engineering improved communication in the workplace
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Engineering Improved Communication in the Workplace. Tracey Derwing Dept. of Educational Psychology, U of A PMC Research Symposium, Edmonton, January 23, 2009. Acknowledgements. Murray Munro Ron Thomson Jacqui Dumas Anna DeLuca Paul Holmes Participants & their employers SSHRC. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Engineering Improved Communication in the
Workplace
Tracey DerwingDept. of Educational Psychology, U of A
PMC Research Symposium, Edmonton, January 23, 2009
Acknowledgements Murray Munro Ron Thomson Jacqui Dumas Anna DeLuca Paul Holmes Participants & their employers SSHRC
Petrochemical & Construction Companies Hiring foreign-trained professionals
Petrochemical & Construction Companies
Job Requirements Emphasis on teamwork Language requirements:
- oral skills while working in project teams with other employees
- writing reports for clients
Workplace Study
• Human Resources personnel - interview
• ESL/Culture Instructor - interview
• 15 NNS employees - interviews
• 24 NS employees - questionnaires
• Observations of both NS & NNS training
Human Resources Interview
Dwindling pool of Canadians Lots of foreign-trained professionals We need to tap into this pool
Problem Areas
Verbal communication
• feedback from Canadian employees having trouble understanding immigrants
Written communication
• “it was pretty obvious from the first report”
Job Shadowing
carried out by instructor -
every type of communication in the company
Three Courses
Taught Friday afternoons on employees’ own time
3 hours x 12 weeks
Three Courses
1. clear speech
Three Courses
1. clear speech
2. conversational management
Three Courses
1. clear speech
2. conversational management
3. accelerated language acquisition
NNSs 15 respondents - Columbia, China,
Philippines, India, Venezuela, Pakistan, Bangladesh
10 males, 5 females Mean age = 42 (range = 34-55) Mean LOR = 5y (range =1y - 14y) 7 studied English in Canada
NNSsWas the EWP course helpful?
Oh, yeah, a lot - I was introduced to the Canadian workplace culture.
Yeah, sure, it helped but it was too short. The culture aspect was the most helpful.
Ah, yes, definitely … I think this course could help me in the future.
The focus on speaking and communication was most helpful.
NNSsWas the EWP course helpful?
I took Phase 1 but because the classroom changed several times I went there but we couldn’t find the classroom.
I couldn’t take it - because this is the cultural issue, because Fridays - you know we have a special prayer on that day, so it is coming between the prayer. That is sort of a compulsory thing for us, so unfortunately I could not attend it. But I’d love to attend these kinds of things.
NNSsAre you happy in your job?
Ah yes…just sometimes maybe I have a little bit of difficulty, I mean for this language… but it’s getting better
I’m getting cooperation. People are friendly … acceptance value is more. And the main thing is management is aware of immigrant limitations, so it’s easy to move ahead.
NNSsSocializing
NNSsSocializing
• most eat lunch alone or with other immigrants
NNSsSocializing
• most eat lunch alone or with other immigrants
• little indication of socializing after work
NNSsSocializing
• most eat lunch alone or with other immigrants
• little indication of socializing after work
• 2/15 report having close Canadian-born friends
NS Employee Reactions
Question Yes No N/A
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
NS Employee Reactions
Question Yes No N/A
1. More effort with ESL than NS? 22 1 1
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
NSs on Their ESL ColleaguesYes. Both harder to understand AND harder to be understood. The analogies that I tend to use are not easily translated. The time delay required for them to translate what I say, think in their native language, then translate to English and share it is painful for a person with little patience to spare. Humour is completely lost a lot of the time.
NS Employee Reactions
Question Yes No N/A
1. More effort with ESL than NS? 22 1 1
2. Difficulty comm. with NNS? 22 2
3.
4.
5.
6.
NSs on Their NNS Colleagues
Yes, sometimes their accent is too dominant. I seriously can’t understand them sometimes. Sometimes I feel they don’t have a strong enough vocabulary, which results in their explanations of things to be somewhat unclear.
NS Employee Reactions
Question Yes No N/A
1. More effort with ESL than NS? 22 1 1
2. Difficulty comm. with NNS? 22 2
3. NNSs have problems comm.? 24
4.
5.
6.
Yes, takes much longer to explain. You have to have patience and speak very slowly and patience to listen as well. Words chosen must be proper English, not slang. Some pronunciation is difficult to understand.
NSs on ESL Colleagues
Yes – hard to understand what they are saying and hard to use vocabulary that they will understand. Frustrating to adapt to language level.
NSs on ESL Colleagues
Yes, longer time, rework, mistakes, wasted budgets, poor quality products, hurt feelings and broken relationships especially as deadlines approach (or pass).
NSs on ESL Colleagues
NS Employee Reactions
Question Yes No N/A
1. More effort with ESL than NS? 22 1 1
2. Difficulty comm. with NNS? 22 2
3. NNSs have problems comm.? 24
4. Socialize within L1 groups? 23 1
5.
6.
NS Employee Reactions
Question Yes No N/A
1. More effort with ESL than NS? 22 1 1
2. Difficulty comm. with NNS? 22 2
3. NNSs have problems comm.? 24
4. Socialize within L1 groups? 23 1
5. Coworkers initiate w. same L1? 19 4 1
6.
NS Employee Reactions
Question Yes No N/A
1. More effort with ESL than NS? 22 1 1
2. Difficulty comm. with NNS? 22 2
3. NNSs have problems comm.? 24
4. Socialize within L1 groups? 23 1
5. Coworkers initiate w. same L1? 19 4 1
6. NS reluctant to talk with NNS? 16 3 5
NS Expectations of NNS Coworkers
“Practice”
Practice with speakers of native language; at home
Enunciate, speak slower
Learn more about the culture and norms of our conversation
Give up L1 altogether
Try not to be shy; interact more with all coworkers
An EWP Course for NS Managers
Managerial considerations• résumés• cross-cultural communications in general• cross-cultural conflict
- gender- sexual harassment- washroom issues (eg spitting)
• leadership in the company
An EWP Course for NSs
Managers have found the course to be eye-opening.
NS Expectations of NNS Coworkers
Try not to be shy; interact more with all coworkers
Willingness to Communicate
McCroskey. J. C. & Richmond V. P. (1991). Willingness to communicate: A cognitive view. In M. Booth-Butterfield (ed.) Communication, cognition & anxiety. Newbury Park, CA: Sage
MacIntyre, P. D., Clément, R., Dörnyei, Z. & Noels, K. A. (1998). Conceptualizing willingness to communicate in a L2: A situational model of L2 confidence and affiliation. Modern Language Journal, 82, 545-562.
Willingness to Communicate
Willingness to Communicate
Derwing, Munro & Thomson (2008) A longitudinal study of ESL learners’ fluency and comprehensibility development. Applied Linguistics, 29 (3), 339-358.
Russians’ oral fluency > Mandarins’ oral fluency after two years in Canada
Willingness to Communicate
Motivational Propensities
Willingness to Communicate
Motivational Propensities
“We just need to practice and gain confidence when we speak with others. This is first. And second, I think we need to get some cultural stuff, like being assertive, and yeah, I think this will be helpful.”
Willingness to Communicate
Motivational Propensities
Affective-Cognitive Context
Willingness to Communicate
Motivational Propensities
Affective-Cognitive Context“ It’s a multicultural company who has employees that come from different regions, but the company accepts multiculture and encourages people to express themselves with confidence in what you specialize in. So I think it’s a good company, it’s a good environment and the people around here … respect each other. So yeah, I’m happy.”
Willingness to Communicate
Motivational Propensities
Affective-Cognitive Context
Social and Individual Context
Willingness to Communicate
Motivational PropensitiesAffective-Cognitive Context
Social and Individual Context“I still lack courage. I want to talk to them but that’s my experience - I don’t know why.”
“If I meet anybody, I will talk.”
Willingness to Communicate
Native speaker reactions
Willingness to Communicate
Native speaker reactions“It’s like talking to a child”“We [the company] have a wide variety of strengths of accents”“Culture is probably one of the biggest issues. Not being able to tell manager they don’t understand, and manager just assuming comprehension because there are no questions”
Willingness to Communicate
Native speaker reactions
“Some people are very ‘redneck’ and are not willing to take the time required or apply the required patience”
Willingness to Communicate
Use WTC framework to analyze all aspects of workplace communication
Summary HR and NNSs see value in EWP courses
Managers find cross-cultural courses useful
NNSs pleased that they are able to work in their chosen occupations; see their workplace as friendly and accommodating
NSs still frustrated with NNS communication skills
Recommendations
Recommendations
LINC/ESL programs
Recommendations
LINC/ESL programs LINC funders
Recommendations
LINC/ESL programs LINC funders EWP programs
Recommendations
LINC/ESL programs LINC funders EWP programs Teacher trainers
Recommendations
LINC/ESL programs LINC funders EWP programs Teacher trainers Researchers
Willingness to Communicate
The more I try, the easier it is. Wish others would see that too. People just need more patience, and ESL need to interact more and not hide with their own so much.
