How communications can change over time

11.4 - Conflict Management in Communications

Challenges in Organizational Communication As you continue your education in college, you’ll continue to understand the need to be

prepared for a perpetually evolving, increasingly diverse, and unpredictable global

workplace. The key to organizational success, both for you and the organizations with

whom you are involved, is effective communication. As you have probably experienced

in both your personal relationships and organizational relationships, communication is

not always successful. If you have ever worked on a group project for one of your classes,

you have likely experienced many of the communicative challenges organizations face in

this increasingly fast-paced and global world.

Ineffective communication can cause many problems that can impact relationships,

productivity, job satisfaction, and morale as we interact in organizations. Gerald

Goldhaber summarizes Osmo Wiio’s “laws” of communication that are good to

remember as you interact in increasingly complex organizations. Wiio pessimistically

warns that: 1) If communication can fail, it will fail, 2) If a message can be understood in

different ways, it will be misunderstood in the manner that does the most damage, 3)

The more communication there is, the more tricky it is for the communication to be

successful, and 4) There is always someone who thinks they know better what you said

than you do.

One of the greatest challenges facing organizations is the practice of ethics. Ethics are a

basic code of conduct (morals) that individuals and groups use to assess whether

something is right or wrong. How ethical are you as an organizational participant? Do

you always make ethical personal and professional decisions? Have you ever withheld a

bit of truth to lessen the impact of revealing the whole truth? What if you accidentally

overhear that an individual who is up for a promotion has been stealing from the

organization? Do you tell your boss? Or, on a greater scale, what if you discover that

your organization is withholding vital information from consumers, or violating lawful

practices? Do you blow the whistle or stay loyal to your company? When you write your

resume, how accurately do you describe your work history? Each of these scenarios

deals directly with ethical considerations and ethical communication.

Many organizations practice a climate of “survival of the fittest” as individuals scramble

their way up the ladder of success at any cost. Comedian Jimmy Durante posited this

advice: “Be nice to people on your way up because you might meet ‘em on your way

down.” Obviously, not every organization has this type of cutthroat culture, but with an

inherent hierarchy and imbalance of power, organizations are ripe for unethical

behaviors. Because of the competitive nature of many business climates, and the push

for profits, organizational and individual ethics are often tested.

Do organizations have a moral responsibility to act ethically outside of their capitalistic

and legal obligations? “Since 1985, more than two-thirds of Fortune 500 firms have

been convicted of serious crimes, ranging from fraud to the illegal dumping of

hazardous waste” (Eisenberg & Goodall 337). The Chevron Corporation, the second

largest oil company in the U.S., is just one example of an unethical organization. Tax

evasion and several environmental infractions, including dumping over 18 billion

gallons of toxic waste into the Amazon rainforest, are examples of their ethical behavior

(Sandhu, 2012). Other unethical practices common in organizations include exploiting

workers, tax loopholes, overbilling, and dumping toxins. Despite these unfortunate,

immoral practices, all of us have an obligation to communicate ethically in all aspects of

our lives, including organizations.

Differences in perception and the failure to clarify communication can lead to

miscommunication at interpersonal as well as organizational levels. Organizationally,

communication failure occurs due to information overload, communication anxiety,

unethical communication, bad timing, too little information, message distortion, lack of

respect, insufficient information, minimal feedback, ineffective communication, and

even disinterest or apathy. To be successful in our organizational environments, we

need to be earnest participants, as well as active listeners, to ensure effective

communication and mutual satisfaction. Organizations cannot successfully operate

without effective communication at every level.

Future Directions

As with many other specializations in the field of Communication, the area of

organizational communication is changing faster than organizations, individuals, and

scholars can adapt. It is difficult for organizations to anticipate and keep in front of the

changes they encounter. What worked during the industrial age may no longer be

relevant in the 21st century. In fact, what worked ten years ago likely does not work

today. A sense of urgency, a fast pace, inconsistency, information overload, regenerating

technology, and constant change characterize the dynamic changes as organizations

move from operating in the industrial age to the information age. When this book was

first published, for example, iPhones were just coming on the market. We referred to

cds, dvds, and palm pilots in the original text. That was only eight years ago, and now we

don’t use many of those technologies. Miller identifies four elements of the changing

landscape for organizations: 1) Organizations are becoming more global, 2) Images and

identity are becoming increasingly important, 3) There is a shift to a more predominant

service economy, and 4) The changing workforce is highlighted by the “disposable

worker” (Conrad & Poole), downsizing, early retirement, and temporary workers.

As a result, new directions of research are emerging. These changes are forcing those of

us in organizational communication to reexamine existing communicative practices

relative to the changing dynamics of organizations. For example, can a person lead

without any personal, face-to-face contact? How do organizational values impact ethics,

and what is the attitude towards ethical communication in this increasingly competitive

age? How should work-life issues such as working parents, affirmative action, and drug

screening be handled? With increasing diversity in the workplace, what is the role of

intercultural communication? In this age of elevated tensions, how do stress and

emotions communicatively manifest themselves in the workplace? What is the impact of

our social media postings on our work lives?

Scholars are continuing to communicatively adapt and respond to the changing

landscape in terms of what we teach, research, and practice. Expect to see a variety of

approaches and distinctively unique research agendas that will likely highlight the ways

in which you will spend your life working in organizations that are different from today.

"Survey of Communication Study" by Scott T Paynton and Linda K Hahn, Humboldt State University is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0