Management Case 3
Week 3: Case Study
September 13, 2014
Chapter 3
1. Which barriers to listening described in Chapter 3 might make it difficult for Mark and Kate to hear one another’s perspectives when they meet to discuss the situation?
Listening is very important in communication. This is the key to effective communication. Listening effectively is one’s ability to fully understand and interpret messages sent by the speaker. In Mark and Kate’s situation, there are listening barriers that prevent and make it difficult for them to fully understand one another.
In Kate and Mark’s situation, and many other people’s situation, psychological barriers are the most common. Emotions became a distraction to listen what the speaker has to say. Just when Mark is calling her attention about doing the job right, Kate already started to put up her guard and defended herself. Most people, including myself, get anxious when we hear criticisms about ourselves. There are many things that are already playing inside our mind about the situation. This makes it difficult to listen to what the other speaker has to say. We tend to be close-minded in situations like that. In addition, under the psychological barriers is the egocentrism. The book says, “your own ideas are more important or valuable that those of others.” Kate mentioned the situation about her ideas being shot down. She believes that her ideas or suggestions are not as important as the other members of the team. If we believe that our ideas and suggestions are not appreciated well like others, we tend to not listen anymore because we feel like whatever we do, it will not be treated the same as others.
On the other hand, Mark needs to carefully listen to what Kate has to say. Since he already listened to what the other members of the team said, he also needs to understand why Kate acts the way she is acting. I believe in Mark’s situation, an environmental barrier is present. I am not sure if the influence of other people is under
September 13, 2014
Chapter 3
1. Which barriers to listening described in Chapter 3 might make it difficult for Mark and Kate to hear one another’s perspectives when they meet to discuss the situation?
Listening is very important in communication. This is the key to effective communication. Listening effectively is one’s ability to fully understand and interpret messages sent by the speaker. In Mark and Kate’s situation, there are listening barriers that prevent and make it difficult for them to fully understand one another.
In Kate and Mark’s situation, and many other people’s situation, psychological barriers are the most common. Emotions became a distraction to listen what the speaker has to say. Just when Mark is calling her attention about doing the job right, Kate already started to put up her guard and defended herself. Most people, including myself, get anxious when we hear criticisms about ourselves. There are many things that are already playing inside our mind about the situation. This makes it difficult to listen to what the other speaker has to say. We tend to be close-minded in situations like that. In addition, under the psychological barriers is the egocentrism. The book says, “your own ideas are more important or valuable that those of others.” Kate mentioned the situation about her ideas being shot down. She believes that her ideas or suggestions are not as important as the other members of the team. If we believe that our ideas and suggestions are not appreciated well like others, we tend to not listen anymore because we feel like whatever we do, it will not be treated the same as others.
On the other hand, Mark needs to carefully listen to what Kate has to say. Since he already listened to what the other members of the team said, he also needs to understand why Kate acts the way she is acting. I believe in Mark’s situation, an environmental barrier is present. I am not sure if the influence of other people is under