Man in its psychological nature represents a social being. That is why communication with their own kind is one of the most important conditions for his stay in society. During communication, the individual receives information about social realities, the nature of personal relationships, he learns what other people think about him, and evaluates this information, takes it into account in his subsequent actions. In principle, a person always looks at himself through the eyes of others. That is why it is important to know the basics of business etiquette not only for business employees.
Communication between people
Any incoming information serves a person as a certain attitude towards the future, determining his further behavior, actions. He evaluates this information, sometimes not realizing this phenomenon, and experiences, by the definition of psychologists, the instinct of social approval.
The basics of business etiquette include special norms that ensure the effective exchange of knowledge or emotions. They are vital for the healthy interaction and activities of any organization of people. Therefore, it is important not only to know them, but also to comply.
Principles of Business Etiquette
In general terms, communication is understood as communication for the purpose of exchanging information between two or more partners, and business communication is an interaction in which participants fulfill certain social roles. The functional tasks of this type of communication are defined by the exact framework and are pragmatic.
For an entrepreneur, communication is one of the indispensable and main conditions of work, as well as success in his enterprise. Conversational art for him is a very effective means of achieving absolutely any goal, whether it is a production, commercial, scientific or informational direction. Moreover, a business person is obliged to act strictly within the limits of business etiquette.
Ethics as a philosophical science of morality
In the humanities, the problem of the origin of morality was discussed in the debate about the universality and relativity of moral norms. One of the largest authorities on ethics is the German philosopher Immanuel Kant. He believed that moral law was given to man even before his experience, that is, a priori.
Two things will never cease to amaze a person: the starry sky above his head and the moral law inside him.
Kant said that everyone should listen to their inner voice and perform only actions, guided by which, at the same time, he may wish them to become universal law at the basis of business etiquette.
Appearance story
Ethics is a philosophical science, the object of study of which is morality. And she, in turn, represents a system of assessments of human actions. Moral standards, from the point of view of the famous Austro-American economist Friedrich Hayek, are not instinctual and are not a creation of the mind. And they represent an independent phenomenon, between these two concepts.
The appearance of the word "ethics" in the dictionary mankind owes to the ancient Greek scientist Aristotle, who lived from 384 to 322 BC. He was the first in history to designate the doctrine of morality with this term.
The teaching of the Chinese thinker Confucius, who lived from 551 to 479 BC, had a great influence on the formation of ethical standards of mankind and the creation of the foundations of business etiquette, especially in the East.
Rule Ren
Confucius was born in one of the small principalities of ancient China. The philosopher belongs to the doctrine, which has become the main ideological stronghold of traditional Asia. He preaches the theory and practice of moral self-improvement.
The teachings of Confucius are based on the rules of Ren, that the relations of people and the fundamentals of business communication etiquette should be determined by wisdom - what you do not want for yourself, do not do it for others.
Ritual as a manner of communication
According to Confucius, moral standards come from heaven and bear the stamp of a divine character. The philosopher attaches great importance to the ritual.
In etiquette, he sees one of the main principles of life determining the nature of communication between people. Confucius posed the following task:
Using a ritual to cultivate an attitude towards earthly life as a necessary formality.
He said that reverence without ritual leads to fussiness, caution leads to timidity, courage leads to confusion, and directness leads to rudeness.
The system of norms bequeathed by Confucius preaches such qualities as the basis for the etiquette of business communication, such as honesty, courtesy, fidelity to duty, respect for elders, tendency to compromise. And also the rejection of debts and denunciations.
Basics of Asian Business Communication
Confucian ethics is one of the main binding guidelines for eastern businessmen. Calls for spiritual self-improvement, a meaningful existence according to a specific set of precepts - all this can be found in many offices of famous people, in the offices of business people of the East.
And these are not just slogans shown, they really try to follow this type of business etiquette. Apparently, this is why entrepreneurs of Japan, China or other Asian countries are often distinguished by enviable zeal, composure and energy.
Professional ethics
Ethics, as an integral part of philosophy, develops, on the one hand, as a theoretical science of morality; it seeks answers to eternal philosophical questions about the origin and essence of morality in the sense of good and evil. On the other hand, ethics is connected with specific actions of a person in everyday life. In this sense, it is purely applied, normative. Ethics - applied science, "the art of living" - wrote the American psychologist Erich Fromm.
In a practical application, this doctrine is a set of rules in accordance with which a certain person or group determines its behavior, considers it legal and acceptable in achieving a particular goal.
Normative ethics underlies professional morality. For example, a doctor, one of the oldest, is known as the Hippocratic oath. Its first and main commandment “Do no harm” is applicable to the scientific, military, and any other professional path. Therefore, this very adage is the basis of business etiquette.
Norms
A necessary part of human life is business communication, which is carried out in the process of production activity. Its regulator is ethical standards. They are a combination of moral concepts, rules and ideas, which, in turn, regulate the behavior and attitude of people in the process of their production activities.
Ethics in market conditions is designed to serve precisely economic relations. In turn, the moral of the entrepreneur is the sum of the moral rules, techniques accumulated by society and adjusted in order to implement pure mutually beneficial relations among entrepreneurs, as well as between them and society.
For thousands of years, humanity has been searching for its golden rule, which would determine with maximum accuracy the necessary line of behavior in society. And separated those concepts that do not belong to the basics of business etiquette. Thinking on this subject is found in the writings of Confucius, he taught that when a person proceeds only from profit, he can only bring anger.
Norms of moral behavior of the leader
The basis of managerial ethics is the coordination and harmonization of the interests of the entrepreneur himself and his subordinates. The relationship of managers and employees goes beyond the usual interpersonal contacts.
This type of communication is checked by ethical reflection, justifying certain decisions of the entrepreneur and the behavior of subordinates.
The success of any collective activity depends on the psychological and moral climate that prevails in the organization. One of the main creators of this component is the manager of the institution. Therefore, strict adherence to moral standards is fundamental to the behavior of an entrepreneur.
The first and most important commandment for the leader should be the rule:
To see in each subordinate not a position or rank, but a personality.
This means behavior that excludes the slightest encroachment on a person’s dignity and disrespectful attitude towards him. Even if the subordinate committed an offense or made a mistake, he deserves worthy treatment. When analyzing a conflict situation, it is necessary to strictly separate a person and his deed.
Management is a part of management activity, which is aimed at the implementation of specific production goals arising before the organization. It is part of a clearly structured formal formal relationship. Leadership involves solving management issues by influencing subordinates. This effect is carried out in the form of an order, request, order, advice. The difference between them is categorical.
A new imprint on the formation of the nature of relations between the manager and subordinates is left by a private form of ownership, which in market conditions becomes a determining factor. The relationship between the entrepreneur and subordinates are formed as the relationship between the owner and employees.
In the modern world, a new category of executives has appeared: managers, marketers, dealers, distributors. And working in a private enterprise, they get a more complete right to independence, initiative and enterprise.
Leadership style
The art of management, its success, are largely determined by the correctness of the choice of a way of interacting with company employees. It is necessary to be able to use that set of managerial influences in a specific working situation, at the appropriate time, which will ensure the optimal production return of the team.
Leadership style is a set of applied methods of influence on subordinates, as well as their form, manner and nature of execution.
Foreign social psychology and management has been studying the problems of leadership style for many years. A lot of empirical material has been accumulated, and many control models have been proposed. Specialists highlight the most successful typology of individual leadership styles proposed by the American scientist Kurt Levin.
He identified the following three leading methods:
- Authoritarian.
- Democratic.
- Neutral.
The latter is sometimes called anarchist or liberal.
Business Speech Etiquette
Morality has a special meaning for a person who is connected with the business sphere. Since this is part of his productive activity, an integral part of his success and prosperity. Well-known specialist in this field, Dale Carnegie wrote:
A person’s success in financial matters, by 15 percent, depends on his professional knowledge and 85 percent, on his ability to communicate with people.
This pattern can be especially clearly seen when studying, for example, the verbal basis of business etiquette in tourism. In this area, how competent the employee will be will depend on whether the buyer uses the services.
By verbal, verbal communication is meant the process of transferring information from one person to another or from one individual to a group of persons. Mutual exchange of information has a corresponding psychological and emotional impact on participants in the communication process.
The verbal form in the culture of business etiquette provides for the use of oral and written speech as a sign system. By the way, the latter plays a decisive role where accuracy and responsibility for each word are needed, therefore it is preferred in the science of legal and business relations.
Speeches
Oral speech has its own characteristics in terms of rules and grammar. When communicating using spoken language, it is easier to influence the interlocutor, to inspire him, to defend his position. However, spoken language allows different interpretations of the same sentence, which in some cases is a significant drawback.
For a business person, observing the rules of speech etiquette, the art of expressing his thoughts correctly, accurately and intelligibly is evidence of his professional level, the key to success. “The ability to communicate with people, ” says famous American businessman John Rockefeller, “is a product that you can buy just like a person buys sugar or coffee. And I will pay for such a skill more than for anything else in the world."
Specialists distinguish four main types of public business presentations. Let's consider them further.
Impromptu
Such a performance is delivered without prior preparation. It is highly regarded in society. The best base for successful impromptu is well-read and high overall culture. One example of impromptu is a toast at the table. To speak successfully, for such a performance, you need to constantly prepare, have some kind of cheat sheet.
Speech memorized or read from a sheet
This type is practiced by politicians when it is necessary that every word is thought out and the speaker sets himself the goal of bringing this to the listener. An example of a speech from a sheet is the responsible monologues of presidents and other officials.
In this case, the etiquette of business speech allows the use of technical means: teleprompter or a special screen. Currently, all this allows you to read the text, looking to the audience, and not on a piece of paper. The speaker seems to be talking to people, inviting them to a dialogue.
