Mixed Signals and Misperception

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

People inadvertently send mixed signals that can undermine the intended messages. Different people attend to different things, and people interpret the same thing in different ways. All of this creates problems in communication (see the "Social Enterprise" box example later in the chapter).

These problems are magnified if the communication is between people from different cultures.13 Communication breakdowns often occur when business transactions take place between people from different countries.14 Chapter 6 introduced you to the importance of such differences.

Here's an example highlighting how mixed signals lead to misperceptions. A bank CEO knew that to be competitive he had to downsize his organization, and the employees who remained would have to commit to better customer service, become more empowered, and really earn customer loyalty.15 Knowing that his employees would have doubts and concerns about the coming reorganization, he promised that he would do his best to guarantee employment to the layoff survivors.

What signals did the CEO communicate to his people by his promise? One positive signal was that he cared about his people. But he also signaled that he would take care of them, thus undermining his goal of giving them more responsibility and empowering them. The employees wanted management to take responsibility for the market challenge that they needed to face—to handle things for them when in fact they needed to learn the new ways of doing business. Inadvertently, the CEO spoke to their backward-looking need for security when he had meant to make them see that the bank's future depended on their efforts.

However, the CEO did avoid one common pitfall at companies that announce plans for downsizing or outsourcing: ignoring the emotional significance of the message.16 Sometimes managers are so intent on delivering the business rationale for the changes that they fail to acknowledge the human cost of layoffs. When employees hear a message that neglects to address their feelings, they usually interpret the message to mean that managers don't care.

Consider how many problems can be avoided if people take the time to (1) ensure that the receivers attend to the message they are sending, (2) consider the other party's frame of reference and attempt to convey the message with that viewpoint in mind, (3) take concrete steps to minimize perceptual errors and improper signals in both sending and receiving, and (4) send consistent messages.

You should make an effort to predict people's interpretations of your messages and think in terms of how they could misinterpret them. It helps to say not only what you mean but also what you don't mean. Every time you say "I am not saying X, I am saying Y," you eliminate a possible misinterpretation.