
and they must perceive themselves as a group. In a group, members are mutually
dependent on one another to achieve shared goals, and they interact with one another
regularly to pursue those goals.

Theodre Newcombs Theory of Group Formation
Newcomb proposed a theory of group formation in 1961 and explained why people
are attracted to each other. The theory states that persons are attracted to one another
on the basis of similar attitudes toward commonly relevant objects and goals. The
similarity amongst people encourages them to share, form understanding and function
as a team. If peoples attitudes differ, the balance is lost and they cannot form a group.
Theodres theory explains the relationship between attraction and similarity. Balance
theory is built on cognitive consistency theory, which assumes that people have
awareness of their attitudes and behaviours, and the ability to change their
attitudes. These relationships can be either balanced or unbalanced. Balanced states
exist either when all relationships are positive or when there is an even number of
negative relationships. Unbalanced states exist when there are an uneven number of
negative relationships. If an imbalance occurs, an attempt is made by people to restore
the balance and if the balance cannot be restored, the relationship is dissolved. The
following diagram illustrates the balance theory: -
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NAME: JIVETA CHAUDHARY GROVER
PAPER NO.: I (ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR) RESPONSE SHEET NO. : 2 QUESTION NO. : 3 & 4

Page 3 of 7








Individual A would be attracted to Individual B if they share common attitudes and
values of work, authority, relationships, religion, politics, lifestyle, etc. Balance
theory proposes that there are three ways in which a person can feel balance. First the
source and receiver can both dislike something and at the same time like each other,
so they experience comfort and balance. Second, the source and receiver can have a
positive attitude toward an object or idea and display positive feelings toward one
another, therefore experiencing comfort and balance. Third, the source and the
receiver can disagree about an idea or object and also dislike each other, therefore
experiencing comfort because they know that they disagree about the values of certain
objects or ideas.
Balance theory is a more comprehensive theory of group formation as it is based on
both propinquity and interaction theory. Where propinquity theory assumes that
spatial/geographical proximity amongst individuals in an organization aids group
formation, interaction theory on the other hand states that the more activities
individuals share, the more numerous are their interactions and the stronger are their
shared activities and sentiments; and the more sentiments people have for one
another, the more are their shared activities and interactions. Both these theories play
a role in the balance theory. Thus, the balance theory is additive in nature in the sense
that it introduces the factor of 'balance' to the propinquity and interaction factors.
There must be a balance in the relationship between the group members for the group
to be formed and for its survival.




Individual A Individual B
Common Attitudes and Values
REGISTRATION NO.: 69/22711
NAME: JIVETA CHAUDHARY GROVER
PAPER NO.: I (ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR) RESPONSE SHEET NO. : 2 QUESTION NO. : 3 & 4

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QUESTION 4

Define Communication. What are the barriers of Communication?

ANSWER 4

Communication
The word communication has been derived from the Latin word communicare that
means to impart, to participate, to share or to make common. Communication is the
process of transmission of a message and understanding of information between two
or more people. It is the two-way process of reaching mutual understanding, in which
participants not only exchange (encode-decode) information, news, ideas and feelings
but also create and share meaning. According to Louis A. Allen, Communication is
the sum total of all the things that a person does, when he wants to create an
understanding in the mind of another. It involves a systematic and continuous process
of telling, listening and understanding.

Barriers to Communication
Barriers to Communication are the hindrances or difficulties involved in the process
of communication that distort the message communicated. These are aspects of or
conditions in a workplace that interfere with effective exchange of ideas or thoughts.
A barrier could occur at any point in time in the communication process from
developing the message, expressing & transmitting the message, receiving the
message to finally interpreting the message and providing feedback. Common barriers
to communication include: -
i. I ntrapersonal Factors
These are elements within the individuals personality which act as a barrier in
receiving, analysing and interpreting the information transmitted. These include: -
a. Selective Perception an individuals perception about a subject affects
the way in which it is converted into meaningful communication.
Individuals seek out favourable messages and ignore unpleasant ones.
REGISTRATION NO.: 69/22711
NAME: JIVETA CHAUDHARY GROVER
PAPER NO.: I (ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR) RESPONSE SHEET NO. : 2 QUESTION NO. : 3 & 4

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b. I ndividual Differences people differ in their abilities to develop and
comprehend messages. While some individuals are capable of
communicating verbally and non-verbally, some lack those skills and this
inability acts as a hindrance in their framing, transmitting and/or
understanding messages.
c. Emotions the emotional state of an individual transmitting or receiving
the message has a profound impact on the way information is shared and
transmitted
d. Frame of Reference a common understanding of messages in
unattainable when individuals use different frames of reference
e. Preconceived I deas a persons predisposition about the content of a
message prevent consensus in communication.
ii. I nterpersonal Factors
The following interpersonal factors act as barriers to effective communication: -
a. Climate & Trust the relationship between a superior and his subordinate
largely impacts the climate for communication. A lack of climate could
easily lead to restricted flow of communication, games to manipulate
information, and widespread distrust. Moreover, lack of trust between
superior and subordinate would hamper the effectiveness of
communication.
b. Sender-receiver similarity the accuracy of communication is a function
of the belief of the parties of the similarity between them. Diversity or
homogeneity between the sender and the receiver would impact the ease
and openness of communication.
c. Credibility the receivers perceived honesty, expertise, dynamism,
objectivity, intention and general reputation of the source would impact
communication effectiveness.
d. Selective listening people have a tendency of filtered listening. This
distorts the message being transmitted. Messages that are not in sync with
our beliefs are often denied, rejected or avoided.
e. Semantic problem these are issues arising out of barriers of language.
Different languages across different regions represent a national barrier to
communication. Use of jargon and slang also act as barrier to
REGISTRATION NO.: 69/22711
NAME: JIVETA CHAUDHARY GROVER
PAPER NO.: I (ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR) RESPONSE SHEET NO. : 2 QUESTION NO. : 3 & 4

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communication. For example, while delivering health education to a
cardiac patient, if a cardiac nurse uses jargon such as coronary artery
disease, the patient would not understand the message communicated.
iii. Organisational Factors
These are elements within the organization that either facilitate or disrupt effective
communication. These include: -
a. Status & Hierarchy - Status consciousness exists in every organisation
and is one of the major barriers to effective communication. Subordinates
are afraid of communicating upward any unpleasant information. They are
either too conscious of their inferior status or too afraid of being snubbed.
Status-conscious superiors think that consulting their juniors would be
compromising their dignity. Status-consciousness proves to be a very
serious barrier to face-to-face communication. The subordinate feels jittery
and nervous, what exactly he wanted to say. The officer, on the other hand,
fidgets about where he is standing, falters in his speech and fails in
communicating, reveals impatience and starts giving comments or advice
before he has fully heard his subordinate. Hierarchical Transmission also
at times delays and adversely impacts accuracy of communication.
b. Group Size larger groups face the problem of ineffective communication
as these embrace issues of psychological differences amongst individuals
in addition to other semantic and social barriers.
c. Spatial Constraints the more the distance between the parties, the
difficult would be them to coordinate and communicate timely, accurately
and frequently, hence, enhancing scope for miscommunication.
iv. Technological and Physical Factors
These are the elements in medium, content or quantity of information that has
been shared. These include: -
a. Language and meaning - Individual linguistic ability may sometimes
become a barrier to communication. The use of difficult or inappropriate
words in communication can prevent the people from understanding the
message. Poorly explained or misunderstood messages can also result in
confusion. The linguistic differences between the people can also lead to
communication breakdown.
REGISTRATION NO.: 69/22711
NAME: JIVETA CHAUDHARY GROVER
PAPER NO.: I (ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR) RESPONSE SHEET NO. : 2 QUESTION NO. : 3 & 4

Page 7 of 7

b. Channel effectiveness communication breaks up when wrong channels
are selected. Variation of channels helps the receiver understand the nature
and importance of a message. While making a choice for a channel of
communication, the sender needs to be sensitive to such things as the
complexity of the message; consequences of a misunderstanding;
knowledge, skills, and abilities of the receiver; and immediacy of action to
be taken from the message.
c. I nformation overload when volume of information exceeds the
individuals capacity to process it, it creates a barrier to effective
communication as it creates a tendency to sort out, ignore, filter or forget
the information.
d. Noise- Noise is quite often a barrier to communication. In factories, oral
communication is rendered difficult by the loud noise of machines.
Electronic noise like blaring often interferes in communication by
telephone or loudspeaker system. The word 'noise' is also used to refer to
all kinds of physical interference like illegible handwriting, smudged
copies of duplicated typescript, poor telephone connections, etc.