Discussion
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Chapter1Slides.pptxChapter 1: Organizational Communication and Contextual Realities
Introduction
Effective communication is essential to the success of organizations
Today’s organizational landscape increases the potential for:
Global reach of organizations
Being a productive organizational employee and leader
Understanding human behavior within organizations
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Case Study: Twitter and Social Shaming
In 2013, Justine Sacco, senior director of corporate communications at IAC, posted an inappropriate tweet before she flew to Africa
The tweet became the No. 1 worldwide trend on Twitter, as thousands of angry tweets responded to her post
Justine was fired from her job at IAC soon after the incident occurred
What are the major issues in this case?
Defining Organizational Communication
The modern study of organizational communication dates back to the Hawthorne studies
Charles Redding is generally given credit as the ‘father’ of organizational communication
According to Wofford, Gerloff, and Cummins (1977), communication is considered a binding agent within all social systems and subsystems
According to the textbook authors, organizational communication is “the study of the process of creating and understanding through the coordination of verbal and nonverbal communication within and between organizations” (p. 5)
Reference: Wofford, J., Gerloff, E., & Cummins, R. (1977). Organizational communication: The keystone to managerial effectiveness. New York: McGraw-Hill.
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Diversity in the Workplace
In this technological and global economy, you will likely be working with a more diverse group of people than did your parents, regardless of who is working in your office building or department
Diversity needs to be both respected and appreciated for its power to:
Contribute new ideas to organizations
Understand new potential markets
Enhance individual understanding and the overall human condition
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Organizing in a Global Marketplace
Successful organizations embrace cultural differences
Growth and efficiency is related to the successful incorporation of cultural differences and creative strategies
Developing an understanding of culture can:
Greatly improve workplace interactions
improve relationships with diverse suppliers, customers, and employees
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Ethical Issues
Ethics is an interpretation of what is good and right
Can vary from person to person, department to department, organization to organization
Ethical issues are not only relevant considerations at the individual level of analysis but are also important at higher-order levels of analysis
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Critical Thinking Questions: Ethics
How important is honesty for effective communication?
Does an organization need to be honest and ethical to be a competent or effective organization?
Is the ultimate result of the instantaneous nature of global communication enabled by our modern technology creating a repressive, conservative, and conformist society?
Or do the benefits of today’s power of communication more than offset these risks?
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Task and Maintenance Roles
Duncan (1978) defined role as, “a pattern of behavior that is expected of a person when he or she interacts with others” (p. 184)
Organizations are also more effective when they attend to both task roles and maintenance roles
Task roles involve communication about the tasks at hand – what needs to be accomplished
Maintenance roles involve communication about the relationships
Communication is more effective when there is role clarity, and less effective when there is role ambiguity
Reference: Duncan, W. (1978). Organizational behavior. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Forms of Communication: Oral, Written, Non-Verbal
Communication can take many forms; it can be oral, written, or non-verbal
Communication is a process
A communication act does not occur in isolation; it is a part of a larger context of interaction
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Critical Thinking Questions: Communication
Think about each form of communication. Can you ever not communicate? Why is this important to consider from an organizational perspective?
Communication Networks
The web of interaction within the organizational environment is also impacted by the connections – both formal and informal – that link employees together
In a formal chain of command, communication follows a preplanned sequence of information flow
Sometimes, the leader plays the key role for the entire group
A single strand chain of command features information flowing in a linear pattern, with the leader as the source
A team approach requires communication to be an all-channel process, allowing group members to communicate across the organization freely
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Communication Network Charts
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Context Matters
For-Profit Organizations
Clear structures and hierarchies, more formalized culture
Nonprofit Organizations
Often guided by a specific value, includes volunteers
Family Entrepreneurship
Less formal structure and communication expectations
Government Sector
Communication often impacted by political changes
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Critical Thinking Question – Context Matters
In what ways might non-profit, for profit, family entrepreneurship, and government sector organizations differ in the way they might handle a social media issue like Justine Sacco’s?
