What Communication Abilities Do Practitioners Need? Evidence from MBA Students

Abstract

We collected written critical incidents from young business practitioners entering our MBA program, asking each person to describe a work-related communication episode that had challenged him or her and to answer several questions about the episode. Most often, respondents reported face-to-face oral events that required the respondent to function as an advocate or to manage conflict. Both gender and first language correlated with responses, suggesting that persons of different genders and cultures have differing business experi ences or draw differing conclusions from their experiences. On the basis of these results, we call for management communication courses to give sufficient attention to oral communication events that require spontaneity, persuasion, conflict management, and boundary spanning.

Relevance Of Cultural Intelligence And Communication Effectiveness For Global Leadership Preparedness: Study Of Indian Managers

“…The finding of the current study is in accordance with the recognition given to the strong relationship between effective communication and effective management since the 1950s (Reinsch & Shelby, 1997;Weiss, 1999). Leadership communication is a combination of skills, knowledge and attitude which fosters understanding and trust.…”

“…Globalization, resulting in expansion of businesses on a worldwide scale has made it necessary for managers to go beyond traditional communication skills and become competent intercultural communicators. Ignoring cultural sensitivity may lead to blunders in international operations (Ricks, 1983;Chin, Gu & Tubbs, 2001). For instance, efficiency oriented American managers are focused on closing deals in the shortest possible time and with iron clad contracts.…”

Leading on land and sea: Competencies and context

“…General Managers identified leading teams as the most significant skill influencing their career development, followed by listening. These skills suggest the participative, communication-based leadership style that facilitates employee empowerment and effective service delivery (Iverson, 2000;Reinsch and Shelby, 1997;Tracey and Hinkin, 1994). Without the hierarchies and inherent shipboard structures that constrain Cruise Directors, General Managers are able more easily to create flatter organizations that allow for more frequent horizontal exchanges and increased teamwork.…”

“…If we examine studies that focus on identifying key leadership competencies, we find the literature is flooded with typologies and lists of various skills and attributes/ abilities (Antonacopoulou and Fitzgerald, 1996;Bass, 1981;Cary and Timmons, 1988;Drucker, 1998;Fiedler, 1996;Goleman, 1998Goleman, , 2000Palmer et al, 2001;Reinsch and Shelby, 1997;Sternberg, 1997;Weiss, 1999). Abraham et al (2001), for instance, report that effective leaders possess skills that include communication, teambuilding, problem-solving, and decision-making.…”

A Psychometric Evaluation of Skill Clusters and Practices Used by Highly Effective Executive Presenters

“…Maes, Weldy, and Icenogle (1997) found that oral communication was one of the top three competencies needed to succeed in a managerial position. Yet other studies over decades have demonstrated the unsatisfactory oral communication skills of recent graduates (Bolt-Lee & Foster, 2003;Reinsch & Shelby, 1997). Thus, it appears that preparing students' oral communication skills for the managerial workplace has not been highly successful.…”