000069147 "I LOVE YOU" METHOD - A WAY TO BUILD UP SUCCESSFUL WORK RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION IN VIETNAMESE SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES PHƯƠNG PHÁP "I LOVE YOU" - MỘT CÁCH XÂY DỰNG MỐI QUAN HỆ CÔNG VIỆC THÀNH CÔNG THÔNG QUA GIAO T

000069147 "I LOVE YOU" METHOD - A WAY TO BUILD UP SUCCESSFUL WORK RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION IN VIETNAMESE SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES PHƯƠNG PHÁP "I LOVE YOU" - MỘT CÁCH XÂY DỰNG MỐI QUAN HỆ CÔNG VIỆC THÀNH CÔNG THÔNG QUA GIAO TIẾP HIỆU QUẢ TRONG CÁC DOANH NGHIỆP VỪA VÀ NHỎ VIỆT NAM

A b s t r a c t

"P e rh a p s our m ost im poriant need is to m aintain a n d im prove relationships.” (Saundra H and Richard L w ,p p 5 ) A s the s ig n iíic a n ce a n d e ssence o f c o m m u n ic a tio n tovvards vvork relationship building has b e c o m e a highly c o n c e m e d topic for office staff, th is thesis focus on investigating the vvay to build up a n d strengthen c ontacts with colleagues through effective interpersonal c o m m u n ic a tio n w ith the con te x t o f sm all a n d m edium - sized enterprises in Vietnam

Within the scope o f a personal research a m odel o f e tĩe c tiv e c o m m u n ic a tio n is built based on n ine independent variables including trust, diversity, m indfulness, interrelatedness respect, varied interaction, care, a c tiv e listening, and equality Based on the a rg u m e n t that effective interpersonal c o m m u n ic a tio n has a very strong im pact on

w ork relationship building, a m ethod so-called “ I love y o u ” is identified T his m ethod

c onsists o f fo u r factors Linkage, O p e n n e ss, V itality, a n d E n c o u ra g e m e n t w h ic h have the íoundation o f nine effective c o m m u n ic a tio n d eterm inants In this paper, “ 1 love y ou”

m c tlio d is p r o v c d to bc u u s c íu l to o l f o r b o t h indiv id im l stuíT a n d m a i m g c m c n l b u a i d lo

establish and m aintain successĩul vvork relationship in the enterprises

T h is thesis c o m p rise s o f 90 p ages in vvhich 73 p a g e s belo n g to the m ain text from introduction to conclusion part T he m ain text has totally 13,283 vvords

S t a t e m e n t o f a u t h o r s h i p

"Except vvhere rele re n c e is m ad e in the text o f the thesis, this thesis contains no material published elsevvhere or extracted in w h o le o r in part from a thesis o r any other d e g re e or diplom a

N o o th e r person's w ork has been used w ith o u t d u e acknovvledgment in the m ain text o f the thesis

T his thesis has not been subm itted for the a w a r d o f a n y d e g re e o r d ip lo m a in any other tertiary institution."

Student signature

V u P huong Linh

T he a ssistance o f Do M anh Hung, a ử i e n d o f m ine in K I -04 class, also de serve s special

m ention T h a n k y ou for tolerating m y c o ntinual barage o f ph o n e calls a n d e-mails

W i t h o u t y o u r o ss is tu n c c , m a n y idcus a n d in íb r r n a tio n w o u l d n c v c r liovc in u d c t h c ir vvay to

this paper

T he indulgence a n d support o f m y m other, sister a n d írie n d s a re w o rth m y pro p o u n d in g

a n d sincerely appreciation

Finally, a very loving “ th an k y o u ” goes to m y boyfriend Y a n g Feng T his text is an

im m ensely better research because o f the c o m m e n ts o f you T hank y ou fo r telling m e the

w ay to be grateful to m y s e lf a n d m y e íĩo rts Y o u r en d le ss e n c o u ra g e m e n t a n d caring have revived my b e lie f and aspiration to c o n tin u e w ith this thesis T h a n k s, darling, for your love and support T his w ork is dedicated to you

Vu Phuong Linh

T a b l e o f c o n t e n t s

A B S T R A C T 2

S T A T E M E N T O F A U T H O R S H IP 3

A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T 4

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S 5

L IS T O F T A B L E S A N D F ỈG U R E S 7

ỉ L i s t o f t a b l e s 7

II L i s t o f f i g u r e s 7

L IS T O F A B B R E V IA T IO N S 9

I ỈN T R O D U C T IO N 10

/ Background o f th e research 10

2 Problem identifìcation 10

3 Research signựỉcance II 3 ì S M E s in V ietn a m 11

3.2 Research signi/icance 12

4 Research inspiration a n d fo c u s 13

5 The research 16

5 / P urposes o f th e research 16

5.2 R esearch co n trib u tio n 17

5 3 Scope and iimitations o f the study 18

5.4 R esearch p a p e r S tru ctu re 19

II LlTE R ATU R E R E V IE W 20

7 Termìnoỉogy 20

2 M odei o f communication - communìcation process 22

2.1 The transmission modeỉ 22

2.2 The Transaction m o d e l 25

2.3 S u m m a ry ư j th t ĩw o m uứels a n d research re le v a n c e 2ồ 3 Dimensỉons o f com municatìon 27

3.1 D im ensions o f c o m m u n ic a tio n 27

3.2 S u m m a ry o f dim ensions o f co m m unication a n d research f o c u s 2 9 4 ỉmportance o f effective communicarion 29

5 Research on/actors affecting effective communication in reiation to work reỉationshỉp buiỉding in worìdwide context 33

6 Research on effective communication in th e context o f Vietnam 35

III R e s e a r c h p r o c e s s 36

1 Research methodoỉogy 36

2 Research questions 36

3 Research tooỉs 37

3.1 Sur\'ey design p ro ced u re 37

3.2 Q uestionnaire deỉivery a n d data colìection p ro ced u re 39

4 Data anaỉysis m ethod 39

4.1 M o d eỉ sp ecifìca tio n 39

4.2 G eneral in fo rm a tio n s u m m a r y 40

4.3 M o d el data su m m a ry 4 4 4.3 A s s u m p tìo n s 53

4.4 H y p o th e se s 53

5 R esults 54

5.1 E v ie w 54

5.2 Errors in th e m o d e i 60

5.3 R esu ỉt d iscu ssio n 67

IV "I LOVE Y o u " M E T H O D 70

/ I d e a ỉ ỵ n i t i o n 70

2 “L O V E " 7 /

ỉ FlRO -B tesl fo r fin d in g resull 76

V R e s e a r c h APPLICATIONS IN S M E s 80

ì For individuals 80

2 For managemenl 80

V I C O N C L U S IO N 81

B IB L IO G R A P H Y 83

A P P E N D IC E S 88

L i s t o f t a b l e s a n d FiG URES

1 Table I : Sum m ary o f respondenís ’ years o ýb irth 40

2 Table 2: Sum m ary o f resp o n d en ts' g e n d e r 40

3 Table 3: Sum m ary o f resp o n d en ts' position in S M E s 41

4 Table 4: E quation I - Ẹ ffective com m unication & tr u s t 55

5 Table 5: Equaíion 3 - Effective com m unication & M indýulness 55

6 Tabỉe 6: Equaíion 5 - E jfectìve com m unication & varied interactio n 56

7 Table 7: Equaíion 2 - Ejfective com m unication & d iversity 56

8 Table 8: E quation 4 - E jfective commuYìication & interrelatedness 57

9 Table 9: Equation 6 - E jfective com m unicatiorì & resp ect 57

10 Table 10: Equation 7 - Ejfective com m unication & care 58

11 Table 11: Equation 9 - Effecíive com m unication & equality 58

12 Tabỉe 12: Equation 8 - Effective com m unication & active ỉiste n in g 59

13 Table 13: Synthesized e q u a tio n 60

14 T a b ìc ỉ 4: \4 o ctcl c r r o r d c tc c tio n K íu ỉtic o llin c a r íty 61

15 Table 15: H eteroskedasticity - R esidual vs T r u s t 62

16 Tabỉe 16: H eteroskedasticity detection - R esiduals vs D iversily 63

17 Table 17: H eíeroskedasticity detection - R esiduals vs interrelatedness 63

18 Table 18: H eteroskedasticity detection - R esiduals vs M indýulness 64

ì 9 Table: H eteroskedasíicity detection - R esiduals vs Varied in lera ctio n 64

20 Table 19: H eteroskedasticity detection - Residuals v.s\ R esp ec t 65

21 Table 20: H eteroskedasticity detectìon - R esiduals V.V A ctive ỉisten in g 65

22 Table 21: H eteroskedasticity detection - R esiduals vs C a re 66

23 Table 22: H eteroskedasticity detection - R esiduals vs E q u a lity 66

24 Table 23: H eteroskedasticily detection - E q u a tio n s 67

li L I S T O F F I G U R E S / Figure I: The Shannon a n d W eaver m o d el o f com m unication 22

2 Figure 2: The com m unicatìon process m o d el 23

3 Figure 3: C om m unicatìon process 25

4 Figure 4: A m eaning-oriented m odel o f com m unication 26

5 Figure 5: The benefits o fe ffe c tiv e com m unication 30

6 Figure 6: Sum m ary o f respondents ’ education background 41

7 Figure 7 : Sum m ary o f respondents' num ber o Ịy e a rs o f yvorking experience 42

8 Figure 8: Proportion o f satis/actìon level tow ards w ork relationship building 42

9 Figure 9: Proportion o f enterprises w ith a n d w ithout official training on w o r k 43

10 Figure 10: Trust ra tin g 44

11 Figure 11: Proportion o f Irust-relaled b eh a v io r/re q u e n c y 44

12 Figure 12: D iversity rating 45

13 Figure 13: Proportion o f diversity-related b e h a vio r/req u en cy 45

14 Figure 14: Proportion o f m indfulness-related beh a vio r/req u en cy 46

15 Figure 15: M indýulness ra tin g 46

16 Figure 16: Interrelatedness r a tin g 47

17 Figure 17: P roportion o f interrelatedness-related b e h a vio r/req u en cy 47

18 Figure 18: P roportion o f respect-related behavior j,'requency 48

19 Figure 19: Respect r a tin s 48

20 Figure 20: Varied interaction ra tin g 49

21 Figure 21: P roportion o fv a r ie d interaction-related b e h a vio r/req u en cy 49

22 Figure 22: P roportion o f care-related behaviorỷrequency 50

23 Fỉgure 23: Care r a tin g 50

24 Figure 24: A ctive listening rating 51

25 Figure 25: Proportion o f active lislening related behaviorỷrequency 51

26 Figure 26: Proportion o f equality-related b eh a vio r/req u en cy 52

27 Figure 27: Equality ra tin g 52

28 ĩig u r e 28: Two-dim ension relationships at work 71

29 Figure 29: Conversion o f nine effective com m u nication/actors into " L O V E " 72

30 Figure 30: Basic them e o f " I love y o u ” m ethod 75

51 Figure 31 Three m aịor Ịactors o ỊF lR O -B test 79

I IN T R O D U C T IO N

1 B a e k g ro u n d o f the research

"C o m m u n ic a tio n is a vital part o f life It is im portant b e c au se it is the íò u n d atio n o f both personal and proíessional relationships C o m m u n ic a tin g form s b o n d s a n d creates trust betvveen p eople.” (T a ra B enson, p p.2) Basically, p e o p le perceived c o m m u n ic a tio n as "the activity o r process o f e x p re ssin g ideas a n d feelings o r o f giving people in tb rm a tio n ” (A.s

H o rn b y , p p 243) H o w ever, C o u rtla n d L B ovee and John V Thill h a v e strongly

e m p h a s ize d in th e ir c o -a u th o re d b o o k _ B usiness c o m m u n ic a tio n to d a y _ that there is

c o m p le te separation b e tw e en business and n o rm a l c o m m u n ic a tio n “ Business

c o m m u n ic a tio n is far m o re d e m a n d in g th an the c o m m u n ic a tio n y o u typically e n g a g e in

w ith family, friends, and school associates.” (C o u rtla n d L.B a n d J o h n V T , pp.10)

O w n in g its c o m plication and tough requirem ents, b u sin e ss c o m m u n ic a tio n is still the priority p e o p le w a n t to m aste r as jo in i n g th e vvorkplace T h e s t a f ĩ k n o w s th a t “ inability to

co m m u n ic a te effectively with the c olle ague s a n d b o s s es m ig h t lead m istakes that that

c ould lead to p o o r productivity a n d losses” ( w w w e n z in e a rtic le s c o m ) Therefore,

d e v e lo p in g flourish relationship with c o lle ag u e s natnrally h e c o m e essential part o f office task

This research initially pro v id e s a look a t p revious íin d in g s on organization

co m m u n ic a tio n M oreover, a survey is also c o n d u c te d in d iíĩe r e n t c o m p a n ie s in V ietnam

to get prim ary inform ation w hich will b e u s e d to p roved a m e th o d p ro m o tin g excellent

w ork relationship n a m e d - “ 1 love y o u ” m ethod

2 P ro b le m id e n tiiìc a tỉo n

Joe L ove has suggested that “ as w e m o v e further into the 21 st C e n tu ry , it m ay vvell turn out that the success o f a n o rganization piv o ts on its ability to tap into so m e th in g very basic so m e th in g as old and entrenched as m a n k in d itself: the need to establish relationships to connect vvith s o m e o n e e ls e ” (u w w e n z in e a rtic le s c o m )

A c c o rd in g to thc s u rv e y s c o n d u c te d by University o f Dublin in 2003 on e m p lo y c rs in Ireland and A ustralia c o m m u n ic a tio n skills rank the m ost valued transferable skills at vvorkplace ( w w w v ic lo ria a c n z ) T h e n , a s the m atter o f fact, the increasing im portance o f effective c o m m u n ic a tio n is íu rth e r e m phasized.

T here have been m an y research c o n d u c te d w o rld w id e to analysis issues related to the etTective c o m m u n ic a tio n in relation to creating bonds a m o n g co-vvorkers Uníbrtunately, the fact a bout the value o f e íĩe c tiv e c o m m u n ic a tio n still d o e s not seem to be fully

c o m p re h e n d e d in Vietnam H ardly any professional a n d p ro p o u n d in g article related to

th is topic in V ie tn a m es e can be found T h e re a re som e c o n c e m s vvhich are only raised

d u rin g so m e O nline forum s H o w ever, the inform ation from those sources is p o o r o f reliability a n d validity O nly w h e n the pressure o f integration a n d globalization into the intem ational c o m m u n ity c o m e s up w ith the entrepreneurs, is the public bec o m in g aw are

o f this issue Hovvever, the sh o rta g e o f a c ad e m ic research a n d analysis has already tum e d

o u t to be a g a p in the public avvareness

T h is research is fílled w ith an am bition to e xplore the u n d e rly in g m ea n in g s behind

c o m m u n ic a tio n term inology Besides, it s im u lta n e o u sly ta k e s a íu rth e r step by proving a

m odel to he lp individual e m p lo y e e build up positive relationship with o th e r c olle ague s by pro m o tin g e tĩe c tiv e co m m u n ic a tio n

3 Research signitìcance

3.1 SM Es in Vietnam

S M E defìnitio n:

S m all and m ed iu m -siz e d e n te rp rises are enterprises with limited scale in term s o f C apital,

labor o r revenue S M E s are d ivided into three ty p e s b ased on th e ir scale: m icro, sm all, or

m ed iu m -s iz e d enterprises A c c o rd in g to W orld B ank criteria, m icro sm all, and m edium - sized enterprises a re those hav in g less th an ten em p lo y e es, from ten to fifty em ployees, and from rf'ty to three hundred e m p lo y e e s respectively (w w w in fo w o r ld b a n k o rg )

A ctually the criteria to classify different types o f enterprises vary from c o u n try to

country Based on article 3 in the d e c re e 9 0 / 2 0 0 1/N D -C P on 2 3 rd N o v e m b e r 2001 about

d e ve loping S M E s vvithout considerinii operating lìelds c o m p a n ie s in V ietnam vvith less

t h a n ten billion V N D registered C a p i t a l o r less than three h u ndred people o f a v e ra g e labor force are considered to be S M E s H o w ever, this type o f classiíication is lack o f specific con d itio n s to rank a m o n g m icro, sm all, and m ed iu m -s iz e d ones (w w w b u s in e s s g o v v n )

■V u / s • p erío rm a n ce Si kev poìnts:

A c c ording to a report o f H S B C B ank in S e p te m b e r 2008, there a re a bout 260,000 registered enterprises in V ietnam o f w h ic h 9 5 % is small a n d m ed iu m -s iz e d enterprises

T h o se e n te rp rises contribute a p p ro x im ate ly a third o f the c o u n tr y ’s G D P a n d create 90%

n e w e m p lo y m e n t annually (w w w v n a n e t.v n )

V ie tna m ese g o v e m m e n t has ư ie d to m a x im iz e the d e v e lo p m e n t potential o f this

e c o n o m ic party T h e g o v e m m e n t e v e n set up a detailed plan and g u id elin e s to develop

S M E s from 2 006 to 2010 B a se d on this plan, 3 2 0 ,0 0 0 nevv S M E s are targe te d to establish vvithin this period o f time T h e expected annual grovvth a n d G D P contribution fo r this

t y p e o f b u s i n e s s is 2 2 % a n d 4 0 % , r c s p c c tiv c ly O b v i o u s l y , S M C s p la y a v cry im p o i tanl

role in the e c o n o m ic d e v e lo p m e n t o f V ietnam T h e refo re, th is participant o f the econom y needs to taken care o f so that it c a n grow to the best o f its potential ( w w w b u s in e s s g o v v n )

3.2 Research signi/ìcance

S M E c o m m u n ity is a g reat c o m p o n e n t o f V ie tn a m e s e e c o n o m y vvhich requires m uch attention for the public and g o v e m m e n t D u e to that high expectation on S M E s, this research a im s a t seeking for the d e v e lo p m e n t in vvork relationship building in these businesses by im proving interpersonal c o m m u n ic a tio n W ith th is o rie ntation, a m odel o f effective c o m m u n ic a tio n will b e set up to he lp e n te rp rises' s ta f f a n d m a n a g e m e n t boards tacilitate the building o f relationships at w orkplace T his eíTort strongly targets at creating the professionalism and g o o d culture in S M E s

4 Rese arc h inspiration and focus

In 2 0 0 6 , a g r o u p o f A m erican p ro le ssio n a ls has carried out a research funded by the

N ational Institution o f Health a im ing at a n a ly z in g the level o f im portance o f different elem ents to w a rd s vvork relationship T hey íinally c a m e up vvith "S e v en C haracteristics o f successful w ork relationships” w hich clarifies seven outsta n d in g features ío rm in g a

■■healthy,' relationship at w ork (w w w a a fp o r g ) T h o se factors consist of: trust, diversity,

m indfulness, interrelatedness, respect, varied interaction, a n d effective c om m unication

T he c o n c e p t o f diversity e m b ra c e s a c c e p ta n c e and respect “ Diversity m eans

u n d e rs ta n d in g that each individual is u nique and rec ognizing individual d iíĩe re n c e s ” (w w w g la d sto n e s u o re g o n e d u ) These diffe re nc es can belo n g to race, e thnicity, gender, sexual o rie ntation, socio-econom ic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, o r o th e r ideologies For a relationship to Aourishing, it is insuíĩicient hav in g j u s t sim p le tolerance o f unique th in g s in o th e r individuals Then, it is the \villing

e x p lo ra tio n a n d a c ce p tan c e o f these dissim ilarities through a positive a n d nurturing

e n v ir o n m e n t that can e n hance a g ood relationship at w orkplace

\ t i i u l f u l n e s s :

In m in d fu l relationships people a re open to n e w ideas, new c oncepts and new trends vvhich a re supp o scd to a c co m p a n y with useful innovations (R ichard T em plar pp.268)

T h i s characterisiic is crucial tb r relationships at w o rk p lac e be c au se o n c e c om m unic a tion

is e n s u re d by m indful practice: people a re free to e x p re s s ideas vvithout fear o f criticism

o r punishm ent A s a result learning and d e v e lo p m e n t process is c ontinually lầcilitated

H ence, as m in d iu ln e s s ex istin g in the relationships o f s ta f f is absolutely an advantageous aspect for the organization

/ nterreíatedn ess:

This characteristic o f a successíul w o rk relationship is responsible for a connected vvorking e nvironm ent E m p lo y e e s are sensitive to the task at hand and understand hovv their w ork affects o n e another In a ddition, they have a sense o f w h a t o th e r p e o p le are doing and h o w each o f them can contribute to the p e ríb rm a n c e o f the vvhole organization Interrelatedness in vvork relationship k e e p s s t a f f together, sticks to the c o m m o n goals, and

m o v in g forw ard with accountability in mind

Respeci:

"R e la tionships o f all kinds are otten perceived as very delicate th in g s that require extra

e f f o n to m aintain H o w ever a relationship can also be so m e th in g that can provide security a n d c a n also be long lasting d e sp ite m an y c h a llen g e s." (w w w le o n lin e c o m ) T his

is the situation vvhen mutual respect c o m e s into play R espectíul interactions am ong

c olle ague s at vvorkplace are c onsiderate honest, a n d tacttul W hen this feature is

m ain ta in e d a n d borne in m in d s o f each individual, then, e íĩe c tiv e c o m m u n ic a tio n good relationships and co u rte o u s a tm o s p h e re are rem a ine d vvithin the organization

Vgried interaction:

R e lationships in practices can be cla ssiíie d into social o r task related Social relationships are personal and involve outside o f w ork activities M e an w h ile task- related o n e s are norm ally professional focus T h e n , w o rk relationships are not an e x ception B oth social and task-related activities can support the durability o f them

E ííeclive co m m un ication :

Effective c o m m u n ic a tio n is a vital e le m en t o f goo d vvork relationship Ít is even believed that "ineíTective c o m m u n ic a tio n is a m ạ ịo r obstacle in business” (w w w n iu rk a in c c o m )

W ithout effectiveness, c o m m u n ic a tio n at w o rk p lac e can nơt tunction properly as a bond

w hich c o n n e c ts c olle ague s and facilitates c o m m o n tasks S u bsequently, in o rd e r to build good vvork relationship an o rganization has to create a etTicient netvvork o f

c o m m u n ic a tio n a m o n g its staff

T he íindings have becom e the inspiration beh in d this thesis T rust, diversity, m indíulness interrelatedness, respect, varied interaction, and effective c o m m u n ic a tio n a re considered

to be the th em e underlying g ood relationships at vvorkplace Hovvever, w ithin the limited scale o f an unde rgra dua te thesis, the research ju s t focuses on e íĩe c tiv e co m m u n ic a tio n This characteristic will be seen not only as a typical feature o f positive w ork relationship but also as a tool to p ro m o te this kind o f relationship

In addition, a fte r interview ing several leaders o f d iíĩe r e n t c o m p a n ie s in V ietnam , there are three o th e r factors suggested to h a v e im pa c t on effective c o m m u n ic a tio n a t vvorkplace

T h e se factors con ta in care, active listening, and equality

C a re :

" A lthough professional relationships entail so m e bo u n d a rie s vvhen it c o m e s to interaction with colleagues, it is im portant to d e m o n s tra te sensitivity, a n d to really care a b o u t the people yo u vvork w ith ỉ f y ou d o n 't c a re a b o u t th em , it will be difficult fo r th em to care

a bout y ou w h e n it c o m e s to w orking to g e th e r.” (B e e b e et al) A ctually, c aring is an

im portant stimuli o f an effective c o m m u n ic a tio n W h e n people care a bout each other, they b e c o m e m o re open and therefore the c o m m u n ic a tio n process is facilitated

M oreover, c aring for others m a k e s a s ta f f understand a bout p e o p le surrounding This

s y m p a th y turns out to be the basis for e íĩe c tiv e c o m m u n ic a tio n to take place In addition,

if a relationship is built up and m ainta ine d vvith care, it is likely that the c o n c ern e d parties are closer together T his can be a sign to p ro m o te c o m m u n ic a tio n a m o n g staff

A c tiv e li s te n in s :

It is said that a round 9 8 % o f speech training e m p h a s iz e s on sending skills while less than

2 % tbcu se s on listening skills T here is e v id e n c e vvhich indicates that vvithout specifíc

training, p e o p le do not d e v e lo p listening skill eno u g h to m ee ting the n eeds o f

c o m m u n ic a tin g in m odern lite T he m ajority o f people are poor listeners and only 5 0 % o f inform ation can be recalled accurately im m ediately after hearing (W illiam D.B and Robert W H , pp.6 2 ) This is obvio u sly an obstacle fo r e tĩe c tiv e co m m u n ic a tio n O n the

c o n tra rv v v e ll-d e v e lo p e d listening s k ills c a n h e lp p e o p le a m p lify th e in ílu e n c e o f

effective c o m m u n ic a tio n in the o rg a n iz a tio n T h e retb re , it is believed that a c tiv e listening can be a positive factor boosting c o m m u n ic a tio n at vvorkplace

E u u a lĩn :

A s be in g interview ed, so m e b u sin e ss m a n a g e rs believe e qua lity is a n o th e r stim ulus for

e íĩ e c t i v e c o m m u n ic a tio n In V ietnam , it is norm ally perceived that there m u st be a

s p e c iíic distance separating supervisors fro m subordinates T h e n , c o m m u n ic a tio n am o n g

d i í ĩ e r e n t p e o p le from d iíĩe r e n t position is built b ased on dire c tions a n d c o m m a n d s This

is an e v e n m o re p o p u lar p h e n o m e n o n in private, state-ovvned o r small a n d m edium -sized

e nte rp ris es C re a tin g equality in the o rganization m e a n s cre a ting an equal and fair

e n v ir o n m e n t to c o m m u n ic a te in the enterprises w h e re people feel c o m fo rta b le to discuss about d i í ĩ e r e n t issues despite o f their po sitio n s o r b a ckgrounds S ubsequently, e qua lity is

su g g e ste d to be a m o n g the factors w h ic h c a n e n h a n c e the e íĩe c tiv e n e s s o f co m m u n ic a tio n

A s a re s u lt, the n ext part o f th is pa pe r is g o in g to a n a ly z e c o m m u n ic a tio n including its

m ain c o n c e p t , im portance and d e te rm in a n ts in the con te x t o f different econom ic organiz:ations - business c o m m u n ic a tio n A fte r that, a m odel is build through data

P ro c e s s in g to shovv th e fa c to rs w h ic h h e lp e n h a n c e e f fe c tiv e c o m m u n ic a tio n w ith in

enterpriises T his sim ultaneously m e a n s im p ro v in g g ood relationship at work

5 T h e res earch

Regardiinq the fact that positive vvork relationship is b e c o m in g a hot issue for

m an a2e:m ent in the m o d e m tim e m any scholars have s h o w n their attention through a

la rc e n u im b e r o f S tandard a n d proíessional re s e a rc h e s a n d a n a ly s e s c o n c e rn irm th is m atter

N otw ithistanding the situation is d itĩe re n t in the context o f V ietnam w h e re p e o p le ju st

started taking this issue into consideration th ro u g h som e sponta n e o u s ío ru m s or incoherent articles T h e retb re , th is research is carried out a im in g at the four main purposes.

T o begin with, this pa pe r studies the general perspectives o f different c o m p a n ie s ' s ta f f in

V ietnam to w a rd s work relationship B ased on the understa n d in g o f these perspectives, their w a y s a n d tactics to build effective w o rk relationship through c o m m u n ic a tio n are analyzed

T o g e th er vvith the prec e d in g purpose, the research also identifies the im pact o f different íactors on c o m m u n ic a tio n w ith the aim o f p ro m o tin g w o r k relationship in a n organization

The third purpose o f this thesis is to build up a m odel for individuals to enhance relationship at w o rk through c o m m u n ic a tio n w ith others T his m odel is the result o f a

d a ta P ro c e s s in g p ro c e d u re in w h ic h d a ta is c o lle c te d th ro u g h a S ta n d ard survey

Finally, based on the research íindings, so m e im plic a tions in term s o f strengthening

c o m m u n ic a tio n to w a rd s the ou tco m e o f goo d w o rk relationship are sugg e ste d to both individual team m e m b e rs a n d m a n a g e m e n t board

Due to the shortage o f qualified research on w o rk relationship in V ietnam , this thesis is

c o n d u c te d w ith the desire to provide a c lo se r look at the prec e d in g m entione d topic With this purpose the research contribution can be classified into three m ain groups

For ìndividua l teum m em bers:

This research initially helps tổ sharpen their avvareness a bout the im portance o f

c o m m u n ic a tio n at w ork A dditionally, it also p rovide s a w e ll-p ro v ed practice to boost excellent w ork relationship through c o m m u n ic a tio n in reality

i o r m a n u eem en t board:

M anag e m en t board includes leaders supervisors, and m a n a g e rs vvho are responsible for the p e ríb rm a n c e o f individuals w ithin an organization A cc o rd in g ly , this pa pe r dravvs their attention to the s ig n iílc a n ce o f g o o d s ta f f relationship to w a rd s the o r g a n iz a tio n 's success and the contribution o f effective c o m m u n ic a tio n to w a rd s the s ta f f relationship Purtherm ore it e quips th o se people vvith better orientation to the professional process o f

p ro m o tin g the positive bon d vvithin s ta f f in the organization

F or other co ncern ed paríies:

R egarding other parties, this research c a n be considered as a reference d o c u m e n t in vvhich the inform ation related to c o m m u n ic a tio n in v a rio u s o rg an iz atio n s in V ietnam a n d a practice to e n h a n c e effective vvork relationship is clearly presented

5 3 Scope and limitations o f the studv

Scope:

T his research j u s t e m p h a s iz e s on the w o rk relationship building in V ie tna m ese sm all and

m ed iu m -siz e d enterprises w ithin the territory o f V ie tn a m in stead o f o th e r k in d s o f entities such as 100% foreign-invested c o m p a n ie s o r j o in t v enture co m p a n ies T h is is because in íb re ig n o r j o in t v enture c o m p a n ie s , the b u sin e ss is supp o rte d and strong eno u g h for the m a n a g e m e n t to tak e c a re o f o th e r a sp ec ts vvithin the bu sin e ss such as hum an training a n d d e v e lo p m en t A dditiona lly, the guidelines for strengthen relationship bonds at w o rk are provided and available to so m e extent C o n se q u e n tly , carrying out research on the issue in these entities is not as va lu a b le a s in V ie tn a m es e sm all and

m ed iu m -siz e d co m p a n ies In these V ie tn a m es e c o m p a n ie s , there a re still m any proble m s struggle the b u sin e ss as a w ho!e a n d there is not en o u g h care a b o u t the issue

T h ie research íb c u s e s on the c a se s o f enterprises in V ietnam T h e relb re , throughout this papper " c o m m u n ic a tio n '' indicates "b u sin e ss co m m u n ic a tio rT

5.4 Research puper structure

T h iis research pa pe r c onsists o f six m ain parts: introduction, literature review , research prcocess, “ I love y o u ” m ethod, research im plications, and c onclusion

Thae s econd c h a p te r presents the exp la n a tio n related to c o m m u n ic a tio n d eíinition, model

o f c o m m u n ic a tio n , and ty p e s o f c o m m u n ic a tio n A t the sam e tim e, the im portance o f efft'ective w ork relationship to an individual as w ell as the o rganization is speciíied In this parrt o f the paper, c o m m u n ic a tio n theory to g eth e r with the research on factors affecting effếective w ork relationship is identitled in details

Ressearch process:

Chaapter 3 contains in ío n n a tio n a bout the m ethod to carry o u t this thesis - research

m e ĩth o d o lo g y T he questions that this p a p e r try in g to ansvver a n d the h ypothese s made

b e ffo re running the research m odel also find their w a y to th is part A fter that, the intrroduction a bout tool to c o n d u c t the research is included in th is c h a p te r as vvell

" i Ịọve v o n ” m elhotl:

Bassed on the fm dings, a n e w m ethod _ ” I love y o u ” m e th o d _ is presented in c h a p te r 4 In thiss part, the vvay to build up g ood vvork relationship starting from the individual perrspective is explained

Research im píications:

Be closely c o n n e cte d with the prev io u s c h a p te r w h ic h m en tio n s to “ I love Y o u " m ethod,

c h a p te r 5 reíers to the im plications o f this m ethod in an o rganization context The tìndings basically focus on the ca se o f individuals in building up relationship at work

On d e íin in g t h e m ea n in g o f c o m m u n ic a tio n , analysts can focus on de scribing the

c o m m u n ic a tio n process with different e m p h a s e s T hey g ive o u t s o m e w h a t variant

de íìn itio n s o f co m m u n ic a tio n In 1962, G e o rg e G e r b n e r_ a pro fe s s o r o f C o m m u n ic a tio n and the fo u n d er o f cultivation th eo ry _ g a v e o u t a s im p le d e íìn itio n stating that

■“c o m m u n ic a tio n is social interaction th ro u g h m essa g e ” ( w w w leid v k la.v u lt) T hrough this statem ent, c o m m u n ic a tio n is c o n sid e red a s be h a v io rs that c o n n e ctin g people He explained that the involved parties take t u m s at s e n d in g a n d receiving m essages These actions represent the interaction and e x c h a n g e o f ideas a n d e x p e rien c e s to d e v e lo p further understanding T hus, all o f th em h a v e the responsibility to reach a g re e m e n t or understanding w h ic h a im in g at ac h ie v in g better relationships

In the sam e vvay, in 1986 Rom H arre_ a lecture o f P hilosophy o f S c ien c e at O xford

U nive rsity_ and his co-w orkers R o u e r L a m b _ presented in their boo k n a m e d “The dictionary o f anim al b e h a v io r and learning" a deíinition o f c o m m u n ic a tio n suggestinu that "c o m m u n ic a tio n is the transm ission o f m e s s a g e s" ( w w w rs fe d u s ) A ctually, this is

the sim plilìcation o f the c o m m u n ic a tio n process starting by the action o f e ncoding a

m essage o f a sender T his m essa g e can he an order an instruction or a request Il is sent through a m edium vvhich is a sta te m e nt, a letter o r an a n n o u n c em e n t T his action is perceived as the de c o d in g m essage taken by the receiver T h is kind o f d e íin itio n implies that the subịective aim o f the s e n d er and the process o f en c o d in g a íĩe c t the level o f

c o m m u n ic a tio n e tĩiciency

In the book “ C o m m u n ic a tio n as P r o fe s s io n a ls '\ Terry M o h a n a n d his co-authors also indicate a distinctive deíinition d e v e lo p e d by prev io u s c o m m u n ic a tio n analysts in vvhich the m ea n in g rather than the m essage is e m p h a size d It is stated that “c o m m u n ic a tio n is the reciprocal creation o f m ea n in g in a c o n te x t” (Terry M , H e le n M , Shirley s., a n d Ray A., pp.5) T his definition show s that m ea n in g is g e n e ra te d th ro u g h language and other

■'symbolic’' form s M eaning relates to " c o n te x t” o r the b a c kground in w h ic h m ea n in g is generated T h u s , tim e, place, em otional a tm o sp h e re o r culture can affect m eaning

In a ddition, a c c o rd in g to the deíinition that S a u n d ra H y b e ls a n d R ic h a rd W e a v e r present

in their boo k “ C o m m u n ic a tin g efFectively” , “ c o m m u n ic a tio n is the sharing o r conveying

o f iníòrm ation, ideas, a n d /o r feelings” ( S a u n d ra H a n d R ichard w , p p.5) T he word

" sh a rin g ” im plies that c o m m u n ic a tio n does not j u s t happen It is the result o f an intention

to contribute T h e deíinition analyzes the c o m p o n e n ts o f a c o m m u n ic a tio n consisting o f inform ation (perception o f facts), ideas (conc e pts, o p in io n s a n d attitudes), and feelings Sim ultaneously, it also clarifies that c o m m u n ic a tin g a m o n g p e o p le m ay “ involve gestures, intonations, o r o th e r s y m b o ls ” beside w ords (w w w n d e s ta te n e u s)

T h o se preceding deíínitions a re c o n c lu d e d from diíTerent research o f m an y scholars and analysts T hey share a c o m m o n feature that all refer to the process o f c o m m u n ic a tio n but

w ith different e m phases N onetheless, the boo k “ B usiness C o m m u n ic a tio n ’" gives o u t a dissim ila r notion in com parison vvith the prev io u s ones T h e auth o rs o f the book have a ditTerent ap p ro a c h to describe c o m m u n ic a tio n in business “ T he w ord c om m unic a tion

c o m e s from the Latin w ord c o m m u n is , w h ic h m e a n s c o m m o n W hen individuals

c o m m u n ic a te, th ey try to establish a c o m m o n understa n d in g betw een o r a m o n e

them selves B usiness c o m m u n ic a tio n is the process ot' establishing a c o m m o n understa n d in g betw een o r a m o n g people vvithin a business e n v iro n m en t.” ( A c Kizan, Patricia M , and Carol L.J., pp.4) In this d eiìnition, the aim o f a c o m m u n ic a tio n is clearly stated T his is a progressing point c o m p a re d to the p revious tim e be c au se it shovvs the perception o f c o m m u n ic a tio n not limited vvithin the scale o f a process o f en c o d in g and

d e c o d in g m essages M o re th an that, ■“c o m m u n ic a tio n m ust include both the transíerence and the understanding o f the m ea n in g " (S tephen P.R., pp.284)

F igu re 1: The Shannott a n d ỈVeaver m o d eỉ o f com m unication

The inform ation theory, especially the vvork o f S h a nnon and W eaver, w h o are fam ous vvith the te le co m m u n ic a tio n theory is the d e riv e r for the c o n c ep t o f hum an

co m m u n ic a tio n T he m odel suggests that c o m m u n ic a tio n is linear and straightforw ard that it m o v e s only in One direction B a se d on this finding, m any o th e r researches have been carried out to c o m e up with the m odern c o m m o n m odel a s follows:

Figure 2: The com m unication p ro cess m odeỉ

Source — ► E ncodiniỉ -► c hannel -► D ecoding — ► Receiver

F e e d b a ck is the response betw een the s e n d er a n d receiver It is very crucial to

c o m m u n ic a tio n because it indicate vvhether in íò rm a tio n , ideas, o r feelings are

c o m m u n ic a te d as intended T h e fe w e r p e o p le a re involved in the c o m m u n ic a tio n , the

m ore o p p o rtu n itie s fo r íeed b a c k E specially, a s e n d er a n d a rec e ive r in a face-to-face

c o m m u n ic a tio n con te x t have the greatest opp o rtu n ity fo r íeed b a c k

S e ttin s / C ưntext:

Setting o r con te x t is vvhere the c o m m u n ic a tio n oc c urs T h is e le m e n t has a signiíicant

im pact on c o m m u n ic a tio n Setting is m a d e up o f several c o m p o n e n ts ranging from lighting, tim ing, and culture to the a rr a n g e m e n t o f fum iture

\o is e :

N o is e is a n ything that interferes o r m a k e s the c o m m u n ic a tio n process can not happen properly N oise can also be called interference It can be d ivided into three main categories: physical, psychological, a n d pysiological interíerence Physical interference is

c o m m o tio n from the im m edia te e n v iro n m en t, such as loud noises o r u n c o m ío rta b le chair Psychological interference is experienced inside the person physiologically such as having sto m a c h a c h e o r tee ling tired P ysioiogical interference h a p p e n s in a p e r s o n 's m ind

an d can be considered as the loudest noise o f ali T h e s e n d e r o r rec e ive r is distracted

m entally by other irrelevant thought in m ind d u rin g the co m m u n ic a tio n In other wav, noise is cla ssiíie d into internal, external, and sem atic noise External noise c o m e s from the outside e n v iro n m en t and k eeps the m essa g e from b e ing heard o r understood Inlemal noise w h ic h is sim ilar to pysiological interference refers to the situation w hen their thoughts or feelings are íocused on so m e th in g other than c o m m u n ic a tio n Sem atic noise

is causes by p e o p le ’s e m otional reactions to vvords

F igure 3: C om m unication process

2.2 The Transactìon mo de/

Transm ission m odel is criticized to pay to o m u ch attention on the m essa g e a n d channel o f

co m m u n ic a tio n Each e le m en t can not be isolated from the others W ith this m odel,

c o m m u n ic a tio n is a “ big picture” rather th a n the sum o f only so m e separated parts Then,

th e m o d e l b e c o m e s le ss focus o n th e C entral c o n c e m in c o m m u n ic a tio n - m e a n in g -

ignores the w a y m ea n in g is created and shared a m o n g participants In c o m m u n ic a tio n it

is w idely believed that " m e a n in g s are in people, not in w o rd s” (T erry M , Helen M., Shirley s and R ay A., pp 15) !n other w o rd s , m e a n in g is in the interpretation o f the word, not in the w o rd s them selves S ubsequently m ea n in g s m ay vary rem arkably am o n g different people and situations

T ransaction m odel c o ncentrates on m eaning T he m odel introduced by Price (based on

M cQ uail) refers to the c o n c ep t o f “ social c o n te x t" and the c o m m o n interpretation o f

m es s a g e s in the presence o f " sh a re d e x p e rie n c e ” in a “ c o m m o n language” (Price s , pp.4 4 ) A shared social context, shared experience and a c o m m o n language are likely to produce better c o m m u n i c a t i o n a m o n g people H ence the transaction m odel o f

c o m m u n ic a tio n does not treat c o m m u n ic a tio n a s the flow o f m essa g e from a s e n d er to a receiver Rather, c o n c e m e d parties respond to the sam e issue o r e n v iro n m en t by bringing

it to their o w n interpretation T hey negotiate the m ea n in g s and adịust them selves

a c c o rd in g to th e e x p e rie n c e

F igu re 4: A m eaning-oriented m odeỉ o f com m unication

2.3 Summary o f the m'tì modeỉs and research relevance

In s u m m a ry , the tw o m o d els a ccess c o m m u n ic a tio n in tw o different aspects T he transm ission m odel sees c o m m u n ic a tio n a s the tra n s fe r o f m e s sa g e s from a s e n d er to a receiver through a channel a n d m e d iu m Meanvvhile, the transaction m odel sees

c o m m u n ic a tio n as the negotiation o f m e a n in g o f c o n c ern e d parties in respondint’ to a

phũcnom enon o r situation T hese m o d els reveal both value a n d vveaknesses vvhen trying to

e x p l a i n c o m m u n ic a tio n in diffe re nt w ays By a s su m in g that intbrm ation, ideas and ĩeeâlings m o v e in a linear vvay from a source to a destination the transm ission model help rerm ind a bout hovv to construct a m essage to deliver to particular people in various vvays HcDNvever there is no w a y to ensure that the m ea n in g o f the m e s s a g e is retained as inttende d w h e n it reaches the destination In the m eantim e, the transaction model

c o in c e n tra te s on m eaning It is very helpful in a n a ly z in g the c o m p le x ity o f conversation intcervievvs, negotiations, and large m eetings T he m odel helps e n s u re that m utual

u m d e rs ta n d in g a m o n g parties In o th e r vvords, the intended m e a n in g is kept during corm m u n ic a tio n N e vertheless it m ay not be useful in explain the dissem ination o f ideas

in ;a society

B aised on the understa n d in g o f the tw o m o d e ls , the research o f h o w c o m m u n ic a tio n to use

c o im m u n ic a tio n as a tool to bo o st w o rk relationships should b e avvare o f both: the flow o f

m e;ssages from senders to receivers a n d the im portance o f " sh a r e d e x p e rien c e ” , ‘"mutual

a w /a re n e s s ” , and “c o m m o n language” B ecause in building w o rk relationship through corm m u n ic a tio n , people not only send o r receive inform ation, b u t also negotiate to a

c o rm m o n interpretation in o rd e r to reach the m utual understa n d in g a m o n g the involved parrties T herefore, the research fo cu s a ls o n e e d s t o be place on these factors as trying to cre:ate e íĩe c tiv e relationships at vvorkplace

3 Dimensions of comm unication

BaiSĨcally c o m m u n ic a tio n is classified into f o u r categories: intrapersonal co m m u n ic a tio n intcerpersonal c o m m u n ic a tio n , g ro u p c o m m u n ic a tio n , and public c o m m u n ic a tio n

In nraperson a Ị co m m u n ication:

“ Imtrapersonal c o m m u n ic a tio n is language use o r thought intem al to the c o m m u n ic a to r."

( \ \ ' V \ \ \ .w ik ip e d ia c o m ) Intrapersonal c o m m u n ic a tio n triggers the intem al involvem ent o f the individual in sym bolic Processing o f m essages T h e individual b e c o m e s his o r her

0 W 'n s e n d e r and receiver providing íe e d b a c k to him o r h e rs e lf in an o n g o in g internal

process It can be useful to envision intrapersonal c o m m u n ic a lio n occurring in the mind

o f the individual in a mode! w hich c o n ta in s a sender, receiver, and feedback The

m essage is m ad e up o f p e o p le 's o w n th o u g h ts and feelings a n d intrapersonal

c o m m u n ic a lio n can also be seen as the w ay p e o p le look at them selves M oreover although people do not c o m m u n ic a te directly w ith others in this type o f c o m m u n ic a tio n the p e o p le a n d the expe rienc e s they have had still d e te rm in e the vvay they " ta lk ” to them selves

ỉn terp erso n a l co m m unication:

In general, interpersonal c o m m u n ic a tio n is "th e process o f s e n d in g and receiving iníòrm ation o r c o m m u n ic a tio n with a n o th e r p e rs o n ” (w w w n a tio n m a s te r.c o m ) This

p rocess w h ic h can be verbal o r non-verbal h appens in a n e n v iro n m e n t using different kinds o f c o m m u n ic a tio n m edia W ell-d e v e lo p e d interpersonal c o m m u n ic a tio n skills strengthen p e o p le 's ability to solve problem a n d a d a p t to c h a n g e s in enviro n m en t In the sam e vvay, p e o p le vvith high level o f interpersonal c o m m u n ic a tio n skills are m o re likely to

be able to c o n v in c e others o f ne w ideas a n d therefore be s u c ce ssíu l in problem -solving team

G ro u p c u m m u n ic a tio n :

G roup c o m m u n ic a tio n h a p p e n s a m o n g a g ro u p o f p e o p le g athering norm ally to solve a problem D ue to the fact that a g ro u p is m a d e up o f several senders and receivers, the

c o m m u n ic a tio n process in g ro u p c o m m u n ic a tio n is m o re c o m p lic a te d a n d m ay contain

m ore potential c o n ílic ts than in interpersonal c o m m u n ic a tio n context Hovvever, this type

o f c o m m u n ic a tio n is set vvith m ore form al setting a n d p rovide s a great deal o f feedbacks

Public com niunicalion:

in public c o m m u n ic a tio n , the s e n d er se nds a m essa g e (a speech) to an audience The

m essage is often highly-constructed in a form al setting and the c h a n n e ls are m ore

e x a eg e rate d in com parison with interpersonal c o m m u n ic a tio n d u e to the size o f the audience In norm al case the o p p o rtu n ity for verbal íe e d b a c k in this type o f

c o m m u n ic a tio n is limited because the sp e ak e r is not alvvays free for ap p ro a c h d u rin g the speech.

3 2 Summary o f d i m e n s i o n s o f c o m m u n i c a ti o n a n d r e s e a r c h f o c u s

" E x p e rts agree that good interpersonal c o m m u n ic a tio n is one o f the k e y s to being successful in t o d a y 's c om pe titive j o b m ark e t.” ( w w w e s s o rtm e n t.c o m ) In w orkplace context, effective interpersonal c o m m u n ic a tio n helps p e o p le deal w ith a great deal o f relationships w ith colleagues It can m ak e the process o f receiving feedback, handling conílicts, m a n a g in g stress b e c o m e easier Interpersonal c o m m u n ic a tio n reílec ts the nature

o f rela tionship am o n g involved parties E n hancing interpersonal c om m unic a tion facilitates the a c h ie v e m e n t o f m o re sa tisfying relationships a t w o rk Then, as addressing the m atte r o f using c o m m u n ic a tio n to p ro m o te w o rk relationships, the research íòcu se s on interpersonal co m m u n ic a tio n T h e n , interpersonal c o m m u n ic a tio n is also the core for survey questionnaire vvithin the scale o f this thesis

4 i i n p o r t a n c e of effective communication

Marylin s Kelly lias bcgun lici buok U I 1 “ Cưinniunicaliun al vvuik" likc ihis:

•‘C o m m u n ic a tio n is m ore th an a set o f skills It is the e x p re ssio n o f w h o w e are, w h a t our values are, a n d h o w w e use k n o w le d g e It is o u r co n n e ctio n with others It is the heartbeat o f a n y organization P ersons “ in c o m m u n ity ” c o m m u n ic a te ” (M arylin S.K., pp.5) It is at the ce nte r o f virtually every a spect o f business be c au se it c onnects the

co m p a n y with all its stakeholders, g roups affe c te d in so m e w a y by the c o m p a n y 's actions Effective c o m m u n ic a tio n ac ce lera te s effective problem solving, facilitates decision

m aking increases productivity, m a n a g e s vvork flow , m a k e s bu sin e ss relationships stronger enh a n ce s professional im age, a n d im prove s sta k e h o ld er response (C ourland L.B a n d John V T., pp )

F igure 5: The ben e/ĩís o f effective com m unìcation

ụ u ic k e r problem solving

N orm allỵ the problem solving process c onsists o f seven stages: d e fin in e the problem

lo o k in s al potential causes identifying a lte m a tiv e s fo r a p p ro a c h e s to resolve the problem , select an ap p ro a c h to resolve the problem , plan the im plem entation o f the best alternative

m conitor im plem entation o f the plan, and verify if thc problem has been solved or not All

o f those sta g e s vvhen being a p p ro a c h e d in an o rganization can result in troubles and loss

o f respect and accountability if the c o m m u n ic a tio n a m o n g c o n c e m e d parties is not carry

o u ỉ t appropriately (vv\v\v.im p a c ta c h ie m en t.c o m ) O n the c ontra ry i f an trou b le so m e issue

is vvell c o m m u n ic a te d a m o n g the c o n c ern e d parties a n d ihey will be able to g ather in hanrmony to d isc u ss a bout it Then, the action plan to react vvith the issue can be clariíled verry fast

It iis also the reason w h y the problem solv in g c o m m u n ic a tio n skills are d e v e lo p e d in order

lo provide people w ith the ability to solve problem s, counsel others, c onfront difficult sitiuations, a n d m an a g e criticism and c o n ílic t w hile still m aintaining g ood vvorking relẩationships

Strroneer liecisiun m akins:

T h ie re are m an y strategies for decision m a k in g such as optim al a n d satisíactory one T he

n a ttu re o f these strategies lays in the diíTerent level o f inform ation available F o r instance,

o p ítim a l decision m aking requires the m o s t iníòrm ation In o rd e r to m a k in g this kind o f deccision, p e o p le need to collect the w h o le range o f inform a tion o r a lte m a tiv e s before givving out the decision In the m e a n w h ile, satisfactory type d o e s n o t require the same acttion In this case, people only h a v e to collect en o u g h inform ation to m ak e an acceptable deccision w ithin the c urrent context O b v io u sly , inform ation plays a very im portant part in thiss situation A n d c o m m u n ic a tio n is essential fo r inío rm a tio n availability C on se q u e n tly ,

c o ĩm m u n ic a tio n can strengthen decision m a k in g process T h a t m e a n s effective

c o im m u n ic a tio n ignites stronger decision m aking

Ịnicrea sed productivity:

C o im m u n ic a tio n n o w a d a y s is said to be the key to productivity and success ( w w w i m e t a c o u k ) Effective c o m m u n ic a tio n supports e x c h an g e inform ation quickly Th(e inform ation provided through this process will be very helpful in m an y operational

p r o c e s s e s o f the enterprises such as decision m aking problem s o lv i n s and collaboration

a m iong different de p a rtm e n ts o r functions and th ere ío re helps to increase productivity For

instance a c ross-íunc tion task usually takes m ore tim e to be c o m p le te d d u e to the inefficiency in collaboration a m o n g various functions C o n ílic ts can arise and b e c o m e the obstacles preventing the task from being processed Hovvever, through eff'ective

co m m u n ic a tio n people can w o rk better to g eth e r for a qualiíied perform ance Hence

e íĩe c tiv e c o m m u n ic a tio n is believed to facilitate different assig n m en ts at \vork and that vvill contribute to the productivity im p ro v e m e n t o f the com panies

Steadier work flow:

Similarly, effective c o m m u n ic a tio n is also o n e o f the solutions to m ak e the w o rk flow run steadier and sm oother A task in a c o m p a n y is usually c o m p le te d a fte r running through

m an y stages T hat also m e a n s that not only o n e but m any p e o p le contribute to the progress a n d com p le te n e ss o f the task D ue to the in volvem ent o f so m an y parties, the

co m pletion o f the task is likely struggled by the c o n ílic ts and m isu n d e rsta n d in g am o n g them T his leads to the in e íĩe c tiv e n e ss o r even interruption o r s u s p en d in g o f the vvork flow T his is the situation w h e n effective c o m m u n ic a tio n c o m e s into play EíTective

c o m m u n ic a tio n can back the e x c elle n t inform ation tra n sfe r th ro u g h d iíĩe r e n t stages as the task goes by and e n su re the understa n d in g o f people vvorking to g eth e r on it T h a t is the reason w h y e íĩe c tiv e c o m m u n ic a tio n p la y s a very im portant part in m aintaining a steady

w o rk flow in the enterprise

E nhanced proíessiơ n al im aee:

O perating in a m arket vvith íìerce c om petition o f today, m an y c o m p a n ies n o w vvant to create a proíessional image T h is desire can be partly carried out through effective

co m m u n ic a tio n T he proíessional im age im pacts on both intem al and extem al stakeholders R egarding intem al stakeholders such as e m p lo y e e s , the existence o f a professional c o m m u n ic a tio n netw ork w ithin the c o m p a n y c ontribute s to the excellent vvorking environm ent A c c o rd in g to Frederick H erzberg, this positive w orking

e n v iro n m en t certainly ranks One o f the " h y g ie n e factors" w h ic h help p revent e m p lo y e es from the feelincs o f dissatisfaction vvith the j o b (R obert Heller pp.10) Regarding

ex te m al stakeholđers such as the public c o m m u n ity , local g o v e rn m e n t and the shareholders, eiTective c o m m u n ic a tio n is probably the igniter for the b e lie f o f the

c o m p a n y as a professional organization H ence, this m ay facilitate the c o m p a n y 's operation.

Stronu er bnsiness relationships:

Effective c o m m u n ic a tio n d o e s not only reíe r to the transfer o f iníbrm ation, ideas, and teelings b e tw e en s e n d er and rec e ive r but also im plies their m utual understa n d in g and feedback A s a result, it has the ability to strengthen business relationships w ithin the enterprise B usiness relationships in this con te x t include both internal a n d external ones Obviously, in case c o m m u n ic a tio n is carried out vvell and pro íe ssio n a lly can be a bond betvveen the c o m p a n y a n d the outsiders such as its pa rtne rs o r rele vant associations At the same tim e, a stronger bu sin e ss relationship w h ic h refers to the c o m p a n y a n d its

e m p lo y e e s h appens d u e to the internal effective c o m m u n ic a tio n T his is also o n e o f the foci o f th is thesis paper: h o w e fĩective c o m m u n ic a tio n can iníluence on w o rk relationship building

5 Research on íacto rs affecting effective c o m m un icat ion in relation to

w o r k relationship building in w or lđ w id e context

Based on the preceding literature review, it c a n be seen that the topic a bout effective

c o m m u n ic a tio n in relation to w ork relationship building has attracted the attention o f

w orldw ide scholar com m u n ity T here are m a n y o íĩicia l research a n d a c ad e m ic articles

c onc entra ting on analyzing th is topic M any institutions and research c e n te rs even pay a lot o f m o n ey to fund those kinds o f research A s a result, the d e v e lo p m e n t o f theoretical

as well as experim ental studies is highly recognized in those countries

T h e analyses and research íindings in term s o f the m entione d topic are reflected in many books o r w ritten doc um e nts In 2006, a g ro u p o f A m e ric a n p rofessionals has carried out a research funded by the N ational Institution o f Health a im in e at a n a ly z in g the level o f

im portance o f different e le m en ts to w a rd s w o rk relationship T hey íinally c a m e up vvith

"S e v en C haracteristics o f successíui vvork relationships” w h ic h clariíìes seven outsta n d in g features form ing a " h e a lth y ” relationship at work (w w w a a fp o r g )

■‘C o m m u n ic a tio n " is also ranked a m o n g other lầctors such a s trust, diversity

interrelatedness, varied interaction, respect, and m in d fu ln e ss to have strong impact on building relationships at vvorkplace in a goo d vvay.

D octor S aundra H ybels o f Lock Haven University and Professor Richard L W eaver lĩ o f Bovviing G re e n States University in the United Stated are the c o-a uthors o f a text book nam ed “ C o m m u n ic a tin g effectively” vvhich íìrst published in 1986 also believe that

“ P e rh ap s o u r m o st im portant need is to m aintain and im prove relationships Through

c o m m u n ic a tio n vve d isc o v e r o th e rs ’ n eeds and share o u r ow n A n y kind o f relationships requires open and accurate lines o f c o m m u n ic a tio n Only vvhen such lines exist will people feel free to voice im portant th oughts a n d feelings” (S a u n d ra H a n d Richard L w , pp5) D ue to this perception, the tvvo writers h a v e presented m an y o f their c o n c ern s related

to h u m a n c o m m u n ic a tio n It g o e s vvithout s a y in g th a t w o rk p la c e c o m m u n ic a tio n is n o t an

exception T his topic is reAected in th eir a n a ly s is on evaluating and improving relationships vvhich is included in interpersonal c o m m u n ic a tio n part

In 1987, D udley D C ahn had his research-oriented a n d scholarly b ook published T he book n a m e d “ Letting G o: A Practical T h e o ry o f R elationship D isengagem ent and

R e e n g a g e m e n t” s h o w s specific insights o f h u m a n c o m m u n ic a tio n processes T he book takes a look at the research a bout reiationships including situations a t vvorkplace that fail and íocu se s on hovv poor self-concept and c o m m u n ic a tio n m ay play a part in that failure

W illiam D B ro o k s and Robert w Heath to g eth e r have vvritten a b ook nam ed “ Speech

C o m m u n ic a tio n ” In th is co-w o rk , the process o f c o m m u n ic a tio n is described across different c o m m u n ic a tio n levels - intrapersonal, interpersonal, and public In the second level, the tw o auth o rs have presented the basic c o m p o n e n ts in building relationships T he

c o n c ern e d basic c o m p o n e n ts are: interpersonal attraction a n d affection v ersus alienation and hostility, trust and supportiveness v ersus s u s p i c i o n an d defensiveness, interpersonal

c o n t r o Ị role playing and expectations, and feedback T hese theories have been used to explained m an y situations vvithin the business context D ue to the pedagogically

h e lp tu ln e ss o f this book, it has been reprinted so m an y tim es up to novv

In C hina, a n e ig h b o r country o f V ietnam , s tre ngthe ning relationship building at

\vorkplace is also an issue d ra w in g so m uch attention A typical co n c ern is reílected in a booked n a m e d " H o w to m aintain a p e rĩe c t relationship in the c o m p a n y ? '' o f C h a n g Sheng

T heories and phiiosophies have been clearly show n as guidelines for people in general and office s ta f f in particular to keep strong and d urable bonds vvith colleagues M any guidelines a re c o m m u n ic a tio n -o rie n te d T h a t m e a n s th ey use c o m m u n ic a tio n as the base

or backg ro u n d to support relationship building

T he a b o v e -m en tio n ed papers a re only som e e x a m p le s given out to illustrate the diversity and richness o f rese a rc h e s c o n c e m in g c o m m u n ic a tio n in related to vvork relationship building Ít can be easily seen that this topic a re w id e ly and d e e p ly investigated in published a s well as n o n -published w ork so that the knovvledge a bout it has been highly

a n d strongly developed

6 Research on effective c o m m un icat ion in the context o f Vietnam

R esearch on effective c o m m u n ic a tio n has not received a d e q u ate attention in Vietnam

O n ly until rec e nt y e a rs has this issue attract m u ch m ore public aw areness T here are m an y

b o o k s related to the topic sold in the m arket N e vertheless, those w o r k s m ostly b e lo n g to foreign authors T h e guidelines a n d instructions a re c o n stru c te d b ased on careful research

H o w e v er, so m e ideas in an oversea c o n te x t a re s o m e tim e s not a p p ro p riate a n d applicable

in V ietnam M oreover, they have not been particularly p roved to be practical in

c o m m e n ts on h o w people should behave at w o rk in o r d e r to m aintain c o o d interaction

w ith colleagues A lthough, m any training centers have putting this topic to b e c o m e a

still s e e m s to be u n d e r public expectation

III Re s e a r c h p r o c e s s

1 Research methodology

T his research aim s at studving the im pacts o f effective c o m m u n ic a tio n on building relationships at vvorkplace W ith that intention, a questio n n a ire is used to collect prim ary data about the current v iew o f people on this issue Basically, the data reílects the intbrm ation on six prec e d in g m entione d factors w hich are believed to be the key to successful w o rk relationships T hey are: trust, diversity, m in d tu ln e ss, interrelatedness varied interaction, and respect A fte r the running a regressing m odel based on the collected data, the íìndings is taken into consideration to identify w h a t factors actually have strong im pacts on w ork relationship building in the con te x t o f sm all a n d m edium - sized c o m p a n ies in Vietnam

2 Research questions

T he q u e stio n s are all ask fo r the ữ e q u e n c y that the individuals m a k e som e a ctions or present so m e kin d s o f attitu d e s a t w o rk T h e re a re tw o to three q u e stio n s under each tầctors w h ic h are believed to in tlu en c e on e tĩe c tiv e c o m m u n ic a tio n and th en on w ork relationship building

T ru st:

• A llo w in g oth ers to actively c o m p le te th eir w ork

• Feeling c o m fo rta b le to disc u ss a b o u t su c ce sse s a n d failures

M in d í u l n e s s :

• B eing op e n to new ideas

• Feeling c o m fo rta b le to disc u ss a b o u t w h a t is an d is not e íĩe c tiv e a t work

• A dju stin g ro u tin e s in re s p o n s e to c u r r e n t s itu a tio n s a n d c h a n g e s

ín te r r e ía te d n e s s :

• B eing attentive to current tasks as vvell a s larger goals

• B eing avvare o f individual roles a n d h o w they a íĩ e c t o th e r functions andcolleagues

• B eing considerate, honest an d tactful

• V a lu in g o th e r opin io n s

1 a rie ii in te r a c tio n :

• U nd e rsta n d in g the im portance o f both social a n d task-related relationships

• E n c o u rag in g people to pursue a ctivities outside o f w ork

D iv e rsity :

• VVilling to collaborate vvith p e o p l e from different b a c k g ro u n d s an d perspectives

• E n c o u rag in g oth ers to think dilTerently a b o u t im p o rta n t issues and share their opinions

C o r e l

• B eing sensitive, helpful, an d caring

• E x p re ss sincere tovvards others

A ctive listeninu:

• P aying attention, understand a n d provide feedback to w h a t is said by others

• Listen not m erely to the w ords, but the feeling con te n t a n d b e sincerely interested

in vvhat o th e r person is talking about

m e n tio n e d T h e re s e a rc h a n a ly z e s s e v e n c h a r a c te r is tic s vvhich h a v e th e s tro n g e s t im p a c t

on successful w ork relationships T hey c o m p rise of: trust diversitỵ m indfulness

interrelatedness, respect, varied interaction, and e tĩe c tiv e co m m u n ic a tio n A m o n g those íactors, etTective c o m m u n ic a tio n is believed to be the tool to prom ote the others On the

o th e r hand if o th e r factors are in good condition then effective c o m m u n ic a tio n can be

m aintained M oreover, effective c o m m u n ic a tio n is proved to be "the powerful

d e te rm in a n t o f relationship c o m m itm e n t” (N eeru S h a rm a and Paul G P., pp 151-170)

H e n c e im p ro v in g e íĩe c tiv e c o m m u n ic a tio n a m o n g s t a f f i n a c o m p a n y is considered to be

a n active w ay to strengthen the vvork relationships o f colleagues D ue to this argum ent, six factors including trust, diversity, m in d íu ln e ss, interrelatedness, respect, and varied interaction are c hosen to be the research point

Besides, b ased on the intervievv with m a n a g e rs from different c o m p a n ie s in Vietnam

o th e r tw o factors a re in c lu d e d in th e s u r v e y 's re s e a rc h p o in ts vvhich a re c a re , a c tiv e lis te n in g , a n d e q u a lity A c c o rd in g to th e vvorking a n d m a n a g in g e x p e rie n c e s o f th o se

le a d e rs , th e s e fa c to rs h a v e s tro n g im p a c t o n th e p ro c e s s o f b u ild in g u p efF ective

c o m m u n ic a tio n in a c o m p a n y a s w e ll

O uestion com posins:

T h e q u e s tio n n a ire is d iv id e d in to th re e m a in p a rts T h e íir s t p a rt c o n s is tin g o f n in e

q u e s tio n s s e e k s f o r th e p e rs o n a l in fo rm a tio n o f th e re s p o n d e n ts T h e b a s ic u n d e rs ta n d in g

a b o u t a s p e c iíìc re s p o n d e n t is p ro v id e d in te rm s o f n a m e , y e a r o f b irth , s e x , n u m b e r o f vvorking y e a rs , p h o n e n u m b e r, e m a il, c o m p a n y , e d u c a tio n b a c k g ro u n d , a n d c u rre n t

p o sitio n

Part tw o presents the research questions In th is part, thirty One q u e stio n s are grouped into three m ain categories: r e s p o n d e n ts' personal inform ation, general q u e stio n s and specilic questions G eneral q uestions a s k respondents a bout their satisfaction with the current relationships at w o rk p lac e and the training c o u rs e that c o m p a n ies provide to support their knovvledge and skills on w ork relationship building Spe c iíìc q u e stio n s are questions that require respondents to think speciílcally a bout nine lầctors intluencing on effective

c o m m u n ic a tio n at vvork These m entione d a b o v e (ầctors contain trust diversity

m indtiilness interrelatedness respect, varied interaction, c are, active listening and