ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION INTERACTION
Introduction
As social creatures, every human being always interacts with other humans, even
tends to live in groups or organizations to achieve common goals that are impossible to
achieve when he is alone. This interaction and cooperation will continue to develop
regularly to form a container called an organization. Interactions or relationships between
individuals and groups/teams in each organization will raise expectations. This expectation
will then lead to certain roles that must be carried out by each individual to realize the
vision, mission, and goals of the organization/group. An organization is indeed formed as a
container in which a number of people gather who carry out a series of certain activities
regularly in order to achieve mutually agreed goals. Especially in modern society, humans
feel that in addition to managing themselves, they also need to manage their environment,
maintain order, manage and control it through a series of activities that we know as
management and organization. William (1956) calls it "The Organization Man".
In every organization filled with human resources, there are those who act as leaders,
and most others act as members / employees. Everyone involved in the organization will
communicate. There is no organization without communication, because communication is
an integral part of the organization. Communication is like a system that connects between
people, between parts of the organization, or as a flow that can generate the performance of
the people involved in the organization. The effectiveness of the organization lies in the
effectiveness of communication. Organizational effectiveness lies in the effectiveness of
communication, because communication is important to produce the same understanding
between the sender of information and the recipient of information at all levels in the
organization. In addition, communication also plays a role in building an organizational
climate which in turn can affect the efficiency and productivity of the organization.
Discussion
Definition of Organizational Communication
Understanding of organizational communication is inseparable from its relation to
various other aspects of organizational behavior as a whole, or when viewed more broadly,
namely in relation to interdisciplinary studies, especially communication science.
Organizational behavior deals with how and why people act, think and feel in an
organizational setting (Paul D. Sweeney & Dean B. Mc Farlin, 2002: 3). To better
understand organizational communication. We must refer to the various notions of
communication and organization that will be described in the following section:
Communication
The term communication comes from the Latin word -communication‖ which means
notification, giving part, exchange, where the speaker expects consideration or answer from
the listener. The adjective is communis which means common or shared. The verb is
communicare which means to dialogue, confer or deliberate (Anwar Arifin, 1994: 24).
Communication is a process that is generally used by humans in social interaction.
Basically, it has such a broad understanding, both as a separate science and as a
process. There are various definitions of communication, Carl I. Hovland suggests as
follows: communication is the process by which a person / communicator Convey stimuli
(usually symbols in the form of words) to change the behavior of others / communicants
(Onong Uchyana Effendy, 1993: 24). Then Shimp (1993; 8) states that communication is
the process to create or cause a common thought between the one who gives the sign and the
one who receives the sign. Shimp's definition emphasizes more on the communication
process that aims at creating a common thought or opinion on the interaction that occurs
(Terence A. Shimp, 1993: 8).
Pace & Faules (2001; 28) suggest that communication can be distinguished from all
other human and organizational behavior because it involves the mental process of
understanding people, objects and events. Two common forms of action that constitute
communication that emphasize on 1) the creation of messages or, more precisely, the
creation of performances, and 2) the interpretation of messages or the interpretation of
performances (R. Wayne Pace & Don F. Daules, Deddy Maulyana). Harold D. Lasswell
explained communication as an answer to the questions: Who, Say, What, In which channel,
To whom, With what effect? This sentence then known as the Lasswell formula (Effendy,
256). From what Lasswell stated, in essence, it includes elements of communication, namely
the existence of; communicators, messages conveyed, media used, communicants /
audiences, and effects. In simple terms, it can be interpreted that communication is a
message delivery activity with the aim of equalizing the meaning of a person / institution
(communicator) to another person / audience (communicator).
Organization
One of the most important things in understanding organizational communication is
that we should understand the approaches that influence the way of thinking or looking at
organizations. Organization according to Robbins (2001; 4) is defined as a consciously
coordinated social unit, consisting of two or more people, which functions on a relatively
continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set of goals (Stephen P. Robbins, 2001: 4).
Pace & Faules (2001: 11) suggest that there are two approaches in understanding
organizations, the objective approach and the subjective approach. Meaning -"Objective" in
this concept refers to the view that objects, behaviors, and events exist in the real world and
are independent of observation, while -"Subjective" refers to reality itself as a social
construction, reality as a creative process that allows people to create what is "out there".
According to the objective approach, an organization is something physical and
concrete, and is a structure with definite boundaries, something stable. The term -
organization‖ implies that something tangible encapsulates people, relationships, and goals.
The subjective approach views organizations as activities that people do, consisting of
actions, interactions, and transactions involving people. Organizations are created and
nurtured through the constantly changing contacts that people have with one another and do
not exist in isolation from the people whose behaviors make up the organization.
So based on the objective approach, organization means structure; while based on the
subjective view, organization means process (organizing behavior). The implication is that,
according to the objective approach, studying the organization is studying the whole, how
the organization can adapt in the best way to the environment to develop itself and survive,
while according to the subjective approach, knowledge about the organization is obtained by
looking at behaviors and what those behaviors mean to those who do it, the structure is
recognized but the emphasis is on human behavior in the sense that it is not independent of
human actions. These two approaches, both objective and subjective, not only affect the way
of looking at organizational communication, but also in understanding the organization other
aspects related to organizational behavior.
Organizational Communication
Based on the description above, organizational communication can be defined as the
direction and interpretation of messages between communication units that are part of a
particular organization. The definition emphasizes more on the functional aspect (objective).
Meanwhile, when viewed from an interpretative (subjective) perspective, organizational
communication is seen as a process of creating meaning for the interactions that constitute
the organization. Organizational communication is the organizing behavior that occurs and
how those involved in the process transact and give meaning to what is happening (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Maulana, 31).
A simpler definitive statement is put forward by Arnold & Feldman (1986: 154) that
organizational communication is the exchange of information between people in the
organization, where the process generally includes stages: attention, comprehension,
acceptance as true, and retention.
The Nature of Communication in Organizations
When talking about organizational communication, what is drawn in a person is
things related to the role and status of each person in the organization, because the role and
status of a person also determines how to communicate with others as well as how to
communicate with him, so a good person is a person who always connects roles and statuses
with work (Alo Liliweri, 1997: 59).
In modern society people recognize a person because he or she has a variety of roles
and statuses. In an organization, this diversity is seen through the division of labor where
each person will work according to his talents and abilities so that he is responsible for the
work. When the number or types of work are more and more diverse, it is necessary to
intertwine the different types of work, intertwine between a leader and subordinates or
between leaders who ultimately form a large synergistic force to produce higher quality
output. At this stage communication is needed.
Organizational communication is often also interpreted as organizing behavior,
namely how a subordinate is involved in the process of transacting and giving meaning to
what is happening. Therefore, when the organization considered just a group of people who
interact then communication only functions as an organization; he is the organization itself.
So organizational communication will center on the symbols that make organizational life
possible, whether the words, ideas and constructs that encourage authorize, coordinate, and
realize organized activities in specific situations (Barry Cusway and Derej Logde, 1995:
115).
Any writing or anything related to organizational communication always considers
two main concepts, namely organization and communication. An organization can be
approached as an object of fun and interest, but there are those who may very well view
organizations as oppressive That favorable or oppressive attitude is actually very depends on
the understanding and practice of interactions, relationships and transactions that occur
between people in the organization, which is called organizational communication. So the
position of communication in organization is actually emphasizes on how an organization is
constructed and maintained through the communication process. With Thus organizational
communication is more than just what people but rather a theoretical explanation of
communication practices in organizations that serves togetherness both in the organization
as well as serving other people who need the organization. In other words, the existence of
communication in the organization makes one able to distinguish two things, namely: first,
showing how members work as an organization; and second, how the network operations
that link them to each other. In this perspective, communication is important in
organizations, 1). Communication is the way, through communication people seek
information and develop a number of criteria for getting work for them; 2). Communication
is a process for them in determining a choice which practical.
The Importance of the Study of Organizational Communication
The study of organizational communication is important because it is a discipline
that can take a number of legitimate and useful directions. In the sense that the study will
provide benefits not only for anyone who wants to understand organizational behavior
better, but also has pragmatic aspects for people who want to improve their performance as
participants/members of an organization. The study of organizational communication can
provide a strong foundation for careers in management, human resource development, and
corporate communication, as well as other human-oriented tasks in organizations (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Mulyana, 25).
Interpersonal Communication Interaction Format
Interpersonal communication is the process of exchanging information between
someone with at least one other person or usually between two people who can be
immediately known back. With the increase in people involved in communication, the
perception of people in communication events increases so that the communication becomes
more complex (Arni Muhammad, 2009: 158).
Classification Interpersonal communication
Intimate interaction; in organizations, this relationship is developed in informal
communication systems. For example, the relationship seen between two good
friends in the organization, who have personal interactions perhaps outside of their
roles and functions in the organization.
Social Conversation is an interaction to please someone simply by talking a little. If
two or more people get together and talk about concerns, interests outside the
organization such as family, sports, political issues.
Interrogation is an interaction between someone in control, who requests or even
obeys information from others.
Interview is a form of communication interpersonal communication where two
people engage in a conversation in the form of questions and answers.
Purpose of Interpersonal Communication
Finding yourself
Discovering the outside world
Establish and maintain meaningful relationships
Change in attitude and behavior
For play and fun
To help
Effective Interpersonal Relationships
According to Rogert, interpersonal relationships will occur effectively if both parties
fulfill the conditions:
meet each other in person
empathize appropriately with the other person and communicate meaningfully with
each other.
Respect each other, be positive and reasonable without judgment or objection.
really live each other's experiences, being receptive to each other's empathy.
Feel that maintaining mutual openness and a supportive climate reduces the tendency
for salience disruptions.
Exhibit behaviors that are trusting and reinforce feelings of security towards others.
Small Group Communication
Is a collection of individuals who can influence each other, get some satisfaction
from each other, interact to multiple goals, take on roles, bond with each other and
communicate face-to-face.
Purpose of small group communication
o Personal Objective
Relationships social, the goal is to strengthen interpersonal
relationships and improve our well-being.
Channeling, this goal is usually carried out in an atmosphere that
favors the exchange of ideas or heated arguments in family
discussions, where self-disclosure is appropriate.
Group therapy, this is usually used to help people eliminate their
attitudes, or behaviors in some aspect of their lives.
Learning, as a common reason for people to join small groups, is
learning from others. Learning happens in a variety of settings. The
underlying assumption of group learning is the idea of two-way
learning.
o Work-related goals
Decision-making; People who come together in groups to make
decisions about something. Discussing alternatives with others helps
people decide which is the best option for the group.
Small Group as a system
Small groups are small organizations that have four basic components: input or
process, output or result of feedback.
o Inputs, are the raw materials in a small group such as people, information that
the group uses to interact. People or group members are inputs because each
person in the group brings certain qualities such as personality, age, health,
knowledge, attitudes, values and problem-solving abilities.
o Process, refers to all the internal processes that occur within the group during
the discussion.
o Outcome, is the decision or resolution reached by the group.
o Feedback, containing responses that tie the system together. Feedback
provides input for future group meetings.
Small Group Characteristics
o Make it easier friendly meeting
o Group personality. When a group of people come together they forming its
own identity that makes up the personality of the group.
o Cohesiveness, which is the attraction group members have for each other and
their desire to stick together.
o Commitment to the task. Another individual activity within the group that is
closely related to with commitment is motivation.
o The size of Group size seems simple enough but group size has some
important ramifications within the group.
o Group norms, are rules and guidelines used by the group itself, as well as
some external factors outside the group.
o Interdependence. The most important thing is that group members depend on
each other to some degree, and on each other less.
Roles of Small Group Communication members
Kennet Benne and Paul Sheats (1948) proposed a classification of member roles on
this important topic. Benne and Sheats divided member roles into three general classes:
group task roles, group building and maintenance roles, and individual roles.
The Role of Group Assignments:
The group task role is the role that enables the group to focus more specifically on
achieving group goals. In carrying out With each of these roles, members do not act as
separate individuals, but as part of a larger whole. The needs and goals of the group govern
the roles that members must perform. Effective group members will perform several of these
functions, although some people are locked into a few specific roles.
Role Fostering and Sustaining Groups:
No one and no group is task-oriented all the time. A group is a unit whose members
have diverse interpersonal relationships. These relationships need to be nurtured if the group
is to function effectively-if group members are to be satisfied and productive. If this function
is not performed, group members will be damaged if group processes become bogged down,
frequent conflicts arise, or small group communication becomes disrupted on some personal
or social level.
Individualized role:
The task group role and the fostering and sustaining group role are all productive.
They assist the group in achieving its goals, and are group-oriented. The roles we will
discuss here are counter-productive. They hinder the group in achieving its goals and are
more individual-oriented than group-oriented group. Such roles are often termed
malfunctions, which hinder group effectiveness in terms of both productivity and personal
satisfaction.
Member Participation:
Here are some guidelines that will help make your participation in small group
communication effective and more enjoyable. Some of these suggestions are elaborations
and extensions of the basic characteristics of effective interpersonal communication.
Group-Oriented:
In a small group you are a team member - a member of a larger whole. Your
participation will be valuable if it helps achieve the group's goals of the group and increase
member satisfaction. Your job is to mobilize your skills, knowledge and ideas so that the
group can develop solutions that are better than those developed by one person. Individual
achievement can hinder the group.
Center the conflict on the problem:
Conflict in a small group situation is inevitable. Conflict is a natural part of the small
group process, but center the conflict on the problem rather than the person.
Be Critically Unbiased:
A common but unproductive developmental symptom occurs when members come
to the group with preconceived notions. When this happens, the small group process turns
into a series of individualized debates, with each person trying to defend his or her position.
Instead, members should come to the group armed with relevant information that will be
useful in the discussion process. They should not have made up their minds about the
solutions or conclusions they will accept.
Ensure understanding:
Make sure that your ideas and information are understood by all participants. If
something is worth saying. Then what is said should also be made clear. If in doubt, ask
yourself if what you are saying is clear, -Is my question clear enough?‖ -Did I explain it
clearly enough?‖ Also make sure that you are clear about the contributions of other
members, especially before you discuss the issue with them. In practice, people often
express their disagreement in their own words.
Groupthink:
Here are some symptoms that can help you recognize groupthink in the groups you
observe or participate in.
- Group members think that the group and its members cannot be defeated by danger.
- Members create rationalizations to avoid dealing directly with the danger or threat.
- Group members believe that their group is moral.
- Those who go against the grain are considered to be oversimplifying the problem, embracing
pluralistic ways.
- Group pressure is aimed at any member who shows hesitation or questions the group's
arguments or proposals. questioning the group's arguments or proposals.
- Group members censor their own doubts.
- Group members believe that all members agree unanimously, whether such agreement is
expressed or not.
- Group members begin to act as information that reaches other group members, especially if
such information can create differences of opinion.
Leaders in Small Group Communication
In most small groups, one person serves as the leader. In other groups, leadership
may be held by several people. Furthermore, the leader may be appointed or automatically
appear in the group In process development group communication.
Leadership Style:
In addition to looking at the main concerns in leadership, as we did with situational
leadership theory, we can also look at leadership in terms of three leadership styles: hands-
off, democratic and authoritarian.
Control-Leasing Leader:
The hands-off leader does not take the initiative to direct or suggest alternative
courses of action. Rather, this leader allows the group to develop and make mistakes. This
kind of leader rejects any authority given.
Democratic Leader:
The Democratic leader provides direction, but allows the group to develop and
implement the way its members want. Group members are encouraged to determine goals
and procedures. The democratic leader stimulates self-direction and self-actualization in
group members.
Keeping Members on Track:
Many people are egocentric and will only feel their own wants and problems. In this
case, the role of the leader is needed to direct the members to stay on the path of discussion.
Ensuring Member Satisfaction:
Members have different psychological needs and wants and many enter the group precisely
because of these needs and wants. Even if the group deals with for example political issues,
the various members may come together for reasons that are more psychological than
political.
Stimulate Evaluation and Improvement:
All groups will face obstacles if they are trying to solve a problem, make a decision,
or develop ideas. No single group is perfectly effective. All groups have the opportunity to
improve themselves.
Prepare Members for Discussion:
Groups form slowly and need to be shaped into meaningful discussions. The leader
should prepare the members for the discussion. This involves getting members ready to
interact in small groups, as well as ready to discuss a specific issue.
Public Communication
Public communication is the exchange of messages with a number of people who are
in a particular organization or outside the organization face-to-face or through the media.
The quality that distinguishes public organizational communication from interpersonal
communication and small group communication is :
Public communication is oriented towards the speaker or source. In interpersonal and
small group communication there is a reciprocal relationship between the speaker and
the recipient involved. In public organizational communication the speaker dominates
the relationship.
In public communication involves a large number of recipients but in interpersonal
communication there are usually 2 people and small group communication no more
than 5-7 recipients, public communication messages are intended to attract many
people, hundreds or millions of people.
In public communication there is less interaction between the speaker and the listener.
This results in less direct interaction between the speaker and the listener, especially
the larger the audience.
The language used in public communication is more general so that it can be
understood by the audience. Usually before the presentation the speaker knows the
specific type of audience.
The purpose of public communication is :
- Providing information to a large number of people who know the organization, for example
about the organization's activities and production.
- Establishing relationships between the organization and the community outside the
organization such as use of organizational services, users of organizational products and
society in general.
- Providing entertainment to a number of people such as recounting a pleasant experience to a
crowd.
Conclusions
Organizational communication is the direction and interpretation of messages among
communication units that are part of a particular organization. Organizational
communication is also the organizing behavior that occurs and how those involved in the
process transact and give meaning to what is happening. Organizational communication also
has the meaning of sending and receiving various organizational messages in formal and
informal groups of an organization. It also includes the approaches involved in
organizational communication. In addition, there are also communication networks and
flows in communication. As well as the interaction format of organizational communication
which consists of communication interpersonal, communication small group, and public
communication.
Definition of Organizational Communication
Understanding of organizational communication is inseparable from its relation to
various other aspects of organizational behavior as a whole, or when viewed more broadly,
namely in relation to interdisciplinary studies, especially communication science.
Organizational behavior deals with how and why people act, think and feel in an
organizational setting (Paul D. Sweeney & Dean B. Mc Farlin, 2002: 3). To better
understand organizational communication. We must refer to the various notions of
communication and organization that will be described in the following section:
Communication
The term communication comes from the Latin word -communication‖ which means
notification, giving part, exchange, where the speaker expects consideration or answer from
the listener. The adjective is communis which means common or shared. The verb is
communicare which means to dialogue, confer or deliberate (Anwar Arifin, 1994: 24).
Communication is a process that is generally used by humans in social interaction.
Basically, it has such a broad understanding, both as a separate science and as a
process. There are various definitions of communication, Carl I. Hovland suggests as
follows: communication is the process by which a person / communicator Convey stimuli
(usually symbols in the form of words) to change the behavior of others / communicants
(Onong Uchyana Effendy, 1993: 24). Then Shimp (1993; 8) states that communication is
the process to create or cause a common thought between the one who gives the sign and the
one who receives the sign. Shimp's definition emphasizes more on the communication
process that aims at creating a common thought or opinion on the interaction that occurs
(Terence A. Shimp, 1993: 8).
Pace & Faules (2001; 28) suggest that communication can be distinguished from all
other human and organizational behavior because it involves the mental process of
understanding people, objects and events. Two common forms of action that constitute
communication that emphasize on 1) the creation of messages or, more precisely, the
creation of performances, and 2) the interpretation of messages or the interpretation of
performances (R. Wayne Pace & Don F. Daules, Deddy Maulyana). Harold D. Lasswell
explained communication as an answer to the questions: Who, Say, What, In which channel,
To whom, With what effect? This sentence then known as the Lasswell formula (Effendy,
256). From what Lasswell stated, in essence, it includes elements of communication, namely
the existence of; communicators, messages conveyed, media used, communicants /
audiences, and effects. In simple terms, it can be interpreted that communication is a
message delivery activity with the aim of equalizing the meaning of a person / institution
(communicator) to another person / audience (communicator).
Organization
One of the most important things in understanding organizational communication is
that we should understand the approaches that influence the way of thinking or looking at
organizations. Organization according to Robbins (2001; 4) is defined as a consciously
coordinated social unit, consisting of two or more people, which functions on a relatively
continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set of goals (Stephen P. Robbins, 2001: 4).
Pace & Faules (2001: 11) suggest that there are two approaches in understanding
organizations, the objective approach and the subjective approach. Meaning -"Objective" in
this concept refers to the view that objects, behaviors, and events exist in the real world and
are independent of observation, while -"Subjective" refers to reality itself as a social
construction, reality as a creative process that allows people to create what is "out there".
According to the objective approach, an organization is something physical and
concrete, and is a structure with definite boundaries, something stable. The term -
organization‖ implies that something tangible encapsulates people, relationships, and goals.
The subjective approach views organizations as activities that people do, consisting of
actions, interactions, and transactions involving people. Organizations are created and
nurtured through the constantly changing contacts that people have with one another and do
not exist in isolation from the people whose behaviors make up the organization.
So based on the objective approach, organization means structure; while based on the
subjective view, organization means process (organizing behavior). The implication is that,
according to the objective approach, studying the organization is studying the whole, how
the organization can adapt in the best way to the environment to develop itself and survive,
while according to the subjective approach, knowledge about the organization is obtained by
looking at behaviors and what those behaviors mean to those who do it, the structure is
recognized but the emphasis is on human behavior in the sense that it is not independent of
human actions. These two approaches, both objective and subjective, not only affect the way
of looking at organizational communication, but also in understanding the organization other
aspects related to organizational behavior.
Organizational Communication
Based on the description above, organizational communication can be defined as the
direction and interpretation of messages between communication units that are part of a
particular organization. The definition emphasizes more on the functional aspect (objective).
Meanwhile, when viewed from an interpretative (subjective) perspective, organizational
communication is seen as a process of creating meaning for the interactions that constitute
the organization. Organizational communication is the organizing behavior that occurs and
how those involved in the process transact and give meaning to what is happening (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Maulana, 31).
A simpler definitive statement is put forward by Arnold & Feldman (1986: 154) that
organizational communication is the exchange of information between people in the
organization, where the process generally includes stages: attention, comprehension,
acceptance as true, and retention.
The Nature of Communication in Organizations
When talking about organizational communication, what is drawn in a person is
things related to the role and status of each person in the organization, because the role and
status of a person also determines how to communicate with others as well as how to
communicate with him, so a good person is a person who always connects roles and statuses
with work (Alo Liliweri, 1997: 59).
In modern society people recognize a person because he or she has a variety of roles
and statuses. In an organization, this diversity is seen through the division of labor where
each person will work according to his talents and abilities so that he is responsible for the
work. When the number or types of work are more and more diverse, it is necessary to
intertwine the different types of work, intertwine between a leader and subordinates or
between leaders who ultimately form a large synergistic force to produce higher quality
output. At this stage communication is needed.
Organizational communication is often also interpreted as organizing behavior,
namely how a subordinate is involved in the process of transacting and giving meaning to
what is happening. Therefore, when the organization considered just a group of people who
interact then communication only functions as an organization; he is the organization itself.
So organizational communication will center on the symbols that make organizational life
possible, whether the words, ideas and constructs that encourage authorize, coordinate, and
realize organized activities in specific situations (Barry Cusway and Derej Logde, 1995:
115).
Any writing or anything related to organizational communication always considers
two main concepts, namely organization and communication. An organization can be
approached as an object of fun and interest, but there are those who may very well view
organizations as oppressive That favorable or oppressive attitude is actually very depends on
the understanding and practice of interactions, relationships and transactions that occur
between people in the organization, which is called organizational communication. So the
position of communication in organization is actually emphasizes on how an organization is
constructed and maintained through the communication process. With Thus organizational
communication is more than just what people but rather a theoretical explanation of
communication practices in organizations that serves togetherness both in the organization
as well as serving other people who need the organization. In other words, the existence of
communication in the organization makes one able to distinguish two things, namely: first,
showing how members work as an organization; and second, how the network operations
that link them to each other. In this perspective, communication is important in
organizations, 1). Communication is the way, through communication people seek
information and develop a number of criteria for getting work for them; 2). Communication
is a process for them in determining a choice which practical.
The Importance of the Study of Organizational Communication
The study of organizational communication is important because it is a discipline
that can take a number of legitimate and useful directions. In the sense that the study will
provide benefits not only for anyone who wants to understand organizational behavior
better, but also has pragmatic aspects for people who want to improve their performance as
participants/members of an organization. The study of organizational communication can
provide a strong foundation for careers in management, human resource development, and
corporate communication, as well as other human-oriented tasks in organizations (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Mulyana, 25).
Interpersonal Communication Interaction Format
Interpersonal communication is the process of exchanging information between
someone with at least one other person or usually between two people who can be
immediately known back. With the increase in people involved in communication, the
perception of people in communication events increases so that the communication becomes
more complex (Arni Muhammad, 2009: 158).
Classification Interpersonal communication
Intimate interaction; in organizations, this relationship is developed in informal
communication systems. For example, the relationship seen between two good
friends in the organization, who have personal interactions perhaps outside of their
roles and functions in the organization.
Social Conversation is an interaction to please someone simply by talking a little. If
two or more people get together and talk about concerns, interests outside the
organization such as family, sports, political issues.
Interrogation is an interaction between someone in control, who requests or even
obeys information from others.
Interview is a form of communication interpersonal communication where two
people engage in a conversation in the form of questions and answers.
Purpose of Interpersonal Communication
Finding yourself
Discovering the outside world
Establish and maintain meaningful relationships
Change in attitude and behavior
For play and fun
To help
Effective Interpersonal Relationships
According to Rogert, interpersonal relationships will occur effectively if both parties
fulfill the conditions:
meet each other in person
empathize appropriately with the other person and communicate meaningfully with
each other.
Respect each other, be positive and reasonable without judgment or objection.
really live each other's experiences, being receptive to each other's empathy.
Feel that maintaining mutual openness and a supportive climate reduces the tendency
for salience disruptions.
Exhibit behaviors that are trusting and reinforce feelings of security towards others.
Small Group Communication
Is a collection of individuals who can influence each other, get some satisfaction
from each other, interact to multiple goals, take on roles, bond with each other and
communicate face-to-face.
Purpose of small group communication
o Personal Objective
Relationships social, the goal is to strengthen interpersonal
relationships and improve our well-being.
Channeling, this goal is usually carried out in an atmosphere that
favors the exchange of ideas or heated arguments in family
discussions, where self-disclosure is appropriate.
Group therapy, this is usually used to help people eliminate their
attitudes, or behaviors in some aspect of their lives.
Learning, as a common reason for people to join small groups, is
learning from others. Learning happens in a variety of settings. The
underlying assumption of group learning is the idea of two-way
learning.
o Work-related goals
Decision-making; People who come together in groups to make
decisions about something. Discussing alternatives with others helps
people decide which is the best option for the group.
Small Group as a system
Small groups are small organizations that have four basic components: input or
process, output or result of feedback.
o Inputs, are the raw materials in a small group such as people, information that
the group uses to interact. People or group members are inputs because each
person in the group brings certain qualities such as personality, age, health,
knowledge, attitudes, values and problem-solving abilities.
o Process, refers to all the internal processes that occur within the group during
the discussion.
o Outcome, is the decision or resolution reached by the group.
o Feedback, containing responses that tie the system together. Feedback
provides input for future group meetings.
Small Group Characteristics
o Make it easier friendly meeting
o Group personality. When a group of people come together they forming its
own identity that makes up the personality of the group.
o Cohesiveness, which is the attraction group members have for each other and
their desire to stick together.
o Commitment to the task. Another individual activity within the group that is
closely related to with commitment is motivation.
o The size of Group size seems simple enough but group size has some
important ramifications within the group.
o Group norms, are rules and guidelines used by the group itself, as well as
some external factors outside the group.
o Interdependence. The most important thing is that group members depend on
each other to some degree, and on each other less.
Roles of Small Group Communication members
Kennet Benne and Paul Sheats (1948) proposed a classification of member roles on
this important topic. Benne and Sheats divided member roles into three general classes:
group task roles, group building and maintenance roles, and individual roles.
The Role of Group Assignments:
The group task role is the role that enables the group to focus more specifically on
achieving group goals. In carrying out With each of these roles, members do not act as
separate individuals, but as part of a larger whole. The needs and goals of the group govern
the roles that members must perform. Effective group members will perform several of these
functions, although some people are locked into a few specific roles.
Role Fostering and Sustaining Groups:
No one and no group is task-oriented all the time. A group is a unit whose members
have diverse interpersonal relationships. These relationships need to be nurtured if the group
is to function effectively-if group members are to be satisfied and productive. If this function
is not performed, group members will be damaged if group processes become bogged down,
frequent conflicts arise, or small group communication becomes disrupted on some personal
or social level.
Individualized role:
The task group role and the fostering and sustaining group role are all productive.
They assist the group in achieving its goals, and are group-oriented. The roles we will
discuss here are counter-productive. They hinder the group in achieving its goals and are
more individual-oriented than group-oriented group. Such roles are often termed
malfunctions, which hinder group effectiveness in terms of both productivity and personal
satisfaction.
Member Participation:
Here are some guidelines that will help make your participation in small group
communication effective and more enjoyable. Some of these suggestions are elaborations
and extensions of the basic characteristics of effective interpersonal communication.
Group-Oriented:
In a small group you are a team member - a member of a larger whole. Your
participation will be valuable if it helps achieve the group's goals of the group and increase
member satisfaction. Your job is to mobilize your skills, knowledge and ideas so that the
group can develop solutions that are better than those developed by one person. Individual
achievement can hinder the group.
Center the conflict on the problem:
Conflict in a small group situation is inevitable. Conflict is a natural part of the small
group process, but center the conflict on the problem rather than the person.
Be Critically Unbiased:
A common but unproductive developmental symptom occurs when members come
to the group with preconceived notions. When this happens, the small group process turns
into a series of individualized debates, with each person trying to defend his or her position.
Instead, members should come to the group armed with relevant information that will be
useful in the discussion process. They should not have made up their minds about the
solutions or conclusions they will accept.
Ensure understanding:
Make sure that your ideas and information are understood by all participants. If
something is worth saying. Then what is said should also be made clear. If in doubt, ask
yourself if what you are saying is clear, -Is my question clear enough?‖ -Did I explain it
clearly enough?‖ Also make sure that you are clear about the contributions of other
members, especially before you discuss the issue with them. In practice, people often
express their disagreement in their own words.
Groupthink:
Here are some symptoms that can help you recognize groupthink in the groups you
observe or participate in.
- Group members think that the group and its members cannot be defeated by danger.
- Members create rationalizations to avoid dealing directly with the danger or threat.
- Group members believe that their group is moral.
- Those who go against the grain are considered to be oversimplifying the problem, embracing
pluralistic ways.
- Group pressure is aimed at any member who shows hesitation or questions the group's
arguments or proposals. questioning the group's arguments or proposals.
- Group members censor their own doubts.
- Group members believe that all members agree unanimously, whether such agreement is
expressed or not.
- Group members begin to act as information that reaches other group members, especially if
such information can create differences of opinion.
Leaders in Small Group Communication
In most small groups, one person serves as the leader. In other groups, leadership
may be held by several people. Furthermore, the leader may be appointed or automatically
appear in the group In process development group communication.
Leadership Style:
In addition to looking at the main concerns in leadership, as we did with situational
leadership theory, we can also look at leadership in terms of three leadership styles: hands-
off, democratic and authoritarian.
Control-Leasing Leader:
The hands-off leader does not take the initiative to direct or suggest alternative
courses of action. Rather, this leader allows the group to develop and make mistakes. This
kind of leader rejects any authority given.
Democratic Leader:
The Democratic leader provides direction, but allows the group to develop and
implement the way its members want. Group members are encouraged to determine goals
and procedures. The democratic leader stimulates self-direction and self-actualization in
group members.
Keeping Members on Track:
Many people are egocentric and will only feel their own wants and problems. In this
case, the role of the leader is needed to direct the members to stay on the path of discussion.
Ensuring Member Satisfaction:
Members have different psychological needs and wants and many enter the group precisely
because of these needs and wants. Even if the group deals with for example political issues,
the various members may come together for reasons that are more psychological than
political.
Stimulate Evaluation and Improvement:
All groups will face obstacles if they are trying to solve a problem, make a decision,
or develop ideas. No single group is perfectly effective. All groups have the opportunity to
improve themselves.
Prepare Members for Discussion:
Groups form slowly and need to be shaped into meaningful discussions. The leader
should prepare the members for the discussion. This involves getting members ready to
interact in small groups, as well as ready to discuss a specific issue.
Public Communication
Public communication is the exchange of messages with a number of people who are
in a particular organization or outside the organization face-to-face or through the media.
The quality that distinguishes public organizational communication from interpersonal
communication and small group communication is :
Public communication is oriented towards the speaker or source. In interpersonal and
small group communication there is a reciprocal relationship between the speaker and
the recipient involved. In public organizational communication the speaker dominates
the relationship.
In public communication involves a large number of recipients but in interpersonal
communication there are usually 2 people and small group communication no more
than 5-7 recipients, public communication messages are intended to attract many
people, hundreds or millions of people.
In public communication there is less interaction between the speaker and the listener.
This results in less direct interaction between the speaker and the listener, especially
the larger the audience.
The language used in public communication is more general so that it can be
understood by the audience. Usually before the presentation the speaker knows the
specific type of audience.
The purpose of public communication is :
- Providing information to a large number of people who know the organization, for example
about the organization's activities and production.
- Establishing relationships between the organization and the community outside the
organization such as use of organizational services, users of organizational products and
society in general.
- Providing entertainment to a number of people such as recounting a pleasant experience to a
crowd.
Conclusions
Organizational communication is the direction and interpretation of messages among
communication units that are part of a particular organization. Organizational
communication is also the organizing behavior that occurs and how those involved in the
process transact and give meaning to what is happening. Organizational communication also
has the meaning of sending and receiving various organizational messages in formal and
informal groups of an organization. It also includes the approaches involved in
organizational communication. In addition, there are also communication networks and
flows in communication. As well as the interaction format of organizational communication
which consists of communication interpersonal, communication small group, and public
communication.
Definition of Organizational Communication
Understanding of organizational communication is inseparable from its relation to
various other aspects of organizational behavior as a whole, or when viewed more broadly,
namely in relation to interdisciplinary studies, especially communication science.
Organizational behavior deals with how and why people act, think and feel in an
organizational setting (Paul D. Sweeney & Dean B. Mc Farlin, 2002: 3). To better
understand organizational communication. We must refer to the various notions of
communication and organization that will be described in the following section:
Communication
The term communication comes from the Latin word -communication‖ which means
notification, giving part, exchange, where the speaker expects consideration or answer from
the listener. The adjective is communis which means common or shared. The verb is
communicare which means to dialogue, confer or deliberate (Anwar Arifin, 1994: 24).
Communication is a process that is generally used by humans in social interaction.
Basically, it has such a broad understanding, both as a separate science and as a
process. There are various definitions of communication, Carl I. Hovland suggests as
follows: communication is the process by which a person / communicator Convey stimuli
(usually symbols in the form of words) to change the behavior of others / communicants
(Onong Uchyana Effendy, 1993: 24). Then Shimp (1993; 8) states that communication is
the process to create or cause a common thought between the one who gives the sign and the
one who receives the sign. Shimp's definition emphasizes more on the communication
process that aims at creating a common thought or opinion on the interaction that occurs
(Terence A. Shimp, 1993: 8).
Pace & Faules (2001; 28) suggest that communication can be distinguished from all
other human and organizational behavior because it involves the mental process of
understanding people, objects and events. Two common forms of action that constitute
communication that emphasize on 1) the creation of messages or, more precisely, the
creation of performances, and 2) the interpretation of messages or the interpretation of
performances (R. Wayne Pace & Don F. Daules, Deddy Maulyana). Harold D. Lasswell
explained communication as an answer to the questions: Who, Say, What, In which channel,
To whom, With what effect? This sentence then known as the Lasswell formula (Effendy,
256). From what Lasswell stated, in essence, it includes elements of communication, namely
the existence of; communicators, messages conveyed, media used, communicants /
audiences, and effects. In simple terms, it can be interpreted that communication is a
message delivery activity with the aim of equalizing the meaning of a person / institution
(communicator) to another person / audience (communicator).
Organization
One of the most important things in understanding organizational communication is
that we should understand the approaches that influence the way of thinking or looking at
organizations. Organization according to Robbins (2001; 4) is defined as a consciously
coordinated social unit, consisting of two or more people, which functions on a relatively
continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set of goals (Stephen P. Robbins, 2001: 4).
Pace & Faules (2001: 11) suggest that there are two approaches in understanding
organizations, the objective approach and the subjective approach. Meaning -"Objective" in
this concept refers to the view that objects, behaviors, and events exist in the real world and
are independent of observation, while -"Subjective" refers to reality itself as a social
construction, reality as a creative process that allows people to create what is "out there".
According to the objective approach, an organization is something physical and
concrete, and is a structure with definite boundaries, something stable. The term -
organization‖ implies that something tangible encapsulates people, relationships, and goals.
The subjective approach views organizations as activities that people do, consisting of
actions, interactions, and transactions involving people. Organizations are created and
nurtured through the constantly changing contacts that people have with one another and do
not exist in isolation from the people whose behaviors make up the organization.
So based on the objective approach, organization means structure; while based on the
subjective view, organization means process (organizing behavior). The implication is that,
according to the objective approach, studying the organization is studying the whole, how
the organization can adapt in the best way to the environment to develop itself and survive,
while according to the subjective approach, knowledge about the organization is obtained by
looking at behaviors and what those behaviors mean to those who do it, the structure is
recognized but the emphasis is on human behavior in the sense that it is not independent of
human actions. These two approaches, both objective and subjective, not only affect the way
of looking at organizational communication, but also in understanding the organization other
aspects related to organizational behavior.
Organizational Communication
Based on the description above, organizational communication can be defined as the
direction and interpretation of messages between communication units that are part of a
particular organization. The definition emphasizes more on the functional aspect (objective).
Meanwhile, when viewed from an interpretative (subjective) perspective, organizational
communication is seen as a process of creating meaning for the interactions that constitute
the organization. Organizational communication is the organizing behavior that occurs and
how those involved in the process transact and give meaning to what is happening (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Maulana, 31).
A simpler definitive statement is put forward by Arnold & Feldman (1986: 154) that
organizational communication is the exchange of information between people in the
organization, where the process generally includes stages: attention, comprehension,
acceptance as true, and retention.
The Nature of Communication in Organizations
When talking about organizational communication, what is drawn in a person is
things related to the role and status of each person in the organization, because the role and
status of a person also determines how to communicate with others as well as how to
communicate with him, so a good person is a person who always connects roles and statuses
with work (Alo Liliweri, 1997: 59).
In modern society people recognize a person because he or she has a variety of roles
and statuses. In an organization, this diversity is seen through the division of labor where
each person will work according to his talents and abilities so that he is responsible for the
work. When the number or types of work are more and more diverse, it is necessary to
intertwine the different types of work, intertwine between a leader and subordinates or
between leaders who ultimately form a large synergistic force to produce higher quality
output. At this stage communication is needed.
Organizational communication is often also interpreted as organizing behavior,
namely how a subordinate is involved in the process of transacting and giving meaning to
what is happening. Therefore, when the organization considered just a group of people who
interact then communication only functions as an organization; he is the organization itself.
So organizational communication will center on the symbols that make organizational life
possible, whether the words, ideas and constructs that encourage authorize, coordinate, and
realize organized activities in specific situations (Barry Cusway and Derej Logde, 1995:
115).
Any writing or anything related to organizational communication always considers
two main concepts, namely organization and communication. An organization can be
approached as an object of fun and interest, but there are those who may very well view
organizations as oppressive That favorable or oppressive attitude is actually very depends on
the understanding and practice of interactions, relationships and transactions that occur
between people in the organization, which is called organizational communication. So the
position of communication in organization is actually emphasizes on how an organization is
constructed and maintained through the communication process. With Thus organizational
communication is more than just what people but rather a theoretical explanation of
communication practices in organizations that serves togetherness both in the organization
as well as serving other people who need the organization. In other words, the existence of
communication in the organization makes one able to distinguish two things, namely: first,
showing how members work as an organization; and second, how the network operations
that link them to each other. In this perspective, communication is important in
organizations, 1). Communication is the way, through communication people seek
information and develop a number of criteria for getting work for them; 2). Communication
is a process for them in determining a choice which practical.
The Importance of the Study of Organizational Communication
The study of organizational communication is important because it is a discipline
that can take a number of legitimate and useful directions. In the sense that the study will
provide benefits not only for anyone who wants to understand organizational behavior
better, but also has pragmatic aspects for people who want to improve their performance as
participants/members of an organization. The study of organizational communication can
provide a strong foundation for careers in management, human resource development, and
corporate communication, as well as other human-oriented tasks in organizations (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Mulyana, 25).
Interpersonal Communication Interaction Format
Interpersonal communication is the process of exchanging information between
someone with at least one other person or usually between two people who can be
immediately known back. With the increase in people involved in communication, the
perception of people in communication events increases so that the communication becomes
more complex (Arni Muhammad, 2009: 158).
Classification Interpersonal communication
Intimate interaction; in organizations, this relationship is developed in informal
communication systems. For example, the relationship seen between two good
friends in the organization, who have personal interactions perhaps outside of their
roles and functions in the organization.
Social Conversation is an interaction to please someone simply by talking a little. If
two or more people get together and talk about concerns, interests outside the
organization such as family, sports, political issues.
Interrogation is an interaction between someone in control, who requests or even
obeys information from others.
Interview is a form of communication interpersonal communication where two
people engage in a conversation in the form of questions and answers.
Purpose of Interpersonal Communication
Finding yourself
Discovering the outside world
Establish and maintain meaningful relationships
Change in attitude and behavior
For play and fun
To help
Effective Interpersonal Relationships
According to Rogert, interpersonal relationships will occur effectively if both parties
fulfill the conditions:
meet each other in person
empathize appropriately with the other person and communicate meaningfully with
each other.
Respect each other, be positive and reasonable without judgment or objection.
really live each other's experiences, being receptive to each other's empathy.
Feel that maintaining mutual openness and a supportive climate reduces the tendency
for salience disruptions.
Exhibit behaviors that are trusting and reinforce feelings of security towards others.
Small Group Communication
Is a collection of individuals who can influence each other, get some satisfaction
from each other, interact to multiple goals, take on roles, bond with each other and
communicate face-to-face.
Purpose of small group communication
o Personal Objective
Relationships social, the goal is to strengthen interpersonal
relationships and improve our well-being.
Channeling, this goal is usually carried out in an atmosphere that
favors the exchange of ideas or heated arguments in family
discussions, where self-disclosure is appropriate.
Group therapy, this is usually used to help people eliminate their
attitudes, or behaviors in some aspect of their lives.
Learning, as a common reason for people to join small groups, is
learning from others. Learning happens in a variety of settings. The
underlying assumption of group learning is the idea of two-way
learning.
o Work-related goals
Decision-making; People who come together in groups to make
decisions about something. Discussing alternatives with others helps
people decide which is the best option for the group.
Small Group as a system
Small groups are small organizations that have four basic components: input or
process, output or result of feedback.
o Inputs, are the raw materials in a small group such as people, information that
the group uses to interact. People or group members are inputs because each
person in the group brings certain qualities such as personality, age, health,
knowledge, attitudes, values and problem-solving abilities.
o Process, refers to all the internal processes that occur within the group during
the discussion.
o Outcome, is the decision or resolution reached by the group.
o Feedback, containing responses that tie the system together. Feedback
provides input for future group meetings.
Small Group Characteristics
o Make it easier friendly meeting
o Group personality. When a group of people come together they forming its
own identity that makes up the personality of the group.
o Cohesiveness, which is the attraction group members have for each other and
their desire to stick together.
o Commitment to the task. Another individual activity within the group that is
closely related to with commitment is motivation.
o The size of Group size seems simple enough but group size has some
important ramifications within the group.
o Group norms, are rules and guidelines used by the group itself, as well as
some external factors outside the group.
o Interdependence. The most important thing is that group members depend on
each other to some degree, and on each other less.
Roles of Small Group Communication members
Kennet Benne and Paul Sheats (1948) proposed a classification of member roles on
this important topic. Benne and Sheats divided member roles into three general classes:
group task roles, group building and maintenance roles, and individual roles.
The Role of Group Assignments:
The group task role is the role that enables the group to focus more specifically on
achieving group goals. In carrying out With each of these roles, members do not act as
separate individuals, but as part of a larger whole. The needs and goals of the group govern
the roles that members must perform. Effective group members will perform several of these
functions, although some people are locked into a few specific roles.
Role Fostering and Sustaining Groups:
No one and no group is task-oriented all the time. A group is a unit whose members
have diverse interpersonal relationships. These relationships need to be nurtured if the group
is to function effectively-if group members are to be satisfied and productive. If this function
is not performed, group members will be damaged if group processes become bogged down,
frequent conflicts arise, or small group communication becomes disrupted on some personal
or social level.
Individualized role:
The task group role and the fostering and sustaining group role are all productive.
They assist the group in achieving its goals, and are group-oriented. The roles we will
discuss here are counter-productive. They hinder the group in achieving its goals and are
more individual-oriented than group-oriented group. Such roles are often termed
malfunctions, which hinder group effectiveness in terms of both productivity and personal
satisfaction.
Member Participation:
Here are some guidelines that will help make your participation in small group
communication effective and more enjoyable. Some of these suggestions are elaborations
and extensions of the basic characteristics of effective interpersonal communication.
Group-Oriented:
In a small group you are a team member - a member of a larger whole. Your
participation will be valuable if it helps achieve the group's goals of the group and increase
member satisfaction. Your job is to mobilize your skills, knowledge and ideas so that the
group can develop solutions that are better than those developed by one person. Individual
achievement can hinder the group.
Center the conflict on the problem:
Conflict in a small group situation is inevitable. Conflict is a natural part of the small
group process, but center the conflict on the problem rather than the person.
Be Critically Unbiased:
A common but unproductive developmental symptom occurs when members come
to the group with preconceived notions. When this happens, the small group process turns
into a series of individualized debates, with each person trying to defend his or her position.
Instead, members should come to the group armed with relevant information that will be
useful in the discussion process. They should not have made up their minds about the
solutions or conclusions they will accept.
Ensure understanding:
Make sure that your ideas and information are understood by all participants. If
something is worth saying. Then what is said should also be made clear. If in doubt, ask
yourself if what you are saying is clear, -Is my question clear enough?‖ -Did I explain it
clearly enough?‖ Also make sure that you are clear about the contributions of other
members, especially before you discuss the issue with them. In practice, people often
express their disagreement in their own words.
Groupthink:
Here are some symptoms that can help you recognize groupthink in the groups you
observe or participate in.
- Group members think that the group and its members cannot be defeated by danger.
- Members create rationalizations to avoid dealing directly with the danger or threat.
- Group members believe that their group is moral.
- Those who go against the grain are considered to be oversimplifying the problem, embracing
pluralistic ways.
- Group pressure is aimed at any member who shows hesitation or questions the group's
arguments or proposals. questioning the group's arguments or proposals.
- Group members censor their own doubts.
- Group members believe that all members agree unanimously, whether such agreement is
expressed or not.
- Group members begin to act as information that reaches other group members, especially if
such information can create differences of opinion.
Leaders in Small Group Communication
In most small groups, one person serves as the leader. In other groups, leadership
may be held by several people. Furthermore, the leader may be appointed or automatically
appear in the group In process development group communication.
Leadership Style:
In addition to looking at the main concerns in leadership, as we did with situational
leadership theory, we can also look at leadership in terms of three leadership styles: hands-
off, democratic and authoritarian.
Control-Leasing Leader:
The hands-off leader does not take the initiative to direct or suggest alternative
courses of action. Rather, this leader allows the group to develop and make mistakes. This
kind of leader rejects any authority given.
Democratic Leader:
The Democratic leader provides direction, but allows the group to develop and
implement the way its members want. Group members are encouraged to determine goals
and procedures. The democratic leader stimulates self-direction and self-actualization in
group members.
Keeping Members on Track:
Many people are egocentric and will only feel their own wants and problems. In this
case, the role of the leader is needed to direct the members to stay on the path of discussion.
Ensuring Member Satisfaction:
Members have different psychological needs and wants and many enter the group precisely
because of these needs and wants. Even if the group deals with for example political issues,
the various members may come together for reasons that are more psychological than
political.
Stimulate Evaluation and Improvement:
All groups will face obstacles if they are trying to solve a problem, make a decision,
or develop ideas. No single group is perfectly effective. All groups have the opportunity to
improve themselves.
Prepare Members for Discussion:
Groups form slowly and need to be shaped into meaningful discussions. The leader
should prepare the members for the discussion. This involves getting members ready to
interact in small groups, as well as ready to discuss a specific issue.
Public Communication
Public communication is the exchange of messages with a number of people who are
in a particular organization or outside the organization face-to-face or through the media.
The quality that distinguishes public organizational communication from interpersonal
communication and small group communication is :
Public communication is oriented towards the speaker or source. In interpersonal and
small group communication there is a reciprocal relationship between the speaker and
the recipient involved. In public organizational communication the speaker dominates
the relationship.
In public communication involves a large number of recipients but in interpersonal
communication there are usually 2 people and small group communication no more
than 5-7 recipients, public communication messages are intended to attract many
people, hundreds or millions of people.
In public communication there is less interaction between the speaker and the listener.
This results in less direct interaction between the speaker and the listener, especially
the larger the audience.
The language used in public communication is more general so that it can be
understood by the audience. Usually before the presentation the speaker knows the
specific type of audience.
The purpose of public communication is :
- Providing information to a large number of people who know the organization, for example
about the organization's activities and production.
- Establishing relationships between the organization and the community outside the
organization such as use of organizational services, users of organizational products and
society in general.
- Providing entertainment to a number of people such as recounting a pleasant experience to a
crowd.
Conclusions
Organizational communication is the direction and interpretation of messages among
communication units that are part of a particular organization. Organizational
communication is also the organizing behavior that occurs and how those involved in the
process transact and give meaning to what is happening. Organizational communication also
has the meaning of sending and receiving various organizational messages in formal and
informal groups of an organization. It also includes the approaches involved in
organizational communication. In addition, there are also communication networks and
flows in communication. As well as the interaction format of organizational communication
which consists of communication interpersonal, communication small group, and public
communication.
Definition of Organizational Communication
Understanding of organizational communication is inseparable from its relation to
various other aspects of organizational behavior as a whole, or when viewed more broadly,
namely in relation to interdisciplinary studies, especially communication science.
Organizational behavior deals with how and why people act, think and feel in an
organizational setting (Paul D. Sweeney & Dean B. Mc Farlin, 2002: 3). To better
understand organizational communication. We must refer to the various notions of
communication and organization that will be described in the following section:
Communication
The term communication comes from the Latin word -communication‖ which means
notification, giving part, exchange, where the speaker expects consideration or answer from
the listener. The adjective is communis which means common or shared. The verb is
communicare which means to dialogue, confer or deliberate (Anwar Arifin, 1994: 24).
Communication is a process that is generally used by humans in social interaction.
Basically, it has such a broad understanding, both as a separate science and as a
process. There are various definitions of communication, Carl I. Hovland suggests as
follows: communication is the process by which a person / communicator Convey stimuli
(usually symbols in the form of words) to change the behavior of others / communicants
(Onong Uchyana Effendy, 1993: 24). Then Shimp (1993; 8) states that communication is
the process to create or cause a common thought between the one who gives the sign and the
one who receives the sign. Shimp's definition emphasizes more on the communication
process that aims at creating a common thought or opinion on the interaction that occurs
(Terence A. Shimp, 1993: 8).
Pace & Faules (2001; 28) suggest that communication can be distinguished from all
other human and organizational behavior because it involves the mental process of
understanding people, objects and events. Two common forms of action that constitute
communication that emphasize on 1) the creation of messages or, more precisely, the
creation of performances, and 2) the interpretation of messages or the interpretation of
performances (R. Wayne Pace & Don F. Daules, Deddy Maulyana). Harold D. Lasswell
explained communication as an answer to the questions: Who, Say, What, In which channel,
To whom, With what effect? This sentence then known as the Lasswell formula (Effendy,
256). From what Lasswell stated, in essence, it includes elements of communication, namely
the existence of; communicators, messages conveyed, media used, communicants /
audiences, and effects. In simple terms, it can be interpreted that communication is a
message delivery activity with the aim of equalizing the meaning of a person / institution
(communicator) to another person / audience (communicator).
Organization
One of the most important things in understanding organizational communication is
that we should understand the approaches that influence the way of thinking or looking at
organizations. Organization according to Robbins (2001; 4) is defined as a consciously
coordinated social unit, consisting of two or more people, which functions on a relatively
continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set of goals (Stephen P. Robbins, 2001: 4).
Pace & Faules (2001: 11) suggest that there are two approaches in understanding
organizations, the objective approach and the subjective approach. Meaning -"Objective" in
this concept refers to the view that objects, behaviors, and events exist in the real world and
are independent of observation, while -"Subjective" refers to reality itself as a social
construction, reality as a creative process that allows people to create what is "out there".
According to the objective approach, an organization is something physical and
concrete, and is a structure with definite boundaries, something stable. The term -
organization‖ implies that something tangible encapsulates people, relationships, and goals.
The subjective approach views organizations as activities that people do, consisting of
actions, interactions, and transactions involving people. Organizations are created and
nurtured through the constantly changing contacts that people have with one another and do
not exist in isolation from the people whose behaviors make up the organization.
So based on the objective approach, organization means structure; while based on the
subjective view, organization means process (organizing behavior). The implication is that,
according to the objective approach, studying the organization is studying the whole, how
the organization can adapt in the best way to the environment to develop itself and survive,
while according to the subjective approach, knowledge about the organization is obtained by
looking at behaviors and what those behaviors mean to those who do it, the structure is
recognized but the emphasis is on human behavior in the sense that it is not independent of
human actions. These two approaches, both objective and subjective, not only affect the way
of looking at organizational communication, but also in understanding the organization other
aspects related to organizational behavior.
Organizational Communication
Based on the description above, organizational communication can be defined as the
direction and interpretation of messages between communication units that are part of a
particular organization. The definition emphasizes more on the functional aspect (objective).
Meanwhile, when viewed from an interpretative (subjective) perspective, organizational
communication is seen as a process of creating meaning for the interactions that constitute
the organization. Organizational communication is the organizing behavior that occurs and
how those involved in the process transact and give meaning to what is happening (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Maulana, 31).
A simpler definitive statement is put forward by Arnold & Feldman (1986: 154) that
organizational communication is the exchange of information between people in the
organization, where the process generally includes stages: attention, comprehension,
acceptance as true, and retention.
The Nature of Communication in Organizations
When talking about organizational communication, what is drawn in a person is
things related to the role and status of each person in the organization, because the role and
status of a person also determines how to communicate with others as well as how to
communicate with him, so a good person is a person who always connects roles and statuses
with work (Alo Liliweri, 1997: 59).
In modern society people recognize a person because he or she has a variety of roles
and statuses. In an organization, this diversity is seen through the division of labor where
each person will work according to his talents and abilities so that he is responsible for the
work. When the number or types of work are more and more diverse, it is necessary to
intertwine the different types of work, intertwine between a leader and subordinates or
between leaders who ultimately form a large synergistic force to produce higher quality
output. At this stage communication is needed.
Organizational communication is often also interpreted as organizing behavior,
namely how a subordinate is involved in the process of transacting and giving meaning to
what is happening. Therefore, when the organization considered just a group of people who
interact then communication only functions as an organization; he is the organization itself.
So organizational communication will center on the symbols that make organizational life
possible, whether the words, ideas and constructs that encourage authorize, coordinate, and
realize organized activities in specific situations (Barry Cusway and Derej Logde, 1995:
115).
Any writing or anything related to organizational communication always considers
two main concepts, namely organization and communication. An organization can be
approached as an object of fun and interest, but there are those who may very well view
organizations as oppressive That favorable or oppressive attitude is actually very depends on
the understanding and practice of interactions, relationships and transactions that occur
between people in the organization, which is called organizational communication. So the
position of communication in organization is actually emphasizes on how an organization is
constructed and maintained through the communication process. With Thus organizational
communication is more than just what people but rather a theoretical explanation of
communication practices in organizations that serves togetherness both in the organization
as well as serving other people who need the organization. In other words, the existence of
communication in the organization makes one able to distinguish two things, namely: first,
showing how members work as an organization; and second, how the network operations
that link them to each other. In this perspective, communication is important in
organizations, 1). Communication is the way, through communication people seek
information and develop a number of criteria for getting work for them; 2). Communication
is a process for them in determining a choice which practical.
The Importance of the Study of Organizational Communication
The study of organizational communication is important because it is a discipline
that can take a number of legitimate and useful directions. In the sense that the study will
provide benefits not only for anyone who wants to understand organizational behavior
better, but also has pragmatic aspects for people who want to improve their performance as
participants/members of an organization. The study of organizational communication can
provide a strong foundation for careers in management, human resource development, and
corporate communication, as well as other human-oriented tasks in organizations (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Mulyana, 25).
Interpersonal Communication Interaction Format
Interpersonal communication is the process of exchanging information between
someone with at least one other person or usually between two people who can be
immediately known back. With the increase in people involved in communication, the
perception of people in communication events increases so that the communication becomes
more complex (Arni Muhammad, 2009: 158).
Classification Interpersonal communication
Intimate interaction; in organizations, this relationship is developed in informal
communication systems. For example, the relationship seen between two good
friends in the organization, who have personal interactions perhaps outside of their
roles and functions in the organization.
Social Conversation is an interaction to please someone simply by talking a little. If
two or more people get together and talk about concerns, interests outside the
organization such as family, sports, political issues.
Interrogation is an interaction between someone in control, who requests or even
obeys information from others.
Interview is a form of communication interpersonal communication where two
people engage in a conversation in the form of questions and answers.
Purpose of Interpersonal Communication
Finding yourself
Discovering the outside world
Establish and maintain meaningful relationships
Change in attitude and behavior
For play and fun
To help
Effective Interpersonal Relationships
According to Rogert, interpersonal relationships will occur effectively if both parties
fulfill the conditions:
meet each other in person
empathize appropriately with the other person and communicate meaningfully with
each other.
Respect each other, be positive and reasonable without judgment or objection.
really live each other's experiences, being receptive to each other's empathy.
Feel that maintaining mutual openness and a supportive climate reduces the tendency
for salience disruptions.
Exhibit behaviors that are trusting and reinforce feelings of security towards others.
Small Group Communication
Is a collection of individuals who can influence each other, get some satisfaction
from each other, interact to multiple goals, take on roles, bond with each other and
communicate face-to-face.
Purpose of small group communication
o Personal Objective
Relationships social, the goal is to strengthen interpersonal
relationships and improve our well-being.
Channeling, this goal is usually carried out in an atmosphere that
favors the exchange of ideas or heated arguments in family
discussions, where self-disclosure is appropriate.
Group therapy, this is usually used to help people eliminate their
attitudes, or behaviors in some aspect of their lives.
Learning, as a common reason for people to join small groups, is
learning from others. Learning happens in a variety of settings. The
underlying assumption of group learning is the idea of two-way
learning.
o Work-related goals
Decision-making; People who come together in groups to make
decisions about something. Discussing alternatives with others helps
people decide which is the best option for the group.
Small Group as a system
Small groups are small organizations that have four basic components: input or
process, output or result of feedback.
o Inputs, are the raw materials in a small group such as people, information that
the group uses to interact. People or group members are inputs because each
person in the group brings certain qualities such as personality, age, health,
knowledge, attitudes, values and problem-solving abilities.
o Process, refers to all the internal processes that occur within the group during
the discussion.
o Outcome, is the decision or resolution reached by the group.
o Feedback, containing responses that tie the system together. Feedback
provides input for future group meetings.
Small Group Characteristics
o Make it easier friendly meeting
o Group personality. When a group of people come together they forming its
own identity that makes up the personality of the group.
o Cohesiveness, which is the attraction group members have for each other and
their desire to stick together.
o Commitment to the task. Another individual activity within the group that is
closely related to with commitment is motivation.
o The size of Group size seems simple enough but group size has some
important ramifications within the group.
o Group norms, are rules and guidelines used by the group itself, as well as
some external factors outside the group.
o Interdependence. The most important thing is that group members depend on
each other to some degree, and on each other less.
Roles of Small Group Communication members
Kennet Benne and Paul Sheats (1948) proposed a classification of member roles on
this important topic. Benne and Sheats divided member roles into three general classes:
group task roles, group building and maintenance roles, and individual roles.
The Role of Group Assignments:
The group task role is the role that enables the group to focus more specifically on
achieving group goals. In carrying out With each of these roles, members do not act as
separate individuals, but as part of a larger whole. The needs and goals of the group govern
the roles that members must perform. Effective group members will perform several of these
functions, although some people are locked into a few specific roles.
Role Fostering and Sustaining Groups:
No one and no group is task-oriented all the time. A group is a unit whose members
have diverse interpersonal relationships. These relationships need to be nurtured if the group
is to function effectively-if group members are to be satisfied and productive. If this function
is not performed, group members will be damaged if group processes become bogged down,
frequent conflicts arise, or small group communication becomes disrupted on some personal
or social level.
Individualized role:
The task group role and the fostering and sustaining group role are all productive.
They assist the group in achieving its goals, and are group-oriented. The roles we will
discuss here are counter-productive. They hinder the group in achieving its goals and are
more individual-oriented than group-oriented group. Such roles are often termed
malfunctions, which hinder group effectiveness in terms of both productivity and personal
satisfaction.
Member Participation:
Here are some guidelines that will help make your participation in small group
communication effective and more enjoyable. Some of these suggestions are elaborations
and extensions of the basic characteristics of effective interpersonal communication.
Group-Oriented:
In a small group you are a team member - a member of a larger whole. Your
participation will be valuable if it helps achieve the group's goals of the group and increase
member satisfaction. Your job is to mobilize your skills, knowledge and ideas so that the
group can develop solutions that are better than those developed by one person. Individual
achievement can hinder the group.
Center the conflict on the problem:
Conflict in a small group situation is inevitable. Conflict is a natural part of the small
group process, but center the conflict on the problem rather than the person.
Be Critically Unbiased:
A common but unproductive developmental symptom occurs when members come
to the group with preconceived notions. When this happens, the small group process turns
into a series of individualized debates, with each person trying to defend his or her position.
Instead, members should come to the group armed with relevant information that will be
useful in the discussion process. They should not have made up their minds about the
solutions or conclusions they will accept.
Ensure understanding:
Make sure that your ideas and information are understood by all participants. If
something is worth saying. Then what is said should also be made clear. If in doubt, ask
yourself if what you are saying is clear, -Is my question clear enough?‖ -Did I explain it
clearly enough?‖ Also make sure that you are clear about the contributions of other
members, especially before you discuss the issue with them. In practice, people often
express their disagreement in their own words.
Groupthink:
Here are some symptoms that can help you recognize groupthink in the groups you
observe or participate in.
- Group members think that the group and its members cannot be defeated by danger.
- Members create rationalizations to avoid dealing directly with the danger or threat.
- Group members believe that their group is moral.
- Those who go against the grain are considered to be oversimplifying the problem, embracing
pluralistic ways.
- Group pressure is aimed at any member who shows hesitation or questions the group's
arguments or proposals. questioning the group's arguments or proposals.
- Group members censor their own doubts.
- Group members believe that all members agree unanimously, whether such agreement is
expressed or not.
- Group members begin to act as information that reaches other group members, especially if
such information can create differences of opinion.
Leaders in Small Group Communication
In most small groups, one person serves as the leader. In other groups, leadership
may be held by several people. Furthermore, the leader may be appointed or automatically
appear in the group In process development group communication.
Leadership Style:
In addition to looking at the main concerns in leadership, as we did with situational
leadership theory, we can also look at leadership in terms of three leadership styles: hands-
off, democratic and authoritarian.
Control-Leasing Leader:
The hands-off leader does not take the initiative to direct or suggest alternative
courses of action. Rather, this leader allows the group to develop and make mistakes. This
kind of leader rejects any authority given.
Democratic Leader:
The Democratic leader provides direction, but allows the group to develop and
implement the way its members want. Group members are encouraged to determine goals
and procedures. The democratic leader stimulates self-direction and self-actualization in
group members.
Keeping Members on Track:
Many people are egocentric and will only feel their own wants and problems. In this
case, the role of the leader is needed to direct the members to stay on the path of discussion.
Ensuring Member Satisfaction:
Members have different psychological needs and wants and many enter the group precisely
because of these needs and wants. Even if the group deals with for example political issues,
the various members may come together for reasons that are more psychological than
political.
Stimulate Evaluation and Improvement:
All groups will face obstacles if they are trying to solve a problem, make a decision,
or develop ideas. No single group is perfectly effective. All groups have the opportunity to
improve themselves.
Prepare Members for Discussion:
Groups form slowly and need to be shaped into meaningful discussions. The leader
should prepare the members for the discussion. This involves getting members ready to
interact in small groups, as well as ready to discuss a specific issue.
Public Communication
Public communication is the exchange of messages with a number of people who are
in a particular organization or outside the organization face-to-face or through the media.
The quality that distinguishes public organizational communication from interpersonal
communication and small group communication is :
Public communication is oriented towards the speaker or source. In interpersonal and
small group communication there is a reciprocal relationship between the speaker and
the recipient involved. In public organizational communication the speaker dominates
the relationship.
In public communication involves a large number of recipients but in interpersonal
communication there are usually 2 people and small group communication no more
than 5-7 recipients, public communication messages are intended to attract many
people, hundreds or millions of people.
In public communication there is less interaction between the speaker and the listener.
This results in less direct interaction between the speaker and the listener, especially
the larger the audience.
The language used in public communication is more general so that it can be
understood by the audience. Usually before the presentation the speaker knows the
specific type of audience.
The purpose of public communication is :
- Providing information to a large number of people who know the organization, for example
about the organization's activities and production.
- Establishing relationships between the organization and the community outside the
organization such as use of organizational services, users of organizational products and
society in general.
- Providing entertainment to a number of people such as recounting a pleasant experience to a
crowd.
Conclusions
Organizational communication is the direction and interpretation of messages among
communication units that are part of a particular organization. Organizational
communication is also the organizing behavior that occurs and how those involved in the
process transact and give meaning to what is happening. Organizational communication also
has the meaning of sending and receiving various organizational messages in formal and
informal groups of an organization. It also includes the approaches involved in
organizational communication. In addition, there are also communication networks and
flows in communication. As well as the interaction format of organizational communication
which consists of communication interpersonal, communication small group, and public
communication.
Definition of Organizational Communication
Understanding of organizational communication is inseparable from its relation to
various other aspects of organizational behavior as a whole, or when viewed more broadly,
namely in relation to interdisciplinary studies, especially communication science.
Organizational behavior deals with how and why people act, think and feel in an
organizational setting (Paul D. Sweeney & Dean B. Mc Farlin, 2002: 3). To better
understand organizational communication. We must refer to the various notions of
communication and organization that will be described in the following section:
Communication
The term communication comes from the Latin word -communication‖ which means
notification, giving part, exchange, where the speaker expects consideration or answer from
the listener. The adjective is communis which means common or shared. The verb is
communicare which means to dialogue, confer or deliberate (Anwar Arifin, 1994: 24).
Communication is a process that is generally used by humans in social interaction.
Basically, it has such a broad understanding, both as a separate science and as a
process. There are various definitions of communication, Carl I. Hovland suggests as
follows: communication is the process by which a person / communicator Convey stimuli
(usually symbols in the form of words) to change the behavior of others / communicants
(Onong Uchyana Effendy, 1993: 24). Then Shimp (1993; 8) states that communication is
the process to create or cause a common thought between the one who gives the sign and the
one who receives the sign. Shimp's definition emphasizes more on the communication
process that aims at creating a common thought or opinion on the interaction that occurs
(Terence A. Shimp, 1993: 8).
Pace & Faules (2001; 28) suggest that communication can be distinguished from all
other human and organizational behavior because it involves the mental process of
understanding people, objects and events. Two common forms of action that constitute
communication that emphasize on 1) the creation of messages or, more precisely, the
creation of performances, and 2) the interpretation of messages or the interpretation of
performances (R. Wayne Pace & Don F. Daules, Deddy Maulyana). Harold D. Lasswell
explained communication as an answer to the questions: Who, Say, What, In which channel,
To whom, With what effect? This sentence then known as the Lasswell formula (Effendy,
256). From what Lasswell stated, in essence, it includes elements of communication, namely
the existence of; communicators, messages conveyed, media used, communicants /
audiences, and effects. In simple terms, it can be interpreted that communication is a
message delivery activity with the aim of equalizing the meaning of a person / institution
(communicator) to another person / audience (communicator).
Organization
One of the most important things in understanding organizational communication is
that we should understand the approaches that influence the way of thinking or looking at
organizations. Organization according to Robbins (2001; 4) is defined as a consciously
coordinated social unit, consisting of two or more people, which functions on a relatively
continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set of goals (Stephen P. Robbins, 2001: 4).
Pace & Faules (2001: 11) suggest that there are two approaches in understanding
organizations, the objective approach and the subjective approach. Meaning -"Objective" in
this concept refers to the view that objects, behaviors, and events exist in the real world and
are independent of observation, while -"Subjective" refers to reality itself as a social
construction, reality as a creative process that allows people to create what is "out there".
According to the objective approach, an organization is something physical and
concrete, and is a structure with definite boundaries, something stable. The term -
organization‖ implies that something tangible encapsulates people, relationships, and goals.
The subjective approach views organizations as activities that people do, consisting of
actions, interactions, and transactions involving people. Organizations are created and
nurtured through the constantly changing contacts that people have with one another and do
not exist in isolation from the people whose behaviors make up the organization.
So based on the objective approach, organization means structure; while based on the
subjective view, organization means process (organizing behavior). The implication is that,
according to the objective approach, studying the organization is studying the whole, how
the organization can adapt in the best way to the environment to develop itself and survive,
while according to the subjective approach, knowledge about the organization is obtained by
looking at behaviors and what those behaviors mean to those who do it, the structure is
recognized but the emphasis is on human behavior in the sense that it is not independent of
human actions. These two approaches, both objective and subjective, not only affect the way
of looking at organizational communication, but also in understanding the organization other
aspects related to organizational behavior.
Organizational Communication
Based on the description above, organizational communication can be defined as the
direction and interpretation of messages between communication units that are part of a
particular organization. The definition emphasizes more on the functional aspect (objective).
Meanwhile, when viewed from an interpretative (subjective) perspective, organizational
communication is seen as a process of creating meaning for the interactions that constitute
the organization. Organizational communication is the organizing behavior that occurs and
how those involved in the process transact and give meaning to what is happening (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Maulana, 31).
A simpler definitive statement is put forward by Arnold & Feldman (1986: 154) that
organizational communication is the exchange of information between people in the
organization, where the process generally includes stages: attention, comprehension,
acceptance as true, and retention.
The Nature of Communication in Organizations
When talking about organizational communication, what is drawn in a person is
things related to the role and status of each person in the organization, because the role and
status of a person also determines how to communicate with others as well as how to
communicate with him, so a good person is a person who always connects roles and statuses
with work (Alo Liliweri, 1997: 59).
In modern society people recognize a person because he or she has a variety of roles
and statuses. In an organization, this diversity is seen through the division of labor where
each person will work according to his talents and abilities so that he is responsible for the
work. When the number or types of work are more and more diverse, it is necessary to
intertwine the different types of work, intertwine between a leader and subordinates or
between leaders who ultimately form a large synergistic force to produce higher quality
output. At this stage communication is needed.
Organizational communication is often also interpreted as organizing behavior,
namely how a subordinate is involved in the process of transacting and giving meaning to
what is happening. Therefore, when the organization considered just a group of people who
interact then communication only functions as an organization; he is the organization itself.
So organizational communication will center on the symbols that make organizational life
possible, whether the words, ideas and constructs that encourage authorize, coordinate, and
realize organized activities in specific situations (Barry Cusway and Derej Logde, 1995:
115).
Any writing or anything related to organizational communication always considers
two main concepts, namely organization and communication. An organization can be
approached as an object of fun and interest, but there are those who may very well view
organizations as oppressive That favorable or oppressive attitude is actually very depends on
the understanding and practice of interactions, relationships and transactions that occur
between people in the organization, which is called organizational communication. So the
position of communication in organization is actually emphasizes on how an organization is
constructed and maintained through the communication process. With Thus organizational
communication is more than just what people but rather a theoretical explanation of
communication practices in organizations that serves togetherness both in the organization
as well as serving other people who need the organization. In other words, the existence of
communication in the organization makes one able to distinguish two things, namely: first,
showing how members work as an organization; and second, how the network operations
that link them to each other. In this perspective, communication is important in
organizations, 1). Communication is the way, through communication people seek
information and develop a number of criteria for getting work for them; 2). Communication
is a process for them in determining a choice which practical.
The Importance of the Study of Organizational Communication
The study of organizational communication is important because it is a discipline
that can take a number of legitimate and useful directions. In the sense that the study will
provide benefits not only for anyone who wants to understand organizational behavior
better, but also has pragmatic aspects for people who want to improve their performance as
participants/members of an organization. The study of organizational communication can
provide a strong foundation for careers in management, human resource development, and
corporate communication, as well as other human-oriented tasks in organizations (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Mulyana, 25).
Interpersonal Communication Interaction Format
Interpersonal communication is the process of exchanging information between
someone with at least one other person or usually between two people who can be
immediately known back. With the increase in people involved in communication, the
perception of people in communication events increases so that the communication becomes
more complex (Arni Muhammad, 2009: 158).
Classification Interpersonal communication
Intimate interaction; in organizations, this relationship is developed in informal
communication systems. For example, the relationship seen between two good
friends in the organization, who have personal interactions perhaps outside of their
roles and functions in the organization.
Social Conversation is an interaction to please someone simply by talking a little. If
two or more people get together and talk about concerns, interests outside the
organization such as family, sports, political issues.
Interrogation is an interaction between someone in control, who requests or even
obeys information from others.
Interview is a form of communication interpersonal communication where two
people engage in a conversation in the form of questions and answers.
Purpose of Interpersonal Communication
Finding yourself
Discovering the outside world
Establish and maintain meaningful relationships
Change in attitude and behavior
For play and fun
To help
Effective Interpersonal Relationships
According to Rogert, interpersonal relationships will occur effectively if both parties
fulfill the conditions:
meet each other in person
empathize appropriately with the other person and communicate meaningfully with
each other.
Respect each other, be positive and reasonable without judgment or objection.
really live each other's experiences, being receptive to each other's empathy.
Feel that maintaining mutual openness and a supportive climate reduces the tendency
for salience disruptions.
Exhibit behaviors that are trusting and reinforce feelings of security towards others.
Small Group Communication
Is a collection of individuals who can influence each other, get some satisfaction
from each other, interact to multiple goals, take on roles, bond with each other and
communicate face-to-face.
Purpose of small group communication
o Personal Objective
Relationships social, the goal is to strengthen interpersonal
relationships and improve our well-being.
Channeling, this goal is usually carried out in an atmosphere that
favors the exchange of ideas or heated arguments in family
discussions, where self-disclosure is appropriate.
Group therapy, this is usually used to help people eliminate their
attitudes, or behaviors in some aspect of their lives.
Learning, as a common reason for people to join small groups, is
learning from others. Learning happens in a variety of settings. The
underlying assumption of group learning is the idea of two-way
learning.
o Work-related goals
Decision-making; People who come together in groups to make
decisions about something. Discussing alternatives with others helps
people decide which is the best option for the group.
Small Group as a system
Small groups are small organizations that have four basic components: input or
process, output or result of feedback.
o Inputs, are the raw materials in a small group such as people, information that
the group uses to interact. People or group members are inputs because each
person in the group brings certain qualities such as personality, age, health,
knowledge, attitudes, values and problem-solving abilities.
o Process, refers to all the internal processes that occur within the group during
the discussion.
o Outcome, is the decision or resolution reached by the group.
o Feedback, containing responses that tie the system together. Feedback
provides input for future group meetings.
Small Group Characteristics
o Make it easier friendly meeting
o Group personality. When a group of people come together they forming its
own identity that makes up the personality of the group.
o Cohesiveness, which is the attraction group members have for each other and
their desire to stick together.
o Commitment to the task. Another individual activity within the group that is
closely related to with commitment is motivation.
o The size of Group size seems simple enough but group size has some
important ramifications within the group.
o Group norms, are rules and guidelines used by the group itself, as well as
some external factors outside the group.
o Interdependence. The most important thing is that group members depend on
each other to some degree, and on each other less.
Roles of Small Group Communication members
Kennet Benne and Paul Sheats (1948) proposed a classification of member roles on
this important topic. Benne and Sheats divided member roles into three general classes:
group task roles, group building and maintenance roles, and individual roles.
The Role of Group Assignments:
The group task role is the role that enables the group to focus more specifically on
achieving group goals. In carrying out With each of these roles, members do not act as
separate individuals, but as part of a larger whole. The needs and goals of the group govern
the roles that members must perform. Effective group members will perform several of these
functions, although some people are locked into a few specific roles.
Role Fostering and Sustaining Groups:
No one and no group is task-oriented all the time. A group is a unit whose members
have diverse interpersonal relationships. These relationships need to be nurtured if the group
is to function effectively-if group members are to be satisfied and productive. If this function
is not performed, group members will be damaged if group processes become bogged down,
frequent conflicts arise, or small group communication becomes disrupted on some personal
or social level.
Individualized role:
The task group role and the fostering and sustaining group role are all productive.
They assist the group in achieving its goals, and are group-oriented. The roles we will
discuss here are counter-productive. They hinder the group in achieving its goals and are
more individual-oriented than group-oriented group. Such roles are often termed
malfunctions, which hinder group effectiveness in terms of both productivity and personal
satisfaction.
Member Participation:
Here are some guidelines that will help make your participation in small group
communication effective and more enjoyable. Some of these suggestions are elaborations
and extensions of the basic characteristics of effective interpersonal communication.
Group-Oriented:
In a small group you are a team member - a member of a larger whole. Your
participation will be valuable if it helps achieve the group's goals of the group and increase
member satisfaction. Your job is to mobilize your skills, knowledge and ideas so that the
group can develop solutions that are better than those developed by one person. Individual
achievement can hinder the group.
Center the conflict on the problem:
Conflict in a small group situation is inevitable. Conflict is a natural part of the small
group process, but center the conflict on the problem rather than the person.
Be Critically Unbiased:
A common but unproductive developmental symptom occurs when members come
to the group with preconceived notions. When this happens, the small group process turns
into a series of individualized debates, with each person trying to defend his or her position.
Instead, members should come to the group armed with relevant information that will be
useful in the discussion process. They should not have made up their minds about the
solutions or conclusions they will accept.
Ensure understanding:
Make sure that your ideas and information are understood by all participants. If
something is worth saying. Then what is said should also be made clear. If in doubt, ask
yourself if what you are saying is clear, -Is my question clear enough?‖ -Did I explain it
clearly enough?‖ Also make sure that you are clear about the contributions of other
members, especially before you discuss the issue with them. In practice, people often
express their disagreement in their own words.
Groupthink:
Here are some symptoms that can help you recognize groupthink in the groups you
observe or participate in.
- Group members think that the group and its members cannot be defeated by danger.
- Members create rationalizations to avoid dealing directly with the danger or threat.
- Group members believe that their group is moral.
- Those who go against the grain are considered to be oversimplifying the problem, embracing
pluralistic ways.
- Group pressure is aimed at any member who shows hesitation or questions the group's
arguments or proposals. questioning the group's arguments or proposals.
- Group members censor their own doubts.
- Group members believe that all members agree unanimously, whether such agreement is
expressed or not.
- Group members begin to act as information that reaches other group members, especially if
such information can create differences of opinion.
Leaders in Small Group Communication
In most small groups, one person serves as the leader. In other groups, leadership
may be held by several people. Furthermore, the leader may be appointed or automatically
appear in the group In process development group communication.
Leadership Style:
In addition to looking at the main concerns in leadership, as we did with situational
leadership theory, we can also look at leadership in terms of three leadership styles: hands-
off, democratic and authoritarian.
Control-Leasing Leader:
The hands-off leader does not take the initiative to direct or suggest alternative
courses of action. Rather, this leader allows the group to develop and make mistakes. This
kind of leader rejects any authority given.
Democratic Leader:
The Democratic leader provides direction, but allows the group to develop and
implement the way its members want. Group members are encouraged to determine goals
and procedures. The democratic leader stimulates self-direction and self-actualization in
group members.
Keeping Members on Track:
Many people are egocentric and will only feel their own wants and problems. In this
case, the role of the leader is needed to direct the members to stay on the path of discussion.
Ensuring Member Satisfaction:
Members have different psychological needs and wants and many enter the group precisely
because of these needs and wants. Even if the group deals with for example political issues,
the various members may come together for reasons that are more psychological than
political.
Stimulate Evaluation and Improvement:
All groups will face obstacles if they are trying to solve a problem, make a decision,
or develop ideas. No single group is perfectly effective. All groups have the opportunity to
improve themselves.
Prepare Members for Discussion:
Groups form slowly and need to be shaped into meaningful discussions. The leader
should prepare the members for the discussion. This involves getting members ready to
interact in small groups, as well as ready to discuss a specific issue.
Public Communication
Public communication is the exchange of messages with a number of people who are
in a particular organization or outside the organization face-to-face or through the media.
The quality that distinguishes public organizational communication from interpersonal
communication and small group communication is :
Public communication is oriented towards the speaker or source. In interpersonal and
small group communication there is a reciprocal relationship between the speaker and
the recipient involved. In public organizational communication the speaker dominates
the relationship.
In public communication involves a large number of recipients but in interpersonal
communication there are usually 2 people and small group communication no more
than 5-7 recipients, public communication messages are intended to attract many
people, hundreds or millions of people.
In public communication there is less interaction between the speaker and the listener.
This results in less direct interaction between the speaker and the listener, especially
the larger the audience.
The language used in public communication is more general so that it can be
understood by the audience. Usually before the presentation the speaker knows the
specific type of audience.
The purpose of public communication is :
- Providing information to a large number of people who know the organization, for example
about the organization's activities and production.
- Establishing relationships between the organization and the community outside the
organization such as use of organizational services, users of organizational products and
society in general.
- Providing entertainment to a number of people such as recounting a pleasant experience to a
crowd.
Conclusions
Organizational communication is the direction and interpretation of messages among
communication units that are part of a particular organization. Organizational
communication is also the organizing behavior that occurs and how those involved in the
process transact and give meaning to what is happening. Organizational communication also
has the meaning of sending and receiving various organizational messages in formal and
informal groups of an organization. It also includes the approaches involved in
organizational communication. In addition, there are also communication networks and
flows in communication. As well as the interaction format of organizational communication
which consists of communication interpersonal, communication small group, and public
communication.
Definition of Organizational Communication
Understanding of organizational communication is inseparable from its relation to
various other aspects of organizational behavior as a whole, or when viewed more broadly,
namely in relation to interdisciplinary studies, especially communication science.
Organizational behavior deals with how and why people act, think and feel in an
organizational setting (Paul D. Sweeney & Dean B. Mc Farlin, 2002: 3). To better
understand organizational communication. We must refer to the various notions of
communication and organization that will be described in the following section:
Communication
The term communication comes from the Latin word -communication‖ which means
notification, giving part, exchange, where the speaker expects consideration or answer from
the listener. The adjective is communis which means common or shared. The verb is
communicare which means to dialogue, confer or deliberate (Anwar Arifin, 1994: 24).
Communication is a process that is generally used by humans in social interaction.
Basically, it has such a broad understanding, both as a separate science and as a
process. There are various definitions of communication, Carl I. Hovland suggests as
follows: communication is the process by which a person / communicator Convey stimuli
(usually symbols in the form of words) to change the behavior of others / communicants
(Onong Uchyana Effendy, 1993: 24). Then Shimp (1993; 8) states that communication is
the process to create or cause a common thought between the one who gives the sign and the
one who receives the sign. Shimp's definition emphasizes more on the communication
process that aims at creating a common thought or opinion on the interaction that occurs
(Terence A. Shimp, 1993: 8).
Pace & Faules (2001; 28) suggest that communication can be distinguished from all
other human and organizational behavior because it involves the mental process of
understanding people, objects and events. Two common forms of action that constitute
communication that emphasize on 1) the creation of messages or, more precisely, the
creation of performances, and 2) the interpretation of messages or the interpretation of
performances (R. Wayne Pace & Don F. Daules, Deddy Maulyana). Harold D. Lasswell
explained communication as an answer to the questions: Who, Say, What, In which channel,
To whom, With what effect? This sentence then known as the Lasswell formula (Effendy,
256). From what Lasswell stated, in essence, it includes elements of communication, namely
the existence of; communicators, messages conveyed, media used, communicants /
audiences, and effects. In simple terms, it can be interpreted that communication is a
message delivery activity with the aim of equalizing the meaning of a person / institution
(communicator) to another person / audience (communicator).
Organization
One of the most important things in understanding organizational communication is
that we should understand the approaches that influence the way of thinking or looking at
organizations. Organization according to Robbins (2001; 4) is defined as a consciously
coordinated social unit, consisting of two or more people, which functions on a relatively
continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set of goals (Stephen P. Robbins, 2001: 4).
Pace & Faules (2001: 11) suggest that there are two approaches in understanding
organizations, the objective approach and the subjective approach. Meaning -"Objective" in
this concept refers to the view that objects, behaviors, and events exist in the real world and
are independent of observation, while -"Subjective" refers to reality itself as a social
construction, reality as a creative process that allows people to create what is "out there".
According to the objective approach, an organization is something physical and
concrete, and is a structure with definite boundaries, something stable. The term -
organization‖ implies that something tangible encapsulates people, relationships, and goals.
The subjective approach views organizations as activities that people do, consisting of
actions, interactions, and transactions involving people. Organizations are created and
nurtured through the constantly changing contacts that people have with one another and do
not exist in isolation from the people whose behaviors make up the organization.
So based on the objective approach, organization means structure; while based on the
subjective view, organization means process (organizing behavior). The implication is that,
according to the objective approach, studying the organization is studying the whole, how
the organization can adapt in the best way to the environment to develop itself and survive,
while according to the subjective approach, knowledge about the organization is obtained by
looking at behaviors and what those behaviors mean to those who do it, the structure is
recognized but the emphasis is on human behavior in the sense that it is not independent of
human actions. These two approaches, both objective and subjective, not only affect the way
of looking at organizational communication, but also in understanding the organization other
aspects related to organizational behavior.
Organizational Communication
Based on the description above, organizational communication can be defined as the
direction and interpretation of messages between communication units that are part of a
particular organization. The definition emphasizes more on the functional aspect (objective).
Meanwhile, when viewed from an interpretative (subjective) perspective, organizational
communication is seen as a process of creating meaning for the interactions that constitute
the organization. Organizational communication is the organizing behavior that occurs and
how those involved in the process transact and give meaning to what is happening (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Maulana, 31).
A simpler definitive statement is put forward by Arnold & Feldman (1986: 154) that
organizational communication is the exchange of information between people in the
organization, where the process generally includes stages: attention, comprehension,
acceptance as true, and retention.
The Nature of Communication in Organizations
When talking about organizational communication, what is drawn in a person is
things related to the role and status of each person in the organization, because the role and
status of a person also determines how to communicate with others as well as how to
communicate with him, so a good person is a person who always connects roles and statuses
with work (Alo Liliweri, 1997: 59).
In modern society people recognize a person because he or she has a variety of roles
and statuses. In an organization, this diversity is seen through the division of labor where
each person will work according to his talents and abilities so that he is responsible for the
work. When the number or types of work are more and more diverse, it is necessary to
intertwine the different types of work, intertwine between a leader and subordinates or
between leaders who ultimately form a large synergistic force to produce higher quality
output. At this stage communication is needed.
Organizational communication is often also interpreted as organizing behavior,
namely how a subordinate is involved in the process of transacting and giving meaning to
what is happening. Therefore, when the organization considered just a group of people who
interact then communication only functions as an organization; he is the organization itself.
So organizational communication will center on the symbols that make organizational life
possible, whether the words, ideas and constructs that encourage authorize, coordinate, and
realize organized activities in specific situations (Barry Cusway and Derej Logde, 1995:
115).
Any writing or anything related to organizational communication always considers
two main concepts, namely organization and communication. An organization can be
approached as an object of fun and interest, but there are those who may very well view
organizations as oppressive That favorable or oppressive attitude is actually very depends on
the understanding and practice of interactions, relationships and transactions that occur
between people in the organization, which is called organizational communication. So the
position of communication in organization is actually emphasizes on how an organization is
constructed and maintained through the communication process. With Thus organizational
communication is more than just what people but rather a theoretical explanation of
communication practices in organizations that serves togetherness both in the organization
as well as serving other people who need the organization. In other words, the existence of
communication in the organization makes one able to distinguish two things, namely: first,
showing how members work as an organization; and second, how the network operations
that link them to each other. In this perspective, communication is important in
organizations, 1). Communication is the way, through communication people seek
information and develop a number of criteria for getting work for them; 2). Communication
is a process for them in determining a choice which practical.
The Importance of the Study of Organizational Communication
The study of organizational communication is important because it is a discipline
that can take a number of legitimate and useful directions. In the sense that the study will
provide benefits not only for anyone who wants to understand organizational behavior
better, but also has pragmatic aspects for people who want to improve their performance as
participants/members of an organization. The study of organizational communication can
provide a strong foundation for careers in management, human resource development, and
corporate communication, as well as other human-oriented tasks in organizations (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Mulyana, 25).
Interpersonal Communication Interaction Format
Interpersonal communication is the process of exchanging information between
someone with at least one other person or usually between two people who can be
immediately known back. With the increase in people involved in communication, the
perception of people in communication events increases so that the communication becomes
more complex (Arni Muhammad, 2009: 158).
Classification Interpersonal communication
Intimate interaction; in organizations, this relationship is developed in informal
communication systems. For example, the relationship seen between two good
friends in the organization, who have personal interactions perhaps outside of their
roles and functions in the organization.
Social Conversation is an interaction to please someone simply by talking a little. If
two or more people get together and talk about concerns, interests outside the
organization such as family, sports, political issues.
Interrogation is an interaction between someone in control, who requests or even
obeys information from others.
Interview is a form of communication interpersonal communication where two
people engage in a conversation in the form of questions and answers.
Purpose of Interpersonal Communication
Finding yourself
Discovering the outside world
Establish and maintain meaningful relationships
Change in attitude and behavior
For play and fun
To help
Effective Interpersonal Relationships
According to Rogert, interpersonal relationships will occur effectively if both parties
fulfill the conditions:
meet each other in person
empathize appropriately with the other person and communicate meaningfully with
each other.
Respect each other, be positive and reasonable without judgment or objection.
really live each other's experiences, being receptive to each other's empathy.
Feel that maintaining mutual openness and a supportive climate reduces the tendency
for salience disruptions.
Exhibit behaviors that are trusting and reinforce feelings of security towards others.
Small Group Communication
Is a collection of individuals who can influence each other, get some satisfaction
from each other, interact to multiple goals, take on roles, bond with each other and
communicate face-to-face.
Purpose of small group communication
o Personal Objective
Relationships social, the goal is to strengthen interpersonal
relationships and improve our well-being.
Channeling, this goal is usually carried out in an atmosphere that
favors the exchange of ideas or heated arguments in family
discussions, where self-disclosure is appropriate.
Group therapy, this is usually used to help people eliminate their
attitudes, or behaviors in some aspect of their lives.
Learning, as a common reason for people to join small groups, is
learning from others. Learning happens in a variety of settings. The
underlying assumption of group learning is the idea of two-way
learning.
o Work-related goals
Decision-making; People who come together in groups to make
decisions about something. Discussing alternatives with others helps
people decide which is the best option for the group.
Small Group as a system
Small groups are small organizations that have four basic components: input or
process, output or result of feedback.
o Inputs, are the raw materials in a small group such as people, information that
the group uses to interact. People or group members are inputs because each
person in the group brings certain qualities such as personality, age, health,
knowledge, attitudes, values and problem-solving abilities.
o Process, refers to all the internal processes that occur within the group during
the discussion.
o Outcome, is the decision or resolution reached by the group.
o Feedback, containing responses that tie the system together. Feedback
provides input for future group meetings.
Small Group Characteristics
o Make it easier friendly meeting
o Group personality. When a group of people come together they forming its
own identity that makes up the personality of the group.
o Cohesiveness, which is the attraction group members have for each other and
their desire to stick together.
o Commitment to the task. Another individual activity within the group that is
closely related to with commitment is motivation.
o The size of Group size seems simple enough but group size has some
important ramifications within the group.
o Group norms, are rules and guidelines used by the group itself, as well as
some external factors outside the group.
o Interdependence. The most important thing is that group members depend on
each other to some degree, and on each other less.
Roles of Small Group Communication members
Kennet Benne and Paul Sheats (1948) proposed a classification of member roles on
this important topic. Benne and Sheats divided member roles into three general classes:
group task roles, group building and maintenance roles, and individual roles.
The Role of Group Assignments:
The group task role is the role that enables the group to focus more specifically on
achieving group goals. In carrying out With each of these roles, members do not act as
separate individuals, but as part of a larger whole. The needs and goals of the group govern
the roles that members must perform. Effective group members will perform several of these
functions, although some people are locked into a few specific roles.
Role Fostering and Sustaining Groups:
No one and no group is task-oriented all the time. A group is a unit whose members
have diverse interpersonal relationships. These relationships need to be nurtured if the group
is to function effectively-if group members are to be satisfied and productive. If this function
is not performed, group members will be damaged if group processes become bogged down,
frequent conflicts arise, or small group communication becomes disrupted on some personal
or social level.
Individualized role:
The task group role and the fostering and sustaining group role are all productive.
They assist the group in achieving its goals, and are group-oriented. The roles we will
discuss here are counter-productive. They hinder the group in achieving its goals and are
more individual-oriented than group-oriented group. Such roles are often termed
malfunctions, which hinder group effectiveness in terms of both productivity and personal
satisfaction.
Member Participation:
Here are some guidelines that will help make your participation in small group
communication effective and more enjoyable. Some of these suggestions are elaborations
and extensions of the basic characteristics of effective interpersonal communication.
Group-Oriented:
In a small group you are a team member - a member of a larger whole. Your
participation will be valuable if it helps achieve the group's goals of the group and increase
member satisfaction. Your job is to mobilize your skills, knowledge and ideas so that the
group can develop solutions that are better than those developed by one person. Individual
achievement can hinder the group.
Center the conflict on the problem:
Conflict in a small group situation is inevitable. Conflict is a natural part of the small
group process, but center the conflict on the problem rather than the person.
Be Critically Unbiased:
A common but unproductive developmental symptom occurs when members come
to the group with preconceived notions. When this happens, the small group process turns
into a series of individualized debates, with each person trying to defend his or her position.
Instead, members should come to the group armed with relevant information that will be
useful in the discussion process. They should not have made up their minds about the
solutions or conclusions they will accept.
Ensure understanding:
Make sure that your ideas and information are understood by all participants. If
something is worth saying. Then what is said should also be made clear. If in doubt, ask
yourself if what you are saying is clear, -Is my question clear enough?‖ -Did I explain it
clearly enough?‖ Also make sure that you are clear about the contributions of other
members, especially before you discuss the issue with them. In practice, people often
express their disagreement in their own words.
Groupthink:
Here are some symptoms that can help you recognize groupthink in the groups you
observe or participate in.
- Group members think that the group and its members cannot be defeated by danger.
- Members create rationalizations to avoid dealing directly with the danger or threat.
- Group members believe that their group is moral.
- Those who go against the grain are considered to be oversimplifying the problem, embracing
pluralistic ways.
- Group pressure is aimed at any member who shows hesitation or questions the group's
arguments or proposals. questioning the group's arguments or proposals.
- Group members censor their own doubts.
- Group members believe that all members agree unanimously, whether such agreement is
expressed or not.
- Group members begin to act as information that reaches other group members, especially if
such information can create differences of opinion.
Leaders in Small Group Communication
In most small groups, one person serves as the leader. In other groups, leadership
may be held by several people. Furthermore, the leader may be appointed or automatically
appear in the group In process development group communication.
Leadership Style:
In addition to looking at the main concerns in leadership, as we did with situational
leadership theory, we can also look at leadership in terms of three leadership styles: hands-
off, democratic and authoritarian.
Control-Leasing Leader:
The hands-off leader does not take the initiative to direct or suggest alternative
courses of action. Rather, this leader allows the group to develop and make mistakes. This
kind of leader rejects any authority given.
Democratic Leader:
The Democratic leader provides direction, but allows the group to develop and
implement the way its members want. Group members are encouraged to determine goals
and procedures. The democratic leader stimulates self-direction and self-actualization in
group members.
Keeping Members on Track:
Many people are egocentric and will only feel their own wants and problems. In this
case, the role of the leader is needed to direct the members to stay on the path of discussion.
Ensuring Member Satisfaction:
Members have different psychological needs and wants and many enter the group precisely
because of these needs and wants. Even if the group deals with for example political issues,
the various members may come together for reasons that are more psychological than
political.
Stimulate Evaluation and Improvement:
All groups will face obstacles if they are trying to solve a problem, make a decision,
or develop ideas. No single group is perfectly effective. All groups have the opportunity to
improve themselves.
Prepare Members for Discussion:
Groups form slowly and need to be shaped into meaningful discussions. The leader
should prepare the members for the discussion. This involves getting members ready to
interact in small groups, as well as ready to discuss a specific issue.
Public Communication
Public communication is the exchange of messages with a number of people who are
in a particular organization or outside the organization face-to-face or through the media.
The quality that distinguishes public organizational communication from interpersonal
communication and small group communication is :
Public communication is oriented towards the speaker or source. In interpersonal and
small group communication there is a reciprocal relationship between the speaker and
the recipient involved. In public organizational communication the speaker dominates
the relationship.
In public communication involves a large number of recipients but in interpersonal
communication there are usually 2 people and small group communication no more
than 5-7 recipients, public communication messages are intended to attract many
people, hundreds or millions of people.
In public communication there is less interaction between the speaker and the listener.
This results in less direct interaction between the speaker and the listener, especially
the larger the audience.
The language used in public communication is more general so that it can be
understood by the audience. Usually before the presentation the speaker knows the
specific type of audience.
The purpose of public communication is :
- Providing information to a large number of people who know the organization, for example
about the organization's activities and production.
- Establishing relationships between the organization and the community outside the
organization such as use of organizational services, users of organizational products and
society in general.
- Providing entertainment to a number of people such as recounting a pleasant experience to a
crowd.
Conclusions
Organizational communication is the direction and interpretation of messages among
communication units that are part of a particular organization. Organizational
communication is also the organizing behavior that occurs and how those involved in the
process transact and give meaning to what is happening. Organizational communication also
has the meaning of sending and receiving various organizational messages in formal and
informal groups of an organization. It also includes the approaches involved in
organizational communication. In addition, there are also communication networks and
flows in communication. As well as the interaction format of organizational communication
which consists of communication interpersonal, communication small group, and public
communication.
Definition of Organizational Communication
Understanding of organizational communication is inseparable from its relation to
various other aspects of organizational behavior as a whole, or when viewed more broadly,
namely in relation to interdisciplinary studies, especially communication science.
Organizational behavior deals with how and why people act, think and feel in an
organizational setting (Paul D. Sweeney & Dean B. Mc Farlin, 2002: 3). To better
understand organizational communication. We must refer to the various notions of
communication and organization that will be described in the following section:
Communication
The term communication comes from the Latin word -communication‖ which means
notification, giving part, exchange, where the speaker expects consideration or answer from
the listener. The adjective is communis which means common or shared. The verb is
communicare which means to dialogue, confer or deliberate (Anwar Arifin, 1994: 24).
Communication is a process that is generally used by humans in social interaction.
Basically, it has such a broad understanding, both as a separate science and as a
process. There are various definitions of communication, Carl I. Hovland suggests as
follows: communication is the process by which a person / communicator Convey stimuli
(usually symbols in the form of words) to change the behavior of others / communicants
(Onong Uchyana Effendy, 1993: 24). Then Shimp (1993; 8) states that communication is
the process to create or cause a common thought between the one who gives the sign and the
one who receives the sign. Shimp's definition emphasizes more on the communication
process that aims at creating a common thought or opinion on the interaction that occurs
(Terence A. Shimp, 1993: 8).
Pace & Faules (2001; 28) suggest that communication can be distinguished from all
other human and organizational behavior because it involves the mental process of
understanding people, objects and events. Two common forms of action that constitute
communication that emphasize on 1) the creation of messages or, more precisely, the
creation of performances, and 2) the interpretation of messages or the interpretation of
performances (R. Wayne Pace & Don F. Daules, Deddy Maulyana). Harold D. Lasswell
explained communication as an answer to the questions: Who, Say, What, In which channel,
To whom, With what effect? This sentence then known as the Lasswell formula (Effendy,
256). From what Lasswell stated, in essence, it includes elements of communication, namely
the existence of; communicators, messages conveyed, media used, communicants /
audiences, and effects. In simple terms, it can be interpreted that communication is a
message delivery activity with the aim of equalizing the meaning of a person / institution
(communicator) to another person / audience (communicator).
Organization
One of the most important things in understanding organizational communication is
that we should understand the approaches that influence the way of thinking or looking at
organizations. Organization according to Robbins (2001; 4) is defined as a consciously
coordinated social unit, consisting of two or more people, which functions on a relatively
continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set of goals (Stephen P. Robbins, 2001: 4).
Pace & Faules (2001: 11) suggest that there are two approaches in understanding
organizations, the objective approach and the subjective approach. Meaning -"Objective" in
this concept refers to the view that objects, behaviors, and events exist in the real world and
are independent of observation, while -"Subjective" refers to reality itself as a social
construction, reality as a creative process that allows people to create what is "out there".
According to the objective approach, an organization is something physical and
concrete, and is a structure with definite boundaries, something stable. The term -
organization‖ implies that something tangible encapsulates people, relationships, and goals.
The subjective approach views organizations as activities that people do, consisting of
actions, interactions, and transactions involving people. Organizations are created and
nurtured through the constantly changing contacts that people have with one another and do
not exist in isolation from the people whose behaviors make up the organization.
So based on the objective approach, organization means structure; while based on the
subjective view, organization means process (organizing behavior). The implication is that,
according to the objective approach, studying the organization is studying the whole, how
the organization can adapt in the best way to the environment to develop itself and survive,
while according to the subjective approach, knowledge about the organization is obtained by
looking at behaviors and what those behaviors mean to those who do it, the structure is
recognized but the emphasis is on human behavior in the sense that it is not independent of
human actions. These two approaches, both objective and subjective, not only affect the way
of looking at organizational communication, but also in understanding the organization other
aspects related to organizational behavior.
Organizational Communication
Based on the description above, organizational communication can be defined as the
direction and interpretation of messages between communication units that are part of a
particular organization. The definition emphasizes more on the functional aspect (objective).
Meanwhile, when viewed from an interpretative (subjective) perspective, organizational
communication is seen as a process of creating meaning for the interactions that constitute
the organization. Organizational communication is the organizing behavior that occurs and
how those involved in the process transact and give meaning to what is happening (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Maulana, 31).
A simpler definitive statement is put forward by Arnold & Feldman (1986: 154) that
organizational communication is the exchange of information between people in the
organization, where the process generally includes stages: attention, comprehension,
acceptance as true, and retention.
The Nature of Communication in Organizations
When talking about organizational communication, what is drawn in a person is
things related to the role and status of each person in the organization, because the role and
status of a person also determines how to communicate with others as well as how to
communicate with him, so a good person is a person who always connects roles and statuses
with work (Alo Liliweri, 1997: 59).
In modern society people recognize a person because he or she has a variety of roles
and statuses. In an organization, this diversity is seen through the division of labor where
each person will work according to his talents and abilities so that he is responsible for the
work. When the number or types of work are more and more diverse, it is necessary to
intertwine the different types of work, intertwine between a leader and subordinates or
between leaders who ultimately form a large synergistic force to produce higher quality
output. At this stage communication is needed.
Organizational communication is often also interpreted as organizing behavior,
namely how a subordinate is involved in the process of transacting and giving meaning to
what is happening. Therefore, when the organization considered just a group of people who
interact then communication only functions as an organization; he is the organization itself.
So organizational communication will center on the symbols that make organizational life
possible, whether the words, ideas and constructs that encourage authorize, coordinate, and
realize organized activities in specific situations (Barry Cusway and Derej Logde, 1995:
115).
Any writing or anything related to organizational communication always considers
two main concepts, namely organization and communication. An organization can be
approached as an object of fun and interest, but there are those who may very well view
organizations as oppressive That favorable or oppressive attitude is actually very depends on
the understanding and practice of interactions, relationships and transactions that occur
between people in the organization, which is called organizational communication. So the
position of communication in organization is actually emphasizes on how an organization is
constructed and maintained through the communication process. With Thus organizational
communication is more than just what people but rather a theoretical explanation of
communication practices in organizations that serves togetherness both in the organization
as well as serving other people who need the organization. In other words, the existence of
communication in the organization makes one able to distinguish two things, namely: first,
showing how members work as an organization; and second, how the network operations
that link them to each other. In this perspective, communication is important in
organizations, 1). Communication is the way, through communication people seek
information and develop a number of criteria for getting work for them; 2). Communication
is a process for them in determining a choice which practical.
The Importance of the Study of Organizational Communication
The study of organizational communication is important because it is a discipline
that can take a number of legitimate and useful directions. In the sense that the study will
provide benefits not only for anyone who wants to understand organizational behavior
better, but also has pragmatic aspects for people who want to improve their performance as
participants/members of an organization. The study of organizational communication can
provide a strong foundation for careers in management, human resource development, and
corporate communication, as well as other human-oriented tasks in organizations (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Mulyana, 25).
Interpersonal Communication Interaction Format
Interpersonal communication is the process of exchanging information between
someone with at least one other person or usually between two people who can be
immediately known back. With the increase in people involved in communication, the
perception of people in communication events increases so that the communication becomes
more complex (Arni Muhammad, 2009: 158).
Classification Interpersonal communication
Intimate interaction; in organizations, this relationship is developed in informal
communication systems. For example, the relationship seen between two good
friends in the organization, who have personal interactions perhaps outside of their
roles and functions in the organization.
Social Conversation is an interaction to please someone simply by talking a little. If
two or more people get together and talk about concerns, interests outside the
organization such as family, sports, political issues.
Interrogation is an interaction between someone in control, who requests or even
obeys information from others.
Interview is a form of communication interpersonal communication where two
people engage in a conversation in the form of questions and answers.
Purpose of Interpersonal Communication
Finding yourself
Discovering the outside world
Establish and maintain meaningful relationships
Change in attitude and behavior
For play and fun
To help
Effective Interpersonal Relationships
According to Rogert, interpersonal relationships will occur effectively if both parties
fulfill the conditions:
meet each other in person
empathize appropriately with the other person and communicate meaningfully with
each other.
Respect each other, be positive and reasonable without judgment or objection.
really live each other's experiences, being receptive to each other's empathy.
Feel that maintaining mutual openness and a supportive climate reduces the tendency
for salience disruptions.
Exhibit behaviors that are trusting and reinforce feelings of security towards others.
Small Group Communication
Is a collection of individuals who can influence each other, get some satisfaction
from each other, interact to multiple goals, take on roles, bond with each other and
communicate face-to-face.
Purpose of small group communication
o Personal Objective
Relationships social, the goal is to strengthen interpersonal
relationships and improve our well-being.
Channeling, this goal is usually carried out in an atmosphere that
favors the exchange of ideas or heated arguments in family
discussions, where self-disclosure is appropriate.
Group therapy, this is usually used to help people eliminate their
attitudes, or behaviors in some aspect of their lives.
Learning, as a common reason for people to join small groups, is
learning from others. Learning happens in a variety of settings. The
underlying assumption of group learning is the idea of two-way
learning.
o Work-related goals
Decision-making; People who come together in groups to make
decisions about something. Discussing alternatives with others helps
people decide which is the best option for the group.
Small Group as a system
Small groups are small organizations that have four basic components: input or
process, output or result of feedback.
o Inputs, are the raw materials in a small group such as people, information that
the group uses to interact. People or group members are inputs because each
person in the group brings certain qualities such as personality, age, health,
knowledge, attitudes, values and problem-solving abilities.
o Process, refers to all the internal processes that occur within the group during
the discussion.
o Outcome, is the decision or resolution reached by the group.
o Feedback, containing responses that tie the system together. Feedback
provides input for future group meetings.
Small Group Characteristics
o Make it easier friendly meeting
o Group personality. When a group of people come together they forming its
own identity that makes up the personality of the group.
o Cohesiveness, which is the attraction group members have for each other and
their desire to stick together.
o Commitment to the task. Another individual activity within the group that is
closely related to with commitment is motivation.
o The size of Group size seems simple enough but group size has some
important ramifications within the group.
o Group norms, are rules and guidelines used by the group itself, as well as
some external factors outside the group.
o Interdependence. The most important thing is that group members depend on
each other to some degree, and on each other less.
Roles of Small Group Communication members
Kennet Benne and Paul Sheats (1948) proposed a classification of member roles on
this important topic. Benne and Sheats divided member roles into three general classes:
group task roles, group building and maintenance roles, and individual roles.
The Role of Group Assignments:
The group task role is the role that enables the group to focus more specifically on
achieving group goals. In carrying out With each of these roles, members do not act as
separate individuals, but as part of a larger whole. The needs and goals of the group govern
the roles that members must perform. Effective group members will perform several of these
functions, although some people are locked into a few specific roles.
Role Fostering and Sustaining Groups:
No one and no group is task-oriented all the time. A group is a unit whose members
have diverse interpersonal relationships. These relationships need to be nurtured if the group
is to function effectively-if group members are to be satisfied and productive. If this function
is not performed, group members will be damaged if group processes become bogged down,
frequent conflicts arise, or small group communication becomes disrupted on some personal
or social level.
Individualized role:
The task group role and the fostering and sustaining group role are all productive.
They assist the group in achieving its goals, and are group-oriented. The roles we will
discuss here are counter-productive. They hinder the group in achieving its goals and are
more individual-oriented than group-oriented group. Such roles are often termed
malfunctions, which hinder group effectiveness in terms of both productivity and personal
satisfaction.
Member Participation:
Here are some guidelines that will help make your participation in small group
communication effective and more enjoyable. Some of these suggestions are elaborations
and extensions of the basic characteristics of effective interpersonal communication.
Group-Oriented:
In a small group you are a team member - a member of a larger whole. Your
participation will be valuable if it helps achieve the group's goals of the group and increase
member satisfaction. Your job is to mobilize your skills, knowledge and ideas so that the
group can develop solutions that are better than those developed by one person. Individual
achievement can hinder the group.
Center the conflict on the problem:
Conflict in a small group situation is inevitable. Conflict is a natural part of the small
group process, but center the conflict on the problem rather than the person.
Be Critically Unbiased:
A common but unproductive developmental symptom occurs when members come
to the group with preconceived notions. When this happens, the small group process turns
into a series of individualized debates, with each person trying to defend his or her position.
Instead, members should come to the group armed with relevant information that will be
useful in the discussion process. They should not have made up their minds about the
solutions or conclusions they will accept.
Ensure understanding:
Make sure that your ideas and information are understood by all participants. If
something is worth saying. Then what is said should also be made clear. If in doubt, ask
yourself if what you are saying is clear, -Is my question clear enough?‖ -Did I explain it
clearly enough?‖ Also make sure that you are clear about the contributions of other
members, especially before you discuss the issue with them. In practice, people often
express their disagreement in their own words.
Groupthink:
Here are some symptoms that can help you recognize groupthink in the groups you
observe or participate in.
- Group members think that the group and its members cannot be defeated by danger.
- Members create rationalizations to avoid dealing directly with the danger or threat.
- Group members believe that their group is moral.
- Those who go against the grain are considered to be oversimplifying the problem, embracing
pluralistic ways.
- Group pressure is aimed at any member who shows hesitation or questions the group's
arguments or proposals. questioning the group's arguments or proposals.
- Group members censor their own doubts.
- Group members believe that all members agree unanimously, whether such agreement is
expressed or not.
- Group members begin to act as information that reaches other group members, especially if
such information can create differences of opinion.
Leaders in Small Group Communication
In most small groups, one person serves as the leader. In other groups, leadership
may be held by several people. Furthermore, the leader may be appointed or automatically
appear in the group In process development group communication.
Leadership Style:
In addition to looking at the main concerns in leadership, as we did with situational
leadership theory, we can also look at leadership in terms of three leadership styles: hands-
off, democratic and authoritarian.
Control-Leasing Leader:
The hands-off leader does not take the initiative to direct or suggest alternative
courses of action. Rather, this leader allows the group to develop and make mistakes. This
kind of leader rejects any authority given.
Democratic Leader:
The Democratic leader provides direction, but allows the group to develop and
implement the way its members want. Group members are encouraged to determine goals
and procedures. The democratic leader stimulates self-direction and self-actualization in
group members.
Keeping Members on Track:
Many people are egocentric and will only feel their own wants and problems. In this
case, the role of the leader is needed to direct the members to stay on the path of discussion.
Ensuring Member Satisfaction:
Members have different psychological needs and wants and many enter the group precisely
because of these needs and wants. Even if the group deals with for example political issues,
the various members may come together for reasons that are more psychological than
political.
Stimulate Evaluation and Improvement:
All groups will face obstacles if they are trying to solve a problem, make a decision,
or develop ideas. No single group is perfectly effective. All groups have the opportunity to
improve themselves.
Prepare Members for Discussion:
Groups form slowly and need to be shaped into meaningful discussions. The leader
should prepare the members for the discussion. This involves getting members ready to
interact in small groups, as well as ready to discuss a specific issue.
Public Communication
Public communication is the exchange of messages with a number of people who are
in a particular organization or outside the organization face-to-face or through the media.
The quality that distinguishes public organizational communication from interpersonal
communication and small group communication is :
Public communication is oriented towards the speaker or source. In interpersonal and
small group communication there is a reciprocal relationship between the speaker and
the recipient involved. In public organizational communication the speaker dominates
the relationship.
In public communication involves a large number of recipients but in interpersonal
communication there are usually 2 people and small group communication no more
than 5-7 recipients, public communication messages are intended to attract many
people, hundreds or millions of people.
In public communication there is less interaction between the speaker and the listener.
This results in less direct interaction between the speaker and the listener, especially
the larger the audience.
The language used in public communication is more general so that it can be
understood by the audience. Usually before the presentation the speaker knows the
specific type of audience.
The purpose of public communication is :
- Providing information to a large number of people who know the organization, for example
about the organization's activities and production.
- Establishing relationships between the organization and the community outside the
organization such as use of organizational services, users of organizational products and
society in general.
- Providing entertainment to a number of people such as recounting a pleasant experience to a
crowd.
Conclusions
Organizational communication is the direction and interpretation of messages among
communication units that are part of a particular organization. Organizational
communication is also the organizing behavior that occurs and how those involved in the
process transact and give meaning to what is happening. Organizational communication also
has the meaning of sending and receiving various organizational messages in formal and
informal groups of an organization. It also includes the approaches involved in
organizational communication. In addition, there are also communication networks and
flows in communication. As well as the interaction format of organizational communication
which consists of communication interpersonal, communication small group, and public
communication.
Definition of Organizational Communication
Understanding of organizational communication is inseparable from its relation to
various other aspects of organizational behavior as a whole, or when viewed more broadly,
namely in relation to interdisciplinary studies, especially communication science.
Organizational behavior deals with how and why people act, think and feel in an
organizational setting (Paul D. Sweeney & Dean B. Mc Farlin, 2002: 3). To better
understand organizational communication. We must refer to the various notions of
communication and organization that will be described in the following section:
Communication
The term communication comes from the Latin word -communication‖ which means
notification, giving part, exchange, where the speaker expects consideration or answer from
the listener. The adjective is communis which means common or shared. The verb is
communicare which means to dialogue, confer or deliberate (Anwar Arifin, 1994: 24).
Communication is a process that is generally used by humans in social interaction.
Basically, it has such a broad understanding, both as a separate science and as a
process. There are various definitions of communication, Carl I. Hovland suggests as
follows: communication is the process by which a person / communicator Convey stimuli
(usually symbols in the form of words) to change the behavior of others / communicants
(Onong Uchyana Effendy, 1993: 24). Then Shimp (1993; 8) states that communication is
the process to create or cause a common thought between the one who gives the sign and the
one who receives the sign. Shimp's definition emphasizes more on the communication
process that aims at creating a common thought or opinion on the interaction that occurs
(Terence A. Shimp, 1993: 8).
Pace & Faules (2001; 28) suggest that communication can be distinguished from all
other human and organizational behavior because it involves the mental process of
understanding people, objects and events. Two common forms of action that constitute
communication that emphasize on 1) the creation of messages or, more precisely, the
creation of performances, and 2) the interpretation of messages or the interpretation of
performances (R. Wayne Pace & Don F. Daules, Deddy Maulyana). Harold D. Lasswell
explained communication as an answer to the questions: Who, Say, What, In which channel,
To whom, With what effect? This sentence then known as the Lasswell formula (Effendy,
256). From what Lasswell stated, in essence, it includes elements of communication, namely
the existence of; communicators, messages conveyed, media used, communicants /
audiences, and effects. In simple terms, it can be interpreted that communication is a
message delivery activity with the aim of equalizing the meaning of a person / institution
(communicator) to another person / audience (communicator).
Organization
One of the most important things in understanding organizational communication is
that we should understand the approaches that influence the way of thinking or looking at
organizations. Organization according to Robbins (2001; 4) is defined as a consciously
coordinated social unit, consisting of two or more people, which functions on a relatively
continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set of goals (Stephen P. Robbins, 2001: 4).
Pace & Faules (2001: 11) suggest that there are two approaches in understanding
organizations, the objective approach and the subjective approach. Meaning -"Objective" in
this concept refers to the view that objects, behaviors, and events exist in the real world and
are independent of observation, while -"Subjective" refers to reality itself as a social
construction, reality as a creative process that allows people to create what is "out there".
According to the objective approach, an organization is something physical and
concrete, and is a structure with definite boundaries, something stable. The term -
organization‖ implies that something tangible encapsulates people, relationships, and goals.
The subjective approach views organizations as activities that people do, consisting of
actions, interactions, and transactions involving people. Organizations are created and
nurtured through the constantly changing contacts that people have with one another and do
not exist in isolation from the people whose behaviors make up the organization.
So based on the objective approach, organization means structure; while based on the
subjective view, organization means process (organizing behavior). The implication is that,
according to the objective approach, studying the organization is studying the whole, how
the organization can adapt in the best way to the environment to develop itself and survive,
while according to the subjective approach, knowledge about the organization is obtained by
looking at behaviors and what those behaviors mean to those who do it, the structure is
recognized but the emphasis is on human behavior in the sense that it is not independent of
human actions. These two approaches, both objective and subjective, not only affect the way
of looking at organizational communication, but also in understanding the organization other
aspects related to organizational behavior.
Organizational Communication
Based on the description above, organizational communication can be defined as the
direction and interpretation of messages between communication units that are part of a
particular organization. The definition emphasizes more on the functional aspect (objective).
Meanwhile, when viewed from an interpretative (subjective) perspective, organizational
communication is seen as a process of creating meaning for the interactions that constitute
the organization. Organizational communication is the organizing behavior that occurs and
how those involved in the process transact and give meaning to what is happening (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Maulana, 31).
A simpler definitive statement is put forward by Arnold & Feldman (1986: 154) that
organizational communication is the exchange of information between people in the
organization, where the process generally includes stages: attention, comprehension,
acceptance as true, and retention.
The Nature of Communication in Organizations
When talking about organizational communication, what is drawn in a person is
things related to the role and status of each person in the organization, because the role and
status of a person also determines how to communicate with others as well as how to
communicate with him, so a good person is a person who always connects roles and statuses
with work (Alo Liliweri, 1997: 59).
In modern society people recognize a person because he or she has a variety of roles
and statuses. In an organization, this diversity is seen through the division of labor where
each person will work according to his talents and abilities so that he is responsible for the
work. When the number or types of work are more and more diverse, it is necessary to
intertwine the different types of work, intertwine between a leader and subordinates or
between leaders who ultimately form a large synergistic force to produce higher quality
output. At this stage communication is needed.
Organizational communication is often also interpreted as organizing behavior,
namely how a subordinate is involved in the process of transacting and giving meaning to
what is happening. Therefore, when the organization considered just a group of people who
interact then communication only functions as an organization; he is the organization itself.
So organizational communication will center on the symbols that make organizational life
possible, whether the words, ideas and constructs that encourage authorize, coordinate, and
realize organized activities in specific situations (Barry Cusway and Derej Logde, 1995:
115).
Any writing or anything related to organizational communication always considers
two main concepts, namely organization and communication. An organization can be
approached as an object of fun and interest, but there are those who may very well view
organizations as oppressive That favorable or oppressive attitude is actually very depends on
the understanding and practice of interactions, relationships and transactions that occur
between people in the organization, which is called organizational communication. So the
position of communication in organization is actually emphasizes on how an organization is
constructed and maintained through the communication process. With Thus organizational
communication is more than just what people but rather a theoretical explanation of
communication practices in organizations that serves togetherness both in the organization
as well as serving other people who need the organization. In other words, the existence of
communication in the organization makes one able to distinguish two things, namely: first,
showing how members work as an organization; and second, how the network operations
that link them to each other. In this perspective, communication is important in
organizations, 1). Communication is the way, through communication people seek
information and develop a number of criteria for getting work for them; 2). Communication
is a process for them in determining a choice which practical.
The Importance of the Study of Organizational Communication
The study of organizational communication is important because it is a discipline
that can take a number of legitimate and useful directions. In the sense that the study will
provide benefits not only for anyone who wants to understand organizational behavior
better, but also has pragmatic aspects for people who want to improve their performance as
participants/members of an organization. The study of organizational communication can
provide a strong foundation for careers in management, human resource development, and
corporate communication, as well as other human-oriented tasks in organizations (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Mulyana, 25).
Interpersonal Communication Interaction Format
Interpersonal communication is the process of exchanging information between
someone with at least one other person or usually between two people who can be
immediately known back. With the increase in people involved in communication, the
perception of people in communication events increases so that the communication becomes
more complex (Arni Muhammad, 2009: 158).
Classification Interpersonal communication
Intimate interaction; in organizations, this relationship is developed in informal
communication systems. For example, the relationship seen between two good
friends in the organization, who have personal interactions perhaps outside of their
roles and functions in the organization.
Social Conversation is an interaction to please someone simply by talking a little. If
two or more people get together and talk about concerns, interests outside the
organization such as family, sports, political issues.
Interrogation is an interaction between someone in control, who requests or even
obeys information from others.
Interview is a form of communication interpersonal communication where two
people engage in a conversation in the form of questions and answers.
Purpose of Interpersonal Communication
Finding yourself
Discovering the outside world
Establish and maintain meaningful relationships
Change in attitude and behavior
For play and fun
To help
Effective Interpersonal Relationships
According to Rogert, interpersonal relationships will occur effectively if both parties
fulfill the conditions:
meet each other in person
empathize appropriately with the other person and communicate meaningfully with
each other.
Respect each other, be positive and reasonable without judgment or objection.
really live each other's experiences, being receptive to each other's empathy.
Feel that maintaining mutual openness and a supportive climate reduces the tendency
for salience disruptions.
Exhibit behaviors that are trusting and reinforce feelings of security towards others.
Small Group Communication
Is a collection of individuals who can influence each other, get some satisfaction
from each other, interact to multiple goals, take on roles, bond with each other and
communicate face-to-face.
Purpose of small group communication
o Personal Objective
Relationships social, the goal is to strengthen interpersonal
relationships and improve our well-being.
Channeling, this goal is usually carried out in an atmosphere that
favors the exchange of ideas or heated arguments in family
discussions, where self-disclosure is appropriate.
Group therapy, this is usually used to help people eliminate their
attitudes, or behaviors in some aspect of their lives.
Learning, as a common reason for people to join small groups, is
learning from others. Learning happens in a variety of settings. The
underlying assumption of group learning is the idea of two-way
learning.
o Work-related goals
Decision-making; People who come together in groups to make
decisions about something. Discussing alternatives with others helps
people decide which is the best option for the group.
Small Group as a system
Small groups are small organizations that have four basic components: input or
process, output or result of feedback.
o Inputs, are the raw materials in a small group such as people, information that
the group uses to interact. People or group members are inputs because each
person in the group brings certain qualities such as personality, age, health,
knowledge, attitudes, values and problem-solving abilities.
o Process, refers to all the internal processes that occur within the group during
the discussion.
o Outcome, is the decision or resolution reached by the group.
o Feedback, containing responses that tie the system together. Feedback
provides input for future group meetings.
Small Group Characteristics
o Make it easier friendly meeting
o Group personality. When a group of people come together they forming its
own identity that makes up the personality of the group.
o Cohesiveness, which is the attraction group members have for each other and
their desire to stick together.
o Commitment to the task. Another individual activity within the group that is
closely related to with commitment is motivation.
o The size of Group size seems simple enough but group size has some
important ramifications within the group.
o Group norms, are rules and guidelines used by the group itself, as well as
some external factors outside the group.
o Interdependence. The most important thing is that group members depend on
each other to some degree, and on each other less.
Roles of Small Group Communication members
Kennet Benne and Paul Sheats (1948) proposed a classification of member roles on
this important topic. Benne and Sheats divided member roles into three general classes:
group task roles, group building and maintenance roles, and individual roles.
The Role of Group Assignments:
The group task role is the role that enables the group to focus more specifically on
achieving group goals. In carrying out With each of these roles, members do not act as
separate individuals, but as part of a larger whole. The needs and goals of the group govern
the roles that members must perform. Effective group members will perform several of these
functions, although some people are locked into a few specific roles.
Role Fostering and Sustaining Groups:
No one and no group is task-oriented all the time. A group is a unit whose members
have diverse interpersonal relationships. These relationships need to be nurtured if the group
is to function effectively-if group members are to be satisfied and productive. If this function
is not performed, group members will be damaged if group processes become bogged down,
frequent conflicts arise, or small group communication becomes disrupted on some personal
or social level.
Individualized role:
The task group role and the fostering and sustaining group role are all productive.
They assist the group in achieving its goals, and are group-oriented. The roles we will
discuss here are counter-productive. They hinder the group in achieving its goals and are
more individual-oriented than group-oriented group. Such roles are often termed
malfunctions, which hinder group effectiveness in terms of both productivity and personal
satisfaction.
Member Participation:
Here are some guidelines that will help make your participation in small group
communication effective and more enjoyable. Some of these suggestions are elaborations
and extensions of the basic characteristics of effective interpersonal communication.
Group-Oriented:
In a small group you are a team member - a member of a larger whole. Your
participation will be valuable if it helps achieve the group's goals of the group and increase
member satisfaction. Your job is to mobilize your skills, knowledge and ideas so that the
group can develop solutions that are better than those developed by one person. Individual
achievement can hinder the group.
Center the conflict on the problem:
Conflict in a small group situation is inevitable. Conflict is a natural part of the small
group process, but center the conflict on the problem rather than the person.
Be Critically Unbiased:
A common but unproductive developmental symptom occurs when members come
to the group with preconceived notions. When this happens, the small group process turns
into a series of individualized debates, with each person trying to defend his or her position.
Instead, members should come to the group armed with relevant information that will be
useful in the discussion process. They should not have made up their minds about the
solutions or conclusions they will accept.
Ensure understanding:
Make sure that your ideas and information are understood by all participants. If
something is worth saying. Then what is said should also be made clear. If in doubt, ask
yourself if what you are saying is clear, -Is my question clear enough?‖ -Did I explain it
clearly enough?‖ Also make sure that you are clear about the contributions of other
members, especially before you discuss the issue with them. In practice, people often
express their disagreement in their own words.
Groupthink:
Here are some symptoms that can help you recognize groupthink in the groups you
observe or participate in.
- Group members think that the group and its members cannot be defeated by danger.
- Members create rationalizations to avoid dealing directly with the danger or threat.
- Group members believe that their group is moral.
- Those who go against the grain are considered to be oversimplifying the problem, embracing
pluralistic ways.
- Group pressure is aimed at any member who shows hesitation or questions the group's
arguments or proposals. questioning the group's arguments or proposals.
- Group members censor their own doubts.
- Group members believe that all members agree unanimously, whether such agreement is
expressed or not.
- Group members begin to act as information that reaches other group members, especially if
such information can create differences of opinion.
Leaders in Small Group Communication
In most small groups, one person serves as the leader. In other groups, leadership
may be held by several people. Furthermore, the leader may be appointed or automatically
appear in the group In process development group communication.
Leadership Style:
In addition to looking at the main concerns in leadership, as we did with situational
leadership theory, we can also look at leadership in terms of three leadership styles: hands-
off, democratic and authoritarian.
Control-Leasing Leader:
The hands-off leader does not take the initiative to direct or suggest alternative
courses of action. Rather, this leader allows the group to develop and make mistakes. This
kind of leader rejects any authority given.
Democratic Leader:
The Democratic leader provides direction, but allows the group to develop and
implement the way its members want. Group members are encouraged to determine goals
and procedures. The democratic leader stimulates self-direction and self-actualization in
group members.
Keeping Members on Track:
Many people are egocentric and will only feel their own wants and problems. In this
case, the role of the leader is needed to direct the members to stay on the path of discussion.
Ensuring Member Satisfaction:
Members have different psychological needs and wants and many enter the group precisely
because of these needs and wants. Even if the group deals with for example political issues,
the various members may come together for reasons that are more psychological than
political.
Stimulate Evaluation and Improvement:
All groups will face obstacles if they are trying to solve a problem, make a decision,
or develop ideas. No single group is perfectly effective. All groups have the opportunity to
improve themselves.
Prepare Members for Discussion:
Groups form slowly and need to be shaped into meaningful discussions. The leader
should prepare the members for the discussion. This involves getting members ready to
interact in small groups, as well as ready to discuss a specific issue.
Public Communication
Public communication is the exchange of messages with a number of people who are
in a particular organization or outside the organization face-to-face or through the media.
The quality that distinguishes public organizational communication from interpersonal
communication and small group communication is :
Public communication is oriented towards the speaker or source. In interpersonal and
small group communication there is a reciprocal relationship between the speaker and
the recipient involved. In public organizational communication the speaker dominates
the relationship.
In public communication involves a large number of recipients but in interpersonal
communication there are usually 2 people and small group communication no more
than 5-7 recipients, public communication messages are intended to attract many
people, hundreds or millions of people.
In public communication there is less interaction between the speaker and the listener.
This results in less direct interaction between the speaker and the listener, especially
the larger the audience.
The language used in public communication is more general so that it can be
understood by the audience. Usually before the presentation the speaker knows the
specific type of audience.
The purpose of public communication is :
- Providing information to a large number of people who know the organization, for example
about the organization's activities and production.
- Establishing relationships between the organization and the community outside the
organization such as use of organizational services, users of organizational products and
society in general.
- Providing entertainment to a number of people such as recounting a pleasant experience to a
crowd.
Conclusions
Organizational communication is the direction and interpretation of messages among
communication units that are part of a particular organization. Organizational
communication is also the organizing behavior that occurs and how those involved in the
process transact and give meaning to what is happening. Organizational communication also
has the meaning of sending and receiving various organizational messages in formal and
informal groups of an organization. It also includes the approaches involved in
organizational communication. In addition, there are also communication networks and
flows in communication. As well as the interaction format of organizational communication
which consists of communication interpersonal, communication small group, and public
communication.
Definition of Organizational Communication
Understanding of organizational communication is inseparable from its relation to
various other aspects of organizational behavior as a whole, or when viewed more broadly,
namely in relation to interdisciplinary studies, especially communication science.
Organizational behavior deals with how and why people act, think and feel in an
organizational setting (Paul D. Sweeney & Dean B. Mc Farlin, 2002: 3). To better
understand organizational communication. We must refer to the various notions of
communication and organization that will be described in the following section:
Communication
The term communication comes from the Latin word -communication‖ which means
notification, giving part, exchange, where the speaker expects consideration or answer from
the listener. The adjective is communis which means common or shared. The verb is
communicare which means to dialogue, confer or deliberate (Anwar Arifin, 1994: 24).
Communication is a process that is generally used by humans in social interaction.
Basically, it has such a broad understanding, both as a separate science and as a
process. There are various definitions of communication, Carl I. Hovland suggests as
follows: communication is the process by which a person / communicator Convey stimuli
(usually symbols in the form of words) to change the behavior of others / communicants
(Onong Uchyana Effendy, 1993: 24). Then Shimp (1993; 8) states that communication is
the process to create or cause a common thought between the one who gives the sign and the
one who receives the sign. Shimp's definition emphasizes more on the communication
process that aims at creating a common thought or opinion on the interaction that occurs
(Terence A. Shimp, 1993: 8).
Pace & Faules (2001; 28) suggest that communication can be distinguished from all
other human and organizational behavior because it involves the mental process of
understanding people, objects and events. Two common forms of action that constitute
communication that emphasize on 1) the creation of messages or, more precisely, the
creation of performances, and 2) the interpretation of messages or the interpretation of
performances (R. Wayne Pace & Don F. Daules, Deddy Maulyana). Harold D. Lasswell
explained communication as an answer to the questions: Who, Say, What, In which channel,
To whom, With what effect? This sentence then known as the Lasswell formula (Effendy,
256). From what Lasswell stated, in essence, it includes elements of communication, namely
the existence of; communicators, messages conveyed, media used, communicants /
audiences, and effects. In simple terms, it can be interpreted that communication is a
message delivery activity with the aim of equalizing the meaning of a person / institution
(communicator) to another person / audience (communicator).
Organization
One of the most important things in understanding organizational communication is
that we should understand the approaches that influence the way of thinking or looking at
organizations. Organization according to Robbins (2001; 4) is defined as a consciously
coordinated social unit, consisting of two or more people, which functions on a relatively
continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set of goals (Stephen P. Robbins, 2001: 4).
Pace & Faules (2001: 11) suggest that there are two approaches in understanding
organizations, the objective approach and the subjective approach. Meaning -"Objective" in
this concept refers to the view that objects, behaviors, and events exist in the real world and
are independent of observation, while -"Subjective" refers to reality itself as a social
construction, reality as a creative process that allows people to create what is "out there".
According to the objective approach, an organization is something physical and
concrete, and is a structure with definite boundaries, something stable. The term -
organization‖ implies that something tangible encapsulates people, relationships, and goals.
The subjective approach views organizations as activities that people do, consisting of
actions, interactions, and transactions involving people. Organizations are created and
nurtured through the constantly changing contacts that people have with one another and do
not exist in isolation from the people whose behaviors make up the organization.
So based on the objective approach, organization means structure; while based on the
subjective view, organization means process (organizing behavior). The implication is that,
according to the objective approach, studying the organization is studying the whole, how
the organization can adapt in the best way to the environment to develop itself and survive,
while according to the subjective approach, knowledge about the organization is obtained by
looking at behaviors and what those behaviors mean to those who do it, the structure is
recognized but the emphasis is on human behavior in the sense that it is not independent of
human actions. These two approaches, both objective and subjective, not only affect the way
of looking at organizational communication, but also in understanding the organization other
aspects related to organizational behavior.
Organizational Communication
Based on the description above, organizational communication can be defined as the
direction and interpretation of messages between communication units that are part of a
particular organization. The definition emphasizes more on the functional aspect (objective).
Meanwhile, when viewed from an interpretative (subjective) perspective, organizational
communication is seen as a process of creating meaning for the interactions that constitute
the organization. Organizational communication is the organizing behavior that occurs and
how those involved in the process transact and give meaning to what is happening (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Maulana, 31).
A simpler definitive statement is put forward by Arnold & Feldman (1986: 154) that
organizational communication is the exchange of information between people in the
organization, where the process generally includes stages: attention, comprehension,
acceptance as true, and retention.
The Nature of Communication in Organizations
When talking about organizational communication, what is drawn in a person is
things related to the role and status of each person in the organization, because the role and
status of a person also determines how to communicate with others as well as how to
communicate with him, so a good person is a person who always connects roles and statuses
with work (Alo Liliweri, 1997: 59).
In modern society people recognize a person because he or she has a variety of roles
and statuses. In an organization, this diversity is seen through the division of labor where
each person will work according to his talents and abilities so that he is responsible for the
work. When the number or types of work are more and more diverse, it is necessary to
intertwine the different types of work, intertwine between a leader and subordinates or
between leaders who ultimately form a large synergistic force to produce higher quality
output. At this stage communication is needed.
Organizational communication is often also interpreted as organizing behavior,
namely how a subordinate is involved in the process of transacting and giving meaning to
what is happening. Therefore, when the organization considered just a group of people who
interact then communication only functions as an organization; he is the organization itself.
So organizational communication will center on the symbols that make organizational life
possible, whether the words, ideas and constructs that encourage authorize, coordinate, and
realize organized activities in specific situations (Barry Cusway and Derej Logde, 1995:
115).
Any writing or anything related to organizational communication always considers
two main concepts, namely organization and communication. An organization can be
approached as an object of fun and interest, but there are those who may very well view
organizations as oppressive That favorable or oppressive attitude is actually very depends on
the understanding and practice of interactions, relationships and transactions that occur
between people in the organization, which is called organizational communication. So the
position of communication in organization is actually emphasizes on how an organization is
constructed and maintained through the communication process. With Thus organizational
communication is more than just what people but rather a theoretical explanation of
communication practices in organizations that serves togetherness both in the organization
as well as serving other people who need the organization. In other words, the existence of
communication in the organization makes one able to distinguish two things, namely: first,
showing how members work as an organization; and second, how the network operations
that link them to each other. In this perspective, communication is important in
organizations, 1). Communication is the way, through communication people seek
information and develop a number of criteria for getting work for them; 2). Communication
is a process for them in determining a choice which practical.
The Importance of the Study of Organizational Communication
The study of organizational communication is important because it is a discipline
that can take a number of legitimate and useful directions. In the sense that the study will
provide benefits not only for anyone who wants to understand organizational behavior
better, but also has pragmatic aspects for people who want to improve their performance as
participants/members of an organization. The study of organizational communication can
provide a strong foundation for careers in management, human resource development, and
corporate communication, as well as other human-oriented tasks in organizations (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Mulyana, 25).
Interpersonal Communication Interaction Format
Interpersonal communication is the process of exchanging information between
someone with at least one other person or usually between two people who can be
immediately known back. With the increase in people involved in communication, the
perception of people in communication events increases so that the communication becomes
more complex (Arni Muhammad, 2009: 158).
Classification Interpersonal communication
Intimate interaction; in organizations, this relationship is developed in informal
communication systems. For example, the relationship seen between two good
friends in the organization, who have personal interactions perhaps outside of their
roles and functions in the organization.
Social Conversation is an interaction to please someone simply by talking a little. If
two or more people get together and talk about concerns, interests outside the
organization such as family, sports, political issues.
Interrogation is an interaction between someone in control, who requests or even
obeys information from others.
Interview is a form of communication interpersonal communication where two
people engage in a conversation in the form of questions and answers.
Purpose of Interpersonal Communication
Finding yourself
Discovering the outside world
Establish and maintain meaningful relationships
Change in attitude and behavior
For play and fun
To help
Effective Interpersonal Relationships
According to Rogert, interpersonal relationships will occur effectively if both parties
fulfill the conditions:
meet each other in person
empathize appropriately with the other person and communicate meaningfully with
each other.
Respect each other, be positive and reasonable without judgment or objection.
really live each other's experiences, being receptive to each other's empathy.
Feel that maintaining mutual openness and a supportive climate reduces the tendency
for salience disruptions.
Exhibit behaviors that are trusting and reinforce feelings of security towards others.
Small Group Communication
Is a collection of individuals who can influence each other, get some satisfaction
from each other, interact to multiple goals, take on roles, bond with each other and
communicate face-to-face.
Purpose of small group communication
o Personal Objective
Relationships social, the goal is to strengthen interpersonal
relationships and improve our well-being.
Channeling, this goal is usually carried out in an atmosphere that
favors the exchange of ideas or heated arguments in family
discussions, where self-disclosure is appropriate.
Group therapy, this is usually used to help people eliminate their
attitudes, or behaviors in some aspect of their lives.
Learning, as a common reason for people to join small groups, is
learning from others. Learning happens in a variety of settings. The
underlying assumption of group learning is the idea of two-way
learning.
o Work-related goals
Decision-making; People who come together in groups to make
decisions about something. Discussing alternatives with others helps
people decide which is the best option for the group.
Small Group as a system
Small groups are small organizations that have four basic components: input or
process, output or result of feedback.
o Inputs, are the raw materials in a small group such as people, information that
the group uses to interact. People or group members are inputs because each
person in the group brings certain qualities such as personality, age, health,
knowledge, attitudes, values and problem-solving abilities.
o Process, refers to all the internal processes that occur within the group during
the discussion.
o Outcome, is the decision or resolution reached by the group.
o Feedback, containing responses that tie the system together. Feedback
provides input for future group meetings.
Small Group Characteristics
o Make it easier friendly meeting
o Group personality. When a group of people come together they forming its
own identity that makes up the personality of the group.
o Cohesiveness, which is the attraction group members have for each other and
their desire to stick together.
o Commitment to the task. Another individual activity within the group that is
closely related to with commitment is motivation.
o The size of Group size seems simple enough but group size has some
important ramifications within the group.
o Group norms, are rules and guidelines used by the group itself, as well as
some external factors outside the group.
o Interdependence. The most important thing is that group members depend on
each other to some degree, and on each other less.
Roles of Small Group Communication members
Kennet Benne and Paul Sheats (1948) proposed a classification of member roles on
this important topic. Benne and Sheats divided member roles into three general classes:
group task roles, group building and maintenance roles, and individual roles.
The Role of Group Assignments:
The group task role is the role that enables the group to focus more specifically on
achieving group goals. In carrying out With each of these roles, members do not act as
separate individuals, but as part of a larger whole. The needs and goals of the group govern
the roles that members must perform. Effective group members will perform several of these
functions, although some people are locked into a few specific roles.
Role Fostering and Sustaining Groups:
No one and no group is task-oriented all the time. A group is a unit whose members
have diverse interpersonal relationships. These relationships need to be nurtured if the group
is to function effectively-if group members are to be satisfied and productive. If this function
is not performed, group members will be damaged if group processes become bogged down,
frequent conflicts arise, or small group communication becomes disrupted on some personal
or social level.
Individualized role:
The task group role and the fostering and sustaining group role are all productive.
They assist the group in achieving its goals, and are group-oriented. The roles we will
discuss here are counter-productive. They hinder the group in achieving its goals and are
more individual-oriented than group-oriented group. Such roles are often termed
malfunctions, which hinder group effectiveness in terms of both productivity and personal
satisfaction.
Member Participation:
Here are some guidelines that will help make your participation in small group
communication effective and more enjoyable. Some of these suggestions are elaborations
and extensions of the basic characteristics of effective interpersonal communication.
Group-Oriented:
In a small group you are a team member - a member of a larger whole. Your
participation will be valuable if it helps achieve the group's goals of the group and increase
member satisfaction. Your job is to mobilize your skills, knowledge and ideas so that the
group can develop solutions that are better than those developed by one person. Individual
achievement can hinder the group.
Center the conflict on the problem:
Conflict in a small group situation is inevitable. Conflict is a natural part of the small
group process, but center the conflict on the problem rather than the person.
Be Critically Unbiased:
A common but unproductive developmental symptom occurs when members come
to the group with preconceived notions. When this happens, the small group process turns
into a series of individualized debates, with each person trying to defend his or her position.
Instead, members should come to the group armed with relevant information that will be
useful in the discussion process. They should not have made up their minds about the
solutions or conclusions they will accept.
Ensure understanding:
Make sure that your ideas and information are understood by all participants. If
something is worth saying. Then what is said should also be made clear. If in doubt, ask
yourself if what you are saying is clear, -Is my question clear enough?‖ -Did I explain it
clearly enough?‖ Also make sure that you are clear about the contributions of other
members, especially before you discuss the issue with them. In practice, people often
express their disagreement in their own words.
Groupthink:
Here are some symptoms that can help you recognize groupthink in the groups you
observe or participate in.
- Group members think that the group and its members cannot be defeated by danger.
- Members create rationalizations to avoid dealing directly with the danger or threat.
- Group members believe that their group is moral.
- Those who go against the grain are considered to be oversimplifying the problem, embracing
pluralistic ways.
- Group pressure is aimed at any member who shows hesitation or questions the group's
arguments or proposals. questioning the group's arguments or proposals.
- Group members censor their own doubts.
- Group members believe that all members agree unanimously, whether such agreement is
expressed or not.
- Group members begin to act as information that reaches other group members, especially if
such information can create differences of opinion.
Leaders in Small Group Communication
In most small groups, one person serves as the leader. In other groups, leadership
may be held by several people. Furthermore, the leader may be appointed or automatically
appear in the group In process development group communication.
Leadership Style:
In addition to looking at the main concerns in leadership, as we did with situational
leadership theory, we can also look at leadership in terms of three leadership styles: hands-
off, democratic and authoritarian.
Control-Leasing Leader:
The hands-off leader does not take the initiative to direct or suggest alternative
courses of action. Rather, this leader allows the group to develop and make mistakes. This
kind of leader rejects any authority given.
Democratic Leader:
The Democratic leader provides direction, but allows the group to develop and
implement the way its members want. Group members are encouraged to determine goals
and procedures. The democratic leader stimulates self-direction and self-actualization in
group members.
Keeping Members on Track:
Many people are egocentric and will only feel their own wants and problems. In this
case, the role of the leader is needed to direct the members to stay on the path of discussion.
Ensuring Member Satisfaction:
Members have different psychological needs and wants and many enter the group precisely
because of these needs and wants. Even if the group deals with for example political issues,
the various members may come together for reasons that are more psychological than
political.
Stimulate Evaluation and Improvement:
All groups will face obstacles if they are trying to solve a problem, make a decision,
or develop ideas. No single group is perfectly effective. All groups have the opportunity to
improve themselves.
Prepare Members for Discussion:
Groups form slowly and need to be shaped into meaningful discussions. The leader
should prepare the members for the discussion. This involves getting members ready to
interact in small groups, as well as ready to discuss a specific issue.
Public Communication
Public communication is the exchange of messages with a number of people who are
in a particular organization or outside the organization face-to-face or through the media.
The quality that distinguishes public organizational communication from interpersonal
communication and small group communication is :
Public communication is oriented towards the speaker or source. In interpersonal and
small group communication there is a reciprocal relationship between the speaker and
the recipient involved. In public organizational communication the speaker dominates
the relationship.
In public communication involves a large number of recipients but in interpersonal
communication there are usually 2 people and small group communication no more
than 5-7 recipients, public communication messages are intended to attract many
people, hundreds or millions of people.
In public communication there is less interaction between the speaker and the listener.
This results in less direct interaction between the speaker and the listener, especially
the larger the audience.
The language used in public communication is more general so that it can be
understood by the audience. Usually before the presentation the speaker knows the
specific type of audience.
The purpose of public communication is :
- Providing information to a large number of people who know the organization, for example
about the organization's activities and production.
- Establishing relationships between the organization and the community outside the
organization such as use of organizational services, users of organizational products and
society in general.
- Providing entertainment to a number of people such as recounting a pleasant experience to a
crowd.
Conclusions
Organizational communication is the direction and interpretation of messages among
communication units that are part of a particular organization. Organizational
communication is also the organizing behavior that occurs and how those involved in the
process transact and give meaning to what is happening. Organizational communication also
has the meaning of sending and receiving various organizational messages in formal and
informal groups of an organization. It also includes the approaches involved in
organizational communication. In addition, there are also communication networks and
flows in communication. As well as the interaction format of organizational communication
which consists of communication interpersonal, communication small group, and public
communication.
Definition of Organizational Communication
Understanding of organizational communication is inseparable from its relation to
various other aspects of organizational behavior as a whole, or when viewed more broadly,
namely in relation to interdisciplinary studies, especially communication science.
Organizational behavior deals with how and why people act, think and feel in an
organizational setting (Paul D. Sweeney & Dean B. Mc Farlin, 2002: 3). To better
understand organizational communication. We must refer to the various notions of
communication and organization that will be described in the following section:
Communication
The term communication comes from the Latin word -communication‖ which means
notification, giving part, exchange, where the speaker expects consideration or answer from
the listener. The adjective is communis which means common or shared. The verb is
communicare which means to dialogue, confer or deliberate (Anwar Arifin, 1994: 24).
Communication is a process that is generally used by humans in social interaction.
Basically, it has such a broad understanding, both as a separate science and as a
process. There are various definitions of communication, Carl I. Hovland suggests as
follows: communication is the process by which a person / communicator Convey stimuli
(usually symbols in the form of words) to change the behavior of others / communicants
(Onong Uchyana Effendy, 1993: 24). Then Shimp (1993; 8) states that communication is
the process to create or cause a common thought between the one who gives the sign and the
one who receives the sign. Shimp's definition emphasizes more on the communication
process that aims at creating a common thought or opinion on the interaction that occurs
(Terence A. Shimp, 1993: 8).
Pace & Faules (2001; 28) suggest that communication can be distinguished from all
other human and organizational behavior because it involves the mental process of
understanding people, objects and events. Two common forms of action that constitute
communication that emphasize on 1) the creation of messages or, more precisely, the
creation of performances, and 2) the interpretation of messages or the interpretation of
performances (R. Wayne Pace & Don F. Daules, Deddy Maulyana). Harold D. Lasswell
explained communication as an answer to the questions: Who, Say, What, In which channel,
To whom, With what effect? This sentence then known as the Lasswell formula (Effendy,
256). From what Lasswell stated, in essence, it includes elements of communication, namely
the existence of; communicators, messages conveyed, media used, communicants /
audiences, and effects. In simple terms, it can be interpreted that communication is a
message delivery activity with the aim of equalizing the meaning of a person / institution
(communicator) to another person / audience (communicator).
Organization
One of the most important things in understanding organizational communication is
that we should understand the approaches that influence the way of thinking or looking at
organizations. Organization according to Robbins (2001; 4) is defined as a consciously
coordinated social unit, consisting of two or more people, which functions on a relatively
continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set of goals (Stephen P. Robbins, 2001: 4).
Pace & Faules (2001: 11) suggest that there are two approaches in understanding
organizations, the objective approach and the subjective approach. Meaning -"Objective" in
this concept refers to the view that objects, behaviors, and events exist in the real world and
are independent of observation, while -"Subjective" refers to reality itself as a social
construction, reality as a creative process that allows people to create what is "out there".
According to the objective approach, an organization is something physical and
concrete, and is a structure with definite boundaries, something stable. The term -
organization‖ implies that something tangible encapsulates people, relationships, and goals.
The subjective approach views organizations as activities that people do, consisting of
actions, interactions, and transactions involving people. Organizations are created and
nurtured through the constantly changing contacts that people have with one another and do
not exist in isolation from the people whose behaviors make up the organization.
So based on the objective approach, organization means structure; while based on the
subjective view, organization means process (organizing behavior). The implication is that,
according to the objective approach, studying the organization is studying the whole, how
the organization can adapt in the best way to the environment to develop itself and survive,
while according to the subjective approach, knowledge about the organization is obtained by
looking at behaviors and what those behaviors mean to those who do it, the structure is
recognized but the emphasis is on human behavior in the sense that it is not independent of
human actions. These two approaches, both objective and subjective, not only affect the way
of looking at organizational communication, but also in understanding the organization other
aspects related to organizational behavior.
Organizational Communication
Based on the description above, organizational communication can be defined as the
direction and interpretation of messages between communication units that are part of a
particular organization. The definition emphasizes more on the functional aspect (objective).
Meanwhile, when viewed from an interpretative (subjective) perspective, organizational
communication is seen as a process of creating meaning for the interactions that constitute
the organization. Organizational communication is the organizing behavior that occurs and
how those involved in the process transact and give meaning to what is happening (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Maulana, 31).
A simpler definitive statement is put forward by Arnold & Feldman (1986: 154) that
organizational communication is the exchange of information between people in the
organization, where the process generally includes stages: attention, comprehension,
acceptance as true, and retention.
The Nature of Communication in Organizations
When talking about organizational communication, what is drawn in a person is
things related to the role and status of each person in the organization, because the role and
status of a person also determines how to communicate with others as well as how to
communicate with him, so a good person is a person who always connects roles and statuses
with work (Alo Liliweri, 1997: 59).
In modern society people recognize a person because he or she has a variety of roles
and statuses. In an organization, this diversity is seen through the division of labor where
each person will work according to his talents and abilities so that he is responsible for the
work. When the number or types of work are more and more diverse, it is necessary to
intertwine the different types of work, intertwine between a leader and subordinates or
between leaders who ultimately form a large synergistic force to produce higher quality
output. At this stage communication is needed.
Organizational communication is often also interpreted as organizing behavior,
namely how a subordinate is involved in the process of transacting and giving meaning to
what is happening. Therefore, when the organization considered just a group of people who
interact then communication only functions as an organization; he is the organization itself.
So organizational communication will center on the symbols that make organizational life
possible, whether the words, ideas and constructs that encourage authorize, coordinate, and
realize organized activities in specific situations (Barry Cusway and Derej Logde, 1995:
115).
Any writing or anything related to organizational communication always considers
two main concepts, namely organization and communication. An organization can be
approached as an object of fun and interest, but there are those who may very well view
organizations as oppressive That favorable or oppressive attitude is actually very depends on
the understanding and practice of interactions, relationships and transactions that occur
between people in the organization, which is called organizational communication. So the
position of communication in organization is actually emphasizes on how an organization is
constructed and maintained through the communication process. With Thus organizational
communication is more than just what people but rather a theoretical explanation of
communication practices in organizations that serves togetherness both in the organization
as well as serving other people who need the organization. In other words, the existence of
communication in the organization makes one able to distinguish two things, namely: first,
showing how members work as an organization; and second, how the network operations
that link them to each other. In this perspective, communication is important in
organizations, 1). Communication is the way, through communication people seek
information and develop a number of criteria for getting work for them; 2). Communication
is a process for them in determining a choice which practical.
The Importance of the Study of Organizational Communication
The study of organizational communication is important because it is a discipline
that can take a number of legitimate and useful directions. In the sense that the study will
provide benefits not only for anyone who wants to understand organizational behavior
better, but also has pragmatic aspects for people who want to improve their performance as
participants/members of an organization. The study of organizational communication can
provide a strong foundation for careers in management, human resource development, and
corporate communication, as well as other human-oriented tasks in organizations (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Mulyana, 25).
Interpersonal Communication Interaction Format
Interpersonal communication is the process of exchanging information between
someone with at least one other person or usually between two people who can be
immediately known back. With the increase in people involved in communication, the
perception of people in communication events increases so that the communication becomes
more complex (Arni Muhammad, 2009: 158).
Classification Interpersonal communication
Intimate interaction; in organizations, this relationship is developed in informal
communication systems. For example, the relationship seen between two good
friends in the organization, who have personal interactions perhaps outside of their
roles and functions in the organization.
Social Conversation is an interaction to please someone simply by talking a little. If
two or more people get together and talk about concerns, interests outside the
organization such as family, sports, political issues.
Interrogation is an interaction between someone in control, who requests or even
obeys information from others.
Interview is a form of communication interpersonal communication where two
people engage in a conversation in the form of questions and answers.
Purpose of Interpersonal Communication
Finding yourself
Discovering the outside world
Establish and maintain meaningful relationships
Change in attitude and behavior
For play and fun
To help
Effective Interpersonal Relationships
According to Rogert, interpersonal relationships will occur effectively if both parties
fulfill the conditions:
meet each other in person
empathize appropriately with the other person and communicate meaningfully with
each other.
Respect each other, be positive and reasonable without judgment or objection.
really live each other's experiences, being receptive to each other's empathy.
Feel that maintaining mutual openness and a supportive climate reduces the tendency
for salience disruptions.
Exhibit behaviors that are trusting and reinforce feelings of security towards others.
Small Group Communication
Is a collection of individuals who can influence each other, get some satisfaction
from each other, interact to multiple goals, take on roles, bond with each other and
communicate face-to-face.
Purpose of small group communication
o Personal Objective
Relationships social, the goal is to strengthen interpersonal
relationships and improve our well-being.
Channeling, this goal is usually carried out in an atmosphere that
favors the exchange of ideas or heated arguments in family
discussions, where self-disclosure is appropriate.
Group therapy, this is usually used to help people eliminate their
attitudes, or behaviors in some aspect of their lives.
Learning, as a common reason for people to join small groups, is
learning from others. Learning happens in a variety of settings. The
underlying assumption of group learning is the idea of two-way
learning.
o Work-related goals
Decision-making; People who come together in groups to make
decisions about something. Discussing alternatives with others helps
people decide which is the best option for the group.
Small Group as a system
Small groups are small organizations that have four basic components: input or
process, output or result of feedback.
o Inputs, are the raw materials in a small group such as people, information that
the group uses to interact. People or group members are inputs because each
person in the group brings certain qualities such as personality, age, health,
knowledge, attitudes, values and problem-solving abilities.
o Process, refers to all the internal processes that occur within the group during
the discussion.
o Outcome, is the decision or resolution reached by the group.
o Feedback, containing responses that tie the system together. Feedback
provides input for future group meetings.
Small Group Characteristics
o Make it easier friendly meeting
o Group personality. When a group of people come together they forming its
own identity that makes up the personality of the group.
o Cohesiveness, which is the attraction group members have for each other and
their desire to stick together.
o Commitment to the task. Another individual activity within the group that is
closely related to with commitment is motivation.
o The size of Group size seems simple enough but group size has some
important ramifications within the group.
o Group norms, are rules and guidelines used by the group itself, as well as
some external factors outside the group.
o Interdependence. The most important thing is that group members depend on
each other to some degree, and on each other less.
Roles of Small Group Communication members
Kennet Benne and Paul Sheats (1948) proposed a classification of member roles on
this important topic. Benne and Sheats divided member roles into three general classes:
group task roles, group building and maintenance roles, and individual roles.
The Role of Group Assignments:
The group task role is the role that enables the group to focus more specifically on
achieving group goals. In carrying out With each of these roles, members do not act as
separate individuals, but as part of a larger whole. The needs and goals of the group govern
the roles that members must perform. Effective group members will perform several of these
functions, although some people are locked into a few specific roles.
Role Fostering and Sustaining Groups:
No one and no group is task-oriented all the time. A group is a unit whose members
have diverse interpersonal relationships. These relationships need to be nurtured if the group
is to function effectively-if group members are to be satisfied and productive. If this function
is not performed, group members will be damaged if group processes become bogged down,
frequent conflicts arise, or small group communication becomes disrupted on some personal
or social level.
Individualized role:
The task group role and the fostering and sustaining group role are all productive.
They assist the group in achieving its goals, and are group-oriented. The roles we will
discuss here are counter-productive. They hinder the group in achieving its goals and are
more individual-oriented than group-oriented group. Such roles are often termed
malfunctions, which hinder group effectiveness in terms of both productivity and personal
satisfaction.
Member Participation:
Here are some guidelines that will help make your participation in small group
communication effective and more enjoyable. Some of these suggestions are elaborations
and extensions of the basic characteristics of effective interpersonal communication.
Group-Oriented:
In a small group you are a team member - a member of a larger whole. Your
participation will be valuable if it helps achieve the group's goals of the group and increase
member satisfaction. Your job is to mobilize your skills, knowledge and ideas so that the
group can develop solutions that are better than those developed by one person. Individual
achievement can hinder the group.
Center the conflict on the problem:
Conflict in a small group situation is inevitable. Conflict is a natural part of the small
group process, but center the conflict on the problem rather than the person.
Be Critically Unbiased:
A common but unproductive developmental symptom occurs when members come
to the group with preconceived notions. When this happens, the small group process turns
into a series of individualized debates, with each person trying to defend his or her position.
Instead, members should come to the group armed with relevant information that will be
useful in the discussion process. They should not have made up their minds about the
solutions or conclusions they will accept.
Ensure understanding:
Make sure that your ideas and information are understood by all participants. If
something is worth saying. Then what is said should also be made clear. If in doubt, ask
yourself if what you are saying is clear, -Is my question clear enough?‖ -Did I explain it
clearly enough?‖ Also make sure that you are clear about the contributions of other
members, especially before you discuss the issue with them. In practice, people often
express their disagreement in their own words.
Groupthink:
Here are some symptoms that can help you recognize groupthink in the groups you
observe or participate in.
- Group members think that the group and its members cannot be defeated by danger.
- Members create rationalizations to avoid dealing directly with the danger or threat.
- Group members believe that their group is moral.
- Those who go against the grain are considered to be oversimplifying the problem, embracing
pluralistic ways.
- Group pressure is aimed at any member who shows hesitation or questions the group's
arguments or proposals. questioning the group's arguments or proposals.
- Group members censor their own doubts.
- Group members believe that all members agree unanimously, whether such agreement is
expressed or not.
- Group members begin to act as information that reaches other group members, especially if
such information can create differences of opinion.
Leaders in Small Group Communication
In most small groups, one person serves as the leader. In other groups, leadership
may be held by several people. Furthermore, the leader may be appointed or automatically
appear in the group In process development group communication.
Leadership Style:
In addition to looking at the main concerns in leadership, as we did with situational
leadership theory, we can also look at leadership in terms of three leadership styles: hands-
off, democratic and authoritarian.
Control-Leasing Leader:
The hands-off leader does not take the initiative to direct or suggest alternative
courses of action. Rather, this leader allows the group to develop and make mistakes. This
kind of leader rejects any authority given.
Democratic Leader:
The Democratic leader provides direction, but allows the group to develop and
implement the way its members want. Group members are encouraged to determine goals
and procedures. The democratic leader stimulates self-direction and self-actualization in
group members.
Keeping Members on Track:
Many people are egocentric and will only feel their own wants and problems. In this
case, the role of the leader is needed to direct the members to stay on the path of discussion.
Ensuring Member Satisfaction:
Members have different psychological needs and wants and many enter the group precisely
because of these needs and wants. Even if the group deals with for example political issues,
the various members may come together for reasons that are more psychological than
political.
Stimulate Evaluation and Improvement:
All groups will face obstacles if they are trying to solve a problem, make a decision,
or develop ideas. No single group is perfectly effective. All groups have the opportunity to
improve themselves.
Prepare Members for Discussion:
Groups form slowly and need to be shaped into meaningful discussions. The leader
should prepare the members for the discussion. This involves getting members ready to
interact in small groups, as well as ready to discuss a specific issue.
Public Communication
Public communication is the exchange of messages with a number of people who are
in a particular organization or outside the organization face-to-face or through the media.
The quality that distinguishes public organizational communication from interpersonal
communication and small group communication is :
Public communication is oriented towards the speaker or source. In interpersonal and
small group communication there is a reciprocal relationship between the speaker and
the recipient involved. In public organizational communication the speaker dominates
the relationship.
In public communication involves a large number of recipients but in interpersonal
communication there are usually 2 people and small group communication no more
than 5-7 recipients, public communication messages are intended to attract many
people, hundreds or millions of people.
In public communication there is less interaction between the speaker and the listener.
This results in less direct interaction between the speaker and the listener, especially
the larger the audience.
The language used in public communication is more general so that it can be
understood by the audience. Usually before the presentation the speaker knows the
specific type of audience.
The purpose of public communication is :
- Providing information to a large number of people who know the organization, for example
about the organization's activities and production.
- Establishing relationships between the organization and the community outside the
organization such as use of organizational services, users of organizational products and
society in general.
- Providing entertainment to a number of people such as recounting a pleasant experience to a
crowd.
Conclusions
Organizational communication is the direction and interpretation of messages among
communication units that are part of a particular organization. Organizational
communication is also the organizing behavior that occurs and how those involved in the
process transact and give meaning to what is happening. Organizational communication also
has the meaning of sending and receiving various organizational messages in formal and
informal groups of an organization. It also includes the approaches involved in
organizational communication. In addition, there are also communication networks and
flows in communication. As well as the interaction format of organizational communication
which consists of communication interpersonal, communication small group, and public
communication.
Definition of Organizational Communication
Understanding of organizational communication is inseparable from its relation to
various other aspects of organizational behavior as a whole, or when viewed more broadly,
namely in relation to interdisciplinary studies, especially communication science.
Organizational behavior deals with how and why people act, think and feel in an
organizational setting (Paul D. Sweeney & Dean B. Mc Farlin, 2002: 3). To better
understand organizational communication. We must refer to the various notions of
communication and organization that will be described in the following section:
Communication
The term communication comes from the Latin word -communication‖ which means
notification, giving part, exchange, where the speaker expects consideration or answer from
the listener. The adjective is communis which means common or shared. The verb is
communicare which means to dialogue, confer or deliberate (Anwar Arifin, 1994: 24).
Communication is a process that is generally used by humans in social interaction.
Basically, it has such a broad understanding, both as a separate science and as a
process. There are various definitions of communication, Carl I. Hovland suggests as
follows: communication is the process by which a person / communicator Convey stimuli
(usually symbols in the form of words) to change the behavior of others / communicants
(Onong Uchyana Effendy, 1993: 24). Then Shimp (1993; 8) states that communication is
the process to create or cause a common thought between the one who gives the sign and the
one who receives the sign. Shimp's definition emphasizes more on the communication
process that aims at creating a common thought or opinion on the interaction that occurs
(Terence A. Shimp, 1993: 8).
Pace & Faules (2001; 28) suggest that communication can be distinguished from all
other human and organizational behavior because it involves the mental process of
understanding people, objects and events. Two common forms of action that constitute
communication that emphasize on 1) the creation of messages or, more precisely, the
creation of performances, and 2) the interpretation of messages or the interpretation of
performances (R. Wayne Pace & Don F. Daules, Deddy Maulyana). Harold D. Lasswell
explained communication as an answer to the questions: Who, Say, What, In which channel,
To whom, With what effect? This sentence then known as the Lasswell formula (Effendy,
256). From what Lasswell stated, in essence, it includes elements of communication, namely
the existence of; communicators, messages conveyed, media used, communicants /
audiences, and effects. In simple terms, it can be interpreted that communication is a
message delivery activity with the aim of equalizing the meaning of a person / institution
(communicator) to another person / audience (communicator).
Organization
One of the most important things in understanding organizational communication is
that we should understand the approaches that influence the way of thinking or looking at
organizations. Organization according to Robbins (2001; 4) is defined as a consciously
coordinated social unit, consisting of two or more people, which functions on a relatively
continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set of goals (Stephen P. Robbins, 2001: 4).
Pace & Faules (2001: 11) suggest that there are two approaches in understanding
organizations, the objective approach and the subjective approach. Meaning -"Objective" in
this concept refers to the view that objects, behaviors, and events exist in the real world and
are independent of observation, while -"Subjective" refers to reality itself as a social
construction, reality as a creative process that allows people to create what is "out there".
According to the objective approach, an organization is something physical and
concrete, and is a structure with definite boundaries, something stable. The term -
organization‖ implies that something tangible encapsulates people, relationships, and goals.
The subjective approach views organizations as activities that people do, consisting of
actions, interactions, and transactions involving people. Organizations are created and
nurtured through the constantly changing contacts that people have with one another and do
not exist in isolation from the people whose behaviors make up the organization.
So based on the objective approach, organization means structure; while based on the
subjective view, organization means process (organizing behavior). The implication is that,
according to the objective approach, studying the organization is studying the whole, how
the organization can adapt in the best way to the environment to develop itself and survive,
while according to the subjective approach, knowledge about the organization is obtained by
looking at behaviors and what those behaviors mean to those who do it, the structure is
recognized but the emphasis is on human behavior in the sense that it is not independent of
human actions. These two approaches, both objective and subjective, not only affect the way
of looking at organizational communication, but also in understanding the organization other
aspects related to organizational behavior.
Organizational Communication
Based on the description above, organizational communication can be defined as the
direction and interpretation of messages between communication units that are part of a
particular organization. The definition emphasizes more on the functional aspect (objective).
Meanwhile, when viewed from an interpretative (subjective) perspective, organizational
communication is seen as a process of creating meaning for the interactions that constitute
the organization. Organizational communication is the organizing behavior that occurs and
how those involved in the process transact and give meaning to what is happening (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Maulana, 31).
A simpler definitive statement is put forward by Arnold & Feldman (1986: 154) that
organizational communication is the exchange of information between people in the
organization, where the process generally includes stages: attention, comprehension,
acceptance as true, and retention.
The Nature of Communication in Organizations
When talking about organizational communication, what is drawn in a person is
things related to the role and status of each person in the organization, because the role and
status of a person also determines how to communicate with others as well as how to
communicate with him, so a good person is a person who always connects roles and statuses
with work (Alo Liliweri, 1997: 59).
In modern society people recognize a person because he or she has a variety of roles
and statuses. In an organization, this diversity is seen through the division of labor where
each person will work according to his talents and abilities so that he is responsible for the
work. When the number or types of work are more and more diverse, it is necessary to
intertwine the different types of work, intertwine between a leader and subordinates or
between leaders who ultimately form a large synergistic force to produce higher quality
output. At this stage communication is needed.
Organizational communication is often also interpreted as organizing behavior,
namely how a subordinate is involved in the process of transacting and giving meaning to
what is happening. Therefore, when the organization considered just a group of people who
interact then communication only functions as an organization; he is the organization itself.
So organizational communication will center on the symbols that make organizational life
possible, whether the words, ideas and constructs that encourage authorize, coordinate, and
realize organized activities in specific situations (Barry Cusway and Derej Logde, 1995:
115).
Any writing or anything related to organizational communication always considers
two main concepts, namely organization and communication. An organization can be
approached as an object of fun and interest, but there are those who may very well view
organizations as oppressive That favorable or oppressive attitude is actually very depends on
the understanding and practice of interactions, relationships and transactions that occur
between people in the organization, which is called organizational communication. So the
position of communication in organization is actually emphasizes on how an organization is
constructed and maintained through the communication process. With Thus organizational
communication is more than just what people but rather a theoretical explanation of
communication practices in organizations that serves togetherness both in the organization
as well as serving other people who need the organization. In other words, the existence of
communication in the organization makes one able to distinguish two things, namely: first,
showing how members work as an organization; and second, how the network operations
that link them to each other. In this perspective, communication is important in
organizations, 1). Communication is the way, through communication people seek
information and develop a number of criteria for getting work for them; 2). Communication
is a process for them in determining a choice which practical.
The Importance of the Study of Organizational Communication
The study of organizational communication is important because it is a discipline
that can take a number of legitimate and useful directions. In the sense that the study will
provide benefits not only for anyone who wants to understand organizational behavior
better, but also has pragmatic aspects for people who want to improve their performance as
participants/members of an organization. The study of organizational communication can
provide a strong foundation for careers in management, human resource development, and
corporate communication, as well as other human-oriented tasks in organizations (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Mulyana, 25).
Interpersonal Communication Interaction Format
Interpersonal communication is the process of exchanging information between
someone with at least one other person or usually between two people who can be
immediately known back. With the increase in people involved in communication, the
perception of people in communication events increases so that the communication becomes
more complex (Arni Muhammad, 2009: 158).
Classification Interpersonal communication
Intimate interaction; in organizations, this relationship is developed in informal
communication systems. For example, the relationship seen between two good
friends in the organization, who have personal interactions perhaps outside of their
roles and functions in the organization.
Social Conversation is an interaction to please someone simply by talking a little. If
two or more people get together and talk about concerns, interests outside the
organization such as family, sports, political issues.
Interrogation is an interaction between someone in control, who requests or even
obeys information from others.
Interview is a form of communication interpersonal communication where two
people engage in a conversation in the form of questions and answers.
Purpose of Interpersonal Communication
Finding yourself
Discovering the outside world
Establish and maintain meaningful relationships
Change in attitude and behavior
For play and fun
To help
Effective Interpersonal Relationships
According to Rogert, interpersonal relationships will occur effectively if both parties
fulfill the conditions:
meet each other in person
empathize appropriately with the other person and communicate meaningfully with
each other.
Respect each other, be positive and reasonable without judgment or objection.
really live each other's experiences, being receptive to each other's empathy.
Feel that maintaining mutual openness and a supportive climate reduces the tendency
for salience disruptions.
Exhibit behaviors that are trusting and reinforce feelings of security towards others.
Small Group Communication
Is a collection of individuals who can influence each other, get some satisfaction
from each other, interact to multiple goals, take on roles, bond with each other and
communicate face-to-face.
Purpose of small group communication
o Personal Objective
Relationships social, the goal is to strengthen interpersonal
relationships and improve our well-being.
Channeling, this goal is usually carried out in an atmosphere that
favors the exchange of ideas or heated arguments in family
discussions, where self-disclosure is appropriate.
Group therapy, this is usually used to help people eliminate their
attitudes, or behaviors in some aspect of their lives.
Learning, as a common reason for people to join small groups, is
learning from others. Learning happens in a variety of settings. The
underlying assumption of group learning is the idea of two-way
learning.
o Work-related goals
Decision-making; People who come together in groups to make
decisions about something. Discussing alternatives with others helps
people decide which is the best option for the group.
Small Group as a system
Small groups are small organizations that have four basic components: input or
process, output or result of feedback.
o Inputs, are the raw materials in a small group such as people, information that
the group uses to interact. People or group members are inputs because each
person in the group brings certain qualities such as personality, age, health,
knowledge, attitudes, values and problem-solving abilities.
o Process, refers to all the internal processes that occur within the group during
the discussion.
o Outcome, is the decision or resolution reached by the group.
o Feedback, containing responses that tie the system together. Feedback
provides input for future group meetings.
Small Group Characteristics
o Make it easier friendly meeting
o Group personality. When a group of people come together they forming its
own identity that makes up the personality of the group.
o Cohesiveness, which is the attraction group members have for each other and
their desire to stick together.
o Commitment to the task. Another individual activity within the group that is
closely related to with commitment is motivation.
o The size of Group size seems simple enough but group size has some
important ramifications within the group.
o Group norms, are rules and guidelines used by the group itself, as well as
some external factors outside the group.
o Interdependence. The most important thing is that group members depend on
each other to some degree, and on each other less.
Roles of Small Group Communication members
Kennet Benne and Paul Sheats (1948) proposed a classification of member roles on
this important topic. Benne and Sheats divided member roles into three general classes:
group task roles, group building and maintenance roles, and individual roles.
The Role of Group Assignments:
The group task role is the role that enables the group to focus more specifically on
achieving group goals. In carrying out With each of these roles, members do not act as
separate individuals, but as part of a larger whole. The needs and goals of the group govern
the roles that members must perform. Effective group members will perform several of these
functions, although some people are locked into a few specific roles.
Role Fostering and Sustaining Groups:
No one and no group is task-oriented all the time. A group is a unit whose members
have diverse interpersonal relationships. These relationships need to be nurtured if the group
is to function effectively-if group members are to be satisfied and productive. If this function
is not performed, group members will be damaged if group processes become bogged down,
frequent conflicts arise, or small group communication becomes disrupted on some personal
or social level.
Individualized role:
The task group role and the fostering and sustaining group role are all productive.
They assist the group in achieving its goals, and are group-oriented. The roles we will
discuss here are counter-productive. They hinder the group in achieving its goals and are
more individual-oriented than group-oriented group. Such roles are often termed
malfunctions, which hinder group effectiveness in terms of both productivity and personal
satisfaction.
Member Participation:
Here are some guidelines that will help make your participation in small group
communication effective and more enjoyable. Some of these suggestions are elaborations
and extensions of the basic characteristics of effective interpersonal communication.
Group-Oriented:
In a small group you are a team member - a member of a larger whole. Your
participation will be valuable if it helps achieve the group's goals of the group and increase
member satisfaction. Your job is to mobilize your skills, knowledge and ideas so that the
group can develop solutions that are better than those developed by one person. Individual
achievement can hinder the group.
Center the conflict on the problem:
Conflict in a small group situation is inevitable. Conflict is a natural part of the small
group process, but center the conflict on the problem rather than the person.
Be Critically Unbiased:
A common but unproductive developmental symptom occurs when members come
to the group with preconceived notions. When this happens, the small group process turns
into a series of individualized debates, with each person trying to defend his or her position.
Instead, members should come to the group armed with relevant information that will be
useful in the discussion process. They should not have made up their minds about the
solutions or conclusions they will accept.
Ensure understanding:
Make sure that your ideas and information are understood by all participants. If
something is worth saying. Then what is said should also be made clear. If in doubt, ask
yourself if what you are saying is clear, -Is my question clear enough?‖ -Did I explain it
clearly enough?‖ Also make sure that you are clear about the contributions of other
members, especially before you discuss the issue with them. In practice, people often
express their disagreement in their own words.
Groupthink:
Here are some symptoms that can help you recognize groupthink in the groups you
observe or participate in.
- Group members think that the group and its members cannot be defeated by danger.
- Members create rationalizations to avoid dealing directly with the danger or threat.
- Group members believe that their group is moral.
- Those who go against the grain are considered to be oversimplifying the problem, embracing
pluralistic ways.
- Group pressure is aimed at any member who shows hesitation or questions the group's
arguments or proposals. questioning the group's arguments or proposals.
- Group members censor their own doubts.
- Group members believe that all members agree unanimously, whether such agreement is
expressed or not.
- Group members begin to act as information that reaches other group members, especially if
such information can create differences of opinion.
Leaders in Small Group Communication
In most small groups, one person serves as the leader. In other groups, leadership
may be held by several people. Furthermore, the leader may be appointed or automatically
appear in the group In process development group communication.
Leadership Style:
In addition to looking at the main concerns in leadership, as we did with situational
leadership theory, we can also look at leadership in terms of three leadership styles: hands-
off, democratic and authoritarian.
Control-Leasing Leader:
The hands-off leader does not take the initiative to direct or suggest alternative
courses of action. Rather, this leader allows the group to develop and make mistakes. This
kind of leader rejects any authority given.
Democratic Leader:
The Democratic leader provides direction, but allows the group to develop and
implement the way its members want. Group members are encouraged to determine goals
and procedures. The democratic leader stimulates self-direction and self-actualization in
group members.
Keeping Members on Track:
Many people are egocentric and will only feel their own wants and problems. In this
case, the role of the leader is needed to direct the members to stay on the path of discussion.
Ensuring Member Satisfaction:
Members have different psychological needs and wants and many enter the group precisely
because of these needs and wants. Even if the group deals with for example political issues,
the various members may come together for reasons that are more psychological than
political.
Stimulate Evaluation and Improvement:
All groups will face obstacles if they are trying to solve a problem, make a decision,
or develop ideas. No single group is perfectly effective. All groups have the opportunity to
improve themselves.
Prepare Members for Discussion:
Groups form slowly and need to be shaped into meaningful discussions. The leader
should prepare the members for the discussion. This involves getting members ready to
interact in small groups, as well as ready to discuss a specific issue.
Public Communication
Public communication is the exchange of messages with a number of people who are
in a particular organization or outside the organization face-to-face or through the media.
The quality that distinguishes public organizational communication from interpersonal
communication and small group communication is :
Public communication is oriented towards the speaker or source. In interpersonal and
small group communication there is a reciprocal relationship between the speaker and
the recipient involved. In public organizational communication the speaker dominates
the relationship.
In public communication involves a large number of recipients but in interpersonal
communication there are usually 2 people and small group communication no more
than 5-7 recipients, public communication messages are intended to attract many
people, hundreds or millions of people.
In public communication there is less interaction between the speaker and the listener.
This results in less direct interaction between the speaker and the listener, especially
the larger the audience.
The language used in public communication is more general so that it can be
understood by the audience. Usually before the presentation the speaker knows the
specific type of audience.
The purpose of public communication is :
- Providing information to a large number of people who know the organization, for example
about the organization's activities and production.
- Establishing relationships between the organization and the community outside the
organization such as use of organizational services, users of organizational products and
society in general.
- Providing entertainment to a number of people such as recounting a pleasant experience to a
crowd.
Conclusions
Organizational communication is the direction and interpretation of messages among
communication units that are part of a particular organization. Organizational
communication is also the organizing behavior that occurs and how those involved in the
process transact and give meaning to what is happening. Organizational communication also
has the meaning of sending and receiving various organizational messages in formal and
informal groups of an organization. It also includes the approaches involved in
organizational communication. In addition, there are also communication networks and
flows in communication. As well as the interaction format of organizational communication
which consists of communication interpersonal, communication small group, and public
communication.
Definition of Organizational Communication
Understanding of organizational communication is inseparable from its relation to
various other aspects of organizational behavior as a whole, or when viewed more broadly,
namely in relation to interdisciplinary studies, especially communication science.
Organizational behavior deals with how and why people act, think and feel in an
organizational setting (Paul D. Sweeney & Dean B. Mc Farlin, 2002: 3). To better
understand organizational communication. We must refer to the various notions of
communication and organization that will be described in the following section:
Communication
The term communication comes from the Latin word -communication‖ which means
notification, giving part, exchange, where the speaker expects consideration or answer from
the listener. The adjective is communis which means common or shared. The verb is
communicare which means to dialogue, confer or deliberate (Anwar Arifin, 1994: 24).
Communication is a process that is generally used by humans in social interaction.
Basically, it has such a broad understanding, both as a separate science and as a
process. There are various definitions of communication, Carl I. Hovland suggests as
follows: communication is the process by which a person / communicator Convey stimuli
(usually symbols in the form of words) to change the behavior of others / communicants
(Onong Uchyana Effendy, 1993: 24). Then Shimp (1993; 8) states that communication is
the process to create or cause a common thought between the one who gives the sign and the
one who receives the sign. Shimp's definition emphasizes more on the communication
process that aims at creating a common thought or opinion on the interaction that occurs
(Terence A. Shimp, 1993: 8).
Pace & Faules (2001; 28) suggest that communication can be distinguished from all
other human and organizational behavior because it involves the mental process of
understanding people, objects and events. Two common forms of action that constitute
communication that emphasize on 1) the creation of messages or, more precisely, the
creation of performances, and 2) the interpretation of messages or the interpretation of
performances (R. Wayne Pace & Don F. Daules, Deddy Maulyana). Harold D. Lasswell
explained communication as an answer to the questions: Who, Say, What, In which channel,
To whom, With what effect? This sentence then known as the Lasswell formula (Effendy,
256). From what Lasswell stated, in essence, it includes elements of communication, namely
the existence of; communicators, messages conveyed, media used, communicants /
audiences, and effects. In simple terms, it can be interpreted that communication is a
message delivery activity with the aim of equalizing the meaning of a person / institution
(communicator) to another person / audience (communicator).
Organization
One of the most important things in understanding organizational communication is
that we should understand the approaches that influence the way of thinking or looking at
organizations. Organization according to Robbins (2001; 4) is defined as a consciously
coordinated social unit, consisting of two or more people, which functions on a relatively
continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set of goals (Stephen P. Robbins, 2001: 4).
Pace & Faules (2001: 11) suggest that there are two approaches in understanding
organizations, the objective approach and the subjective approach. Meaning -"Objective" in
this concept refers to the view that objects, behaviors, and events exist in the real world and
are independent of observation, while -"Subjective" refers to reality itself as a social
construction, reality as a creative process that allows people to create what is "out there".
According to the objective approach, an organization is something physical and
concrete, and is a structure with definite boundaries, something stable. The term -
organization‖ implies that something tangible encapsulates people, relationships, and goals.
The subjective approach views organizations as activities that people do, consisting of
actions, interactions, and transactions involving people. Organizations are created and
nurtured through the constantly changing contacts that people have with one another and do
not exist in isolation from the people whose behaviors make up the organization.
So based on the objective approach, organization means structure; while based on the
subjective view, organization means process (organizing behavior). The implication is that,
according to the objective approach, studying the organization is studying the whole, how
the organization can adapt in the best way to the environment to develop itself and survive,
while according to the subjective approach, knowledge about the organization is obtained by
looking at behaviors and what those behaviors mean to those who do it, the structure is
recognized but the emphasis is on human behavior in the sense that it is not independent of
human actions. These two approaches, both objective and subjective, not only affect the way
of looking at organizational communication, but also in understanding the organization other
aspects related to organizational behavior.
Organizational Communication
Based on the description above, organizational communication can be defined as the
direction and interpretation of messages between communication units that are part of a
particular organization. The definition emphasizes more on the functional aspect (objective).
Meanwhile, when viewed from an interpretative (subjective) perspective, organizational
communication is seen as a process of creating meaning for the interactions that constitute
the organization. Organizational communication is the organizing behavior that occurs and
how those involved in the process transact and give meaning to what is happening (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Maulana, 31).
A simpler definitive statement is put forward by Arnold & Feldman (1986: 154) that
organizational communication is the exchange of information between people in the
organization, where the process generally includes stages: attention, comprehension,
acceptance as true, and retention.
The Nature of Communication in Organizations
When talking about organizational communication, what is drawn in a person is
things related to the role and status of each person in the organization, because the role and
status of a person also determines how to communicate with others as well as how to
communicate with him, so a good person is a person who always connects roles and statuses
with work (Alo Liliweri, 1997: 59).
In modern society people recognize a person because he or she has a variety of roles
and statuses. In an organization, this diversity is seen through the division of labor where
each person will work according to his talents and abilities so that he is responsible for the
work. When the number or types of work are more and more diverse, it is necessary to
intertwine the different types of work, intertwine between a leader and subordinates or
between leaders who ultimately form a large synergistic force to produce higher quality
output. At this stage communication is needed.
Organizational communication is often also interpreted as organizing behavior,
namely how a subordinate is involved in the process of transacting and giving meaning to
what is happening. Therefore, when the organization considered just a group of people who
interact then communication only functions as an organization; he is the organization itself.
So organizational communication will center on the symbols that make organizational life
possible, whether the words, ideas and constructs that encourage authorize, coordinate, and
realize organized activities in specific situations (Barry Cusway and Derej Logde, 1995:
115).
Any writing or anything related to organizational communication always considers
two main concepts, namely organization and communication. An organization can be
approached as an object of fun and interest, but there are those who may very well view
organizations as oppressive That favorable or oppressive attitude is actually very depends on
the understanding and practice of interactions, relationships and transactions that occur
between people in the organization, which is called organizational communication. So the
position of communication in organization is actually emphasizes on how an organization is
constructed and maintained through the communication process. With Thus organizational
communication is more than just what people but rather a theoretical explanation of
communication practices in organizations that serves togetherness both in the organization
as well as serving other people who need the organization. In other words, the existence of
communication in the organization makes one able to distinguish two things, namely: first,
showing how members work as an organization; and second, how the network operations
that link them to each other. In this perspective, communication is important in
organizations, 1). Communication is the way, through communication people seek
information and develop a number of criteria for getting work for them; 2). Communication
is a process for them in determining a choice which practical.
The Importance of the Study of Organizational Communication
The study of organizational communication is important because it is a discipline
that can take a number of legitimate and useful directions. In the sense that the study will
provide benefits not only for anyone who wants to understand organizational behavior
better, but also has pragmatic aspects for people who want to improve their performance as
participants/members of an organization. The study of organizational communication can
provide a strong foundation for careers in management, human resource development, and
corporate communication, as well as other human-oriented tasks in organizations (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Mulyana, 25).
Interpersonal Communication Interaction Format
Interpersonal communication is the process of exchanging information between
someone with at least one other person or usually between two people who can be
immediately known back. With the increase in people involved in communication, the
perception of people in communication events increases so that the communication becomes
more complex (Arni Muhammad, 2009: 158).
Classification Interpersonal communication
Intimate interaction; in organizations, this relationship is developed in informal
communication systems. For example, the relationship seen between two good
friends in the organization, who have personal interactions perhaps outside of their
roles and functions in the organization.
Social Conversation is an interaction to please someone simply by talking a little. If
two or more people get together and talk about concerns, interests outside the
organization such as family, sports, political issues.
Interrogation is an interaction between someone in control, who requests or even
obeys information from others.
Interview is a form of communication interpersonal communication where two
people engage in a conversation in the form of questions and answers.
Purpose of Interpersonal Communication
Finding yourself
Discovering the outside world
Establish and maintain meaningful relationships
Change in attitude and behavior
For play and fun
To help
Effective Interpersonal Relationships
According to Rogert, interpersonal relationships will occur effectively if both parties
fulfill the conditions:
meet each other in person
empathize appropriately with the other person and communicate meaningfully with
each other.
Respect each other, be positive and reasonable without judgment or objection.
really live each other's experiences, being receptive to each other's empathy.
Feel that maintaining mutual openness and a supportive climate reduces the tendency
for salience disruptions.
Exhibit behaviors that are trusting and reinforce feelings of security towards others.
Small Group Communication
Is a collection of individuals who can influence each other, get some satisfaction
from each other, interact to multiple goals, take on roles, bond with each other and
communicate face-to-face.
Purpose of small group communication
o Personal Objective
Relationships social, the goal is to strengthen interpersonal
relationships and improve our well-being.
Channeling, this goal is usually carried out in an atmosphere that
favors the exchange of ideas or heated arguments in family
discussions, where self-disclosure is appropriate.
Group therapy, this is usually used to help people eliminate their
attitudes, or behaviors in some aspect of their lives.
Learning, as a common reason for people to join small groups, is
learning from others. Learning happens in a variety of settings. The
underlying assumption of group learning is the idea of two-way
learning.
o Work-related goals
Decision-making; People who come together in groups to make
decisions about something. Discussing alternatives with others helps
people decide which is the best option for the group.
Small Group as a system
Small groups are small organizations that have four basic components: input or
process, output or result of feedback.
o Inputs, are the raw materials in a small group such as people, information that
the group uses to interact. People or group members are inputs because each
person in the group brings certain qualities such as personality, age, health,
knowledge, attitudes, values and problem-solving abilities.
o Process, refers to all the internal processes that occur within the group during
the discussion.
o Outcome, is the decision or resolution reached by the group.
o Feedback, containing responses that tie the system together. Feedback
provides input for future group meetings.
Small Group Characteristics
o Make it easier friendly meeting
o Group personality. When a group of people come together they forming its
own identity that makes up the personality of the group.
o Cohesiveness, which is the attraction group members have for each other and
their desire to stick together.
o Commitment to the task. Another individual activity within the group that is
closely related to with commitment is motivation.
o The size of Group size seems simple enough but group size has some
important ramifications within the group.
o Group norms, are rules and guidelines used by the group itself, as well as
some external factors outside the group.
o Interdependence. The most important thing is that group members depend on
each other to some degree, and on each other less.
Roles of Small Group Communication members
Kennet Benne and Paul Sheats (1948) proposed a classification of member roles on
this important topic. Benne and Sheats divided member roles into three general classes:
group task roles, group building and maintenance roles, and individual roles.
The Role of Group Assignments:
The group task role is the role that enables the group to focus more specifically on
achieving group goals. In carrying out With each of these roles, members do not act as
separate individuals, but as part of a larger whole. The needs and goals of the group govern
the roles that members must perform. Effective group members will perform several of these
functions, although some people are locked into a few specific roles.
Role Fostering and Sustaining Groups:
No one and no group is task-oriented all the time. A group is a unit whose members
have diverse interpersonal relationships. These relationships need to be nurtured if the group
is to function effectively-if group members are to be satisfied and productive. If this function
is not performed, group members will be damaged if group processes become bogged down,
frequent conflicts arise, or small group communication becomes disrupted on some personal
or social level.
Individualized role:
The task group role and the fostering and sustaining group role are all productive.
They assist the group in achieving its goals, and are group-oriented. The roles we will
discuss here are counter-productive. They hinder the group in achieving its goals and are
more individual-oriented than group-oriented group. Such roles are often termed
malfunctions, which hinder group effectiveness in terms of both productivity and personal
satisfaction.
Member Participation:
Here are some guidelines that will help make your participation in small group
communication effective and more enjoyable. Some of these suggestions are elaborations
and extensions of the basic characteristics of effective interpersonal communication.
Group-Oriented:
In a small group you are a team member - a member of a larger whole. Your
participation will be valuable if it helps achieve the group's goals of the group and increase
member satisfaction. Your job is to mobilize your skills, knowledge and ideas so that the
group can develop solutions that are better than those developed by one person. Individual
achievement can hinder the group.
Center the conflict on the problem:
Conflict in a small group situation is inevitable. Conflict is a natural part of the small
group process, but center the conflict on the problem rather than the person.
Be Critically Unbiased:
A common but unproductive developmental symptom occurs when members come
to the group with preconceived notions. When this happens, the small group process turns
into a series of individualized debates, with each person trying to defend his or her position.
Instead, members should come to the group armed with relevant information that will be
useful in the discussion process. They should not have made up their minds about the
solutions or conclusions they will accept.
Ensure understanding:
Make sure that your ideas and information are understood by all participants. If
something is worth saying. Then what is said should also be made clear. If in doubt, ask
yourself if what you are saying is clear, -Is my question clear enough?‖ -Did I explain it
clearly enough?‖ Also make sure that you are clear about the contributions of other
members, especially before you discuss the issue with them. In practice, people often
express their disagreement in their own words.
Groupthink:
Here are some symptoms that can help you recognize groupthink in the groups you
observe or participate in.
- Group members think that the group and its members cannot be defeated by danger.
- Members create rationalizations to avoid dealing directly with the danger or threat.
- Group members believe that their group is moral.
- Those who go against the grain are considered to be oversimplifying the problem, embracing
pluralistic ways.
- Group pressure is aimed at any member who shows hesitation or questions the group's
arguments or proposals. questioning the group's arguments or proposals.
- Group members censor their own doubts.
- Group members believe that all members agree unanimously, whether such agreement is
expressed or not.
- Group members begin to act as information that reaches other group members, especially if
such information can create differences of opinion.
Leaders in Small Group Communication
In most small groups, one person serves as the leader. In other groups, leadership
may be held by several people. Furthermore, the leader may be appointed or automatically
appear in the group In process development group communication.
Leadership Style:
In addition to looking at the main concerns in leadership, as we did with situational
leadership theory, we can also look at leadership in terms of three leadership styles: hands-
off, democratic and authoritarian.
Control-Leasing Leader:
The hands-off leader does not take the initiative to direct or suggest alternative
courses of action. Rather, this leader allows the group to develop and make mistakes. This
kind of leader rejects any authority given.
Democratic Leader:
The Democratic leader provides direction, but allows the group to develop and
implement the way its members want. Group members are encouraged to determine goals
and procedures. The democratic leader stimulates self-direction and self-actualization in
group members.
Keeping Members on Track:
Many people are egocentric and will only feel their own wants and problems. In this
case, the role of the leader is needed to direct the members to stay on the path of discussion.
Ensuring Member Satisfaction:
Members have different psychological needs and wants and many enter the group precisely
because of these needs and wants. Even if the group deals with for example political issues,
the various members may come together for reasons that are more psychological than
political.
Stimulate Evaluation and Improvement:
All groups will face obstacles if they are trying to solve a problem, make a decision,
or develop ideas. No single group is perfectly effective. All groups have the opportunity to
improve themselves.
Prepare Members for Discussion:
Groups form slowly and need to be shaped into meaningful discussions. The leader
should prepare the members for the discussion. This involves getting members ready to
interact in small groups, as well as ready to discuss a specific issue.
Public Communication
Public communication is the exchange of messages with a number of people who are
in a particular organization or outside the organization face-to-face or through the media.
The quality that distinguishes public organizational communication from interpersonal
communication and small group communication is :
Public communication is oriented towards the speaker or source. In interpersonal and
small group communication there is a reciprocal relationship between the speaker and
the recipient involved. In public organizational communication the speaker dominates
the relationship.
In public communication involves a large number of recipients but in interpersonal
communication there are usually 2 people and small group communication no more
than 5-7 recipients, public communication messages are intended to attract many
people, hundreds or millions of people.
In public communication there is less interaction between the speaker and the listener.
This results in less direct interaction between the speaker and the listener, especially
the larger the audience.
The language used in public communication is more general so that it can be
understood by the audience. Usually before the presentation the speaker knows the
specific type of audience.
The purpose of public communication is :
- Providing information to a large number of people who know the organization, for example
about the organization's activities and production.
- Establishing relationships between the organization and the community outside the
organization such as use of organizational services, users of organizational products and
society in general.
- Providing entertainment to a number of people such as recounting a pleasant experience to a
crowd.
Conclusions
Organizational communication is the direction and interpretation of messages among
communication units that are part of a particular organization. Organizational
communication is also the organizing behavior that occurs and how those involved in the
process transact and give meaning to what is happening. Organizational communication also
has the meaning of sending and receiving various organizational messages in formal and
informal groups of an organization. It also includes the approaches involved in
organizational communication. In addition, there are also communication networks and
flows in communication. As well as the interaction format of organizational communication
which consists of communication interpersonal, communication small group, and public
communication.
Definition of Organizational Communication
Understanding of organizational communication is inseparable from its relation to
various other aspects of organizational behavior as a whole, or when viewed more broadly,
namely in relation to interdisciplinary studies, especially communication science.
Organizational behavior deals with how and why people act, think and feel in an
organizational setting (Paul D. Sweeney & Dean B. Mc Farlin, 2002: 3). To better
understand organizational communication. We must refer to the various notions of
communication and organization that will be described in the following section:
Communication
The term communication comes from the Latin word -communication‖ which means
notification, giving part, exchange, where the speaker expects consideration or answer from
the listener. The adjective is communis which means common or shared. The verb is
communicare which means to dialogue, confer or deliberate (Anwar Arifin, 1994: 24).
Communication is a process that is generally used by humans in social interaction.
Basically, it has such a broad understanding, both as a separate science and as a
process. There are various definitions of communication, Carl I. Hovland suggests as
follows: communication is the process by which a person / communicator Convey stimuli
(usually symbols in the form of words) to change the behavior of others / communicants
(Onong Uchyana Effendy, 1993: 24). Then Shimp (1993; 8) states that communication is
the process to create or cause a common thought between the one who gives the sign and the
one who receives the sign. Shimp's definition emphasizes more on the communication
process that aims at creating a common thought or opinion on the interaction that occurs
(Terence A. Shimp, 1993: 8).
Pace & Faules (2001; 28) suggest that communication can be distinguished from all
other human and organizational behavior because it involves the mental process of
understanding people, objects and events. Two common forms of action that constitute
communication that emphasize on 1) the creation of messages or, more precisely, the
creation of performances, and 2) the interpretation of messages or the interpretation of
performances (R. Wayne Pace & Don F. Daules, Deddy Maulyana). Harold D. Lasswell
explained communication as an answer to the questions: Who, Say, What, In which channel,
To whom, With what effect? This sentence then known as the Lasswell formula (Effendy,
256). From what Lasswell stated, in essence, it includes elements of communication, namely
the existence of; communicators, messages conveyed, media used, communicants /
audiences, and effects. In simple terms, it can be interpreted that communication is a
message delivery activity with the aim of equalizing the meaning of a person / institution
(communicator) to another person / audience (communicator).
Organization
One of the most important things in understanding organizational communication is
that we should understand the approaches that influence the way of thinking or looking at
organizations. Organization according to Robbins (2001; 4) is defined as a consciously
coordinated social unit, consisting of two or more people, which functions on a relatively
continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set of goals (Stephen P. Robbins, 2001: 4).
Pace & Faules (2001: 11) suggest that there are two approaches in understanding
organizations, the objective approach and the subjective approach. Meaning -"Objective" in
this concept refers to the view that objects, behaviors, and events exist in the real world and
are independent of observation, while -"Subjective" refers to reality itself as a social
construction, reality as a creative process that allows people to create what is "out there".
According to the objective approach, an organization is something physical and
concrete, and is a structure with definite boundaries, something stable. The term -
organization‖ implies that something tangible encapsulates people, relationships, and goals.
The subjective approach views organizations as activities that people do, consisting of
actions, interactions, and transactions involving people. Organizations are created and
nurtured through the constantly changing contacts that people have with one another and do
not exist in isolation from the people whose behaviors make up the organization.
So based on the objective approach, organization means structure; while based on the
subjective view, organization means process (organizing behavior). The implication is that,
according to the objective approach, studying the organization is studying the whole, how
the organization can adapt in the best way to the environment to develop itself and survive,
while according to the subjective approach, knowledge about the organization is obtained by
looking at behaviors and what those behaviors mean to those who do it, the structure is
recognized but the emphasis is on human behavior in the sense that it is not independent of
human actions. These two approaches, both objective and subjective, not only affect the way
of looking at organizational communication, but also in understanding the organization other
aspects related to organizational behavior.
Organizational Communication
Based on the description above, organizational communication can be defined as the
direction and interpretation of messages between communication units that are part of a
particular organization. The definition emphasizes more on the functional aspect (objective).
Meanwhile, when viewed from an interpretative (subjective) perspective, organizational
communication is seen as a process of creating meaning for the interactions that constitute
the organization. Organizational communication is the organizing behavior that occurs and
how those involved in the process transact and give meaning to what is happening (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Maulana, 31).
A simpler definitive statement is put forward by Arnold & Feldman (1986: 154) that
organizational communication is the exchange of information between people in the
organization, where the process generally includes stages: attention, comprehension,
acceptance as true, and retention.
The Nature of Communication in Organizations
When talking about organizational communication, what is drawn in a person is
things related to the role and status of each person in the organization, because the role and
status of a person also determines how to communicate with others as well as how to
communicate with him, so a good person is a person who always connects roles and statuses
with work (Alo Liliweri, 1997: 59).
In modern society people recognize a person because he or she has a variety of roles
and statuses. In an organization, this diversity is seen through the division of labor where
each person will work according to his talents and abilities so that he is responsible for the
work. When the number or types of work are more and more diverse, it is necessary to
intertwine the different types of work, intertwine between a leader and subordinates or
between leaders who ultimately form a large synergistic force to produce higher quality
output. At this stage communication is needed.
Organizational communication is often also interpreted as organizing behavior,
namely how a subordinate is involved in the process of transacting and giving meaning to
what is happening. Therefore, when the organization considered just a group of people who
interact then communication only functions as an organization; he is the organization itself.
So organizational communication will center on the symbols that make organizational life
possible, whether the words, ideas and constructs that encourage authorize, coordinate, and
realize organized activities in specific situations (Barry Cusway and Derej Logde, 1995:
115).
Any writing or anything related to organizational communication always considers
two main concepts, namely organization and communication. An organization can be
approached as an object of fun and interest, but there are those who may very well view
organizations as oppressive That favorable or oppressive attitude is actually very depends on
the understanding and practice of interactions, relationships and transactions that occur
between people in the organization, which is called organizational communication. So the
position of communication in organization is actually emphasizes on how an organization is
constructed and maintained through the communication process. With Thus organizational
communication is more than just what people but rather a theoretical explanation of
communication practices in organizations that serves togetherness both in the organization
as well as serving other people who need the organization. In other words, the existence of
communication in the organization makes one able to distinguish two things, namely: first,
showing how members work as an organization; and second, how the network operations
that link them to each other. In this perspective, communication is important in
organizations, 1). Communication is the way, through communication people seek
information and develop a number of criteria for getting work for them; 2). Communication
is a process for them in determining a choice which practical.
The Importance of the Study of Organizational Communication
The study of organizational communication is important because it is a discipline
that can take a number of legitimate and useful directions. In the sense that the study will
provide benefits not only for anyone who wants to understand organizational behavior
better, but also has pragmatic aspects for people who want to improve their performance as
participants/members of an organization. The study of organizational communication can
provide a strong foundation for careers in management, human resource development, and
corporate communication, as well as other human-oriented tasks in organizations (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Mulyana, 25).
Interpersonal Communication Interaction Format
Interpersonal communication is the process of exchanging information between
someone with at least one other person or usually between two people who can be
immediately known back. With the increase in people involved in communication, the
perception of people in communication events increases so that the communication becomes
more complex (Arni Muhammad, 2009: 158).
Classification Interpersonal communication
Intimate interaction; in organizations, this relationship is developed in informal
communication systems. For example, the relationship seen between two good
friends in the organization, who have personal interactions perhaps outside of their
roles and functions in the organization.
Social Conversation is an interaction to please someone simply by talking a little. If
two or more people get together and talk about concerns, interests outside the
organization such as family, sports, political issues.
Interrogation is an interaction between someone in control, who requests or even
obeys information from others.
Interview is a form of communication interpersonal communication where two
people engage in a conversation in the form of questions and answers.
Purpose of Interpersonal Communication
Finding yourself
Discovering the outside world
Establish and maintain meaningful relationships
Change in attitude and behavior
For play and fun
To help
Effective Interpersonal Relationships
According to Rogert, interpersonal relationships will occur effectively if both parties
fulfill the conditions:
meet each other in person
empathize appropriately with the other person and communicate meaningfully with
each other.
Respect each other, be positive and reasonable without judgment or objection.
really live each other's experiences, being receptive to each other's empathy.
Feel that maintaining mutual openness and a supportive climate reduces the tendency
for salience disruptions.
Exhibit behaviors that are trusting and reinforce feelings of security towards others.
Small Group Communication
Is a collection of individuals who can influence each other, get some satisfaction
from each other, interact to multiple goals, take on roles, bond with each other and
communicate face-to-face.
Purpose of small group communication
o Personal Objective
Relationships social, the goal is to strengthen interpersonal
relationships and improve our well-being.
Channeling, this goal is usually carried out in an atmosphere that
favors the exchange of ideas or heated arguments in family
discussions, where self-disclosure is appropriate.
Group therapy, this is usually used to help people eliminate their
attitudes, or behaviors in some aspect of their lives.
Learning, as a common reason for people to join small groups, is
learning from others. Learning happens in a variety of settings. The
underlying assumption of group learning is the idea of two-way
learning.
o Work-related goals
Decision-making; People who come together in groups to make
decisions about something. Discussing alternatives with others helps
people decide which is the best option for the group.
Small Group as a system
Small groups are small organizations that have four basic components: input or
process, output or result of feedback.
o Inputs, are the raw materials in a small group such as people, information that
the group uses to interact. People or group members are inputs because each
person in the group brings certain qualities such as personality, age, health,
knowledge, attitudes, values and problem-solving abilities.
o Process, refers to all the internal processes that occur within the group during
the discussion.
o Outcome, is the decision or resolution reached by the group.
o Feedback, containing responses that tie the system together. Feedback
provides input for future group meetings.
Small Group Characteristics
o Make it easier friendly meeting
o Group personality. When a group of people come together they forming its
own identity that makes up the personality of the group.
o Cohesiveness, which is the attraction group members have for each other and
their desire to stick together.
o Commitment to the task. Another individual activity within the group that is
closely related to with commitment is motivation.
o The size of Group size seems simple enough but group size has some
important ramifications within the group.
o Group norms, are rules and guidelines used by the group itself, as well as
some external factors outside the group.
o Interdependence. The most important thing is that group members depend on
each other to some degree, and on each other less.
Roles of Small Group Communication members
Kennet Benne and Paul Sheats (1948) proposed a classification of member roles on
this important topic. Benne and Sheats divided member roles into three general classes:
group task roles, group building and maintenance roles, and individual roles.
The Role of Group Assignments:
The group task role is the role that enables the group to focus more specifically on
achieving group goals. In carrying out With each of these roles, members do not act as
separate individuals, but as part of a larger whole. The needs and goals of the group govern
the roles that members must perform. Effective group members will perform several of these
functions, although some people are locked into a few specific roles.
Role Fostering and Sustaining Groups:
No one and no group is task-oriented all the time. A group is a unit whose members
have diverse interpersonal relationships. These relationships need to be nurtured if the group
is to function effectively-if group members are to be satisfied and productive. If this function
is not performed, group members will be damaged if group processes become bogged down,
frequent conflicts arise, or small group communication becomes disrupted on some personal
or social level.
Individualized role:
The task group role and the fostering and sustaining group role are all productive.
They assist the group in achieving its goals, and are group-oriented. The roles we will
discuss here are counter-productive. They hinder the group in achieving its goals and are
more individual-oriented than group-oriented group. Such roles are often termed
malfunctions, which hinder group effectiveness in terms of both productivity and personal
satisfaction.
Member Participation:
Here are some guidelines that will help make your participation in small group
communication effective and more enjoyable. Some of these suggestions are elaborations
and extensions of the basic characteristics of effective interpersonal communication.
Group-Oriented:
In a small group you are a team member - a member of a larger whole. Your
participation will be valuable if it helps achieve the group's goals of the group and increase
member satisfaction. Your job is to mobilize your skills, knowledge and ideas so that the
group can develop solutions that are better than those developed by one person. Individual
achievement can hinder the group.
Center the conflict on the problem:
Conflict in a small group situation is inevitable. Conflict is a natural part of the small
group process, but center the conflict on the problem rather than the person.
Be Critically Unbiased:
A common but unproductive developmental symptom occurs when members come
to the group with preconceived notions. When this happens, the small group process turns
into a series of individualized debates, with each person trying to defend his or her position.
Instead, members should come to the group armed with relevant information that will be
useful in the discussion process. They should not have made up their minds about the
solutions or conclusions they will accept.
Ensure understanding:
Make sure that your ideas and information are understood by all participants. If
something is worth saying. Then what is said should also be made clear. If in doubt, ask
yourself if what you are saying is clear, -Is my question clear enough?‖ -Did I explain it
clearly enough?‖ Also make sure that you are clear about the contributions of other
members, especially before you discuss the issue with them. In practice, people often
express their disagreement in their own words.
Groupthink:
Here are some symptoms that can help you recognize groupthink in the groups you
observe or participate in.
- Group members think that the group and its members cannot be defeated by danger.
- Members create rationalizations to avoid dealing directly with the danger or threat.
- Group members believe that their group is moral.
- Those who go against the grain are considered to be oversimplifying the problem, embracing
pluralistic ways.
- Group pressure is aimed at any member who shows hesitation or questions the group's
arguments or proposals. questioning the group's arguments or proposals.
- Group members censor their own doubts.
- Group members believe that all members agree unanimously, whether such agreement is
expressed or not.
- Group members begin to act as information that reaches other group members, especially if
such information can create differences of opinion.
Leaders in Small Group Communication
In most small groups, one person serves as the leader. In other groups, leadership
may be held by several people. Furthermore, the leader may be appointed or automatically
appear in the group In process development group communication.
Leadership Style:
In addition to looking at the main concerns in leadership, as we did with situational
leadership theory, we can also look at leadership in terms of three leadership styles: hands-
off, democratic and authoritarian.
Control-Leasing Leader:
The hands-off leader does not take the initiative to direct or suggest alternative
courses of action. Rather, this leader allows the group to develop and make mistakes. This
kind of leader rejects any authority given.
Democratic Leader:
The Democratic leader provides direction, but allows the group to develop and
implement the way its members want. Group members are encouraged to determine goals
and procedures. The democratic leader stimulates self-direction and self-actualization in
group members.
Keeping Members on Track:
Many people are egocentric and will only feel their own wants and problems. In this
case, the role of the leader is needed to direct the members to stay on the path of discussion.
Ensuring Member Satisfaction:
Members have different psychological needs and wants and many enter the group precisely
because of these needs and wants. Even if the group deals with for example political issues,
the various members may come together for reasons that are more psychological than
political.
Stimulate Evaluation and Improvement:
All groups will face obstacles if they are trying to solve a problem, make a decision,
or develop ideas. No single group is perfectly effective. All groups have the opportunity to
improve themselves.
Prepare Members for Discussion:
Groups form slowly and need to be shaped into meaningful discussions. The leader
should prepare the members for the discussion. This involves getting members ready to
interact in small groups, as well as ready to discuss a specific issue.
Public Communication
Public communication is the exchange of messages with a number of people who are
in a particular organization or outside the organization face-to-face or through the media.
The quality that distinguishes public organizational communication from interpersonal
communication and small group communication is :
Public communication is oriented towards the speaker or source. In interpersonal and
small group communication there is a reciprocal relationship between the speaker and
the recipient involved. In public organizational communication the speaker dominates
the relationship.
In public communication involves a large number of recipients but in interpersonal
communication there are usually 2 people and small group communication no more
than 5-7 recipients, public communication messages are intended to attract many
people, hundreds or millions of people.
In public communication there is less interaction between the speaker and the listener.
This results in less direct interaction between the speaker and the listener, especially
the larger the audience.
The language used in public communication is more general so that it can be
understood by the audience. Usually before the presentation the speaker knows the
specific type of audience.
The purpose of public communication is :
- Providing information to a large number of people who know the organization, for example
about the organization's activities and production.
- Establishing relationships between the organization and the community outside the
organization such as use of organizational services, users of organizational products and
society in general.
- Providing entertainment to a number of people such as recounting a pleasant experience to a
crowd.
Conclusions
Organizational communication is the direction and interpretation of messages among
communication units that are part of a particular organization. Organizational
communication is also the organizing behavior that occurs and how those involved in the
process transact and give meaning to what is happening. Organizational communication also
has the meaning of sending and receiving various organizational messages in formal and
informal groups of an organization. It also includes the approaches involved in
organizational communication. In addition, there are also communication networks and
flows in communication. As well as the interaction format of organizational communication
which consists of communication interpersonal, communication small group, and public
communication.
Definition of Organizational Communication
Understanding of organizational communication is inseparable from its relation to
various other aspects of organizational behavior as a whole, or when viewed more broadly,
namely in relation to interdisciplinary studies, especially communication science.
Organizational behavior deals with how and why people act, think and feel in an
organizational setting (Paul D. Sweeney & Dean B. Mc Farlin, 2002: 3). To better
understand organizational communication. We must refer to the various notions of
communication and organization that will be described in the following section:
Communication
The term communication comes from the Latin word -communication‖ which means
notification, giving part, exchange, where the speaker expects consideration or answer from
the listener. The adjective is communis which means common or shared. The verb is
communicare which means to dialogue, confer or deliberate (Anwar Arifin, 1994: 24).
Communication is a process that is generally used by humans in social interaction.
Basically, it has such a broad understanding, both as a separate science and as a
process. There are various definitions of communication, Carl I. Hovland suggests as
follows: communication is the process by which a person / communicator Convey stimuli
(usually symbols in the form of words) to change the behavior of others / communicants
(Onong Uchyana Effendy, 1993: 24). Then Shimp (1993; 8) states that communication is
the process to create or cause a common thought between the one who gives the sign and the
one who receives the sign. Shimp's definition emphasizes more on the communication
process that aims at creating a common thought or opinion on the interaction that occurs
(Terence A. Shimp, 1993: 8).
Pace & Faules (2001; 28) suggest that communication can be distinguished from all
other human and organizational behavior because it involves the mental process of
understanding people, objects and events. Two common forms of action that constitute
communication that emphasize on 1) the creation of messages or, more precisely, the
creation of performances, and 2) the interpretation of messages or the interpretation of
performances (R. Wayne Pace & Don F. Daules, Deddy Maulyana). Harold D. Lasswell
explained communication as an answer to the questions: Who, Say, What, In which channel,
To whom, With what effect? This sentence then known as the Lasswell formula (Effendy,
256). From what Lasswell stated, in essence, it includes elements of communication, namely
the existence of; communicators, messages conveyed, media used, communicants /
audiences, and effects. In simple terms, it can be interpreted that communication is a
message delivery activity with the aim of equalizing the meaning of a person / institution
(communicator) to another person / audience (communicator).
Organization
One of the most important things in understanding organizational communication is
that we should understand the approaches that influence the way of thinking or looking at
organizations. Organization according to Robbins (2001; 4) is defined as a consciously
coordinated social unit, consisting of two or more people, which functions on a relatively
continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set of goals (Stephen P. Robbins, 2001: 4).
Pace & Faules (2001: 11) suggest that there are two approaches in understanding
organizations, the objective approach and the subjective approach. Meaning -"Objective" in
this concept refers to the view that objects, behaviors, and events exist in the real world and
are independent of observation, while -"Subjective" refers to reality itself as a social
construction, reality as a creative process that allows people to create what is "out there".
According to the objective approach, an organization is something physical and
concrete, and is a structure with definite boundaries, something stable. The term -
organization‖ implies that something tangible encapsulates people, relationships, and goals.
The subjective approach views organizations as activities that people do, consisting of
actions, interactions, and transactions involving people. Organizations are created and
nurtured through the constantly changing contacts that people have with one another and do
not exist in isolation from the people whose behaviors make up the organization.
So based on the objective approach, organization means structure; while based on the
subjective view, organization means process (organizing behavior). The implication is that,
according to the objective approach, studying the organization is studying the whole, how
the organization can adapt in the best way to the environment to develop itself and survive,
while according to the subjective approach, knowledge about the organization is obtained by
looking at behaviors and what those behaviors mean to those who do it, the structure is
recognized but the emphasis is on human behavior in the sense that it is not independent of
human actions. These two approaches, both objective and subjective, not only affect the way
of looking at organizational communication, but also in understanding the organization other
aspects related to organizational behavior.
Organizational Communication
Based on the description above, organizational communication can be defined as the
direction and interpretation of messages between communication units that are part of a
particular organization. The definition emphasizes more on the functional aspect (objective).
Meanwhile, when viewed from an interpretative (subjective) perspective, organizational
communication is seen as a process of creating meaning for the interactions that constitute
the organization. Organizational communication is the organizing behavior that occurs and
how those involved in the process transact and give meaning to what is happening (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Maulana, 31).
A simpler definitive statement is put forward by Arnold & Feldman (1986: 154) that
organizational communication is the exchange of information between people in the
organization, where the process generally includes stages: attention, comprehension,
acceptance as true, and retention.
The Nature of Communication in Organizations
When talking about organizational communication, what is drawn in a person is
things related to the role and status of each person in the organization, because the role and
status of a person also determines how to communicate with others as well as how to
communicate with him, so a good person is a person who always connects roles and statuses
with work (Alo Liliweri, 1997: 59).
In modern society people recognize a person because he or she has a variety of roles
and statuses. In an organization, this diversity is seen through the division of labor where
each person will work according to his talents and abilities so that he is responsible for the
work. When the number or types of work are more and more diverse, it is necessary to
intertwine the different types of work, intertwine between a leader and subordinates or
between leaders who ultimately form a large synergistic force to produce higher quality
output. At this stage communication is needed.
Organizational communication is often also interpreted as organizing behavior,
namely how a subordinate is involved in the process of transacting and giving meaning to
what is happening. Therefore, when the organization considered just a group of people who
interact then communication only functions as an organization; he is the organization itself.
So organizational communication will center on the symbols that make organizational life
possible, whether the words, ideas and constructs that encourage authorize, coordinate, and
realize organized activities in specific situations (Barry Cusway and Derej Logde, 1995:
115).
Any writing or anything related to organizational communication always considers
two main concepts, namely organization and communication. An organization can be
approached as an object of fun and interest, but there are those who may very well view
organizations as oppressive That favorable or oppressive attitude is actually very depends on
the understanding and practice of interactions, relationships and transactions that occur
between people in the organization, which is called organizational communication. So the
position of communication in organization is actually emphasizes on how an organization is
constructed and maintained through the communication process. With Thus organizational
communication is more than just what people but rather a theoretical explanation of
communication practices in organizations that serves togetherness both in the organization
as well as serving other people who need the organization. In other words, the existence of
communication in the organization makes one able to distinguish two things, namely: first,
showing how members work as an organization; and second, how the network operations
that link them to each other. In this perspective, communication is important in
organizations, 1). Communication is the way, through communication people seek
information and develop a number of criteria for getting work for them; 2). Communication
is a process for them in determining a choice which practical.
The Importance of the Study of Organizational Communication
The study of organizational communication is important because it is a discipline
that can take a number of legitimate and useful directions. In the sense that the study will
provide benefits not only for anyone who wants to understand organizational behavior
better, but also has pragmatic aspects for people who want to improve their performance as
participants/members of an organization. The study of organizational communication can
provide a strong foundation for careers in management, human resource development, and
corporate communication, as well as other human-oriented tasks in organizations (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Mulyana, 25).
Interpersonal Communication Interaction Format
Interpersonal communication is the process of exchanging information between
someone with at least one other person or usually between two people who can be
immediately known back. With the increase in people involved in communication, the
perception of people in communication events increases so that the communication becomes
more complex (Arni Muhammad, 2009: 158).
Classification Interpersonal communication
Intimate interaction; in organizations, this relationship is developed in informal
communication systems. For example, the relationship seen between two good
friends in the organization, who have personal interactions perhaps outside of their
roles and functions in the organization.
Social Conversation is an interaction to please someone simply by talking a little. If
two or more people get together and talk about concerns, interests outside the
organization such as family, sports, political issues.
Interrogation is an interaction between someone in control, who requests or even
obeys information from others.
Interview is a form of communication interpersonal communication where two
people engage in a conversation in the form of questions and answers.
Purpose of Interpersonal Communication
Finding yourself
Discovering the outside world
Establish and maintain meaningful relationships
Change in attitude and behavior
For play and fun
To help
Effective Interpersonal Relationships
According to Rogert, interpersonal relationships will occur effectively if both parties
fulfill the conditions:
meet each other in person
empathize appropriately with the other person and communicate meaningfully with
each other.
Respect each other, be positive and reasonable without judgment or objection.
really live each other's experiences, being receptive to each other's empathy.
Feel that maintaining mutual openness and a supportive climate reduces the tendency
for salience disruptions.
Exhibit behaviors that are trusting and reinforce feelings of security towards others.
Small Group Communication
Is a collection of individuals who can influence each other, get some satisfaction
from each other, interact to multiple goals, take on roles, bond with each other and
communicate face-to-face.
Purpose of small group communication
o Personal Objective
Relationships social, the goal is to strengthen interpersonal
relationships and improve our well-being.
Channeling, this goal is usually carried out in an atmosphere that
favors the exchange of ideas or heated arguments in family
discussions, where self-disclosure is appropriate.
Group therapy, this is usually used to help people eliminate their
attitudes, or behaviors in some aspect of their lives.
Learning, as a common reason for people to join small groups, is
learning from others. Learning happens in a variety of settings. The
underlying assumption of group learning is the idea of two-way
learning.
o Work-related goals
Decision-making; People who come together in groups to make
decisions about something. Discussing alternatives with others helps
people decide which is the best option for the group.
Small Group as a system
Small groups are small organizations that have four basic components: input or
process, output or result of feedback.
o Inputs, are the raw materials in a small group such as people, information that
the group uses to interact. People or group members are inputs because each
person in the group brings certain qualities such as personality, age, health,
knowledge, attitudes, values and problem-solving abilities.
o Process, refers to all the internal processes that occur within the group during
the discussion.
o Outcome, is the decision or resolution reached by the group.
o Feedback, containing responses that tie the system together. Feedback
provides input for future group meetings.
Small Group Characteristics
o Make it easier friendly meeting
o Group personality. When a group of people come together they forming its
own identity that makes up the personality of the group.
o Cohesiveness, which is the attraction group members have for each other and
their desire to stick together.
o Commitment to the task. Another individual activity within the group that is
closely related to with commitment is motivation.
o The size of Group size seems simple enough but group size has some
important ramifications within the group.
o Group norms, are rules and guidelines used by the group itself, as well as
some external factors outside the group.
o Interdependence. The most important thing is that group members depend on
each other to some degree, and on each other less.
Roles of Small Group Communication members
Kennet Benne and Paul Sheats (1948) proposed a classification of member roles on
this important topic. Benne and Sheats divided member roles into three general classes:
group task roles, group building and maintenance roles, and individual roles.
The Role of Group Assignments:
The group task role is the role that enables the group to focus more specifically on
achieving group goals. In carrying out With each of these roles, members do not act as
separate individuals, but as part of a larger whole. The needs and goals of the group govern
the roles that members must perform. Effective group members will perform several of these
functions, although some people are locked into a few specific roles.
Role Fostering and Sustaining Groups:
No one and no group is task-oriented all the time. A group is a unit whose members
have diverse interpersonal relationships. These relationships need to be nurtured if the group
is to function effectively-if group members are to be satisfied and productive. If this function
is not performed, group members will be damaged if group processes become bogged down,
frequent conflicts arise, or small group communication becomes disrupted on some personal
or social level.
Individualized role:
The task group role and the fostering and sustaining group role are all productive.
They assist the group in achieving its goals, and are group-oriented. The roles we will
discuss here are counter-productive. They hinder the group in achieving its goals and are
more individual-oriented than group-oriented group. Such roles are often termed
malfunctions, which hinder group effectiveness in terms of both productivity and personal
satisfaction.
Member Participation:
Here are some guidelines that will help make your participation in small group
communication effective and more enjoyable. Some of these suggestions are elaborations
and extensions of the basic characteristics of effective interpersonal communication.
Group-Oriented:
In a small group you are a team member - a member of a larger whole. Your
participation will be valuable if it helps achieve the group's goals of the group and increase
member satisfaction. Your job is to mobilize your skills, knowledge and ideas so that the
group can develop solutions that are better than those developed by one person. Individual
achievement can hinder the group.
Center the conflict on the problem:
Conflict in a small group situation is inevitable. Conflict is a natural part of the small
group process, but center the conflict on the problem rather than the person.
Be Critically Unbiased:
A common but unproductive developmental symptom occurs when members come
to the group with preconceived notions. When this happens, the small group process turns
into a series of individualized debates, with each person trying to defend his or her position.
Instead, members should come to the group armed with relevant information that will be
useful in the discussion process. They should not have made up their minds about the
solutions or conclusions they will accept.
Ensure understanding:
Make sure that your ideas and information are understood by all participants. If
something is worth saying. Then what is said should also be made clear. If in doubt, ask
yourself if what you are saying is clear, -Is my question clear enough?‖ -Did I explain it
clearly enough?‖ Also make sure that you are clear about the contributions of other
members, especially before you discuss the issue with them. In practice, people often
express their disagreement in their own words.
Groupthink:
Here are some symptoms that can help you recognize groupthink in the groups you
observe or participate in.
- Group members think that the group and its members cannot be defeated by danger.
- Members create rationalizations to avoid dealing directly with the danger or threat.
- Group members believe that their group is moral.
- Those who go against the grain are considered to be oversimplifying the problem, embracing
pluralistic ways.
- Group pressure is aimed at any member who shows hesitation or questions the group's
arguments or proposals. questioning the group's arguments or proposals.
- Group members censor their own doubts.
- Group members believe that all members agree unanimously, whether such agreement is
expressed or not.
- Group members begin to act as information that reaches other group members, especially if
such information can create differences of opinion.
Leaders in Small Group Communication
In most small groups, one person serves as the leader. In other groups, leadership
may be held by several people. Furthermore, the leader may be appointed or automatically
appear in the group In process development group communication.
Leadership Style:
In addition to looking at the main concerns in leadership, as we did with situational
leadership theory, we can also look at leadership in terms of three leadership styles: hands-
off, democratic and authoritarian.
Control-Leasing Leader:
The hands-off leader does not take the initiative to direct or suggest alternative
courses of action. Rather, this leader allows the group to develop and make mistakes. This
kind of leader rejects any authority given.
Democratic Leader:
The Democratic leader provides direction, but allows the group to develop and
implement the way its members want. Group members are encouraged to determine goals
and procedures. The democratic leader stimulates self-direction and self-actualization in
group members.
Keeping Members on Track:
Many people are egocentric and will only feel their own wants and problems. In this
case, the role of the leader is needed to direct the members to stay on the path of discussion.
Ensuring Member Satisfaction:
Members have different psychological needs and wants and many enter the group precisely
because of these needs and wants. Even if the group deals with for example political issues,
the various members may come together for reasons that are more psychological than
political.
Stimulate Evaluation and Improvement:
All groups will face obstacles if they are trying to solve a problem, make a decision,
or develop ideas. No single group is perfectly effective. All groups have the opportunity to
improve themselves.
Prepare Members for Discussion:
Groups form slowly and need to be shaped into meaningful discussions. The leader
should prepare the members for the discussion. This involves getting members ready to
interact in small groups, as well as ready to discuss a specific issue.
Public Communication
Public communication is the exchange of messages with a number of people who are
in a particular organization or outside the organization face-to-face or through the media.
The quality that distinguishes public organizational communication from interpersonal
communication and small group communication is :
Public communication is oriented towards the speaker or source. In interpersonal and
small group communication there is a reciprocal relationship between the speaker and
the recipient involved. In public organizational communication the speaker dominates
the relationship.
In public communication involves a large number of recipients but in interpersonal
communication there are usually 2 people and small group communication no more
than 5-7 recipients, public communication messages are intended to attract many
people, hundreds or millions of people.
In public communication there is less interaction between the speaker and the listener.
This results in less direct interaction between the speaker and the listener, especially
the larger the audience.
The language used in public communication is more general so that it can be
understood by the audience. Usually before the presentation the speaker knows the
specific type of audience.
The purpose of public communication is :
- Providing information to a large number of people who know the organization, for example
about the organization's activities and production.
- Establishing relationships between the organization and the community outside the
organization such as use of organizational services, users of organizational products and
society in general.
- Providing entertainment to a number of people such as recounting a pleasant experience to a
crowd.
Conclusions
Organizational communication is the direction and interpretation of messages among
communication units that are part of a particular organization. Organizational
communication is also the organizing behavior that occurs and how those involved in the
process transact and give meaning to what is happening. Organizational communication also
has the meaning of sending and receiving various organizational messages in formal and
informal groups of an organization. It also includes the approaches involved in
organizational communication. In addition, there are also communication networks and
flows in communication. As well as the interaction format of organizational communication
which consists of communication interpersonal, communication small group, and public
communication.
Definition of Organizational Communication
Understanding of organizational communication is inseparable from its relation to
various other aspects of organizational behavior as a whole, or when viewed more broadly,
namely in relation to interdisciplinary studies, especially communication science.
Organizational behavior deals with how and why people act, think and feel in an
organizational setting (Paul D. Sweeney & Dean B. Mc Farlin, 2002: 3). To better
understand organizational communication. We must refer to the various notions of
communication and organization that will be described in the following section:
Communication
The term communication comes from the Latin word -communication‖ which means
notification, giving part, exchange, where the speaker expects consideration or answer from
the listener. The adjective is communis which means common or shared. The verb is
communicare which means to dialogue, confer or deliberate (Anwar Arifin, 1994: 24).
Communication is a process that is generally used by humans in social interaction.
Basically, it has such a broad understanding, both as a separate science and as a
process. There are various definitions of communication, Carl I. Hovland suggests as
follows: communication is the process by which a person / communicator Convey stimuli
(usually symbols in the form of words) to change the behavior of others / communicants
(Onong Uchyana Effendy, 1993: 24). Then Shimp (1993; 8) states that communication is
the process to create or cause a common thought between the one who gives the sign and the
one who receives the sign. Shimp's definition emphasizes more on the communication
process that aims at creating a common thought or opinion on the interaction that occurs
(Terence A. Shimp, 1993: 8).
Pace & Faules (2001; 28) suggest that communication can be distinguished from all
other human and organizational behavior because it involves the mental process of
understanding people, objects and events. Two common forms of action that constitute
communication that emphasize on 1) the creation of messages or, more precisely, the
creation of performances, and 2) the interpretation of messages or the interpretation of
performances (R. Wayne Pace & Don F. Daules, Deddy Maulyana). Harold D. Lasswell
explained communication as an answer to the questions: Who, Say, What, In which channel,
To whom, With what effect? This sentence then known as the Lasswell formula (Effendy,
256). From what Lasswell stated, in essence, it includes elements of communication, namely
the existence of; communicators, messages conveyed, media used, communicants /
audiences, and effects. In simple terms, it can be interpreted that communication is a
message delivery activity with the aim of equalizing the meaning of a person / institution
(communicator) to another person / audience (communicator).
Organization
One of the most important things in understanding organizational communication is
that we should understand the approaches that influence the way of thinking or looking at
organizations. Organization according to Robbins (2001; 4) is defined as a consciously
coordinated social unit, consisting of two or more people, which functions on a relatively
continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set of goals (Stephen P. Robbins, 2001: 4).
Pace & Faules (2001: 11) suggest that there are two approaches in understanding
organizations, the objective approach and the subjective approach. Meaning -"Objective" in
this concept refers to the view that objects, behaviors, and events exist in the real world and
are independent of observation, while -"Subjective" refers to reality itself as a social
construction, reality as a creative process that allows people to create what is "out there".
According to the objective approach, an organization is something physical and
concrete, and is a structure with definite boundaries, something stable. The term -
organization‖ implies that something tangible encapsulates people, relationships, and goals.
The subjective approach views organizations as activities that people do, consisting of
actions, interactions, and transactions involving people. Organizations are created and
nurtured through the constantly changing contacts that people have with one another and do
not exist in isolation from the people whose behaviors make up the organization.
So based on the objective approach, organization means structure; while based on the
subjective view, organization means process (organizing behavior). The implication is that,
according to the objective approach, studying the organization is studying the whole, how
the organization can adapt in the best way to the environment to develop itself and survive,
while according to the subjective approach, knowledge about the organization is obtained by
looking at behaviors and what those behaviors mean to those who do it, the structure is
recognized but the emphasis is on human behavior in the sense that it is not independent of
human actions. These two approaches, both objective and subjective, not only affect the way
of looking at organizational communication, but also in understanding the organization other
aspects related to organizational behavior.
Organizational Communication
Based on the description above, organizational communication can be defined as the
direction and interpretation of messages between communication units that are part of a
particular organization. The definition emphasizes more on the functional aspect (objective).
Meanwhile, when viewed from an interpretative (subjective) perspective, organizational
communication is seen as a process of creating meaning for the interactions that constitute
the organization. Organizational communication is the organizing behavior that occurs and
how those involved in the process transact and give meaning to what is happening (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Maulana, 31).
A simpler definitive statement is put forward by Arnold & Feldman (1986: 154) that
organizational communication is the exchange of information between people in the
organization, where the process generally includes stages: attention, comprehension,
acceptance as true, and retention.
The Nature of Communication in Organizations
When talking about organizational communication, what is drawn in a person is
things related to the role and status of each person in the organization, because the role and
status of a person also determines how to communicate with others as well as how to
communicate with him, so a good person is a person who always connects roles and statuses
with work (Alo Liliweri, 1997: 59).
In modern society people recognize a person because he or she has a variety of roles
and statuses. In an organization, this diversity is seen through the division of labor where
each person will work according to his talents and abilities so that he is responsible for the
work. When the number or types of work are more and more diverse, it is necessary to
intertwine the different types of work, intertwine between a leader and subordinates or
between leaders who ultimately form a large synergistic force to produce higher quality
output. At this stage communication is needed.
Organizational communication is often also interpreted as organizing behavior,
namely how a subordinate is involved in the process of transacting and giving meaning to
what is happening. Therefore, when the organization considered just a group of people who
interact then communication only functions as an organization; he is the organization itself.
So organizational communication will center on the symbols that make organizational life
possible, whether the words, ideas and constructs that encourage authorize, coordinate, and
realize organized activities in specific situations (Barry Cusway and Derej Logde, 1995:
115).
Any writing or anything related to organizational communication always considers
two main concepts, namely organization and communication. An organization can be
approached as an object of fun and interest, but there are those who may very well view
organizations as oppressive That favorable or oppressive attitude is actually very depends on
the understanding and practice of interactions, relationships and transactions that occur
between people in the organization, which is called organizational communication. So the
position of communication in organization is actually emphasizes on how an organization is
constructed and maintained through the communication process. With Thus organizational
communication is more than just what people but rather a theoretical explanation of
communication practices in organizations that serves togetherness both in the organization
as well as serving other people who need the organization. In other words, the existence of
communication in the organization makes one able to distinguish two things, namely: first,
showing how members work as an organization; and second, how the network operations
that link them to each other. In this perspective, communication is important in
organizations, 1). Communication is the way, through communication people seek
information and develop a number of criteria for getting work for them; 2). Communication
is a process for them in determining a choice which practical.
The Importance of the Study of Organizational Communication
The study of organizational communication is important because it is a discipline
that can take a number of legitimate and useful directions. In the sense that the study will
provide benefits not only for anyone who wants to understand organizational behavior
better, but also has pragmatic aspects for people who want to improve their performance as
participants/members of an organization. The study of organizational communication can
provide a strong foundation for careers in management, human resource development, and
corporate communication, as well as other human-oriented tasks in organizations (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Mulyana, 25).
Interpersonal Communication Interaction Format
Interpersonal communication is the process of exchanging information between
someone with at least one other person or usually between two people who can be
immediately known back. With the increase in people involved in communication, the
perception of people in communication events increases so that the communication becomes
more complex (Arni Muhammad, 2009: 158).
Classification Interpersonal communication
Intimate interaction; in organizations, this relationship is developed in informal
communication systems. For example, the relationship seen between two good
friends in the organization, who have personal interactions perhaps outside of their
roles and functions in the organization.
Social Conversation is an interaction to please someone simply by talking a little. If
two or more people get together and talk about concerns, interests outside the
organization such as family, sports, political issues.
Interrogation is an interaction between someone in control, who requests or even
obeys information from others.
Interview is a form of communication interpersonal communication where two
people engage in a conversation in the form of questions and answers.
Purpose of Interpersonal Communication
Finding yourself
Discovering the outside world
Establish and maintain meaningful relationships
Change in attitude and behavior
For play and fun
To help
Effective Interpersonal Relationships
According to Rogert, interpersonal relationships will occur effectively if both parties
fulfill the conditions:
meet each other in person
empathize appropriately with the other person and communicate meaningfully with
each other.
Respect each other, be positive and reasonable without judgment or objection.
really live each other's experiences, being receptive to each other's empathy.
Feel that maintaining mutual openness and a supportive climate reduces the tendency
for salience disruptions.
Exhibit behaviors that are trusting and reinforce feelings of security towards others.
Small Group Communication
Is a collection of individuals who can influence each other, get some satisfaction
from each other, interact to multiple goals, take on roles, bond with each other and
communicate face-to-face.
Purpose of small group communication
o Personal Objective
Relationships social, the goal is to strengthen interpersonal
relationships and improve our well-being.
Channeling, this goal is usually carried out in an atmosphere that
favors the exchange of ideas or heated arguments in family
discussions, where self-disclosure is appropriate.
Group therapy, this is usually used to help people eliminate their
attitudes, or behaviors in some aspect of their lives.
Learning, as a common reason for people to join small groups, is
learning from others. Learning happens in a variety of settings. The
underlying assumption of group learning is the idea of two-way
learning.
o Work-related goals
Decision-making; People who come together in groups to make
decisions about something. Discussing alternatives with others helps
people decide which is the best option for the group.
Small Group as a system
Small groups are small organizations that have four basic components: input or
process, output or result of feedback.
o Inputs, are the raw materials in a small group such as people, information that
the group uses to interact. People or group members are inputs because each
person in the group brings certain qualities such as personality, age, health,
knowledge, attitudes, values and problem-solving abilities.
o Process, refers to all the internal processes that occur within the group during
the discussion.
o Outcome, is the decision or resolution reached by the group.
o Feedback, containing responses that tie the system together. Feedback
provides input for future group meetings.
Small Group Characteristics
o Make it easier friendly meeting
o Group personality. When a group of people come together they forming its
own identity that makes up the personality of the group.
o Cohesiveness, which is the attraction group members have for each other and
their desire to stick together.
o Commitment to the task. Another individual activity within the group that is
closely related to with commitment is motivation.
o The size of Group size seems simple enough but group size has some
important ramifications within the group.
o Group norms, are rules and guidelines used by the group itself, as well as
some external factors outside the group.
o Interdependence. The most important thing is that group members depend on
each other to some degree, and on each other less.
Roles of Small Group Communication members
Kennet Benne and Paul Sheats (1948) proposed a classification of member roles on
this important topic. Benne and Sheats divided member roles into three general classes:
group task roles, group building and maintenance roles, and individual roles.
The Role of Group Assignments:
The group task role is the role that enables the group to focus more specifically on
achieving group goals. In carrying out With each of these roles, members do not act as
separate individuals, but as part of a larger whole. The needs and goals of the group govern
the roles that members must perform. Effective group members will perform several of these
functions, although some people are locked into a few specific roles.
Role Fostering and Sustaining Groups:
No one and no group is task-oriented all the time. A group is a unit whose members
have diverse interpersonal relationships. These relationships need to be nurtured if the group
is to function effectively-if group members are to be satisfied and productive. If this function
is not performed, group members will be damaged if group processes become bogged down,
frequent conflicts arise, or small group communication becomes disrupted on some personal
or social level.
Individualized role:
The task group role and the fostering and sustaining group role are all productive.
They assist the group in achieving its goals, and are group-oriented. The roles we will
discuss here are counter-productive. They hinder the group in achieving its goals and are
more individual-oriented than group-oriented group. Such roles are often termed
malfunctions, which hinder group effectiveness in terms of both productivity and personal
satisfaction.
Member Participation:
Here are some guidelines that will help make your participation in small group
communication effective and more enjoyable. Some of these suggestions are elaborations
and extensions of the basic characteristics of effective interpersonal communication.
Group-Oriented:
In a small group you are a team member - a member of a larger whole. Your
participation will be valuable if it helps achieve the group's goals of the group and increase
member satisfaction. Your job is to mobilize your skills, knowledge and ideas so that the
group can develop solutions that are better than those developed by one person. Individual
achievement can hinder the group.
Center the conflict on the problem:
Conflict in a small group situation is inevitable. Conflict is a natural part of the small
group process, but center the conflict on the problem rather than the person.
Be Critically Unbiased:
A common but unproductive developmental symptom occurs when members come
to the group with preconceived notions. When this happens, the small group process turns
into a series of individualized debates, with each person trying to defend his or her position.
Instead, members should come to the group armed with relevant information that will be
useful in the discussion process. They should not have made up their minds about the
solutions or conclusions they will accept.
Ensure understanding:
Make sure that your ideas and information are understood by all participants. If
something is worth saying. Then what is said should also be made clear. If in doubt, ask
yourself if what you are saying is clear, -Is my question clear enough?‖ -Did I explain it
clearly enough?‖ Also make sure that you are clear about the contributions of other
members, especially before you discuss the issue with them. In practice, people often
express their disagreement in their own words.
Groupthink:
Here are some symptoms that can help you recognize groupthink in the groups you
observe or participate in.
- Group members think that the group and its members cannot be defeated by danger.
- Members create rationalizations to avoid dealing directly with the danger or threat.
- Group members believe that their group is moral.
- Those who go against the grain are considered to be oversimplifying the problem, embracing
pluralistic ways.
- Group pressure is aimed at any member who shows hesitation or questions the group's
arguments or proposals. questioning the group's arguments or proposals.
- Group members censor their own doubts.
- Group members believe that all members agree unanimously, whether such agreement is
expressed or not.
- Group members begin to act as information that reaches other group members, especially if
such information can create differences of opinion.
Leaders in Small Group Communication
In most small groups, one person serves as the leader. In other groups, leadership
may be held by several people. Furthermore, the leader may be appointed or automatically
appear in the group In process development group communication.
Leadership Style:
In addition to looking at the main concerns in leadership, as we did with situational
leadership theory, we can also look at leadership in terms of three leadership styles: hands-
off, democratic and authoritarian.
Control-Leasing Leader:
The hands-off leader does not take the initiative to direct or suggest alternative
courses of action. Rather, this leader allows the group to develop and make mistakes. This
kind of leader rejects any authority given.
Democratic Leader:
The Democratic leader provides direction, but allows the group to develop and
implement the way its members want. Group members are encouraged to determine goals
and procedures. The democratic leader stimulates self-direction and self-actualization in
group members.
Keeping Members on Track:
Many people are egocentric and will only feel their own wants and problems. In this
case, the role of the leader is needed to direct the members to stay on the path of discussion.
Ensuring Member Satisfaction:
Members have different psychological needs and wants and many enter the group precisely
because of these needs and wants. Even if the group deals with for example political issues,
the various members may come together for reasons that are more psychological than
political.
Stimulate Evaluation and Improvement:
All groups will face obstacles if they are trying to solve a problem, make a decision,
or develop ideas. No single group is perfectly effective. All groups have the opportunity to
improve themselves.
Prepare Members for Discussion:
Groups form slowly and need to be shaped into meaningful discussions. The leader
should prepare the members for the discussion. This involves getting members ready to
interact in small groups, as well as ready to discuss a specific issue.
Public Communication
Public communication is the exchange of messages with a number of people who are
in a particular organization or outside the organization face-to-face or through the media.
The quality that distinguishes public organizational communication from interpersonal
communication and small group communication is :
Public communication is oriented towards the speaker or source. In interpersonal and
small group communication there is a reciprocal relationship between the speaker and
the recipient involved. In public organizational communication the speaker dominates
the relationship.
In public communication involves a large number of recipients but in interpersonal
communication there are usually 2 people and small group communication no more
than 5-7 recipients, public communication messages are intended to attract many
people, hundreds or millions of people.
In public communication there is less interaction between the speaker and the listener.
This results in less direct interaction between the speaker and the listener, especially
the larger the audience.
The language used in public communication is more general so that it can be
understood by the audience. Usually before the presentation the speaker knows the
specific type of audience.
The purpose of public communication is :
- Providing information to a large number of people who know the organization, for example
about the organization's activities and production.
- Establishing relationships between the organization and the community outside the
organization such as use of organizational services, users of organizational products and
society in general.
- Providing entertainment to a number of people such as recounting a pleasant experience to a
crowd.
Conclusions
Organizational communication is the direction and interpretation of messages among
communication units that are part of a particular organization. Organizational
communication is also the organizing behavior that occurs and how those involved in the
process transact and give meaning to what is happening. Organizational communication also
has the meaning of sending and receiving various organizational messages in formal and
informal groups of an organization. It also includes the approaches involved in
organizational communication. In addition, there are also communication networks and
flows in communication. As well as the interaction format of organizational communication
which consists of communication interpersonal, communication small group, and public
communication.
Definition of Organizational Communication
Understanding of organizational communication is inseparable from its relation to
various other aspects of organizational behavior as a whole, or when viewed more broadly,
namely in relation to interdisciplinary studies, especially communication science.
Organizational behavior deals with how and why people act, think and feel in an
organizational setting (Paul D. Sweeney & Dean B. Mc Farlin, 2002: 3). To better
understand organizational communication. We must refer to the various notions of
communication and organization that will be described in the following section:
Communication
The term communication comes from the Latin word -communication‖ which means
notification, giving part, exchange, where the speaker expects consideration or answer from
the listener. The adjective is communis which means common or shared. The verb is
communicare which means to dialogue, confer or deliberate (Anwar Arifin, 1994: 24).
Communication is a process that is generally used by humans in social interaction.
Basically, it has such a broad understanding, both as a separate science and as a
process. There are various definitions of communication, Carl I. Hovland suggests as
follows: communication is the process by which a person / communicator Convey stimuli
(usually symbols in the form of words) to change the behavior of others / communicants
(Onong Uchyana Effendy, 1993: 24). Then Shimp (1993; 8) states that communication is
the process to create or cause a common thought between the one who gives the sign and the
one who receives the sign. Shimp's definition emphasizes more on the communication
process that aims at creating a common thought or opinion on the interaction that occurs
(Terence A. Shimp, 1993: 8).
Pace & Faules (2001; 28) suggest that communication can be distinguished from all
other human and organizational behavior because it involves the mental process of
understanding people, objects and events. Two common forms of action that constitute
communication that emphasize on 1) the creation of messages or, more precisely, the
creation of performances, and 2) the interpretation of messages or the interpretation of
performances (R. Wayne Pace & Don F. Daules, Deddy Maulyana). Harold D. Lasswell
explained communication as an answer to the questions: Who, Say, What, In which channel,
To whom, With what effect? This sentence then known as the Lasswell formula (Effendy,
256). From what Lasswell stated, in essence, it includes elements of communication, namely
the existence of; communicators, messages conveyed, media used, communicants /
audiences, and effects. In simple terms, it can be interpreted that communication is a
message delivery activity with the aim of equalizing the meaning of a person / institution
(communicator) to another person / audience (communicator).
Organization
One of the most important things in understanding organizational communication is
that we should understand the approaches that influence the way of thinking or looking at
organizations. Organization according to Robbins (2001; 4) is defined as a consciously
coordinated social unit, consisting of two or more people, which functions on a relatively
continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set of goals (Stephen P. Robbins, 2001: 4).
Pace & Faules (2001: 11) suggest that there are two approaches in understanding
organizations, the objective approach and the subjective approach. Meaning -"Objective" in
this concept refers to the view that objects, behaviors, and events exist in the real world and
are independent of observation, while -"Subjective" refers to reality itself as a social
construction, reality as a creative process that allows people to create what is "out there".
According to the objective approach, an organization is something physical and
concrete, and is a structure with definite boundaries, something stable. The term -
organization‖ implies that something tangible encapsulates people, relationships, and goals.
The subjective approach views organizations as activities that people do, consisting of
actions, interactions, and transactions involving people. Organizations are created and
nurtured through the constantly changing contacts that people have with one another and do
not exist in isolation from the people whose behaviors make up the organization.
So based on the objective approach, organization means structure; while based on the
subjective view, organization means process (organizing behavior). The implication is that,
according to the objective approach, studying the organization is studying the whole, how
the organization can adapt in the best way to the environment to develop itself and survive,
while according to the subjective approach, knowledge about the organization is obtained by
looking at behaviors and what those behaviors mean to those who do it, the structure is
recognized but the emphasis is on human behavior in the sense that it is not independent of
human actions. These two approaches, both objective and subjective, not only affect the way
of looking at organizational communication, but also in understanding the organization other
aspects related to organizational behavior.
Organizational Communication
Based on the description above, organizational communication can be defined as the
direction and interpretation of messages between communication units that are part of a
particular organization. The definition emphasizes more on the functional aspect (objective).
Meanwhile, when viewed from an interpretative (subjective) perspective, organizational
communication is seen as a process of creating meaning for the interactions that constitute
the organization. Organizational communication is the organizing behavior that occurs and
how those involved in the process transact and give meaning to what is happening (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Maulana, 31).
A simpler definitive statement is put forward by Arnold & Feldman (1986: 154) that
organizational communication is the exchange of information between people in the
organization, where the process generally includes stages: attention, comprehension,
acceptance as true, and retention.
The Nature of Communication in Organizations
When talking about organizational communication, what is drawn in a person is
things related to the role and status of each person in the organization, because the role and
status of a person also determines how to communicate with others as well as how to
communicate with him, so a good person is a person who always connects roles and statuses
with work (Alo Liliweri, 1997: 59).
In modern society people recognize a person because he or she has a variety of roles
and statuses. In an organization, this diversity is seen through the division of labor where
each person will work according to his talents and abilities so that he is responsible for the
work. When the number or types of work are more and more diverse, it is necessary to
intertwine the different types of work, intertwine between a leader and subordinates or
between leaders who ultimately form a large synergistic force to produce higher quality
output. At this stage communication is needed.
Organizational communication is often also interpreted as organizing behavior,
namely how a subordinate is involved in the process of transacting and giving meaning to
what is happening. Therefore, when the organization considered just a group of people who
interact then communication only functions as an organization; he is the organization itself.
So organizational communication will center on the symbols that make organizational life
possible, whether the words, ideas and constructs that encourage authorize, coordinate, and
realize organized activities in specific situations (Barry Cusway and Derej Logde, 1995:
115).
Any writing or anything related to organizational communication always considers
two main concepts, namely organization and communication. An organization can be
approached as an object of fun and interest, but there are those who may very well view
organizations as oppressive That favorable or oppressive attitude is actually very depends on
the understanding and practice of interactions, relationships and transactions that occur
between people in the organization, which is called organizational communication. So the
position of communication in organization is actually emphasizes on how an organization is
constructed and maintained through the communication process. With Thus organizational
communication is more than just what people but rather a theoretical explanation of
communication practices in organizations that serves togetherness both in the organization
as well as serving other people who need the organization. In other words, the existence of
communication in the organization makes one able to distinguish two things, namely: first,
showing how members work as an organization; and second, how the network operations
that link them to each other. In this perspective, communication is important in
organizations, 1). Communication is the way, through communication people seek
information and develop a number of criteria for getting work for them; 2). Communication
is a process for them in determining a choice which practical.
The Importance of the Study of Organizational Communication
The study of organizational communication is important because it is a discipline
that can take a number of legitimate and useful directions. In the sense that the study will
provide benefits not only for anyone who wants to understand organizational behavior
better, but also has pragmatic aspects for people who want to improve their performance as
participants/members of an organization. The study of organizational communication can
provide a strong foundation for careers in management, human resource development, and
corporate communication, as well as other human-oriented tasks in organizations (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Mulyana, 25).
Interpersonal Communication Interaction Format
Interpersonal communication is the process of exchanging information between
someone with at least one other person or usually between two people who can be
immediately known back. With the increase in people involved in communication, the
perception of people in communication events increases so that the communication becomes
more complex (Arni Muhammad, 2009: 158).
Classification Interpersonal communication
Intimate interaction; in organizations, this relationship is developed in informal
communication systems. For example, the relationship seen between two good
friends in the organization, who have personal interactions perhaps outside of their
roles and functions in the organization.
Social Conversation is an interaction to please someone simply by talking a little. If
two or more people get together and talk about concerns, interests outside the
organization such as family, sports, political issues.
Interrogation is an interaction between someone in control, who requests or even
obeys information from others.
Interview is a form of communication interpersonal communication where two
people engage in a conversation in the form of questions and answers.
Purpose of Interpersonal Communication
Finding yourself
Discovering the outside world
Establish and maintain meaningful relationships
Change in attitude and behavior
For play and fun
To help
Effective Interpersonal Relationships
According to Rogert, interpersonal relationships will occur effectively if both parties
fulfill the conditions:
meet each other in person
empathize appropriately with the other person and communicate meaningfully with
each other.
Respect each other, be positive and reasonable without judgment or objection.
really live each other's experiences, being receptive to each other's empathy.
Feel that maintaining mutual openness and a supportive climate reduces the tendency
for salience disruptions.
Exhibit behaviors that are trusting and reinforce feelings of security towards others.
Small Group Communication
Is a collection of individuals who can influence each other, get some satisfaction
from each other, interact to multiple goals, take on roles, bond with each other and
communicate face-to-face.
Purpose of small group communication
o Personal Objective
Relationships social, the goal is to strengthen interpersonal
relationships and improve our well-being.
Channeling, this goal is usually carried out in an atmosphere that
favors the exchange of ideas or heated arguments in family
discussions, where self-disclosure is appropriate.
Group therapy, this is usually used to help people eliminate their
attitudes, or behaviors in some aspect of their lives.
Learning, as a common reason for people to join small groups, is
learning from others. Learning happens in a variety of settings. The
underlying assumption of group learning is the idea of two-way
learning.
o Work-related goals
Decision-making; People who come together in groups to make
decisions about something. Discussing alternatives with others helps
people decide which is the best option for the group.
Small Group as a system
Small groups are small organizations that have four basic components: input or
process, output or result of feedback.
o Inputs, are the raw materials in a small group such as people, information that
the group uses to interact. People or group members are inputs because each
person in the group brings certain qualities such as personality, age, health,
knowledge, attitudes, values and problem-solving abilities.
o Process, refers to all the internal processes that occur within the group during
the discussion.
o Outcome, is the decision or resolution reached by the group.
o Feedback, containing responses that tie the system together. Feedback
provides input for future group meetings.
Small Group Characteristics
o Make it easier friendly meeting
o Group personality. When a group of people come together they forming its
own identity that makes up the personality of the group.
o Cohesiveness, which is the attraction group members have for each other and
their desire to stick together.
o Commitment to the task. Another individual activity within the group that is
closely related to with commitment is motivation.
o The size of Group size seems simple enough but group size has some
important ramifications within the group.
o Group norms, are rules and guidelines used by the group itself, as well as
some external factors outside the group.
o Interdependence. The most important thing is that group members depend on
each other to some degree, and on each other less.
Roles of Small Group Communication members
Kennet Benne and Paul Sheats (1948) proposed a classification of member roles on
this important topic. Benne and Sheats divided member roles into three general classes:
group task roles, group building and maintenance roles, and individual roles.
The Role of Group Assignments:
The group task role is the role that enables the group to focus more specifically on
achieving group goals. In carrying out With each of these roles, members do not act as
separate individuals, but as part of a larger whole. The needs and goals of the group govern
the roles that members must perform. Effective group members will perform several of these
functions, although some people are locked into a few specific roles.
Role Fostering and Sustaining Groups:
No one and no group is task-oriented all the time. A group is a unit whose members
have diverse interpersonal relationships. These relationships need to be nurtured if the group
is to function effectively-if group members are to be satisfied and productive. If this function
is not performed, group members will be damaged if group processes become bogged down,
frequent conflicts arise, or small group communication becomes disrupted on some personal
or social level.
Individualized role:
The task group role and the fostering and sustaining group role are all productive.
They assist the group in achieving its goals, and are group-oriented. The roles we will
discuss here are counter-productive. They hinder the group in achieving its goals and are
more individual-oriented than group-oriented group. Such roles are often termed
malfunctions, which hinder group effectiveness in terms of both productivity and personal
satisfaction.
Member Participation:
Here are some guidelines that will help make your participation in small group
communication effective and more enjoyable. Some of these suggestions are elaborations
and extensions of the basic characteristics of effective interpersonal communication.
Group-Oriented:
In a small group you are a team member - a member of a larger whole. Your
participation will be valuable if it helps achieve the group's goals of the group and increase
member satisfaction. Your job is to mobilize your skills, knowledge and ideas so that the
group can develop solutions that are better than those developed by one person. Individual
achievement can hinder the group.
Center the conflict on the problem:
Conflict in a small group situation is inevitable. Conflict is a natural part of the small
group process, but center the conflict on the problem rather than the person.
Be Critically Unbiased:
A common but unproductive developmental symptom occurs when members come
to the group with preconceived notions. When this happens, the small group process turns
into a series of individualized debates, with each person trying to defend his or her position.
Instead, members should come to the group armed with relevant information that will be
useful in the discussion process. They should not have made up their minds about the
solutions or conclusions they will accept.
Ensure understanding:
Make sure that your ideas and information are understood by all participants. If
something is worth saying. Then what is said should also be made clear. If in doubt, ask
yourself if what you are saying is clear, -Is my question clear enough?‖ -Did I explain it
clearly enough?‖ Also make sure that you are clear about the contributions of other
members, especially before you discuss the issue with them. In practice, people often
express their disagreement in their own words.
Groupthink:
Here are some symptoms that can help you recognize groupthink in the groups you
observe or participate in.
- Group members think that the group and its members cannot be defeated by danger.
- Members create rationalizations to avoid dealing directly with the danger or threat.
- Group members believe that their group is moral.
- Those who go against the grain are considered to be oversimplifying the problem, embracing
pluralistic ways.
- Group pressure is aimed at any member who shows hesitation or questions the group's
arguments or proposals. questioning the group's arguments or proposals.
- Group members censor their own doubts.
- Group members believe that all members agree unanimously, whether such agreement is
expressed or not.
- Group members begin to act as information that reaches other group members, especially if
such information can create differences of opinion.
Leaders in Small Group Communication
In most small groups, one person serves as the leader. In other groups, leadership
may be held by several people. Furthermore, the leader may be appointed or automatically
appear in the group In process development group communication.
Leadership Style:
In addition to looking at the main concerns in leadership, as we did with situational
leadership theory, we can also look at leadership in terms of three leadership styles: hands-
off, democratic and authoritarian.
Control-Leasing Leader:
The hands-off leader does not take the initiative to direct or suggest alternative
courses of action. Rather, this leader allows the group to develop and make mistakes. This
kind of leader rejects any authority given.
Democratic Leader:
The Democratic leader provides direction, but allows the group to develop and
implement the way its members want. Group members are encouraged to determine goals
and procedures. The democratic leader stimulates self-direction and self-actualization in
group members.
Keeping Members on Track:
Many people are egocentric and will only feel their own wants and problems. In this
case, the role of the leader is needed to direct the members to stay on the path of discussion.
Ensuring Member Satisfaction:
Members have different psychological needs and wants and many enter the group precisely
because of these needs and wants. Even if the group deals with for example political issues,
the various members may come together for reasons that are more psychological than
political.
Stimulate Evaluation and Improvement:
All groups will face obstacles if they are trying to solve a problem, make a decision,
or develop ideas. No single group is perfectly effective. All groups have the opportunity to
improve themselves.
Prepare Members for Discussion:
Groups form slowly and need to be shaped into meaningful discussions. The leader
should prepare the members for the discussion. This involves getting members ready to
interact in small groups, as well as ready to discuss a specific issue.
Public Communication
Public communication is the exchange of messages with a number of people who are
in a particular organization or outside the organization face-to-face or through the media.
The quality that distinguishes public organizational communication from interpersonal
communication and small group communication is :
Public communication is oriented towards the speaker or source. In interpersonal and
small group communication there is a reciprocal relationship between the speaker and
the recipient involved. In public organizational communication the speaker dominates
the relationship.
In public communication involves a large number of recipients but in interpersonal
communication there are usually 2 people and small group communication no more
than 5-7 recipients, public communication messages are intended to attract many
people, hundreds or millions of people.
In public communication there is less interaction between the speaker and the listener.
This results in less direct interaction between the speaker and the listener, especially
the larger the audience.
The language used in public communication is more general so that it can be
understood by the audience. Usually before the presentation the speaker knows the
specific type of audience.
The purpose of public communication is :
- Providing information to a large number of people who know the organization, for example
about the organization's activities and production.
- Establishing relationships between the organization and the community outside the
organization such as use of organizational services, users of organizational products and
society in general.
- Providing entertainment to a number of people such as recounting a pleasant experience to a
crowd.
Conclusions
Organizational communication is the direction and interpretation of messages among
communication units that are part of a particular organization. Organizational
communication is also the organizing behavior that occurs and how those involved in the
process transact and give meaning to what is happening. Organizational communication also
has the meaning of sending and receiving various organizational messages in formal and
informal groups of an organization. It also includes the approaches involved in
organizational communication. In addition, there are also communication networks and
flows in communication. As well as the interaction format of organizational communication
which consists of communication interpersonal, communication small group, and public
communication.
Definition of Organizational Communication
Understanding of organizational communication is inseparable from its relation to
various other aspects of organizational behavior as a whole, or when viewed more broadly,
namely in relation to interdisciplinary studies, especially communication science.
Organizational behavior deals with how and why people act, think and feel in an
organizational setting (Paul D. Sweeney & Dean B. Mc Farlin, 2002: 3). To better
understand organizational communication. We must refer to the various notions of
communication and organization that will be described in the following section:
Communication
The term communication comes from the Latin word -communication‖ which means
notification, giving part, exchange, where the speaker expects consideration or answer from
the listener. The adjective is communis which means common or shared. The verb is
communicare which means to dialogue, confer or deliberate (Anwar Arifin, 1994: 24).
Communication is a process that is generally used by humans in social interaction.
Basically, it has such a broad understanding, both as a separate science and as a
process. There are various definitions of communication, Carl I. Hovland suggests as
follows: communication is the process by which a person / communicator Convey stimuli
(usually symbols in the form of words) to change the behavior of others / communicants
(Onong Uchyana Effendy, 1993: 24). Then Shimp (1993; 8) states that communication is
the process to create or cause a common thought between the one who gives the sign and the
one who receives the sign. Shimp's definition emphasizes more on the communication
process that aims at creating a common thought or opinion on the interaction that occurs
(Terence A. Shimp, 1993: 8).
Pace & Faules (2001; 28) suggest that communication can be distinguished from all
other human and organizational behavior because it involves the mental process of
understanding people, objects and events. Two common forms of action that constitute
communication that emphasize on 1) the creation of messages or, more precisely, the
creation of performances, and 2) the interpretation of messages or the interpretation of
performances (R. Wayne Pace & Don F. Daules, Deddy Maulyana). Harold D. Lasswell
explained communication as an answer to the questions: Who, Say, What, In which channel,
To whom, With what effect? This sentence then known as the Lasswell formula (Effendy,
256). From what Lasswell stated, in essence, it includes elements of communication, namely
the existence of; communicators, messages conveyed, media used, communicants /
audiences, and effects. In simple terms, it can be interpreted that communication is a
message delivery activity with the aim of equalizing the meaning of a person / institution
(communicator) to another person / audience (communicator).
Organization
One of the most important things in understanding organizational communication is
that we should understand the approaches that influence the way of thinking or looking at
organizations. Organization according to Robbins (2001; 4) is defined as a consciously
coordinated social unit, consisting of two or more people, which functions on a relatively
continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set of goals (Stephen P. Robbins, 2001: 4).
Pace & Faules (2001: 11) suggest that there are two approaches in understanding
organizations, the objective approach and the subjective approach. Meaning -"Objective" in
this concept refers to the view that objects, behaviors, and events exist in the real world and
are independent of observation, while -"Subjective" refers to reality itself as a social
construction, reality as a creative process that allows people to create what is "out there".
According to the objective approach, an organization is something physical and
concrete, and is a structure with definite boundaries, something stable. The term -
organization‖ implies that something tangible encapsulates people, relationships, and goals.
The subjective approach views organizations as activities that people do, consisting of
actions, interactions, and transactions involving people. Organizations are created and
nurtured through the constantly changing contacts that people have with one another and do
not exist in isolation from the people whose behaviors make up the organization.
So based on the objective approach, organization means structure; while based on the
subjective view, organization means process (organizing behavior). The implication is that,
according to the objective approach, studying the organization is studying the whole, how
the organization can adapt in the best way to the environment to develop itself and survive,
while according to the subjective approach, knowledge about the organization is obtained by
looking at behaviors and what those behaviors mean to those who do it, the structure is
recognized but the emphasis is on human behavior in the sense that it is not independent of
human actions. These two approaches, both objective and subjective, not only affect the way
of looking at organizational communication, but also in understanding the organization other
aspects related to organizational behavior.
Organizational Communication
Based on the description above, organizational communication can be defined as the
direction and interpretation of messages between communication units that are part of a
particular organization. The definition emphasizes more on the functional aspect (objective).
Meanwhile, when viewed from an interpretative (subjective) perspective, organizational
communication is seen as a process of creating meaning for the interactions that constitute
the organization. Organizational communication is the organizing behavior that occurs and
how those involved in the process transact and give meaning to what is happening (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Maulana, 31).
A simpler definitive statement is put forward by Arnold & Feldman (1986: 154) that
organizational communication is the exchange of information between people in the
organization, where the process generally includes stages: attention, comprehension,
acceptance as true, and retention.
The Nature of Communication in Organizations
When talking about organizational communication, what is drawn in a person is
things related to the role and status of each person in the organization, because the role and
status of a person also determines how to communicate with others as well as how to
communicate with him, so a good person is a person who always connects roles and statuses
with work (Alo Liliweri, 1997: 59).
In modern society people recognize a person because he or she has a variety of roles
and statuses. In an organization, this diversity is seen through the division of labor where
each person will work according to his talents and abilities so that he is responsible for the
work. When the number or types of work are more and more diverse, it is necessary to
intertwine the different types of work, intertwine between a leader and subordinates or
between leaders who ultimately form a large synergistic force to produce higher quality
output. At this stage communication is needed.
Organizational communication is often also interpreted as organizing behavior,
namely how a subordinate is involved in the process of transacting and giving meaning to
what is happening. Therefore, when the organization considered just a group of people who
interact then communication only functions as an organization; he is the organization itself.
So organizational communication will center on the symbols that make organizational life
possible, whether the words, ideas and constructs that encourage authorize, coordinate, and
realize organized activities in specific situations (Barry Cusway and Derej Logde, 1995:
115).
Any writing or anything related to organizational communication always considers
two main concepts, namely organization and communication. An organization can be
approached as an object of fun and interest, but there are those who may very well view
organizations as oppressive That favorable or oppressive attitude is actually very depends on
the understanding and practice of interactions, relationships and transactions that occur
between people in the organization, which is called organizational communication. So the
position of communication in organization is actually emphasizes on how an organization is
constructed and maintained through the communication process. With Thus organizational
communication is more than just what people but rather a theoretical explanation of
communication practices in organizations that serves togetherness both in the organization
as well as serving other people who need the organization. In other words, the existence of
communication in the organization makes one able to distinguish two things, namely: first,
showing how members work as an organization; and second, how the network operations
that link them to each other. In this perspective, communication is important in
organizations, 1). Communication is the way, through communication people seek
information and develop a number of criteria for getting work for them; 2). Communication
is a process for them in determining a choice which practical.
The Importance of the Study of Organizational Communication
The study of organizational communication is important because it is a discipline
that can take a number of legitimate and useful directions. In the sense that the study will
provide benefits not only for anyone who wants to understand organizational behavior
better, but also has pragmatic aspects for people who want to improve their performance as
participants/members of an organization. The study of organizational communication can
provide a strong foundation for careers in management, human resource development, and
corporate communication, as well as other human-oriented tasks in organizations (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Mulyana, 25).
Interpersonal Communication Interaction Format
Interpersonal communication is the process of exchanging information between
someone with at least one other person or usually between two people who can be
immediately known back. With the increase in people involved in communication, the
perception of people in communication events increases so that the communication becomes
more complex (Arni Muhammad, 2009: 158).
Classification Interpersonal communication
Intimate interaction; in organizations, this relationship is developed in informal
communication systems. For example, the relationship seen between two good
friends in the organization, who have personal interactions perhaps outside of their
roles and functions in the organization.
Social Conversation is an interaction to please someone simply by talking a little. If
two or more people get together and talk about concerns, interests outside the
organization such as family, sports, political issues.
Interrogation is an interaction between someone in control, who requests or even
obeys information from others.
Interview is a form of communication interpersonal communication where two
people engage in a conversation in the form of questions and answers.
Purpose of Interpersonal Communication
Finding yourself
Discovering the outside world
Establish and maintain meaningful relationships
Change in attitude and behavior
For play and fun
To help
Effective Interpersonal Relationships
According to Rogert, interpersonal relationships will occur effectively if both parties
fulfill the conditions:
meet each other in person
empathize appropriately with the other person and communicate meaningfully with
each other.
Respect each other, be positive and reasonable without judgment or objection.
really live each other's experiences, being receptive to each other's empathy.
Feel that maintaining mutual openness and a supportive climate reduces the tendency
for salience disruptions.
Exhibit behaviors that are trusting and reinforce feelings of security towards others.
Small Group Communication
Is a collection of individuals who can influence each other, get some satisfaction
from each other, interact to multiple goals, take on roles, bond with each other and
communicate face-to-face.
Purpose of small group communication
o Personal Objective
Relationships social, the goal is to strengthen interpersonal
relationships and improve our well-being.
Channeling, this goal is usually carried out in an atmosphere that
favors the exchange of ideas or heated arguments in family
discussions, where self-disclosure is appropriate.
Group therapy, this is usually used to help people eliminate their
attitudes, or behaviors in some aspect of their lives.
Learning, as a common reason for people to join small groups, is
learning from others. Learning happens in a variety of settings. The
underlying assumption of group learning is the idea of two-way
learning.
o Work-related goals
Decision-making; People who come together in groups to make
decisions about something. Discussing alternatives with others helps
people decide which is the best option for the group.
Small Group as a system
Small groups are small organizations that have four basic components: input or
process, output or result of feedback.
o Inputs, are the raw materials in a small group such as people, information that
the group uses to interact. People or group members are inputs because each
person in the group brings certain qualities such as personality, age, health,
knowledge, attitudes, values and problem-solving abilities.
o Process, refers to all the internal processes that occur within the group during
the discussion.
o Outcome, is the decision or resolution reached by the group.
o Feedback, containing responses that tie the system together. Feedback
provides input for future group meetings.
Small Group Characteristics
o Make it easier friendly meeting
o Group personality. When a group of people come together they forming its
own identity that makes up the personality of the group.
o Cohesiveness, which is the attraction group members have for each other and
their desire to stick together.
o Commitment to the task. Another individual activity within the group that is
closely related to with commitment is motivation.
o The size of Group size seems simple enough but group size has some
important ramifications within the group.
o Group norms, are rules and guidelines used by the group itself, as well as
some external factors outside the group.
o Interdependence. The most important thing is that group members depend on
each other to some degree, and on each other less.
Roles of Small Group Communication members
Kennet Benne and Paul Sheats (1948) proposed a classification of member roles on
this important topic. Benne and Sheats divided member roles into three general classes:
group task roles, group building and maintenance roles, and individual roles.
The Role of Group Assignments:
The group task role is the role that enables the group to focus more specifically on
achieving group goals. In carrying out With each of these roles, members do not act as
separate individuals, but as part of a larger whole. The needs and goals of the group govern
the roles that members must perform. Effective group members will perform several of these
functions, although some people are locked into a few specific roles.
Role Fostering and Sustaining Groups:
No one and no group is task-oriented all the time. A group is a unit whose members
have diverse interpersonal relationships. These relationships need to be nurtured if the group
is to function effectively-if group members are to be satisfied and productive. If this function
is not performed, group members will be damaged if group processes become bogged down,
frequent conflicts arise, or small group communication becomes disrupted on some personal
or social level.
Individualized role:
The task group role and the fostering and sustaining group role are all productive.
They assist the group in achieving its goals, and are group-oriented. The roles we will
discuss here are counter-productive. They hinder the group in achieving its goals and are
more individual-oriented than group-oriented group. Such roles are often termed
malfunctions, which hinder group effectiveness in terms of both productivity and personal
satisfaction.
Member Participation:
Here are some guidelines that will help make your participation in small group
communication effective and more enjoyable. Some of these suggestions are elaborations
and extensions of the basic characteristics of effective interpersonal communication.
Group-Oriented:
In a small group you are a team member - a member of a larger whole. Your
participation will be valuable if it helps achieve the group's goals of the group and increase
member satisfaction. Your job is to mobilize your skills, knowledge and ideas so that the
group can develop solutions that are better than those developed by one person. Individual
achievement can hinder the group.
Center the conflict on the problem:
Conflict in a small group situation is inevitable. Conflict is a natural part of the small
group process, but center the conflict on the problem rather than the person.
Be Critically Unbiased:
A common but unproductive developmental symptom occurs when members come
to the group with preconceived notions. When this happens, the small group process turns
into a series of individualized debates, with each person trying to defend his or her position.
Instead, members should come to the group armed with relevant information that will be
useful in the discussion process. They should not have made up their minds about the
solutions or conclusions they will accept.
Ensure understanding:
Make sure that your ideas and information are understood by all participants. If
something is worth saying. Then what is said should also be made clear. If in doubt, ask
yourself if what you are saying is clear, -Is my question clear enough?‖ -Did I explain it
clearly enough?‖ Also make sure that you are clear about the contributions of other
members, especially before you discuss the issue with them. In practice, people often
express their disagreement in their own words.
Groupthink:
Here are some symptoms that can help you recognize groupthink in the groups you
observe or participate in.
- Group members think that the group and its members cannot be defeated by danger.
- Members create rationalizations to avoid dealing directly with the danger or threat.
- Group members believe that their group is moral.
- Those who go against the grain are considered to be oversimplifying the problem, embracing
pluralistic ways.
- Group pressure is aimed at any member who shows hesitation or questions the group's
arguments or proposals. questioning the group's arguments or proposals.
- Group members censor their own doubts.
- Group members believe that all members agree unanimously, whether such agreement is
expressed or not.
- Group members begin to act as information that reaches other group members, especially if
such information can create differences of opinion.
Leaders in Small Group Communication
In most small groups, one person serves as the leader. In other groups, leadership
may be held by several people. Furthermore, the leader may be appointed or automatically
appear in the group In process development group communication.
Leadership Style:
In addition to looking at the main concerns in leadership, as we did with situational
leadership theory, we can also look at leadership in terms of three leadership styles: hands-
off, democratic and authoritarian.
Control-Leasing Leader:
The hands-off leader does not take the initiative to direct or suggest alternative
courses of action. Rather, this leader allows the group to develop and make mistakes. This
kind of leader rejects any authority given.
Democratic Leader:
The Democratic leader provides direction, but allows the group to develop and
implement the way its members want. Group members are encouraged to determine goals
and procedures. The democratic leader stimulates self-direction and self-actualization in
group members.
Keeping Members on Track:
Many people are egocentric and will only feel their own wants and problems. In this
case, the role of the leader is needed to direct the members to stay on the path of discussion.
Ensuring Member Satisfaction:
Members have different psychological needs and wants and many enter the group precisely
because of these needs and wants. Even if the group deals with for example political issues,
the various members may come together for reasons that are more psychological than
political.
Stimulate Evaluation and Improvement:
All groups will face obstacles if they are trying to solve a problem, make a decision,
or develop ideas. No single group is perfectly effective. All groups have the opportunity to
improve themselves.
Prepare Members for Discussion:
Groups form slowly and need to be shaped into meaningful discussions. The leader
should prepare the members for the discussion. This involves getting members ready to
interact in small groups, as well as ready to discuss a specific issue.
Public Communication
Public communication is the exchange of messages with a number of people who are
in a particular organization or outside the organization face-to-face or through the media.
The quality that distinguishes public organizational communication from interpersonal
communication and small group communication is :
Public communication is oriented towards the speaker or source. In interpersonal and
small group communication there is a reciprocal relationship between the speaker and
the recipient involved. In public organizational communication the speaker dominates
the relationship.
In public communication involves a large number of recipients but in interpersonal
communication there are usually 2 people and small group communication no more
than 5-7 recipients, public communication messages are intended to attract many
people, hundreds or millions of people.
In public communication there is less interaction between the speaker and the listener.
This results in less direct interaction between the speaker and the listener, especially
the larger the audience.
The language used in public communication is more general so that it can be
understood by the audience. Usually before the presentation the speaker knows the
specific type of audience.
The purpose of public communication is :
- Providing information to a large number of people who know the organization, for example
about the organization's activities and production.
- Establishing relationships between the organization and the community outside the
organization such as use of organizational services, users of organizational products and
society in general.
- Providing entertainment to a number of people such as recounting a pleasant experience to a
crowd.
Conclusions
Organizational communication is the direction and interpretation of messages among
communication units that are part of a particular organization. Organizational
communication is also the organizing behavior that occurs and how those involved in the
process transact and give meaning to what is happening. Organizational communication also
has the meaning of sending and receiving various organizational messages in formal and
informal groups of an organization. It also includes the approaches involved in
organizational communication. In addition, there are also communication networks and
flows in communication. As well as the interaction format of organizational communication
which consists of communication interpersonal, communication small group, and public
communication.
Definition of Organizational Communication
Understanding of organizational communication is inseparable from its relation to
various other aspects of organizational behavior as a whole, or when viewed more broadly,
namely in relation to interdisciplinary studies, especially communication science.
Organizational behavior deals with how and why people act, think and feel in an
organizational setting (Paul D. Sweeney & Dean B. Mc Farlin, 2002: 3). To better
understand organizational communication. We must refer to the various notions of
communication and organization that will be described in the following section:
Communication
The term communication comes from the Latin word -communication‖ which means
notification, giving part, exchange, where the speaker expects consideration or answer from
the listener. The adjective is communis which means common or shared. The verb is
communicare which means to dialogue, confer or deliberate (Anwar Arifin, 1994: 24).
Communication is a process that is generally used by humans in social interaction.
Basically, it has such a broad understanding, both as a separate science and as a
process. There are various definitions of communication, Carl I. Hovland suggests as
follows: communication is the process by which a person / communicator Convey stimuli
(usually symbols in the form of words) to change the behavior of others / communicants
(Onong Uchyana Effendy, 1993: 24). Then Shimp (1993; 8) states that communication is
the process to create or cause a common thought between the one who gives the sign and the
one who receives the sign. Shimp's definition emphasizes more on the communication
process that aims at creating a common thought or opinion on the interaction that occurs
(Terence A. Shimp, 1993: 8).
Pace & Faules (2001; 28) suggest that communication can be distinguished from all
other human and organizational behavior because it involves the mental process of
understanding people, objects and events. Two common forms of action that constitute
communication that emphasize on 1) the creation of messages or, more precisely, the
creation of performances, and 2) the interpretation of messages or the interpretation of
performances (R. Wayne Pace & Don F. Daules, Deddy Maulyana). Harold D. Lasswell
explained communication as an answer to the questions: Who, Say, What, In which channel,
To whom, With what effect? This sentence then known as the Lasswell formula (Effendy,
256). From what Lasswell stated, in essence, it includes elements of communication, namely
the existence of; communicators, messages conveyed, media used, communicants /
audiences, and effects. In simple terms, it can be interpreted that communication is a
message delivery activity with the aim of equalizing the meaning of a person / institution
(communicator) to another person / audience (communicator).
Organization
One of the most important things in understanding organizational communication is
that we should understand the approaches that influence the way of thinking or looking at
organizations. Organization according to Robbins (2001; 4) is defined as a consciously
coordinated social unit, consisting of two or more people, which functions on a relatively
continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set of goals (Stephen P. Robbins, 2001: 4).
Pace & Faules (2001: 11) suggest that there are two approaches in understanding
organizations, the objective approach and the subjective approach. Meaning -"Objective" in
this concept refers to the view that objects, behaviors, and events exist in the real world and
are independent of observation, while -"Subjective" refers to reality itself as a social
construction, reality as a creative process that allows people to create what is "out there".
According to the objective approach, an organization is something physical and
concrete, and is a structure with definite boundaries, something stable. The term -
organization‖ implies that something tangible encapsulates people, relationships, and goals.
The subjective approach views organizations as activities that people do, consisting of
actions, interactions, and transactions involving people. Organizations are created and
nurtured through the constantly changing contacts that people have with one another and do
not exist in isolation from the people whose behaviors make up the organization.
So based on the objective approach, organization means structure; while based on the
subjective view, organization means process (organizing behavior). The implication is that,
according to the objective approach, studying the organization is studying the whole, how
the organization can adapt in the best way to the environment to develop itself and survive,
while according to the subjective approach, knowledge about the organization is obtained by
looking at behaviors and what those behaviors mean to those who do it, the structure is
recognized but the emphasis is on human behavior in the sense that it is not independent of
human actions. These two approaches, both objective and subjective, not only affect the way
of looking at organizational communication, but also in understanding the organization other
aspects related to organizational behavior.
Organizational Communication
Based on the description above, organizational communication can be defined as the
direction and interpretation of messages between communication units that are part of a
particular organization. The definition emphasizes more on the functional aspect (objective).
Meanwhile, when viewed from an interpretative (subjective) perspective, organizational
communication is seen as a process of creating meaning for the interactions that constitute
the organization. Organizational communication is the organizing behavior that occurs and
how those involved in the process transact and give meaning to what is happening (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Maulana, 31).
A simpler definitive statement is put forward by Arnold & Feldman (1986: 154) that
organizational communication is the exchange of information between people in the
organization, where the process generally includes stages: attention, comprehension,
acceptance as true, and retention.
The Nature of Communication in Organizations
When talking about organizational communication, what is drawn in a person is
things related to the role and status of each person in the organization, because the role and
status of a person also determines how to communicate with others as well as how to
communicate with him, so a good person is a person who always connects roles and statuses
with work (Alo Liliweri, 1997: 59).
In modern society people recognize a person because he or she has a variety of roles
and statuses. In an organization, this diversity is seen through the division of labor where
each person will work according to his talents and abilities so that he is responsible for the
work. When the number or types of work are more and more diverse, it is necessary to
intertwine the different types of work, intertwine between a leader and subordinates or
between leaders who ultimately form a large synergistic force to produce higher quality
output. At this stage communication is needed.
Organizational communication is often also interpreted as organizing behavior,
namely how a subordinate is involved in the process of transacting and giving meaning to
what is happening. Therefore, when the organization considered just a group of people who
interact then communication only functions as an organization; he is the organization itself.
So organizational communication will center on the symbols that make organizational life
possible, whether the words, ideas and constructs that encourage authorize, coordinate, and
realize organized activities in specific situations (Barry Cusway and Derej Logde, 1995:
115).
Any writing or anything related to organizational communication always considers
two main concepts, namely organization and communication. An organization can be
approached as an object of fun and interest, but there are those who may very well view
organizations as oppressive That favorable or oppressive attitude is actually very depends on
the understanding and practice of interactions, relationships and transactions that occur
between people in the organization, which is called organizational communication. So the
position of communication in organization is actually emphasizes on how an organization is
constructed and maintained through the communication process. With Thus organizational
communication is more than just what people but rather a theoretical explanation of
communication practices in organizations that serves togetherness both in the organization
as well as serving other people who need the organization. In other words, the existence of
communication in the organization makes one able to distinguish two things, namely: first,
showing how members work as an organization; and second, how the network operations
that link them to each other. In this perspective, communication is important in
organizations, 1). Communication is the way, through communication people seek
information and develop a number of criteria for getting work for them; 2). Communication
is a process for them in determining a choice which practical.
The Importance of the Study of Organizational Communication
The study of organizational communication is important because it is a discipline
that can take a number of legitimate and useful directions. In the sense that the study will
provide benefits not only for anyone who wants to understand organizational behavior
better, but also has pragmatic aspects for people who want to improve their performance as
participants/members of an organization. The study of organizational communication can
provide a strong foundation for careers in management, human resource development, and
corporate communication, as well as other human-oriented tasks in organizations (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Mulyana, 25).
Interpersonal Communication Interaction Format
Interpersonal communication is the process of exchanging information between
someone with at least one other person or usually between two people who can be
immediately known back. With the increase in people involved in communication, the
perception of people in communication events increases so that the communication becomes
more complex (Arni Muhammad, 2009: 158).
Classification Interpersonal communication
Intimate interaction; in organizations, this relationship is developed in informal
communication systems. For example, the relationship seen between two good
friends in the organization, who have personal interactions perhaps outside of their
roles and functions in the organization.
Social Conversation is an interaction to please someone simply by talking a little. If
two or more people get together and talk about concerns, interests outside the
organization such as family, sports, political issues.
Interrogation is an interaction between someone in control, who requests or even
obeys information from others.
Interview is a form of communication interpersonal communication where two
people engage in a conversation in the form of questions and answers.
Purpose of Interpersonal Communication
Finding yourself
Discovering the outside world
Establish and maintain meaningful relationships
Change in attitude and behavior
For play and fun
To help
Effective Interpersonal Relationships
According to Rogert, interpersonal relationships will occur effectively if both parties
fulfill the conditions:
meet each other in person
empathize appropriately with the other person and communicate meaningfully with
each other.
Respect each other, be positive and reasonable without judgment or objection.
really live each other's experiences, being receptive to each other's empathy.
Feel that maintaining mutual openness and a supportive climate reduces the tendency
for salience disruptions.
Exhibit behaviors that are trusting and reinforce feelings of security towards others.
Small Group Communication
Is a collection of individuals who can influence each other, get some satisfaction
from each other, interact to multiple goals, take on roles, bond with each other and
communicate face-to-face.
Purpose of small group communication
o Personal Objective
Relationships social, the goal is to strengthen interpersonal
relationships and improve our well-being.
Channeling, this goal is usually carried out in an atmosphere that
favors the exchange of ideas or heated arguments in family
discussions, where self-disclosure is appropriate.
Group therapy, this is usually used to help people eliminate their
attitudes, or behaviors in some aspect of their lives.
Learning, as a common reason for people to join small groups, is
learning from others. Learning happens in a variety of settings. The
underlying assumption of group learning is the idea of two-way
learning.
o Work-related goals
Decision-making; People who come together in groups to make
decisions about something. Discussing alternatives with others helps
people decide which is the best option for the group.
Small Group as a system
Small groups are small organizations that have four basic components: input or
process, output or result of feedback.
o Inputs, are the raw materials in a small group such as people, information that
the group uses to interact. People or group members are inputs because each
person in the group brings certain qualities such as personality, age, health,
knowledge, attitudes, values and problem-solving abilities.
o Process, refers to all the internal processes that occur within the group during
the discussion.
o Outcome, is the decision or resolution reached by the group.
o Feedback, containing responses that tie the system together. Feedback
provides input for future group meetings.
Small Group Characteristics
o Make it easier friendly meeting
o Group personality. When a group of people come together they forming its
own identity that makes up the personality of the group.
o Cohesiveness, which is the attraction group members have for each other and
their desire to stick together.
o Commitment to the task. Another individual activity within the group that is
closely related to with commitment is motivation.
o The size of Group size seems simple enough but group size has some
important ramifications within the group.
o Group norms, are rules and guidelines used by the group itself, as well as
some external factors outside the group.
o Interdependence. The most important thing is that group members depend on
each other to some degree, and on each other less.
Roles of Small Group Communication members
Kennet Benne and Paul Sheats (1948) proposed a classification of member roles on
this important topic. Benne and Sheats divided member roles into three general classes:
group task roles, group building and maintenance roles, and individual roles.
The Role of Group Assignments:
The group task role is the role that enables the group to focus more specifically on
achieving group goals. In carrying out With each of these roles, members do not act as
separate individuals, but as part of a larger whole. The needs and goals of the group govern
the roles that members must perform. Effective group members will perform several of these
functions, although some people are locked into a few specific roles.
Role Fostering and Sustaining Groups:
No one and no group is task-oriented all the time. A group is a unit whose members
have diverse interpersonal relationships. These relationships need to be nurtured if the group
is to function effectively-if group members are to be satisfied and productive. If this function
is not performed, group members will be damaged if group processes become bogged down,
frequent conflicts arise, or small group communication becomes disrupted on some personal
or social level.
Individualized role:
The task group role and the fostering and sustaining group role are all productive.
They assist the group in achieving its goals, and are group-oriented. The roles we will
discuss here are counter-productive. They hinder the group in achieving its goals and are
more individual-oriented than group-oriented group. Such roles are often termed
malfunctions, which hinder group effectiveness in terms of both productivity and personal
satisfaction.
Member Participation:
Here are some guidelines that will help make your participation in small group
communication effective and more enjoyable. Some of these suggestions are elaborations
and extensions of the basic characteristics of effective interpersonal communication.
Group-Oriented:
In a small group you are a team member - a member of a larger whole. Your
participation will be valuable if it helps achieve the group's goals of the group and increase
member satisfaction. Your job is to mobilize your skills, knowledge and ideas so that the
group can develop solutions that are better than those developed by one person. Individual
achievement can hinder the group.
Center the conflict on the problem:
Conflict in a small group situation is inevitable. Conflict is a natural part of the small
group process, but center the conflict on the problem rather than the person.
Be Critically Unbiased:
A common but unproductive developmental symptom occurs when members come
to the group with preconceived notions. When this happens, the small group process turns
into a series of individualized debates, with each person trying to defend his or her position.
Instead, members should come to the group armed with relevant information that will be
useful in the discussion process. They should not have made up their minds about the
solutions or conclusions they will accept.
Ensure understanding:
Make sure that your ideas and information are understood by all participants. If
something is worth saying. Then what is said should also be made clear. If in doubt, ask
yourself if what you are saying is clear, -Is my question clear enough?‖ -Did I explain it
clearly enough?‖ Also make sure that you are clear about the contributions of other
members, especially before you discuss the issue with them. In practice, people often
express their disagreement in their own words.
Groupthink:
Here are some symptoms that can help you recognize groupthink in the groups you
observe or participate in.
- Group members think that the group and its members cannot be defeated by danger.
- Members create rationalizations to avoid dealing directly with the danger or threat.
- Group members believe that their group is moral.
- Those who go against the grain are considered to be oversimplifying the problem, embracing
pluralistic ways.
- Group pressure is aimed at any member who shows hesitation or questions the group's
arguments or proposals. questioning the group's arguments or proposals.
- Group members censor their own doubts.
- Group members believe that all members agree unanimously, whether such agreement is
expressed or not.
- Group members begin to act as information that reaches other group members, especially if
such information can create differences of opinion.
Leaders in Small Group Communication
In most small groups, one person serves as the leader. In other groups, leadership
may be held by several people. Furthermore, the leader may be appointed or automatically
appear in the group In process development group communication.
Leadership Style:
In addition to looking at the main concerns in leadership, as we did with situational
leadership theory, we can also look at leadership in terms of three leadership styles: hands-
off, democratic and authoritarian.
Control-Leasing Leader:
The hands-off leader does not take the initiative to direct or suggest alternative
courses of action. Rather, this leader allows the group to develop and make mistakes. This
kind of leader rejects any authority given.
Democratic Leader:
The Democratic leader provides direction, but allows the group to develop and
implement the way its members want. Group members are encouraged to determine goals
and procedures. The democratic leader stimulates self-direction and self-actualization in
group members.
Keeping Members on Track:
Many people are egocentric and will only feel their own wants and problems. In this
case, the role of the leader is needed to direct the members to stay on the path of discussion.
Ensuring Member Satisfaction:
Members have different psychological needs and wants and many enter the group precisely
because of these needs and wants. Even if the group deals with for example political issues,
the various members may come together for reasons that are more psychological than
political.
Stimulate Evaluation and Improvement:
All groups will face obstacles if they are trying to solve a problem, make a decision,
or develop ideas. No single group is perfectly effective. All groups have the opportunity to
improve themselves.
Prepare Members for Discussion:
Groups form slowly and need to be shaped into meaningful discussions. The leader
should prepare the members for the discussion. This involves getting members ready to
interact in small groups, as well as ready to discuss a specific issue.
Public Communication
Public communication is the exchange of messages with a number of people who are
in a particular organization or outside the organization face-to-face or through the media.
The quality that distinguishes public organizational communication from interpersonal
communication and small group communication is :
Public communication is oriented towards the speaker or source. In interpersonal and
small group communication there is a reciprocal relationship between the speaker and
the recipient involved. In public organizational communication the speaker dominates
the relationship.
In public communication involves a large number of recipients but in interpersonal
communication there are usually 2 people and small group communication no more
than 5-7 recipients, public communication messages are intended to attract many
people, hundreds or millions of people.
In public communication there is less interaction between the speaker and the listener.
This results in less direct interaction between the speaker and the listener, especially
the larger the audience.
The language used in public communication is more general so that it can be
understood by the audience. Usually before the presentation the speaker knows the
specific type of audience.
The purpose of public communication is :
- Providing information to a large number of people who know the organization, for example
about the organization's activities and production.
- Establishing relationships between the organization and the community outside the
organization such as use of organizational services, users of organizational products and
society in general.
- Providing entertainment to a number of people such as recounting a pleasant experience to a
crowd.
Conclusions
Organizational communication is the direction and interpretation of messages among
communication units that are part of a particular organization. Organizational
communication is also the organizing behavior that occurs and how those involved in the
process transact and give meaning to what is happening. Organizational communication also
has the meaning of sending and receiving various organizational messages in formal and
informal groups of an organization. It also includes the approaches involved in
organizational communication. In addition, there are also communication networks and
flows in communication. As well as the interaction format of organizational communication
which consists of communication interpersonal, communication small group, and public
communication.
Definition of Organizational Communication
Understanding of organizational communication is inseparable from its relation to
various other aspects of organizational behavior as a whole, or when viewed more broadly,
namely in relation to interdisciplinary studies, especially communication science.
Organizational behavior deals with how and why people act, think and feel in an
organizational setting (Paul D. Sweeney & Dean B. Mc Farlin, 2002: 3). To better
understand organizational communication. We must refer to the various notions of
communication and organization that will be described in the following section:
Communication
The term communication comes from the Latin word -communication‖ which means
notification, giving part, exchange, where the speaker expects consideration or answer from
the listener. The adjective is communis which means common or shared. The verb is
communicare which means to dialogue, confer or deliberate (Anwar Arifin, 1994: 24).
Communication is a process that is generally used by humans in social interaction.
Basically, it has such a broad understanding, both as a separate science and as a
process. There are various definitions of communication, Carl I. Hovland suggests as
follows: communication is the process by which a person / communicator Convey stimuli
(usually symbols in the form of words) to change the behavior of others / communicants
(Onong Uchyana Effendy, 1993: 24). Then Shimp (1993; 8) states that communication is
the process to create or cause a common thought between the one who gives the sign and the
one who receives the sign. Shimp's definition emphasizes more on the communication
process that aims at creating a common thought or opinion on the interaction that occurs
(Terence A. Shimp, 1993: 8).
Pace & Faules (2001; 28) suggest that communication can be distinguished from all
other human and organizational behavior because it involves the mental process of
understanding people, objects and events. Two common forms of action that constitute
communication that emphasize on 1) the creation of messages or, more precisely, the
creation of performances, and 2) the interpretation of messages or the interpretation of
performances (R. Wayne Pace & Don F. Daules, Deddy Maulyana). Harold D. Lasswell
explained communication as an answer to the questions: Who, Say, What, In which channel,
To whom, With what effect? This sentence then known as the Lasswell formula (Effendy,
256). From what Lasswell stated, in essence, it includes elements of communication, namely
the existence of; communicators, messages conveyed, media used, communicants /
audiences, and effects. In simple terms, it can be interpreted that communication is a
message delivery activity with the aim of equalizing the meaning of a person / institution
(communicator) to another person / audience (communicator).
Organization
One of the most important things in understanding organizational communication is
that we should understand the approaches that influence the way of thinking or looking at
organizations. Organization according to Robbins (2001; 4) is defined as a consciously
coordinated social unit, consisting of two or more people, which functions on a relatively
continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set of goals (Stephen P. Robbins, 2001: 4).
Pace & Faules (2001: 11) suggest that there are two approaches in understanding
organizations, the objective approach and the subjective approach. Meaning -"Objective" in
this concept refers to the view that objects, behaviors, and events exist in the real world and
are independent of observation, while -"Subjective" refers to reality itself as a social
construction, reality as a creative process that allows people to create what is "out there".
According to the objective approach, an organization is something physical and
concrete, and is a structure with definite boundaries, something stable. The term -
organization‖ implies that something tangible encapsulates people, relationships, and goals.
The subjective approach views organizations as activities that people do, consisting of
actions, interactions, and transactions involving people. Organizations are created and
nurtured through the constantly changing contacts that people have with one another and do
not exist in isolation from the people whose behaviors make up the organization.
So based on the objective approach, organization means structure; while based on the
subjective view, organization means process (organizing behavior). The implication is that,
according to the objective approach, studying the organization is studying the whole, how
the organization can adapt in the best way to the environment to develop itself and survive,
while according to the subjective approach, knowledge about the organization is obtained by
looking at behaviors and what those behaviors mean to those who do it, the structure is
recognized but the emphasis is on human behavior in the sense that it is not independent of
human actions. These two approaches, both objective and subjective, not only affect the way
of looking at organizational communication, but also in understanding the organization other
aspects related to organizational behavior.
Organizational Communication
Based on the description above, organizational communication can be defined as the
direction and interpretation of messages between communication units that are part of a
particular organization. The definition emphasizes more on the functional aspect (objective).
Meanwhile, when viewed from an interpretative (subjective) perspective, organizational
communication is seen as a process of creating meaning for the interactions that constitute
the organization. Organizational communication is the organizing behavior that occurs and
how those involved in the process transact and give meaning to what is happening (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Maulana, 31).
A simpler definitive statement is put forward by Arnold & Feldman (1986: 154) that
organizational communication is the exchange of information between people in the
organization, where the process generally includes stages: attention, comprehension,
acceptance as true, and retention.
The Nature of Communication in Organizations
When talking about organizational communication, what is drawn in a person is
things related to the role and status of each person in the organization, because the role and
status of a person also determines how to communicate with others as well as how to
communicate with him, so a good person is a person who always connects roles and statuses
with work (Alo Liliweri, 1997: 59).
In modern society people recognize a person because he or she has a variety of roles
and statuses. In an organization, this diversity is seen through the division of labor where
each person will work according to his talents and abilities so that he is responsible for the
work. When the number or types of work are more and more diverse, it is necessary to
intertwine the different types of work, intertwine between a leader and subordinates or
between leaders who ultimately form a large synergistic force to produce higher quality
output. At this stage communication is needed.
Organizational communication is often also interpreted as organizing behavior,
namely how a subordinate is involved in the process of transacting and giving meaning to
what is happening. Therefore, when the organization considered just a group of people who
interact then communication only functions as an organization; he is the organization itself.
So organizational communication will center on the symbols that make organizational life
possible, whether the words, ideas and constructs that encourage authorize, coordinate, and
realize organized activities in specific situations (Barry Cusway and Derej Logde, 1995:
115).
Any writing or anything related to organizational communication always considers
two main concepts, namely organization and communication. An organization can be
approached as an object of fun and interest, but there are those who may very well view
organizations as oppressive That favorable or oppressive attitude is actually very depends on
the understanding and practice of interactions, relationships and transactions that occur
between people in the organization, which is called organizational communication. So the
position of communication in organization is actually emphasizes on how an organization is
constructed and maintained through the communication process. With Thus organizational
communication is more than just what people but rather a theoretical explanation of
communication practices in organizations that serves togetherness both in the organization
as well as serving other people who need the organization. In other words, the existence of
communication in the organization makes one able to distinguish two things, namely: first,
showing how members work as an organization; and second, how the network operations
that link them to each other. In this perspective, communication is important in
organizations, 1). Communication is the way, through communication people seek
information and develop a number of criteria for getting work for them; 2). Communication
is a process for them in determining a choice which practical.
The Importance of the Study of Organizational Communication
The study of organizational communication is important because it is a discipline
that can take a number of legitimate and useful directions. In the sense that the study will
provide benefits not only for anyone who wants to understand organizational behavior
better, but also has pragmatic aspects for people who want to improve their performance as
participants/members of an organization. The study of organizational communication can
provide a strong foundation for careers in management, human resource development, and
corporate communication, as well as other human-oriented tasks in organizations (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Mulyana, 25).
Interpersonal Communication Interaction Format
Interpersonal communication is the process of exchanging information between
someone with at least one other person or usually between two people who can be
immediately known back. With the increase in people involved in communication, the
perception of people in communication events increases so that the communication becomes
more complex (Arni Muhammad, 2009: 158).
Classification Interpersonal communication
Intimate interaction; in organizations, this relationship is developed in informal
communication systems. For example, the relationship seen between two good
friends in the organization, who have personal interactions perhaps outside of their
roles and functions in the organization.
Social Conversation is an interaction to please someone simply by talking a little. If
two or more people get together and talk about concerns, interests outside the
organization such as family, sports, political issues.
Interrogation is an interaction between someone in control, who requests or even
obeys information from others.
Interview is a form of communication interpersonal communication where two
people engage in a conversation in the form of questions and answers.
Purpose of Interpersonal Communication
Finding yourself
Discovering the outside world
Establish and maintain meaningful relationships
Change in attitude and behavior
For play and fun
To help
Effective Interpersonal Relationships
According to Rogert, interpersonal relationships will occur effectively if both parties
fulfill the conditions:
meet each other in person
empathize appropriately with the other person and communicate meaningfully with
each other.
Respect each other, be positive and reasonable without judgment or objection.
really live each other's experiences, being receptive to each other's empathy.
Feel that maintaining mutual openness and a supportive climate reduces the tendency
for salience disruptions.
Exhibit behaviors that are trusting and reinforce feelings of security towards others.
Small Group Communication
Is a collection of individuals who can influence each other, get some satisfaction
from each other, interact to multiple goals, take on roles, bond with each other and
communicate face-to-face.
Purpose of small group communication
o Personal Objective
Relationships social, the goal is to strengthen interpersonal
relationships and improve our well-being.
Channeling, this goal is usually carried out in an atmosphere that
favors the exchange of ideas or heated arguments in family
discussions, where self-disclosure is appropriate.
Group therapy, this is usually used to help people eliminate their
attitudes, or behaviors in some aspect of their lives.
Learning, as a common reason for people to join small groups, is
learning from others. Learning happens in a variety of settings. The
underlying assumption of group learning is the idea of two-way
learning.
o Work-related goals
Decision-making; People who come together in groups to make
decisions about something. Discussing alternatives with others helps
people decide which is the best option for the group.
Small Group as a system
Small groups are small organizations that have four basic components: input or
process, output or result of feedback.
o Inputs, are the raw materials in a small group such as people, information that
the group uses to interact. People or group members are inputs because each
person in the group brings certain qualities such as personality, age, health,
knowledge, attitudes, values and problem-solving abilities.
o Process, refers to all the internal processes that occur within the group during
the discussion.
o Outcome, is the decision or resolution reached by the group.
o Feedback, containing responses that tie the system together. Feedback
provides input for future group meetings.
Small Group Characteristics
o Make it easier friendly meeting
o Group personality. When a group of people come together they forming its
own identity that makes up the personality of the group.
o Cohesiveness, which is the attraction group members have for each other and
their desire to stick together.
o Commitment to the task. Another individual activity within the group that is
closely related to with commitment is motivation.
o The size of Group size seems simple enough but group size has some
important ramifications within the group.
o Group norms, are rules and guidelines used by the group itself, as well as
some external factors outside the group.
o Interdependence. The most important thing is that group members depend on
each other to some degree, and on each other less.
Roles of Small Group Communication members
Kennet Benne and Paul Sheats (1948) proposed a classification of member roles on
this important topic. Benne and Sheats divided member roles into three general classes:
group task roles, group building and maintenance roles, and individual roles.
The Role of Group Assignments:
The group task role is the role that enables the group to focus more specifically on
achieving group goals. In carrying out With each of these roles, members do not act as
separate individuals, but as part of a larger whole. The needs and goals of the group govern
the roles that members must perform. Effective group members will perform several of these
functions, although some people are locked into a few specific roles.
Role Fostering and Sustaining Groups:
No one and no group is task-oriented all the time. A group is a unit whose members
have diverse interpersonal relationships. These relationships need to be nurtured if the group
is to function effectively-if group members are to be satisfied and productive. If this function
is not performed, group members will be damaged if group processes become bogged down,
frequent conflicts arise, or small group communication becomes disrupted on some personal
or social level.
Individualized role:
The task group role and the fostering and sustaining group role are all productive.
They assist the group in achieving its goals, and are group-oriented. The roles we will
discuss here are counter-productive. They hinder the group in achieving its goals and are
more individual-oriented than group-oriented group. Such roles are often termed
malfunctions, which hinder group effectiveness in terms of both productivity and personal
satisfaction.
Member Participation:
Here are some guidelines that will help make your participation in small group
communication effective and more enjoyable. Some of these suggestions are elaborations
and extensions of the basic characteristics of effective interpersonal communication.
Group-Oriented:
In a small group you are a team member - a member of a larger whole. Your
participation will be valuable if it helps achieve the group's goals of the group and increase
member satisfaction. Your job is to mobilize your skills, knowledge and ideas so that the
group can develop solutions that are better than those developed by one person. Individual
achievement can hinder the group.
Center the conflict on the problem:
Conflict in a small group situation is inevitable. Conflict is a natural part of the small
group process, but center the conflict on the problem rather than the person.
Be Critically Unbiased:
A common but unproductive developmental symptom occurs when members come
to the group with preconceived notions. When this happens, the small group process turns
into a series of individualized debates, with each person trying to defend his or her position.
Instead, members should come to the group armed with relevant information that will be
useful in the discussion process. They should not have made up their minds about the
solutions or conclusions they will accept.
Ensure understanding:
Make sure that your ideas and information are understood by all participants. If
something is worth saying. Then what is said should also be made clear. If in doubt, ask
yourself if what you are saying is clear, -Is my question clear enough?‖ -Did I explain it
clearly enough?‖ Also make sure that you are clear about the contributions of other
members, especially before you discuss the issue with them. In practice, people often
express their disagreement in their own words.
Groupthink:
Here are some symptoms that can help you recognize groupthink in the groups you
observe or participate in.
- Group members think that the group and its members cannot be defeated by danger.
- Members create rationalizations to avoid dealing directly with the danger or threat.
- Group members believe that their group is moral.
- Those who go against the grain are considered to be oversimplifying the problem, embracing
pluralistic ways.
- Group pressure is aimed at any member who shows hesitation or questions the group's
arguments or proposals. questioning the group's arguments or proposals.
- Group members censor their own doubts.
- Group members believe that all members agree unanimously, whether such agreement is
expressed or not.
- Group members begin to act as information that reaches other group members, especially if
such information can create differences of opinion.
Leaders in Small Group Communication
In most small groups, one person serves as the leader. In other groups, leadership
may be held by several people. Furthermore, the leader may be appointed or automatically
appear in the group In process development group communication.
Leadership Style:
In addition to looking at the main concerns in leadership, as we did with situational
leadership theory, we can also look at leadership in terms of three leadership styles: hands-
off, democratic and authoritarian.
Control-Leasing Leader:
The hands-off leader does not take the initiative to direct or suggest alternative
courses of action. Rather, this leader allows the group to develop and make mistakes. This
kind of leader rejects any authority given.
Democratic Leader:
The Democratic leader provides direction, but allows the group to develop and
implement the way its members want. Group members are encouraged to determine goals
and procedures. The democratic leader stimulates self-direction and self-actualization in
group members.
Keeping Members on Track:
Many people are egocentric and will only feel their own wants and problems. In this
case, the role of the leader is needed to direct the members to stay on the path of discussion.
Ensuring Member Satisfaction:
Members have different psychological needs and wants and many enter the group precisely
because of these needs and wants. Even if the group deals with for example political issues,
the various members may come together for reasons that are more psychological than
political.
Stimulate Evaluation and Improvement:
All groups will face obstacles if they are trying to solve a problem, make a decision,
or develop ideas. No single group is perfectly effective. All groups have the opportunity to
improve themselves.
Prepare Members for Discussion:
Groups form slowly and need to be shaped into meaningful discussions. The leader
should prepare the members for the discussion. This involves getting members ready to
interact in small groups, as well as ready to discuss a specific issue.
Public Communication
Public communication is the exchange of messages with a number of people who are
in a particular organization or outside the organization face-to-face or through the media.
The quality that distinguishes public organizational communication from interpersonal
communication and small group communication is :
Public communication is oriented towards the speaker or source. In interpersonal and
small group communication there is a reciprocal relationship between the speaker and
the recipient involved. In public organizational communication the speaker dominates
the relationship.
In public communication involves a large number of recipients but in interpersonal
communication there are usually 2 people and small group communication no more
than 5-7 recipients, public communication messages are intended to attract many
people, hundreds or millions of people.
In public communication there is less interaction between the speaker and the listener.
This results in less direct interaction between the speaker and the listener, especially
the larger the audience.
The language used in public communication is more general so that it can be
understood by the audience. Usually before the presentation the speaker knows the
specific type of audience.
The purpose of public communication is :
- Providing information to a large number of people who know the organization, for example
about the organization's activities and production.
- Establishing relationships between the organization and the community outside the
organization such as use of organizational services, users of organizational products and
society in general.
- Providing entertainment to a number of people such as recounting a pleasant experience to a
crowd.
Conclusions
Organizational communication is the direction and interpretation of messages among
communication units that are part of a particular organization. Organizational
communication is also the organizing behavior that occurs and how those involved in the
process transact and give meaning to what is happening. Organizational communication also
has the meaning of sending and receiving various organizational messages in formal and
informal groups of an organization. It also includes the approaches involved in
organizational communication. In addition, there are also communication networks and
flows in communication. As well as the interaction format of organizational communication
which consists of communication interpersonal, communication small group, and public
communication.
Definition of Organizational Communication
Understanding of organizational communication is inseparable from its relation to
various other aspects of organizational behavior as a whole, or when viewed more broadly,
namely in relation to interdisciplinary studies, especially communication science.
Organizational behavior deals with how and why people act, think and feel in an
organizational setting (Paul D. Sweeney & Dean B. Mc Farlin, 2002: 3). To better
understand organizational communication. We must refer to the various notions of
communication and organization that will be described in the following section:
Communication
The term communication comes from the Latin word -communication‖ which means
notification, giving part, exchange, where the speaker expects consideration or answer from
the listener. The adjective is communis which means common or shared. The verb is
communicare which means to dialogue, confer or deliberate (Anwar Arifin, 1994: 24).
Communication is a process that is generally used by humans in social interaction.
Basically, it has such a broad understanding, both as a separate science and as a
process. There are various definitions of communication, Carl I. Hovland suggests as
follows: communication is the process by which a person / communicator Convey stimuli
(usually symbols in the form of words) to change the behavior of others / communicants
(Onong Uchyana Effendy, 1993: 24). Then Shimp (1993; 8) states that communication is
the process to create or cause a common thought between the one who gives the sign and the
one who receives the sign. Shimp's definition emphasizes more on the communication
process that aims at creating a common thought or opinion on the interaction that occurs
(Terence A. Shimp, 1993: 8).
Pace & Faules (2001; 28) suggest that communication can be distinguished from all
other human and organizational behavior because it involves the mental process of
understanding people, objects and events. Two common forms of action that constitute
communication that emphasize on 1) the creation of messages or, more precisely, the
creation of performances, and 2) the interpretation of messages or the interpretation of
performances (R. Wayne Pace & Don F. Daules, Deddy Maulyana). Harold D. Lasswell
explained communication as an answer to the questions: Who, Say, What, In which channel,
To whom, With what effect? This sentence then known as the Lasswell formula (Effendy,
256). From what Lasswell stated, in essence, it includes elements of communication, namely
the existence of; communicators, messages conveyed, media used, communicants /
audiences, and effects. In simple terms, it can be interpreted that communication is a
message delivery activity with the aim of equalizing the meaning of a person / institution
(communicator) to another person / audience (communicator).
Organization
One of the most important things in understanding organizational communication is
that we should understand the approaches that influence the way of thinking or looking at
organizations. Organization according to Robbins (2001; 4) is defined as a consciously
coordinated social unit, consisting of two or more people, which functions on a relatively
continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set of goals (Stephen P. Robbins, 2001: 4).
Pace & Faules (2001: 11) suggest that there are two approaches in understanding
organizations, the objective approach and the subjective approach. Meaning -"Objective" in
this concept refers to the view that objects, behaviors, and events exist in the real world and
are independent of observation, while -"Subjective" refers to reality itself as a social
construction, reality as a creative process that allows people to create what is "out there".
According to the objective approach, an organization is something physical and
concrete, and is a structure with definite boundaries, something stable. The term -
organization‖ implies that something tangible encapsulates people, relationships, and goals.
The subjective approach views organizations as activities that people do, consisting of
actions, interactions, and transactions involving people. Organizations are created and
nurtured through the constantly changing contacts that people have with one another and do
not exist in isolation from the people whose behaviors make up the organization.
So based on the objective approach, organization means structure; while based on the
subjective view, organization means process (organizing behavior). The implication is that,
according to the objective approach, studying the organization is studying the whole, how
the organization can adapt in the best way to the environment to develop itself and survive,
while according to the subjective approach, knowledge about the organization is obtained by
looking at behaviors and what those behaviors mean to those who do it, the structure is
recognized but the emphasis is on human behavior in the sense that it is not independent of
human actions. These two approaches, both objective and subjective, not only affect the way
of looking at organizational communication, but also in understanding the organization other
aspects related to organizational behavior.
Organizational Communication
Based on the description above, organizational communication can be defined as the
direction and interpretation of messages between communication units that are part of a
particular organization. The definition emphasizes more on the functional aspect (objective).
Meanwhile, when viewed from an interpretative (subjective) perspective, organizational
communication is seen as a process of creating meaning for the interactions that constitute
the organization. Organizational communication is the organizing behavior that occurs and
how those involved in the process transact and give meaning to what is happening (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Maulana, 31).
A simpler definitive statement is put forward by Arnold & Feldman (1986: 154) that
organizational communication is the exchange of information between people in the
organization, where the process generally includes stages: attention, comprehension,
acceptance as true, and retention.
The Nature of Communication in Organizations
When talking about organizational communication, what is drawn in a person is
things related to the role and status of each person in the organization, because the role and
status of a person also determines how to communicate with others as well as how to
communicate with him, so a good person is a person who always connects roles and statuses
with work (Alo Liliweri, 1997: 59).
In modern society people recognize a person because he or she has a variety of roles
and statuses. In an organization, this diversity is seen through the division of labor where
each person will work according to his talents and abilities so that he is responsible for the
work. When the number or types of work are more and more diverse, it is necessary to
intertwine the different types of work, intertwine between a leader and subordinates or
between leaders who ultimately form a large synergistic force to produce higher quality
output. At this stage communication is needed.
Organizational communication is often also interpreted as organizing behavior,
namely how a subordinate is involved in the process of transacting and giving meaning to
what is happening. Therefore, when the organization considered just a group of people who
interact then communication only functions as an organization; he is the organization itself.
So organizational communication will center on the symbols that make organizational life
possible, whether the words, ideas and constructs that encourage authorize, coordinate, and
realize organized activities in specific situations (Barry Cusway and Derej Logde, 1995:
115).
Any writing or anything related to organizational communication always considers
two main concepts, namely organization and communication. An organization can be
approached as an object of fun and interest, but there are those who may very well view
organizations as oppressive That favorable or oppressive attitude is actually very depends on
the understanding and practice of interactions, relationships and transactions that occur
between people in the organization, which is called organizational communication. So the
position of communication in organization is actually emphasizes on how an organization is
constructed and maintained through the communication process. With Thus organizational
communication is more than just what people but rather a theoretical explanation of
communication practices in organizations that serves togetherness both in the organization
as well as serving other people who need the organization. In other words, the existence of
communication in the organization makes one able to distinguish two things, namely: first,
showing how members work as an organization; and second, how the network operations
that link them to each other. In this perspective, communication is important in
organizations, 1). Communication is the way, through communication people seek
information and develop a number of criteria for getting work for them; 2). Communication
is a process for them in determining a choice which practical.
The Importance of the Study of Organizational Communication
The study of organizational communication is important because it is a discipline
that can take a number of legitimate and useful directions. In the sense that the study will
provide benefits not only for anyone who wants to understand organizational behavior
better, but also has pragmatic aspects for people who want to improve their performance as
participants/members of an organization. The study of organizational communication can
provide a strong foundation for careers in management, human resource development, and
corporate communication, as well as other human-oriented tasks in organizations (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Mulyana, 25).
Interpersonal Communication Interaction Format
Interpersonal communication is the process of exchanging information between
someone with at least one other person or usually between two people who can be
immediately known back. With the increase in people involved in communication, the
perception of people in communication events increases so that the communication becomes
more complex (Arni Muhammad, 2009: 158).
Classification Interpersonal communication
Intimate interaction; in organizations, this relationship is developed in informal
communication systems. For example, the relationship seen between two good
friends in the organization, who have personal interactions perhaps outside of their
roles and functions in the organization.
Social Conversation is an interaction to please someone simply by talking a little. If
two or more people get together and talk about concerns, interests outside the
organization such as family, sports, political issues.
Interrogation is an interaction between someone in control, who requests or even
obeys information from others.
Interview is a form of communication interpersonal communication where two
people engage in a conversation in the form of questions and answers.
Purpose of Interpersonal Communication
Finding yourself
Discovering the outside world
Establish and maintain meaningful relationships
Change in attitude and behavior
For play and fun
To help
Effective Interpersonal Relationships
According to Rogert, interpersonal relationships will occur effectively if both parties
fulfill the conditions:
meet each other in person
empathize appropriately with the other person and communicate meaningfully with
each other.
Respect each other, be positive and reasonable without judgment or objection.
really live each other's experiences, being receptive to each other's empathy.
Feel that maintaining mutual openness and a supportive climate reduces the tendency
for salience disruptions.
Exhibit behaviors that are trusting and reinforce feelings of security towards others.
Small Group Communication
Is a collection of individuals who can influence each other, get some satisfaction
from each other, interact to multiple goals, take on roles, bond with each other and
communicate face-to-face.
Purpose of small group communication
o Personal Objective
Relationships social, the goal is to strengthen interpersonal
relationships and improve our well-being.
Channeling, this goal is usually carried out in an atmosphere that
favors the exchange of ideas or heated arguments in family
discussions, where self-disclosure is appropriate.
Group therapy, this is usually used to help people eliminate their
attitudes, or behaviors in some aspect of their lives.
Learning, as a common reason for people to join small groups, is
learning from others. Learning happens in a variety of settings. The
underlying assumption of group learning is the idea of two-way
learning.
o Work-related goals
Decision-making; People who come together in groups to make
decisions about something. Discussing alternatives with others helps
people decide which is the best option for the group.
Small Group as a system
Small groups are small organizations that have four basic components: input or
process, output or result of feedback.
o Inputs, are the raw materials in a small group such as people, information that
the group uses to interact. People or group members are inputs because each
person in the group brings certain qualities such as personality, age, health,
knowledge, attitudes, values and problem-solving abilities.
o Process, refers to all the internal processes that occur within the group during
the discussion.
o Outcome, is the decision or resolution reached by the group.
o Feedback, containing responses that tie the system together. Feedback
provides input for future group meetings.
Small Group Characteristics
o Make it easier friendly meeting
o Group personality. When a group of people come together they forming its
own identity that makes up the personality of the group.
o Cohesiveness, which is the attraction group members have for each other and
their desire to stick together.
o Commitment to the task. Another individual activity within the group that is
closely related to with commitment is motivation.
o The size of Group size seems simple enough but group size has some
important ramifications within the group.
o Group norms, are rules and guidelines used by the group itself, as well as
some external factors outside the group.
o Interdependence. The most important thing is that group members depend on
each other to some degree, and on each other less.
Roles of Small Group Communication members
Kennet Benne and Paul Sheats (1948) proposed a classification of member roles on
this important topic. Benne and Sheats divided member roles into three general classes:
group task roles, group building and maintenance roles, and individual roles.
The Role of Group Assignments:
The group task role is the role that enables the group to focus more specifically on
achieving group goals. In carrying out With each of these roles, members do not act as
separate individuals, but as part of a larger whole. The needs and goals of the group govern
the roles that members must perform. Effective group members will perform several of these
functions, although some people are locked into a few specific roles.
Role Fostering and Sustaining Groups:
No one and no group is task-oriented all the time. A group is a unit whose members
have diverse interpersonal relationships. These relationships need to be nurtured if the group
is to function effectively-if group members are to be satisfied and productive. If this function
is not performed, group members will be damaged if group processes become bogged down,
frequent conflicts arise, or small group communication becomes disrupted on some personal
or social level.
Individualized role:
The task group role and the fostering and sustaining group role are all productive.
They assist the group in achieving its goals, and are group-oriented. The roles we will
discuss here are counter-productive. They hinder the group in achieving its goals and are
more individual-oriented than group-oriented group. Such roles are often termed
malfunctions, which hinder group effectiveness in terms of both productivity and personal
satisfaction.
Member Participation:
Here are some guidelines that will help make your participation in small group
communication effective and more enjoyable. Some of these suggestions are elaborations
and extensions of the basic characteristics of effective interpersonal communication.
Group-Oriented:
In a small group you are a team member - a member of a larger whole. Your
participation will be valuable if it helps achieve the group's goals of the group and increase
member satisfaction. Your job is to mobilize your skills, knowledge and ideas so that the
group can develop solutions that are better than those developed by one person. Individual
achievement can hinder the group.
Center the conflict on the problem:
Conflict in a small group situation is inevitable. Conflict is a natural part of the small
group process, but center the conflict on the problem rather than the person.
Be Critically Unbiased:
A common but unproductive developmental symptom occurs when members come
to the group with preconceived notions. When this happens, the small group process turns
into a series of individualized debates, with each person trying to defend his or her position.
Instead, members should come to the group armed with relevant information that will be
useful in the discussion process. They should not have made up their minds about the
solutions or conclusions they will accept.
Ensure understanding:
Make sure that your ideas and information are understood by all participants. If
something is worth saying. Then what is said should also be made clear. If in doubt, ask
yourself if what you are saying is clear, -Is my question clear enough?‖ -Did I explain it
clearly enough?‖ Also make sure that you are clear about the contributions of other
members, especially before you discuss the issue with them. In practice, people often
express their disagreement in their own words.
Groupthink:
Here are some symptoms that can help you recognize groupthink in the groups you
observe or participate in.
- Group members think that the group and its members cannot be defeated by danger.
- Members create rationalizations to avoid dealing directly with the danger or threat.
- Group members believe that their group is moral.
- Those who go against the grain are considered to be oversimplifying the problem, embracing
pluralistic ways.
- Group pressure is aimed at any member who shows hesitation or questions the group's
arguments or proposals. questioning the group's arguments or proposals.
- Group members censor their own doubts.
- Group members believe that all members agree unanimously, whether such agreement is
expressed or not.
- Group members begin to act as information that reaches other group members, especially if
such information can create differences of opinion.
Leaders in Small Group Communication
In most small groups, one person serves as the leader. In other groups, leadership
may be held by several people. Furthermore, the leader may be appointed or automatically
appear in the group In process development group communication.
Leadership Style:
In addition to looking at the main concerns in leadership, as we did with situational
leadership theory, we can also look at leadership in terms of three leadership styles: hands-
off, democratic and authoritarian.
Control-Leasing Leader:
The hands-off leader does not take the initiative to direct or suggest alternative
courses of action. Rather, this leader allows the group to develop and make mistakes. This
kind of leader rejects any authority given.
Democratic Leader:
The Democratic leader provides direction, but allows the group to develop and
implement the way its members want. Group members are encouraged to determine goals
and procedures. The democratic leader stimulates self-direction and self-actualization in
group members.
Keeping Members on Track:
Many people are egocentric and will only feel their own wants and problems. In this
case, the role of the leader is needed to direct the members to stay on the path of discussion.
Ensuring Member Satisfaction:
Members have different psychological needs and wants and many enter the group precisely
because of these needs and wants. Even if the group deals with for example political issues,
the various members may come together for reasons that are more psychological than
political.
Stimulate Evaluation and Improvement:
All groups will face obstacles if they are trying to solve a problem, make a decision,
or develop ideas. No single group is perfectly effective. All groups have the opportunity to
improve themselves.
Prepare Members for Discussion:
Groups form slowly and need to be shaped into meaningful discussions. The leader
should prepare the members for the discussion. This involves getting members ready to
interact in small groups, as well as ready to discuss a specific issue.
Public Communication
Public communication is the exchange of messages with a number of people who are
in a particular organization or outside the organization face-to-face or through the media.
The quality that distinguishes public organizational communication from interpersonal
communication and small group communication is :
Public communication is oriented towards the speaker or source. In interpersonal and
small group communication there is a reciprocal relationship between the speaker and
the recipient involved. In public organizational communication the speaker dominates
the relationship.
In public communication involves a large number of recipients but in interpersonal
communication there are usually 2 people and small group communication no more
than 5-7 recipients, public communication messages are intended to attract many
people, hundreds or millions of people.
In public communication there is less interaction between the speaker and the listener.
This results in less direct interaction between the speaker and the listener, especially
the larger the audience.
The language used in public communication is more general so that it can be
understood by the audience. Usually before the presentation the speaker knows the
specific type of audience.
The purpose of public communication is :
- Providing information to a large number of people who know the organization, for example
about the organization's activities and production.
- Establishing relationships between the organization and the community outside the
organization such as use of organizational services, users of organizational products and
society in general.
- Providing entertainment to a number of people such as recounting a pleasant experience to a
crowd.
Conclusions
Organizational communication is the direction and interpretation of messages among
communication units that are part of a particular organization. Organizational
communication is also the organizing behavior that occurs and how those involved in the
process transact and give meaning to what is happening. Organizational communication also
has the meaning of sending and receiving various organizational messages in formal and
informal groups of an organization. It also includes the approaches involved in
organizational communication. In addition, there are also communication networks and
flows in communication. As well as the interaction format of organizational communication
which consists of communication interpersonal, communication small group, and public
communication.
Definition of Organizational Communication
Understanding of organizational communication is inseparable from its relation to
various other aspects of organizational behavior as a whole, or when viewed more broadly,
namely in relation to interdisciplinary studies, especially communication science.
Organizational behavior deals with how and why people act, think and feel in an
organizational setting (Paul D. Sweeney & Dean B. Mc Farlin, 2002: 3). To better
understand organizational communication. We must refer to the various notions of
communication and organization that will be described in the following section:
Communication
The term communication comes from the Latin word -communication‖ which means
notification, giving part, exchange, where the speaker expects consideration or answer from
the listener. The adjective is communis which means common or shared. The verb is
communicare which means to dialogue, confer or deliberate (Anwar Arifin, 1994: 24).
Communication is a process that is generally used by humans in social interaction.
Basically, it has such a broad understanding, both as a separate science and as a
process. There are various definitions of communication, Carl I. Hovland suggests as
follows: communication is the process by which a person / communicator Convey stimuli
(usually symbols in the form of words) to change the behavior of others / communicants
(Onong Uchyana Effendy, 1993: 24). Then Shimp (1993; 8) states that communication is
the process to create or cause a common thought between the one who gives the sign and the
one who receives the sign. Shimp's definition emphasizes more on the communication
process that aims at creating a common thought or opinion on the interaction that occurs
(Terence A. Shimp, 1993: 8).
Pace & Faules (2001; 28) suggest that communication can be distinguished from all
other human and organizational behavior because it involves the mental process of
understanding people, objects and events. Two common forms of action that constitute
communication that emphasize on 1) the creation of messages or, more precisely, the
creation of performances, and 2) the interpretation of messages or the interpretation of
performances (R. Wayne Pace & Don F. Daules, Deddy Maulyana). Harold D. Lasswell
explained communication as an answer to the questions: Who, Say, What, In which channel,
To whom, With what effect? This sentence then known as the Lasswell formula (Effendy,
256). From what Lasswell stated, in essence, it includes elements of communication, namely
the existence of; communicators, messages conveyed, media used, communicants /
audiences, and effects. In simple terms, it can be interpreted that communication is a
message delivery activity with the aim of equalizing the meaning of a person / institution
(communicator) to another person / audience (communicator).
Organization
One of the most important things in understanding organizational communication is
that we should understand the approaches that influence the way of thinking or looking at
organizations. Organization according to Robbins (2001; 4) is defined as a consciously
coordinated social unit, consisting of two or more people, which functions on a relatively
continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set of goals (Stephen P. Robbins, 2001: 4).
Pace & Faules (2001: 11) suggest that there are two approaches in understanding
organizations, the objective approach and the subjective approach. Meaning -"Objective" in
this concept refers to the view that objects, behaviors, and events exist in the real world and
are independent of observation, while -"Subjective" refers to reality itself as a social
construction, reality as a creative process that allows people to create what is "out there".
According to the objective approach, an organization is something physical and
concrete, and is a structure with definite boundaries, something stable. The term -
organization‖ implies that something tangible encapsulates people, relationships, and goals.
The subjective approach views organizations as activities that people do, consisting of
actions, interactions, and transactions involving people. Organizations are created and
nurtured through the constantly changing contacts that people have with one another and do
not exist in isolation from the people whose behaviors make up the organization.
So based on the objective approach, organization means structure; while based on the
subjective view, organization means process (organizing behavior). The implication is that,
according to the objective approach, studying the organization is studying the whole, how
the organization can adapt in the best way to the environment to develop itself and survive,
while according to the subjective approach, knowledge about the organization is obtained by
looking at behaviors and what those behaviors mean to those who do it, the structure is
recognized but the emphasis is on human behavior in the sense that it is not independent of
human actions. These two approaches, both objective and subjective, not only affect the way
of looking at organizational communication, but also in understanding the organization other
aspects related to organizational behavior.
Organizational Communication
Based on the description above, organizational communication can be defined as the
direction and interpretation of messages between communication units that are part of a
particular organization. The definition emphasizes more on the functional aspect (objective).
Meanwhile, when viewed from an interpretative (subjective) perspective, organizational
communication is seen as a process of creating meaning for the interactions that constitute
the organization. Organizational communication is the organizing behavior that occurs and
how those involved in the process transact and give meaning to what is happening (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Maulana, 31).
A simpler definitive statement is put forward by Arnold & Feldman (1986: 154) that
organizational communication is the exchange of information between people in the
organization, where the process generally includes stages: attention, comprehension,
acceptance as true, and retention.
The Nature of Communication in Organizations
When talking about organizational communication, what is drawn in a person is
things related to the role and status of each person in the organization, because the role and
status of a person also determines how to communicate with others as well as how to
communicate with him, so a good person is a person who always connects roles and statuses
with work (Alo Liliweri, 1997: 59).
In modern society people recognize a person because he or she has a variety of roles
and statuses. In an organization, this diversity is seen through the division of labor where
each person will work according to his talents and abilities so that he is responsible for the
work. When the number or types of work are more and more diverse, it is necessary to
intertwine the different types of work, intertwine between a leader and subordinates or
between leaders who ultimately form a large synergistic force to produce higher quality
output. At this stage communication is needed.
Organizational communication is often also interpreted as organizing behavior,
namely how a subordinate is involved in the process of transacting and giving meaning to
what is happening. Therefore, when the organization considered just a group of people who
interact then communication only functions as an organization; he is the organization itself.
So organizational communication will center on the symbols that make organizational life
possible, whether the words, ideas and constructs that encourage authorize, coordinate, and
realize organized activities in specific situations (Barry Cusway and Derej Logde, 1995:
115).
Any writing or anything related to organizational communication always considers
two main concepts, namely organization and communication. An organization can be
approached as an object of fun and interest, but there are those who may very well view
organizations as oppressive That favorable or oppressive attitude is actually very depends on
the understanding and practice of interactions, relationships and transactions that occur
between people in the organization, which is called organizational communication. So the
position of communication in organization is actually emphasizes on how an organization is
constructed and maintained through the communication process. With Thus organizational
communication is more than just what people but rather a theoretical explanation of
communication practices in organizations that serves togetherness both in the organization
as well as serving other people who need the organization. In other words, the existence of
communication in the organization makes one able to distinguish two things, namely: first,
showing how members work as an organization; and second, how the network operations
that link them to each other. In this perspective, communication is important in
organizations, 1). Communication is the way, through communication people seek
information and develop a number of criteria for getting work for them; 2). Communication
is a process for them in determining a choice which practical.
The Importance of the Study of Organizational Communication
The study of organizational communication is important because it is a discipline
that can take a number of legitimate and useful directions. In the sense that the study will
provide benefits not only for anyone who wants to understand organizational behavior
better, but also has pragmatic aspects for people who want to improve their performance as
participants/members of an organization. The study of organizational communication can
provide a strong foundation for careers in management, human resource development, and
corporate communication, as well as other human-oriented tasks in organizations (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Mulyana, 25).
Interpersonal Communication Interaction Format
Interpersonal communication is the process of exchanging information between
someone with at least one other person or usually between two people who can be
immediately known back. With the increase in people involved in communication, the
perception of people in communication events increases so that the communication becomes
more complex (Arni Muhammad, 2009: 158).
Classification Interpersonal communication
Intimate interaction; in organizations, this relationship is developed in informal
communication systems. For example, the relationship seen between two good
friends in the organization, who have personal interactions perhaps outside of their
roles and functions in the organization.
Social Conversation is an interaction to please someone simply by talking a little. If
two or more people get together and talk about concerns, interests outside the
organization such as family, sports, political issues.
Interrogation is an interaction between someone in control, who requests or even
obeys information from others.
Interview is a form of communication interpersonal communication where two
people engage in a conversation in the form of questions and answers.
Purpose of Interpersonal Communication
Finding yourself
Discovering the outside world
Establish and maintain meaningful relationships
Change in attitude and behavior
For play and fun
To help
Effective Interpersonal Relationships
According to Rogert, interpersonal relationships will occur effectively if both parties
fulfill the conditions:
meet each other in person
empathize appropriately with the other person and communicate meaningfully with
each other.
Respect each other, be positive and reasonable without judgment or objection.
really live each other's experiences, being receptive to each other's empathy.
Feel that maintaining mutual openness and a supportive climate reduces the tendency
for salience disruptions.
Exhibit behaviors that are trusting and reinforce feelings of security towards others.
Small Group Communication
Is a collection of individuals who can influence each other, get some satisfaction
from each other, interact to multiple goals, take on roles, bond with each other and
communicate face-to-face.
Purpose of small group communication
o Personal Objective
Relationships social, the goal is to strengthen interpersonal
relationships and improve our well-being.
Channeling, this goal is usually carried out in an atmosphere that
favors the exchange of ideas or heated arguments in family
discussions, where self-disclosure is appropriate.
Group therapy, this is usually used to help people eliminate their
attitudes, or behaviors in some aspect of their lives.
Learning, as a common reason for people to join small groups, is
learning from others. Learning happens in a variety of settings. The
underlying assumption of group learning is the idea of two-way
learning.
o Work-related goals
Decision-making; People who come together in groups to make
decisions about something. Discussing alternatives with others helps
people decide which is the best option for the group.
Small Group as a system
Small groups are small organizations that have four basic components: input or
process, output or result of feedback.
o Inputs, are the raw materials in a small group such as people, information that
the group uses to interact. People or group members are inputs because each
person in the group brings certain qualities such as personality, age, health,
knowledge, attitudes, values and problem-solving abilities.
o Process, refers to all the internal processes that occur within the group during
the discussion.
o Outcome, is the decision or resolution reached by the group.
o Feedback, containing responses that tie the system together. Feedback
provides input for future group meetings.
Small Group Characteristics
o Make it easier friendly meeting
o Group personality. When a group of people come together they forming its
own identity that makes up the personality of the group.
o Cohesiveness, which is the attraction group members have for each other and
their desire to stick together.
o Commitment to the task. Another individual activity within the group that is
closely related to with commitment is motivation.
o The size of Group size seems simple enough but group size has some
important ramifications within the group.
o Group norms, are rules and guidelines used by the group itself, as well as
some external factors outside the group.
o Interdependence. The most important thing is that group members depend on
each other to some degree, and on each other less.
Roles of Small Group Communication members
Kennet Benne and Paul Sheats (1948) proposed a classification of member roles on
this important topic. Benne and Sheats divided member roles into three general classes:
group task roles, group building and maintenance roles, and individual roles.
The Role of Group Assignments:
The group task role is the role that enables the group to focus more specifically on
achieving group goals. In carrying out With each of these roles, members do not act as
separate individuals, but as part of a larger whole. The needs and goals of the group govern
the roles that members must perform. Effective group members will perform several of these
functions, although some people are locked into a few specific roles.
Role Fostering and Sustaining Groups:
No one and no group is task-oriented all the time. A group is a unit whose members
have diverse interpersonal relationships. These relationships need to be nurtured if the group
is to function effectively-if group members are to be satisfied and productive. If this function
is not performed, group members will be damaged if group processes become bogged down,
frequent conflicts arise, or small group communication becomes disrupted on some personal
or social level.
Individualized role:
The task group role and the fostering and sustaining group role are all productive.
They assist the group in achieving its goals, and are group-oriented. The roles we will
discuss here are counter-productive. They hinder the group in achieving its goals and are
more individual-oriented than group-oriented group. Such roles are often termed
malfunctions, which hinder group effectiveness in terms of both productivity and personal
satisfaction.
Member Participation:
Here are some guidelines that will help make your participation in small group
communication effective and more enjoyable. Some of these suggestions are elaborations
and extensions of the basic characteristics of effective interpersonal communication.
Group-Oriented:
In a small group you are a team member - a member of a larger whole. Your
participation will be valuable if it helps achieve the group's goals of the group and increase
member satisfaction. Your job is to mobilize your skills, knowledge and ideas so that the
group can develop solutions that are better than those developed by one person. Individual
achievement can hinder the group.
Center the conflict on the problem:
Conflict in a small group situation is inevitable. Conflict is a natural part of the small
group process, but center the conflict on the problem rather than the person.
Be Critically Unbiased:
A common but unproductive developmental symptom occurs when members come
to the group with preconceived notions. When this happens, the small group process turns
into a series of individualized debates, with each person trying to defend his or her position.
Instead, members should come to the group armed with relevant information that will be
useful in the discussion process. They should not have made up their minds about the
solutions or conclusions they will accept.
Ensure understanding:
Make sure that your ideas and information are understood by all participants. If
something is worth saying. Then what is said should also be made clear. If in doubt, ask
yourself if what you are saying is clear, -Is my question clear enough?‖ -Did I explain it
clearly enough?‖ Also make sure that you are clear about the contributions of other
members, especially before you discuss the issue with them. In practice, people often
express their disagreement in their own words.
Groupthink:
Here are some symptoms that can help you recognize groupthink in the groups you
observe or participate in.
- Group members think that the group and its members cannot be defeated by danger.
- Members create rationalizations to avoid dealing directly with the danger or threat.
- Group members believe that their group is moral.
- Those who go against the grain are considered to be oversimplifying the problem, embracing
pluralistic ways.
- Group pressure is aimed at any member who shows hesitation or questions the group's
arguments or proposals. questioning the group's arguments or proposals.
- Group members censor their own doubts.
- Group members believe that all members agree unanimously, whether such agreement is
expressed or not.
- Group members begin to act as information that reaches other group members, especially if
such information can create differences of opinion.
Leaders in Small Group Communication
In most small groups, one person serves as the leader. In other groups, leadership
may be held by several people. Furthermore, the leader may be appointed or automatically
appear in the group In process development group communication.
Leadership Style:
In addition to looking at the main concerns in leadership, as we did with situational
leadership theory, we can also look at leadership in terms of three leadership styles: hands-
off, democratic and authoritarian.
Control-Leasing Leader:
The hands-off leader does not take the initiative to direct or suggest alternative
courses of action. Rather, this leader allows the group to develop and make mistakes. This
kind of leader rejects any authority given.
Democratic Leader:
The Democratic leader provides direction, but allows the group to develop and
implement the way its members want. Group members are encouraged to determine goals
and procedures. The democratic leader stimulates self-direction and self-actualization in
group members.
Keeping Members on Track:
Many people are egocentric and will only feel their own wants and problems. In this
case, the role of the leader is needed to direct the members to stay on the path of discussion.
Ensuring Member Satisfaction:
Members have different psychological needs and wants and many enter the group precisely
because of these needs and wants. Even if the group deals with for example political issues,
the various members may come together for reasons that are more psychological than
political.
Stimulate Evaluation and Improvement:
All groups will face obstacles if they are trying to solve a problem, make a decision,
or develop ideas. No single group is perfectly effective. All groups have the opportunity to
improve themselves.
Prepare Members for Discussion:
Groups form slowly and need to be shaped into meaningful discussions. The leader
should prepare the members for the discussion. This involves getting members ready to
interact in small groups, as well as ready to discuss a specific issue.
Public Communication
Public communication is the exchange of messages with a number of people who are
in a particular organization or outside the organization face-to-face or through the media.
The quality that distinguishes public organizational communication from interpersonal
communication and small group communication is :
Public communication is oriented towards the speaker or source. In interpersonal and
small group communication there is a reciprocal relationship between the speaker and
the recipient involved. In public organizational communication the speaker dominates
the relationship.
In public communication involves a large number of recipients but in interpersonal
communication there are usually 2 people and small group communication no more
than 5-7 recipients, public communication messages are intended to attract many
people, hundreds or millions of people.
In public communication there is less interaction between the speaker and the listener.
This results in less direct interaction between the speaker and the listener, especially
the larger the audience.
The language used in public communication is more general so that it can be
understood by the audience. Usually before the presentation the speaker knows the
specific type of audience.
The purpose of public communication is :
- Providing information to a large number of people who know the organization, for example
about the organization's activities and production.
- Establishing relationships between the organization and the community outside the
organization such as use of organizational services, users of organizational products and
society in general.
- Providing entertainment to a number of people such as recounting a pleasant experience to a
crowd.
Conclusions
Organizational communication is the direction and interpretation of messages among
communication units that are part of a particular organization. Organizational
communication is also the organizing behavior that occurs and how those involved in the
process transact and give meaning to what is happening. Organizational communication also
has the meaning of sending and receiving various organizational messages in formal and
informal groups of an organization. It also includes the approaches involved in
organizational communication. In addition, there are also communication networks and
flows in communication. As well as the interaction format of organizational communication
which consists of communication interpersonal, communication small group, and public
communication.
Definition of Organizational Communication
Understanding of organizational communication is inseparable from its relation to
various other aspects of organizational behavior as a whole, or when viewed more broadly,
namely in relation to interdisciplinary studies, especially communication science.
Organizational behavior deals with how and why people act, think and feel in an
organizational setting (Paul D. Sweeney & Dean B. Mc Farlin, 2002: 3). To better
understand organizational communication. We must refer to the various notions of
communication and organization that will be described in the following section:
Communication
The term communication comes from the Latin word -communication‖ which means
notification, giving part, exchange, where the speaker expects consideration or answer from
the listener. The adjective is communis which means common or shared. The verb is
communicare which means to dialogue, confer or deliberate (Anwar Arifin, 1994: 24).
Communication is a process that is generally used by humans in social interaction.
Basically, it has such a broad understanding, both as a separate science and as a
process. There are various definitions of communication, Carl I. Hovland suggests as
follows: communication is the process by which a person / communicator Convey stimuli
(usually symbols in the form of words) to change the behavior of others / communicants
(Onong Uchyana Effendy, 1993: 24). Then Shimp (1993; 8) states that communication is
the process to create or cause a common thought between the one who gives the sign and the
one who receives the sign. Shimp's definition emphasizes more on the communication
process that aims at creating a common thought or opinion on the interaction that occurs
(Terence A. Shimp, 1993: 8).
Pace & Faules (2001; 28) suggest that communication can be distinguished from all
other human and organizational behavior because it involves the mental process of
understanding people, objects and events. Two common forms of action that constitute
communication that emphasize on 1) the creation of messages or, more precisely, the
creation of performances, and 2) the interpretation of messages or the interpretation of
performances (R. Wayne Pace & Don F. Daules, Deddy Maulyana). Harold D. Lasswell
explained communication as an answer to the questions: Who, Say, What, In which channel,
To whom, With what effect? This sentence then known as the Lasswell formula (Effendy,
256). From what Lasswell stated, in essence, it includes elements of communication, namely
the existence of; communicators, messages conveyed, media used, communicants /
audiences, and effects. In simple terms, it can be interpreted that communication is a
message delivery activity with the aim of equalizing the meaning of a person / institution
(communicator) to another person / audience (communicator).
Organization
One of the most important things in understanding organizational communication is
that we should understand the approaches that influence the way of thinking or looking at
organizations. Organization according to Robbins (2001; 4) is defined as a consciously
coordinated social unit, consisting of two or more people, which functions on a relatively
continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set of goals (Stephen P. Robbins, 2001: 4).
Pace & Faules (2001: 11) suggest that there are two approaches in understanding
organizations, the objective approach and the subjective approach. Meaning -"Objective" in
this concept refers to the view that objects, behaviors, and events exist in the real world and
are independent of observation, while -"Subjective" refers to reality itself as a social
construction, reality as a creative process that allows people to create what is "out there".
According to the objective approach, an organization is something physical and
concrete, and is a structure with definite boundaries, something stable. The term -
organization‖ implies that something tangible encapsulates people, relationships, and goals.
The subjective approach views organizations as activities that people do, consisting of
actions, interactions, and transactions involving people. Organizations are created and
nurtured through the constantly changing contacts that people have with one another and do
not exist in isolation from the people whose behaviors make up the organization.
So based on the objective approach, organization means structure; while based on the
subjective view, organization means process (organizing behavior). The implication is that,
according to the objective approach, studying the organization is studying the whole, how
the organization can adapt in the best way to the environment to develop itself and survive,
while according to the subjective approach, knowledge about the organization is obtained by
looking at behaviors and what those behaviors mean to those who do it, the structure is
recognized but the emphasis is on human behavior in the sense that it is not independent of
human actions. These two approaches, both objective and subjective, not only affect the way
of looking at organizational communication, but also in understanding the organization other
aspects related to organizational behavior.
Organizational Communication
Based on the description above, organizational communication can be defined as the
direction and interpretation of messages between communication units that are part of a
particular organization. The definition emphasizes more on the functional aspect (objective).
Meanwhile, when viewed from an interpretative (subjective) perspective, organizational
communication is seen as a process of creating meaning for the interactions that constitute
the organization. Organizational communication is the organizing behavior that occurs and
how those involved in the process transact and give meaning to what is happening (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Maulana, 31).
A simpler definitive statement is put forward by Arnold & Feldman (1986: 154) that
organizational communication is the exchange of information between people in the
organization, where the process generally includes stages: attention, comprehension,
acceptance as true, and retention.
The Nature of Communication in Organizations
When talking about organizational communication, what is drawn in a person is
things related to the role and status of each person in the organization, because the role and
status of a person also determines how to communicate with others as well as how to
communicate with him, so a good person is a person who always connects roles and statuses
with work (Alo Liliweri, 1997: 59).
In modern society people recognize a person because he or she has a variety of roles
and statuses. In an organization, this diversity is seen through the division of labor where
each person will work according to his talents and abilities so that he is responsible for the
work. When the number or types of work are more and more diverse, it is necessary to
intertwine the different types of work, intertwine between a leader and subordinates or
between leaders who ultimately form a large synergistic force to produce higher quality
output. At this stage communication is needed.
Organizational communication is often also interpreted as organizing behavior,
namely how a subordinate is involved in the process of transacting and giving meaning to
what is happening. Therefore, when the organization considered just a group of people who
interact then communication only functions as an organization; he is the organization itself.
So organizational communication will center on the symbols that make organizational life
possible, whether the words, ideas and constructs that encourage authorize, coordinate, and
realize organized activities in specific situations (Barry Cusway and Derej Logde, 1995:
115).
Any writing or anything related to organizational communication always considers
two main concepts, namely organization and communication. An organization can be
approached as an object of fun and interest, but there are those who may very well view
organizations as oppressive That favorable or oppressive attitude is actually very depends on
the understanding and practice of interactions, relationships and transactions that occur
between people in the organization, which is called organizational communication. So the
position of communication in organization is actually emphasizes on how an organization is
constructed and maintained through the communication process. With Thus organizational
communication is more than just what people but rather a theoretical explanation of
communication practices in organizations that serves togetherness both in the organization
as well as serving other people who need the organization. In other words, the existence of
communication in the organization makes one able to distinguish two things, namely: first,
showing how members work as an organization; and second, how the network operations
that link them to each other. In this perspective, communication is important in
organizations, 1). Communication is the way, through communication people seek
information and develop a number of criteria for getting work for them; 2). Communication
is a process for them in determining a choice which practical.
The Importance of the Study of Organizational Communication
The study of organizational communication is important because it is a discipline
that can take a number of legitimate and useful directions. In the sense that the study will
provide benefits not only for anyone who wants to understand organizational behavior
better, but also has pragmatic aspects for people who want to improve their performance as
participants/members of an organization. The study of organizational communication can
provide a strong foundation for careers in management, human resource development, and
corporate communication, as well as other human-oriented tasks in organizations (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Mulyana, 25).
Interpersonal Communication Interaction Format
Interpersonal communication is the process of exchanging information between
someone with at least one other person or usually between two people who can be
immediately known back. With the increase in people involved in communication, the
perception of people in communication events increases so that the communication becomes
more complex (Arni Muhammad, 2009: 158).
Classification Interpersonal communication
Intimate interaction; in organizations, this relationship is developed in informal
communication systems. For example, the relationship seen between two good
friends in the organization, who have personal interactions perhaps outside of their
roles and functions in the organization.
Social Conversation is an interaction to please someone simply by talking a little. If
two or more people get together and talk about concerns, interests outside the
organization such as family, sports, political issues.
Interrogation is an interaction between someone in control, who requests or even
obeys information from others.
Interview is a form of communication interpersonal communication where two
people engage in a conversation in the form of questions and answers.
Purpose of Interpersonal Communication
Finding yourself
Discovering the outside world
Establish and maintain meaningful relationships
Change in attitude and behavior
For play and fun
To help
Effective Interpersonal Relationships
According to Rogert, interpersonal relationships will occur effectively if both parties
fulfill the conditions:
meet each other in person
empathize appropriately with the other person and communicate meaningfully with
each other.
Respect each other, be positive and reasonable without judgment or objection.
really live each other's experiences, being receptive to each other's empathy.
Feel that maintaining mutual openness and a supportive climate reduces the tendency
for salience disruptions.
Exhibit behaviors that are trusting and reinforce feelings of security towards others.
Small Group Communication
Is a collection of individuals who can influence each other, get some satisfaction
from each other, interact to multiple goals, take on roles, bond with each other and
communicate face-to-face.
Purpose of small group communication
o Personal Objective
Relationships social, the goal is to strengthen interpersonal
relationships and improve our well-being.
Channeling, this goal is usually carried out in an atmosphere that
favors the exchange of ideas or heated arguments in family
discussions, where self-disclosure is appropriate.
Group therapy, this is usually used to help people eliminate their
attitudes, or behaviors in some aspect of their lives.
Learning, as a common reason for people to join small groups, is
learning from others. Learning happens in a variety of settings. The
underlying assumption of group learning is the idea of two-way
learning.
o Work-related goals
Decision-making; People who come together in groups to make
decisions about something. Discussing alternatives with others helps
people decide which is the best option for the group.
Small Group as a system
Small groups are small organizations that have four basic components: input or
process, output or result of feedback.
o Inputs, are the raw materials in a small group such as people, information that
the group uses to interact. People or group members are inputs because each
person in the group brings certain qualities such as personality, age, health,
knowledge, attitudes, values and problem-solving abilities.
o Process, refers to all the internal processes that occur within the group during
the discussion.
o Outcome, is the decision or resolution reached by the group.
o Feedback, containing responses that tie the system together. Feedback
provides input for future group meetings.
Small Group Characteristics
o Make it easier friendly meeting
o Group personality. When a group of people come together they forming its
own identity that makes up the personality of the group.
o Cohesiveness, which is the attraction group members have for each other and
their desire to stick together.
o Commitment to the task. Another individual activity within the group that is
closely related to with commitment is motivation.
o The size of Group size seems simple enough but group size has some
important ramifications within the group.
o Group norms, are rules and guidelines used by the group itself, as well as
some external factors outside the group.
o Interdependence. The most important thing is that group members depend on
each other to some degree, and on each other less.
Roles of Small Group Communication members
Kennet Benne and Paul Sheats (1948) proposed a classification of member roles on
this important topic. Benne and Sheats divided member roles into three general classes:
group task roles, group building and maintenance roles, and individual roles.
The Role of Group Assignments:
The group task role is the role that enables the group to focus more specifically on
achieving group goals. In carrying out With each of these roles, members do not act as
separate individuals, but as part of a larger whole. The needs and goals of the group govern
the roles that members must perform. Effective group members will perform several of these
functions, although some people are locked into a few specific roles.
Role Fostering and Sustaining Groups:
No one and no group is task-oriented all the time. A group is a unit whose members
have diverse interpersonal relationships. These relationships need to be nurtured if the group
is to function effectively-if group members are to be satisfied and productive. If this function
is not performed, group members will be damaged if group processes become bogged down,
frequent conflicts arise, or small group communication becomes disrupted on some personal
or social level.
Individualized role:
The task group role and the fostering and sustaining group role are all productive.
They assist the group in achieving its goals, and are group-oriented. The roles we will
discuss here are counter-productive. They hinder the group in achieving its goals and are
more individual-oriented than group-oriented group. Such roles are often termed
malfunctions, which hinder group effectiveness in terms of both productivity and personal
satisfaction.
Member Participation:
Here are some guidelines that will help make your participation in small group
communication effective and more enjoyable. Some of these suggestions are elaborations
and extensions of the basic characteristics of effective interpersonal communication.
Group-Oriented:
In a small group you are a team member - a member of a larger whole. Your
participation will be valuable if it helps achieve the group's goals of the group and increase
member satisfaction. Your job is to mobilize your skills, knowledge and ideas so that the
group can develop solutions that are better than those developed by one person. Individual
achievement can hinder the group.
Center the conflict on the problem:
Conflict in a small group situation is inevitable. Conflict is a natural part of the small
group process, but center the conflict on the problem rather than the person.
Be Critically Unbiased:
A common but unproductive developmental symptom occurs when members come
to the group with preconceived notions. When this happens, the small group process turns
into a series of individualized debates, with each person trying to defend his or her position.
Instead, members should come to the group armed with relevant information that will be
useful in the discussion process. They should not have made up their minds about the
solutions or conclusions they will accept.
Ensure understanding:
Make sure that your ideas and information are understood by all participants. If
something is worth saying. Then what is said should also be made clear. If in doubt, ask
yourself if what you are saying is clear, -Is my question clear enough?‖ -Did I explain it
clearly enough?‖ Also make sure that you are clear about the contributions of other
members, especially before you discuss the issue with them. In practice, people often
express their disagreement in their own words.
Groupthink:
Here are some symptoms that can help you recognize groupthink in the groups you
observe or participate in.
- Group members think that the group and its members cannot be defeated by danger.
- Members create rationalizations to avoid dealing directly with the danger or threat.
- Group members believe that their group is moral.
- Those who go against the grain are considered to be oversimplifying the problem, embracing
pluralistic ways.
- Group pressure is aimed at any member who shows hesitation or questions the group's
arguments or proposals. questioning the group's arguments or proposals.
- Group members censor their own doubts.
- Group members believe that all members agree unanimously, whether such agreement is
expressed or not.
- Group members begin to act as information that reaches other group members, especially if
such information can create differences of opinion.
Leaders in Small Group Communication
In most small groups, one person serves as the leader. In other groups, leadership
may be held by several people. Furthermore, the leader may be appointed or automatically
appear in the group In process development group communication.
Leadership Style:
In addition to looking at the main concerns in leadership, as we did with situational
leadership theory, we can also look at leadership in terms of three leadership styles: hands-
off, democratic and authoritarian.
Control-Leasing Leader:
The hands-off leader does not take the initiative to direct or suggest alternative
courses of action. Rather, this leader allows the group to develop and make mistakes. This
kind of leader rejects any authority given.
Democratic Leader:
The Democratic leader provides direction, but allows the group to develop and
implement the way its members want. Group members are encouraged to determine goals
and procedures. The democratic leader stimulates self-direction and self-actualization in
group members.
Keeping Members on Track:
Many people are egocentric and will only feel their own wants and problems. In this
case, the role of the leader is needed to direct the members to stay on the path of discussion.
Ensuring Member Satisfaction:
Members have different psychological needs and wants and many enter the group precisely
because of these needs and wants. Even if the group deals with for example political issues,
the various members may come together for reasons that are more psychological than
political.
Stimulate Evaluation and Improvement:
All groups will face obstacles if they are trying to solve a problem, make a decision,
or develop ideas. No single group is perfectly effective. All groups have the opportunity to
improve themselves.
Prepare Members for Discussion:
Groups form slowly and need to be shaped into meaningful discussions. The leader
should prepare the members for the discussion. This involves getting members ready to
interact in small groups, as well as ready to discuss a specific issue.
Public Communication
Public communication is the exchange of messages with a number of people who are
in a particular organization or outside the organization face-to-face or through the media.
The quality that distinguishes public organizational communication from interpersonal
communication and small group communication is :
Public communication is oriented towards the speaker or source. In interpersonal and
small group communication there is a reciprocal relationship between the speaker and
the recipient involved. In public organizational communication the speaker dominates
the relationship.
In public communication involves a large number of recipients but in interpersonal
communication there are usually 2 people and small group communication no more
than 5-7 recipients, public communication messages are intended to attract many
people, hundreds or millions of people.
In public communication there is less interaction between the speaker and the listener.
This results in less direct interaction between the speaker and the listener, especially
the larger the audience.
The language used in public communication is more general so that it can be
understood by the audience. Usually before the presentation the speaker knows the
specific type of audience.
The purpose of public communication is :
- Providing information to a large number of people who know the organization, for example
about the organization's activities and production.
- Establishing relationships between the organization and the community outside the
organization such as use of organizational services, users of organizational products and
society in general.
- Providing entertainment to a number of people such as recounting a pleasant experience to a
crowd.
Conclusions
Organizational communication is the direction and interpretation of messages among
communication units that are part of a particular organization. Organizational
communication is also the organizing behavior that occurs and how those involved in the
process transact and give meaning to what is happening. Organizational communication also
has the meaning of sending and receiving various organizational messages in formal and
informal groups of an organization. It also includes the approaches involved in
organizational communication. In addition, there are also communication networks and
flows in communication. As well as the interaction format of organizational communication
which consists of communication interpersonal, communication small group, and public
communication.
Definition of Organizational Communication
Understanding of organizational communication is inseparable from its relation to
various other aspects of organizational behavior as a whole, or when viewed more broadly,
namely in relation to interdisciplinary studies, especially communication science.
Organizational behavior deals with how and why people act, think and feel in an
organizational setting (Paul D. Sweeney & Dean B. Mc Farlin, 2002: 3). To better
understand organizational communication. We must refer to the various notions of
communication and organization that will be described in the following section:
Communication
The term communication comes from the Latin word -communication‖ which means
notification, giving part, exchange, where the speaker expects consideration or answer from
the listener. The adjective is communis which means common or shared. The verb is
communicare which means to dialogue, confer or deliberate (Anwar Arifin, 1994: 24).
Communication is a process that is generally used by humans in social interaction.
Basically, it has such a broad understanding, both as a separate science and as a
process. There are various definitions of communication, Carl I. Hovland suggests as
follows: communication is the process by which a person / communicator Convey stimuli
(usually symbols in the form of words) to change the behavior of others / communicants
(Onong Uchyana Effendy, 1993: 24). Then Shimp (1993; 8) states that communication is
the process to create or cause a common thought between the one who gives the sign and the
one who receives the sign. Shimp's definition emphasizes more on the communication
process that aims at creating a common thought or opinion on the interaction that occurs
(Terence A. Shimp, 1993: 8).
Pace & Faules (2001; 28) suggest that communication can be distinguished from all
other human and organizational behavior because it involves the mental process of
understanding people, objects and events. Two common forms of action that constitute
communication that emphasize on 1) the creation of messages or, more precisely, the
creation of performances, and 2) the interpretation of messages or the interpretation of
performances (R. Wayne Pace & Don F. Daules, Deddy Maulyana). Harold D. Lasswell
explained communication as an answer to the questions: Who, Say, What, In which channel,
To whom, With what effect? This sentence then known as the Lasswell formula (Effendy,
256). From what Lasswell stated, in essence, it includes elements of communication, namely
the existence of; communicators, messages conveyed, media used, communicants /
audiences, and effects. In simple terms, it can be interpreted that communication is a
message delivery activity with the aim of equalizing the meaning of a person / institution
(communicator) to another person / audience (communicator).
Organization
One of the most important things in understanding organizational communication is
that we should understand the approaches that influence the way of thinking or looking at
organizations. Organization according to Robbins (2001; 4) is defined as a consciously
coordinated social unit, consisting of two or more people, which functions on a relatively
continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set of goals (Stephen P. Robbins, 2001: 4).
Pace & Faules (2001: 11) suggest that there are two approaches in understanding
organizations, the objective approach and the subjective approach. Meaning -"Objective" in
this concept refers to the view that objects, behaviors, and events exist in the real world and
are independent of observation, while -"Subjective" refers to reality itself as a social
construction, reality as a creative process that allows people to create what is "out there".
According to the objective approach, an organization is something physical and
concrete, and is a structure with definite boundaries, something stable. The term -
organization‖ implies that something tangible encapsulates people, relationships, and goals.
The subjective approach views organizations as activities that people do, consisting of
actions, interactions, and transactions involving people. Organizations are created and
nurtured through the constantly changing contacts that people have with one another and do
not exist in isolation from the people whose behaviors make up the organization.
So based on the objective approach, organization means structure; while based on the
subjective view, organization means process (organizing behavior). The implication is that,
according to the objective approach, studying the organization is studying the whole, how
the organization can adapt in the best way to the environment to develop itself and survive,
while according to the subjective approach, knowledge about the organization is obtained by
looking at behaviors and what those behaviors mean to those who do it, the structure is
recognized but the emphasis is on human behavior in the sense that it is not independent of
human actions. These two approaches, both objective and subjective, not only affect the way
of looking at organizational communication, but also in understanding the organization other
aspects related to organizational behavior.
Organizational Communication
Based on the description above, organizational communication can be defined as the
direction and interpretation of messages between communication units that are part of a
particular organization. The definition emphasizes more on the functional aspect (objective).
Meanwhile, when viewed from an interpretative (subjective) perspective, organizational
communication is seen as a process of creating meaning for the interactions that constitute
the organization. Organizational communication is the organizing behavior that occurs and
how those involved in the process transact and give meaning to what is happening (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Maulana, 31).
A simpler definitive statement is put forward by Arnold & Feldman (1986: 154) that
organizational communication is the exchange of information between people in the
organization, where the process generally includes stages: attention, comprehension,
acceptance as true, and retention.
The Nature of Communication in Organizations
When talking about organizational communication, what is drawn in a person is
things related to the role and status of each person in the organization, because the role and
status of a person also determines how to communicate with others as well as how to
communicate with him, so a good person is a person who always connects roles and statuses
with work (Alo Liliweri, 1997: 59).
In modern society people recognize a person because he or she has a variety of roles
and statuses. In an organization, this diversity is seen through the division of labor where
each person will work according to his talents and abilities so that he is responsible for the
work. When the number or types of work are more and more diverse, it is necessary to
intertwine the different types of work, intertwine between a leader and subordinates or
between leaders who ultimately form a large synergistic force to produce higher quality
output. At this stage communication is needed.
Organizational communication is often also interpreted as organizing behavior,
namely how a subordinate is involved in the process of transacting and giving meaning to
what is happening. Therefore, when the organization considered just a group of people who
interact then communication only functions as an organization; he is the organization itself.
So organizational communication will center on the symbols that make organizational life
possible, whether the words, ideas and constructs that encourage authorize, coordinate, and
realize organized activities in specific situations (Barry Cusway and Derej Logde, 1995:
115).
Any writing or anything related to organizational communication always considers
two main concepts, namely organization and communication. An organization can be
approached as an object of fun and interest, but there are those who may very well view
organizations as oppressive That favorable or oppressive attitude is actually very depends on
the understanding and practice of interactions, relationships and transactions that occur
between people in the organization, which is called organizational communication. So the
position of communication in organization is actually emphasizes on how an organization is
constructed and maintained through the communication process. With Thus organizational
communication is more than just what people but rather a theoretical explanation of
communication practices in organizations that serves togetherness both in the organization
as well as serving other people who need the organization. In other words, the existence of
communication in the organization makes one able to distinguish two things, namely: first,
showing how members work as an organization; and second, how the network operations
that link them to each other. In this perspective, communication is important in
organizations, 1). Communication is the way, through communication people seek
information and develop a number of criteria for getting work for them; 2). Communication
is a process for them in determining a choice which practical.
The Importance of the Study of Organizational Communication
The study of organizational communication is important because it is a discipline
that can take a number of legitimate and useful directions. In the sense that the study will
provide benefits not only for anyone who wants to understand organizational behavior
better, but also has pragmatic aspects for people who want to improve their performance as
participants/members of an organization. The study of organizational communication can
provide a strong foundation for careers in management, human resource development, and
corporate communication, as well as other human-oriented tasks in organizations (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Mulyana, 25).
Interpersonal Communication Interaction Format
Interpersonal communication is the process of exchanging information between
someone with at least one other person or usually between two people who can be
immediately known back. With the increase in people involved in communication, the
perception of people in communication events increases so that the communication becomes
more complex (Arni Muhammad, 2009: 158).
Classification Interpersonal communication
Intimate interaction; in organizations, this relationship is developed in informal
communication systems. For example, the relationship seen between two good
friends in the organization, who have personal interactions perhaps outside of their
roles and functions in the organization.
Social Conversation is an interaction to please someone simply by talking a little. If
two or more people get together and talk about concerns, interests outside the
organization such as family, sports, political issues.
Interrogation is an interaction between someone in control, who requests or even
obeys information from others.
Interview is a form of communication interpersonal communication where two
people engage in a conversation in the form of questions and answers.
Purpose of Interpersonal Communication
Finding yourself
Discovering the outside world
Establish and maintain meaningful relationships
Change in attitude and behavior
For play and fun
To help
Effective Interpersonal Relationships
According to Rogert, interpersonal relationships will occur effectively if both parties
fulfill the conditions:
meet each other in person
empathize appropriately with the other person and communicate meaningfully with
each other.
Respect each other, be positive and reasonable without judgment or objection.
really live each other's experiences, being receptive to each other's empathy.
Feel that maintaining mutual openness and a supportive climate reduces the tendency
for salience disruptions.
Exhibit behaviors that are trusting and reinforce feelings of security towards others.
Small Group Communication
Is a collection of individuals who can influence each other, get some satisfaction
from each other, interact to multiple goals, take on roles, bond with each other and
communicate face-to-face.
Purpose of small group communication
o Personal Objective
Relationships social, the goal is to strengthen interpersonal
relationships and improve our well-being.
Channeling, this goal is usually carried out in an atmosphere that
favors the exchange of ideas or heated arguments in family
discussions, where self-disclosure is appropriate.
Group therapy, this is usually used to help people eliminate their
attitudes, or behaviors in some aspect of their lives.
Learning, as a common reason for people to join small groups, is
learning from others. Learning happens in a variety of settings. The
underlying assumption of group learning is the idea of two-way
learning.
o Work-related goals
Decision-making; People who come together in groups to make
decisions about something. Discussing alternatives with others helps
people decide which is the best option for the group.
Small Group as a system
Small groups are small organizations that have four basic components: input or
process, output or result of feedback.
o Inputs, are the raw materials in a small group such as people, information that
the group uses to interact. People or group members are inputs because each
person in the group brings certain qualities such as personality, age, health,
knowledge, attitudes, values and problem-solving abilities.
o Process, refers to all the internal processes that occur within the group during
the discussion.
o Outcome, is the decision or resolution reached by the group.
o Feedback, containing responses that tie the system together. Feedback
provides input for future group meetings.
Small Group Characteristics
o Make it easier friendly meeting
o Group personality. When a group of people come together they forming its
own identity that makes up the personality of the group.
o Cohesiveness, which is the attraction group members have for each other and
their desire to stick together.
o Commitment to the task. Another individual activity within the group that is
closely related to with commitment is motivation.
o The size of Group size seems simple enough but group size has some
important ramifications within the group.
o Group norms, are rules and guidelines used by the group itself, as well as
some external factors outside the group.
o Interdependence. The most important thing is that group members depend on
each other to some degree, and on each other less.
Roles of Small Group Communication members
Kennet Benne and Paul Sheats (1948) proposed a classification of member roles on
this important topic. Benne and Sheats divided member roles into three general classes:
group task roles, group building and maintenance roles, and individual roles.
The Role of Group Assignments:
The group task role is the role that enables the group to focus more specifically on
achieving group goals. In carrying out With each of these roles, members do not act as
separate individuals, but as part of a larger whole. The needs and goals of the group govern
the roles that members must perform. Effective group members will perform several of these
functions, although some people are locked into a few specific roles.
Role Fostering and Sustaining Groups:
No one and no group is task-oriented all the time. A group is a unit whose members
have diverse interpersonal relationships. These relationships need to be nurtured if the group
is to function effectively-if group members are to be satisfied and productive. If this function
is not performed, group members will be damaged if group processes become bogged down,
frequent conflicts arise, or small group communication becomes disrupted on some personal
or social level.
Individualized role:
The task group role and the fostering and sustaining group role are all productive.
They assist the group in achieving its goals, and are group-oriented. The roles we will
discuss here are counter-productive. They hinder the group in achieving its goals and are
more individual-oriented than group-oriented group. Such roles are often termed
malfunctions, which hinder group effectiveness in terms of both productivity and personal
satisfaction.
Member Participation:
Here are some guidelines that will help make your participation in small group
communication effective and more enjoyable. Some of these suggestions are elaborations
and extensions of the basic characteristics of effective interpersonal communication.
Group-Oriented:
In a small group you are a team member - a member of a larger whole. Your
participation will be valuable if it helps achieve the group's goals of the group and increase
member satisfaction. Your job is to mobilize your skills, knowledge and ideas so that the
group can develop solutions that are better than those developed by one person. Individual
achievement can hinder the group.
Center the conflict on the problem:
Conflict in a small group situation is inevitable. Conflict is a natural part of the small
group process, but center the conflict on the problem rather than the person.
Be Critically Unbiased:
A common but unproductive developmental symptom occurs when members come
to the group with preconceived notions. When this happens, the small group process turns
into a series of individualized debates, with each person trying to defend his or her position.
Instead, members should come to the group armed with relevant information that will be
useful in the discussion process. They should not have made up their minds about the
solutions or conclusions they will accept.
Ensure understanding:
Make sure that your ideas and information are understood by all participants. If
something is worth saying. Then what is said should also be made clear. If in doubt, ask
yourself if what you are saying is clear, -Is my question clear enough?‖ -Did I explain it
clearly enough?‖ Also make sure that you are clear about the contributions of other
members, especially before you discuss the issue with them. In practice, people often
express their disagreement in their own words.
Groupthink:
Here are some symptoms that can help you recognize groupthink in the groups you
observe or participate in.
- Group members think that the group and its members cannot be defeated by danger.
- Members create rationalizations to avoid dealing directly with the danger or threat.
- Group members believe that their group is moral.
- Those who go against the grain are considered to be oversimplifying the problem, embracing
pluralistic ways.
- Group pressure is aimed at any member who shows hesitation or questions the group's
arguments or proposals. questioning the group's arguments or proposals.
- Group members censor their own doubts.
- Group members believe that all members agree unanimously, whether such agreement is
expressed or not.
- Group members begin to act as information that reaches other group members, especially if
such information can create differences of opinion.
Leaders in Small Group Communication
In most small groups, one person serves as the leader. In other groups, leadership
may be held by several people. Furthermore, the leader may be appointed or automatically
appear in the group In process development group communication.
Leadership Style:
In addition to looking at the main concerns in leadership, as we did with situational
leadership theory, we can also look at leadership in terms of three leadership styles: hands-
off, democratic and authoritarian.
Control-Leasing Leader:
The hands-off leader does not take the initiative to direct or suggest alternative
courses of action. Rather, this leader allows the group to develop and make mistakes. This
kind of leader rejects any authority given.
Democratic Leader:
The Democratic leader provides direction, but allows the group to develop and
implement the way its members want. Group members are encouraged to determine goals
and procedures. The democratic leader stimulates self-direction and self-actualization in
group members.
Keeping Members on Track:
Many people are egocentric and will only feel their own wants and problems. In this
case, the role of the leader is needed to direct the members to stay on the path of discussion.
Ensuring Member Satisfaction:
Members have different psychological needs and wants and many enter the group precisely
because of these needs and wants. Even if the group deals with for example political issues,
the various members may come together for reasons that are more psychological than
political.
Stimulate Evaluation and Improvement:
All groups will face obstacles if they are trying to solve a problem, make a decision,
or develop ideas. No single group is perfectly effective. All groups have the opportunity to
improve themselves.
Prepare Members for Discussion:
Groups form slowly and need to be shaped into meaningful discussions. The leader
should prepare the members for the discussion. This involves getting members ready to
interact in small groups, as well as ready to discuss a specific issue.
Public Communication
Public communication is the exchange of messages with a number of people who are
in a particular organization or outside the organization face-to-face or through the media.
The quality that distinguishes public organizational communication from interpersonal
communication and small group communication is :
Public communication is oriented towards the speaker or source. In interpersonal and
small group communication there is a reciprocal relationship between the speaker and
the recipient involved. In public organizational communication the speaker dominates
the relationship.
In public communication involves a large number of recipients but in interpersonal
communication there are usually 2 people and small group communication no more
than 5-7 recipients, public communication messages are intended to attract many
people, hundreds or millions of people.
In public communication there is less interaction between the speaker and the listener.
This results in less direct interaction between the speaker and the listener, especially
the larger the audience.
The language used in public communication is more general so that it can be
understood by the audience. Usually before the presentation the speaker knows the
specific type of audience.
The purpose of public communication is :
- Providing information to a large number of people who know the organization, for example
about the organization's activities and production.
- Establishing relationships between the organization and the community outside the
organization such as use of organizational services, users of organizational products and
society in general.
- Providing entertainment to a number of people such as recounting a pleasant experience to a
crowd.
Conclusions
Organizational communication is the direction and interpretation of messages among
communication units that are part of a particular organization. Organizational
communication is also the organizing behavior that occurs and how those involved in the
process transact and give meaning to what is happening. Organizational communication also
has the meaning of sending and receiving various organizational messages in formal and
informal groups of an organization. It also includes the approaches involved in
organizational communication. In addition, there are also communication networks and
flows in communication. As well as the interaction format of organizational communication
which consists of communication interpersonal, communication small group, and public
communication.
Definition of Organizational Communication
Understanding of organizational communication is inseparable from its relation to
various other aspects of organizational behavior as a whole, or when viewed more broadly,
namely in relation to interdisciplinary studies, especially communication science.
Organizational behavior deals with how and why people act, think and feel in an
organizational setting (Paul D. Sweeney & Dean B. Mc Farlin, 2002: 3). To better
understand organizational communication. We must refer to the various notions of
communication and organization that will be described in the following section:
Communication
The term communication comes from the Latin word -communication‖ which means
notification, giving part, exchange, where the speaker expects consideration or answer from
the listener. The adjective is communis which means common or shared. The verb is
communicare which means to dialogue, confer or deliberate (Anwar Arifin, 1994: 24).
Communication is a process that is generally used by humans in social interaction.
Basically, it has such a broad understanding, both as a separate science and as a
process. There are various definitions of communication, Carl I. Hovland suggests as
follows: communication is the process by which a person / communicator Convey stimuli
(usually symbols in the form of words) to change the behavior of others / communicants
(Onong Uchyana Effendy, 1993: 24). Then Shimp (1993; 8) states that communication is
the process to create or cause a common thought between the one who gives the sign and the
one who receives the sign. Shimp's definition emphasizes more on the communication
process that aims at creating a common thought or opinion on the interaction that occurs
(Terence A. Shimp, 1993: 8).
Pace & Faules (2001; 28) suggest that communication can be distinguished from all
other human and organizational behavior because it involves the mental process of
understanding people, objects and events. Two common forms of action that constitute
communication that emphasize on 1) the creation of messages or, more precisely, the
creation of performances, and 2) the interpretation of messages or the interpretation of
performances (R. Wayne Pace & Don F. Daules, Deddy Maulyana). Harold D. Lasswell
explained communication as an answer to the questions: Who, Say, What, In which channel,
To whom, With what effect? This sentence then known as the Lasswell formula (Effendy,
256). From what Lasswell stated, in essence, it includes elements of communication, namely
the existence of; communicators, messages conveyed, media used, communicants /
audiences, and effects. In simple terms, it can be interpreted that communication is a
message delivery activity with the aim of equalizing the meaning of a person / institution
(communicator) to another person / audience (communicator).
Organization
One of the most important things in understanding organizational communication is
that we should understand the approaches that influence the way of thinking or looking at
organizations. Organization according to Robbins (2001; 4) is defined as a consciously
coordinated social unit, consisting of two or more people, which functions on a relatively
continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set of goals (Stephen P. Robbins, 2001: 4).
Pace & Faules (2001: 11) suggest that there are two approaches in understanding
organizations, the objective approach and the subjective approach. Meaning -"Objective" in
this concept refers to the view that objects, behaviors, and events exist in the real world and
are independent of observation, while -"Subjective" refers to reality itself as a social
construction, reality as a creative process that allows people to create what is "out there".
According to the objective approach, an organization is something physical and
concrete, and is a structure with definite boundaries, something stable. The term -
organization‖ implies that something tangible encapsulates people, relationships, and goals.
The subjective approach views organizations as activities that people do, consisting of
actions, interactions, and transactions involving people. Organizations are created and
nurtured through the constantly changing contacts that people have with one another and do
not exist in isolation from the people whose behaviors make up the organization.
So based on the objective approach, organization means structure; while based on the
subjective view, organization means process (organizing behavior). The implication is that,
according to the objective approach, studying the organization is studying the whole, how
the organization can adapt in the best way to the environment to develop itself and survive,
while according to the subjective approach, knowledge about the organization is obtained by
looking at behaviors and what those behaviors mean to those who do it, the structure is
recognized but the emphasis is on human behavior in the sense that it is not independent of
human actions. These two approaches, both objective and subjective, not only affect the way
of looking at organizational communication, but also in understanding the organization other
aspects related to organizational behavior.
Organizational Communication
Based on the description above, organizational communication can be defined as the
direction and interpretation of messages between communication units that are part of a
particular organization. The definition emphasizes more on the functional aspect (objective).
Meanwhile, when viewed from an interpretative (subjective) perspective, organizational
communication is seen as a process of creating meaning for the interactions that constitute
the organization. Organizational communication is the organizing behavior that occurs and
how those involved in the process transact and give meaning to what is happening (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Maulana, 31).
A simpler definitive statement is put forward by Arnold & Feldman (1986: 154) that
organizational communication is the exchange of information between people in the
organization, where the process generally includes stages: attention, comprehension,
acceptance as true, and retention.
The Nature of Communication in Organizations
When talking about organizational communication, what is drawn in a person is
things related to the role and status of each person in the organization, because the role and
status of a person also determines how to communicate with others as well as how to
communicate with him, so a good person is a person who always connects roles and statuses
with work (Alo Liliweri, 1997: 59).
In modern society people recognize a person because he or she has a variety of roles
and statuses. In an organization, this diversity is seen through the division of labor where
each person will work according to his talents and abilities so that he is responsible for the
work. When the number or types of work are more and more diverse, it is necessary to
intertwine the different types of work, intertwine between a leader and subordinates or
between leaders who ultimately form a large synergistic force to produce higher quality
output. At this stage communication is needed.
Organizational communication is often also interpreted as organizing behavior,
namely how a subordinate is involved in the process of transacting and giving meaning to
what is happening. Therefore, when the organization considered just a group of people who
interact then communication only functions as an organization; he is the organization itself.
So organizational communication will center on the symbols that make organizational life
possible, whether the words, ideas and constructs that encourage authorize, coordinate, and
realize organized activities in specific situations (Barry Cusway and Derej Logde, 1995:
115).
Any writing or anything related to organizational communication always considers
two main concepts, namely organization and communication. An organization can be
approached as an object of fun and interest, but there are those who may very well view
organizations as oppressive That favorable or oppressive attitude is actually very depends on
the understanding and practice of interactions, relationships and transactions that occur
between people in the organization, which is called organizational communication. So the
position of communication in organization is actually emphasizes on how an organization is
constructed and maintained through the communication process. With Thus organizational
communication is more than just what people but rather a theoretical explanation of
communication practices in organizations that serves togetherness both in the organization
as well as serving other people who need the organization. In other words, the existence of
communication in the organization makes one able to distinguish two things, namely: first,
showing how members work as an organization; and second, how the network operations
that link them to each other. In this perspective, communication is important in
organizations, 1). Communication is the way, through communication people seek
information and develop a number of criteria for getting work for them; 2). Communication
is a process for them in determining a choice which practical.
The Importance of the Study of Organizational Communication
The study of organizational communication is important because it is a discipline
that can take a number of legitimate and useful directions. In the sense that the study will
provide benefits not only for anyone who wants to understand organizational behavior
better, but also has pragmatic aspects for people who want to improve their performance as
participants/members of an organization. The study of organizational communication can
provide a strong foundation for careers in management, human resource development, and
corporate communication, as well as other human-oriented tasks in organizations (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Mulyana, 25).
Interpersonal Communication Interaction Format
Interpersonal communication is the process of exchanging information between
someone with at least one other person or usually between two people who can be
immediately known back. With the increase in people involved in communication, the
perception of people in communication events increases so that the communication becomes
more complex (Arni Muhammad, 2009: 158).
Classification Interpersonal communication
Intimate interaction; in organizations, this relationship is developed in informal
communication systems. For example, the relationship seen between two good
friends in the organization, who have personal interactions perhaps outside of their
roles and functions in the organization.
Social Conversation is an interaction to please someone simply by talking a little. If
two or more people get together and talk about concerns, interests outside the
organization such as family, sports, political issues.
Interrogation is an interaction between someone in control, who requests or even
obeys information from others.
Interview is a form of communication interpersonal communication where two
people engage in a conversation in the form of questions and answers.
Purpose of Interpersonal Communication
Finding yourself
Discovering the outside world
Establish and maintain meaningful relationships
Change in attitude and behavior
For play and fun
To help
Effective Interpersonal Relationships
According to Rogert, interpersonal relationships will occur effectively if both parties
fulfill the conditions:
meet each other in person
empathize appropriately with the other person and communicate meaningfully with
each other.
Respect each other, be positive and reasonable without judgment or objection.
really live each other's experiences, being receptive to each other's empathy.
Feel that maintaining mutual openness and a supportive climate reduces the tendency
for salience disruptions.
Exhibit behaviors that are trusting and reinforce feelings of security towards others.
Small Group Communication
Is a collection of individuals who can influence each other, get some satisfaction
from each other, interact to multiple goals, take on roles, bond with each other and
communicate face-to-face.
Purpose of small group communication
o Personal Objective
Relationships social, the goal is to strengthen interpersonal
relationships and improve our well-being.
Channeling, this goal is usually carried out in an atmosphere that
favors the exchange of ideas or heated arguments in family
discussions, where self-disclosure is appropriate.
Group therapy, this is usually used to help people eliminate their
attitudes, or behaviors in some aspect of their lives.
Learning, as a common reason for people to join small groups, is
learning from others. Learning happens in a variety of settings. The
underlying assumption of group learning is the idea of two-way
learning.
o Work-related goals
Decision-making; People who come together in groups to make
decisions about something. Discussing alternatives with others helps
people decide which is the best option for the group.
Small Group as a system
Small groups are small organizations that have four basic components: input or
process, output or result of feedback.
o Inputs, are the raw materials in a small group such as people, information that
the group uses to interact. People or group members are inputs because each
person in the group brings certain qualities such as personality, age, health,
knowledge, attitudes, values and problem-solving abilities.
o Process, refers to all the internal processes that occur within the group during
the discussion.
o Outcome, is the decision or resolution reached by the group.
o Feedback, containing responses that tie the system together. Feedback
provides input for future group meetings.
Small Group Characteristics
o Make it easier friendly meeting
o Group personality. When a group of people come together they forming its
own identity that makes up the personality of the group.
o Cohesiveness, which is the attraction group members have for each other and
their desire to stick together.
o Commitment to the task. Another individual activity within the group that is
closely related to with commitment is motivation.
o The size of Group size seems simple enough but group size has some
important ramifications within the group.
o Group norms, are rules and guidelines used by the group itself, as well as
some external factors outside the group.
o Interdependence. The most important thing is that group members depend on
each other to some degree, and on each other less.
Roles of Small Group Communication members
Kennet Benne and Paul Sheats (1948) proposed a classification of member roles on
this important topic. Benne and Sheats divided member roles into three general classes:
group task roles, group building and maintenance roles, and individual roles.
The Role of Group Assignments:
The group task role is the role that enables the group to focus more specifically on
achieving group goals. In carrying out With each of these roles, members do not act as
separate individuals, but as part of a larger whole. The needs and goals of the group govern
the roles that members must perform. Effective group members will perform several of these
functions, although some people are locked into a few specific roles.
Role Fostering and Sustaining Groups:
No one and no group is task-oriented all the time. A group is a unit whose members
have diverse interpersonal relationships. These relationships need to be nurtured if the group
is to function effectively-if group members are to be satisfied and productive. If this function
is not performed, group members will be damaged if group processes become bogged down,
frequent conflicts arise, or small group communication becomes disrupted on some personal
or social level.
Individualized role:
The task group role and the fostering and sustaining group role are all productive.
They assist the group in achieving its goals, and are group-oriented. The roles we will
discuss here are counter-productive. They hinder the group in achieving its goals and are
more individual-oriented than group-oriented group. Such roles are often termed
malfunctions, which hinder group effectiveness in terms of both productivity and personal
satisfaction.
Member Participation:
Here are some guidelines that will help make your participation in small group
communication effective and more enjoyable. Some of these suggestions are elaborations
and extensions of the basic characteristics of effective interpersonal communication.
Group-Oriented:
In a small group you are a team member - a member of a larger whole. Your
participation will be valuable if it helps achieve the group's goals of the group and increase
member satisfaction. Your job is to mobilize your skills, knowledge and ideas so that the
group can develop solutions that are better than those developed by one person. Individual
achievement can hinder the group.
Center the conflict on the problem:
Conflict in a small group situation is inevitable. Conflict is a natural part of the small
group process, but center the conflict on the problem rather than the person.
Be Critically Unbiased:
A common but unproductive developmental symptom occurs when members come
to the group with preconceived notions. When this happens, the small group process turns
into a series of individualized debates, with each person trying to defend his or her position.
Instead, members should come to the group armed with relevant information that will be
useful in the discussion process. They should not have made up their minds about the
solutions or conclusions they will accept.
Ensure understanding:
Make sure that your ideas and information are understood by all participants. If
something is worth saying. Then what is said should also be made clear. If in doubt, ask
yourself if what you are saying is clear, -Is my question clear enough?‖ -Did I explain it
clearly enough?‖ Also make sure that you are clear about the contributions of other
members, especially before you discuss the issue with them. In practice, people often
express their disagreement in their own words.
Groupthink:
Here are some symptoms that can help you recognize groupthink in the groups you
observe or participate in.
- Group members think that the group and its members cannot be defeated by danger.
- Members create rationalizations to avoid dealing directly with the danger or threat.
- Group members believe that their group is moral.
- Those who go against the grain are considered to be oversimplifying the problem, embracing
pluralistic ways.
- Group pressure is aimed at any member who shows hesitation or questions the group's
arguments or proposals. questioning the group's arguments or proposals.
- Group members censor their own doubts.
- Group members believe that all members agree unanimously, whether such agreement is
expressed or not.
- Group members begin to act as information that reaches other group members, especially if
such information can create differences of opinion.
Leaders in Small Group Communication
In most small groups, one person serves as the leader. In other groups, leadership
may be held by several people. Furthermore, the leader may be appointed or automatically
appear in the group In process development group communication.
Leadership Style:
In addition to looking at the main concerns in leadership, as we did with situational
leadership theory, we can also look at leadership in terms of three leadership styles: hands-
off, democratic and authoritarian.
Control-Leasing Leader:
The hands-off leader does not take the initiative to direct or suggest alternative
courses of action. Rather, this leader allows the group to develop and make mistakes. This
kind of leader rejects any authority given.
Democratic Leader:
The Democratic leader provides direction, but allows the group to develop and
implement the way its members want. Group members are encouraged to determine goals
and procedures. The democratic leader stimulates self-direction and self-actualization in
group members.
Keeping Members on Track:
Many people are egocentric and will only feel their own wants and problems. In this
case, the role of the leader is needed to direct the members to stay on the path of discussion.
Ensuring Member Satisfaction:
Members have different psychological needs and wants and many enter the group precisely
because of these needs and wants. Even if the group deals with for example political issues,
the various members may come together for reasons that are more psychological than
political.
Stimulate Evaluation and Improvement:
All groups will face obstacles if they are trying to solve a problem, make a decision,
or develop ideas. No single group is perfectly effective. All groups have the opportunity to
improve themselves.
Prepare Members for Discussion:
Groups form slowly and need to be shaped into meaningful discussions. The leader
should prepare the members for the discussion. This involves getting members ready to
interact in small groups, as well as ready to discuss a specific issue.
Public Communication
Public communication is the exchange of messages with a number of people who are
in a particular organization or outside the organization face-to-face or through the media.
The quality that distinguishes public organizational communication from interpersonal
communication and small group communication is :
Public communication is oriented towards the speaker or source. In interpersonal and
small group communication there is a reciprocal relationship between the speaker and
the recipient involved. In public organizational communication the speaker dominates
the relationship.
In public communication involves a large number of recipients but in interpersonal
communication there are usually 2 people and small group communication no more
than 5-7 recipients, public communication messages are intended to attract many
people, hundreds or millions of people.
In public communication there is less interaction between the speaker and the listener.
This results in less direct interaction between the speaker and the listener, especially
the larger the audience.
The language used in public communication is more general so that it can be
understood by the audience. Usually before the presentation the speaker knows the
specific type of audience.
The purpose of public communication is :
- Providing information to a large number of people who know the organization, for example
about the organization's activities and production.
- Establishing relationships between the organization and the community outside the
organization such as use of organizational services, users of organizational products and
society in general.
- Providing entertainment to a number of people such as recounting a pleasant experience to a
crowd.
Conclusions
Organizational communication is the direction and interpretation of messages among
communication units that are part of a particular organization. Organizational
communication is also the organizing behavior that occurs and how those involved in the
process transact and give meaning to what is happening. Organizational communication also
has the meaning of sending and receiving various organizational messages in formal and
informal groups of an organization. It also includes the approaches involved in
organizational communication. In addition, there are also communication networks and
flows in communication. As well as the interaction format of organizational communication
which consists of communication interpersonal, communication small group, and public
communication.
Definition of Organizational Communication
Understanding of organizational communication is inseparable from its relation to
various other aspects of organizational behavior as a whole, or when viewed more broadly,
namely in relation to interdisciplinary studies, especially communication science.
Organizational behavior deals with how and why people act, think and feel in an
organizational setting (Paul D. Sweeney & Dean B. Mc Farlin, 2002: 3). To better
understand organizational communication. We must refer to the various notions of
communication and organization that will be described in the following section:
Communication
The term communication comes from the Latin word -communication‖ which means
notification, giving part, exchange, where the speaker expects consideration or answer from
the listener. The adjective is communis which means common or shared. The verb is
communicare which means to dialogue, confer or deliberate (Anwar Arifin, 1994: 24).
Communication is a process that is generally used by humans in social interaction.
Basically, it has such a broad understanding, both as a separate science and as a
process. There are various definitions of communication, Carl I. Hovland suggests as
follows: communication is the process by which a person / communicator Convey stimuli
(usually symbols in the form of words) to change the behavior of others / communicants
(Onong Uchyana Effendy, 1993: 24). Then Shimp (1993; 8) states that communication is
the process to create or cause a common thought between the one who gives the sign and the
one who receives the sign. Shimp's definition emphasizes more on the communication
process that aims at creating a common thought or opinion on the interaction that occurs
(Terence A. Shimp, 1993: 8).
Pace & Faules (2001; 28) suggest that communication can be distinguished from all
other human and organizational behavior because it involves the mental process of
understanding people, objects and events. Two common forms of action that constitute
communication that emphasize on 1) the creation of messages or, more precisely, the
creation of performances, and 2) the interpretation of messages or the interpretation of
performances (R. Wayne Pace & Don F. Daules, Deddy Maulyana). Harold D. Lasswell
explained communication as an answer to the questions: Who, Say, What, In which channel,
To whom, With what effect? This sentence then known as the Lasswell formula (Effendy,
256). From what Lasswell stated, in essence, it includes elements of communication, namely
the existence of; communicators, messages conveyed, media used, communicants /
audiences, and effects. In simple terms, it can be interpreted that communication is a
message delivery activity with the aim of equalizing the meaning of a person / institution
(communicator) to another person / audience (communicator).
Organization
One of the most important things in understanding organizational communication is
that we should understand the approaches that influence the way of thinking or looking at
organizations. Organization according to Robbins (2001; 4) is defined as a consciously
coordinated social unit, consisting of two or more people, which functions on a relatively
continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set of goals (Stephen P. Robbins, 2001: 4).
Pace & Faules (2001: 11) suggest that there are two approaches in understanding
organizations, the objective approach and the subjective approach. Meaning -"Objective" in
this concept refers to the view that objects, behaviors, and events exist in the real world and
are independent of observation, while -"Subjective" refers to reality itself as a social
construction, reality as a creative process that allows people to create what is "out there".
According to the objective approach, an organization is something physical and
concrete, and is a structure with definite boundaries, something stable. The term -
organization‖ implies that something tangible encapsulates people, relationships, and goals.
The subjective approach views organizations as activities that people do, consisting of
actions, interactions, and transactions involving people. Organizations are created and
nurtured through the constantly changing contacts that people have with one another and do
not exist in isolation from the people whose behaviors make up the organization.
So based on the objective approach, organization means structure; while based on the
subjective view, organization means process (organizing behavior). The implication is that,
according to the objective approach, studying the organization is studying the whole, how
the organization can adapt in the best way to the environment to develop itself and survive,
while according to the subjective approach, knowledge about the organization is obtained by
looking at behaviors and what those behaviors mean to those who do it, the structure is
recognized but the emphasis is on human behavior in the sense that it is not independent of
human actions. These two approaches, both objective and subjective, not only affect the way
of looking at organizational communication, but also in understanding the organization other
aspects related to organizational behavior.
Organizational Communication
Based on the description above, organizational communication can be defined as the
direction and interpretation of messages between communication units that are part of a
particular organization. The definition emphasizes more on the functional aspect (objective).
Meanwhile, when viewed from an interpretative (subjective) perspective, organizational
communication is seen as a process of creating meaning for the interactions that constitute
the organization. Organizational communication is the organizing behavior that occurs and
how those involved in the process transact and give meaning to what is happening (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Maulana, 31).
A simpler definitive statement is put forward by Arnold & Feldman (1986: 154) that
organizational communication is the exchange of information between people in the
organization, where the process generally includes stages: attention, comprehension,
acceptance as true, and retention.
The Nature of Communication in Organizations
When talking about organizational communication, what is drawn in a person is
things related to the role and status of each person in the organization, because the role and
status of a person also determines how to communicate with others as well as how to
communicate with him, so a good person is a person who always connects roles and statuses
with work (Alo Liliweri, 1997: 59).
In modern society people recognize a person because he or she has a variety of roles
and statuses. In an organization, this diversity is seen through the division of labor where
each person will work according to his talents and abilities so that he is responsible for the
work. When the number or types of work are more and more diverse, it is necessary to
intertwine the different types of work, intertwine between a leader and subordinates or
between leaders who ultimately form a large synergistic force to produce higher quality
output. At this stage communication is needed.
Organizational communication is often also interpreted as organizing behavior,
namely how a subordinate is involved in the process of transacting and giving meaning to
what is happening. Therefore, when the organization considered just a group of people who
interact then communication only functions as an organization; he is the organization itself.
So organizational communication will center on the symbols that make organizational life
possible, whether the words, ideas and constructs that encourage authorize, coordinate, and
realize organized activities in specific situations (Barry Cusway and Derej Logde, 1995:
115).
Any writing or anything related to organizational communication always considers
two main concepts, namely organization and communication. An organization can be
approached as an object of fun and interest, but there are those who may very well view
organizations as oppressive That favorable or oppressive attitude is actually very depends on
the understanding and practice of interactions, relationships and transactions that occur
between people in the organization, which is called organizational communication. So the
position of communication in organization is actually emphasizes on how an organization is
constructed and maintained through the communication process. With Thus organizational
communication is more than just what people but rather a theoretical explanation of
communication practices in organizations that serves togetherness both in the organization
as well as serving other people who need the organization. In other words, the existence of
communication in the organization makes one able to distinguish two things, namely: first,
showing how members work as an organization; and second, how the network operations
that link them to each other. In this perspective, communication is important in
organizations, 1). Communication is the way, through communication people seek
information and develop a number of criteria for getting work for them; 2). Communication
is a process for them in determining a choice which practical.
The Importance of the Study of Organizational Communication
The study of organizational communication is important because it is a discipline
that can take a number of legitimate and useful directions. In the sense that the study will
provide benefits not only for anyone who wants to understand organizational behavior
better, but also has pragmatic aspects for people who want to improve their performance as
participants/members of an organization. The study of organizational communication can
provide a strong foundation for careers in management, human resource development, and
corporate communication, as well as other human-oriented tasks in organizations (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Mulyana, 25).
Interpersonal Communication Interaction Format
Interpersonal communication is the process of exchanging information between
someone with at least one other person or usually between two people who can be
immediately known back. With the increase in people involved in communication, the
perception of people in communication events increases so that the communication becomes
more complex (Arni Muhammad, 2009: 158).
Classification Interpersonal communication
Intimate interaction; in organizations, this relationship is developed in informal
communication systems. For example, the relationship seen between two good
friends in the organization, who have personal interactions perhaps outside of their
roles and functions in the organization.
Social Conversation is an interaction to please someone simply by talking a little. If
two or more people get together and talk about concerns, interests outside the
organization such as family, sports, political issues.
Interrogation is an interaction between someone in control, who requests or even
obeys information from others.
Interview is a form of communication interpersonal communication where two
people engage in a conversation in the form of questions and answers.
Purpose of Interpersonal Communication
Finding yourself
Discovering the outside world
Establish and maintain meaningful relationships
Change in attitude and behavior
For play and fun
To help
Effective Interpersonal Relationships
According to Rogert, interpersonal relationships will occur effectively if both parties
fulfill the conditions:
meet each other in person
empathize appropriately with the other person and communicate meaningfully with
each other.
Respect each other, be positive and reasonable without judgment or objection.
really live each other's experiences, being receptive to each other's empathy.
Feel that maintaining mutual openness and a supportive climate reduces the tendency
for salience disruptions.
Exhibit behaviors that are trusting and reinforce feelings of security towards others.
Small Group Communication
Is a collection of individuals who can influence each other, get some satisfaction
from each other, interact to multiple goals, take on roles, bond with each other and
communicate face-to-face.
Purpose of small group communication
o Personal Objective
Relationships social, the goal is to strengthen interpersonal
relationships and improve our well-being.
Channeling, this goal is usually carried out in an atmosphere that
favors the exchange of ideas or heated arguments in family
discussions, where self-disclosure is appropriate.
Group therapy, this is usually used to help people eliminate their
attitudes, or behaviors in some aspect of their lives.
Learning, as a common reason for people to join small groups, is
learning from others. Learning happens in a variety of settings. The
underlying assumption of group learning is the idea of two-way
learning.
o Work-related goals
Decision-making; People who come together in groups to make
decisions about something. Discussing alternatives with others helps
people decide which is the best option for the group.
Small Group as a system
Small groups are small organizations that have four basic components: input or
process, output or result of feedback.
o Inputs, are the raw materials in a small group such as people, information that
the group uses to interact. People or group members are inputs because each
person in the group brings certain qualities such as personality, age, health,
knowledge, attitudes, values and problem-solving abilities.
o Process, refers to all the internal processes that occur within the group during
the discussion.
o Outcome, is the decision or resolution reached by the group.
o Feedback, containing responses that tie the system together. Feedback
provides input for future group meetings.
Small Group Characteristics
o Make it easier friendly meeting
o Group personality. When a group of people come together they forming its
own identity that makes up the personality of the group.
o Cohesiveness, which is the attraction group members have for each other and
their desire to stick together.
o Commitment to the task. Another individual activity within the group that is
closely related to with commitment is motivation.
o The size of Group size seems simple enough but group size has some
important ramifications within the group.
o Group norms, are rules and guidelines used by the group itself, as well as
some external factors outside the group.
o Interdependence. The most important thing is that group members depend on
each other to some degree, and on each other less.
Roles of Small Group Communication members
Kennet Benne and Paul Sheats (1948) proposed a classification of member roles on
this important topic. Benne and Sheats divided member roles into three general classes:
group task roles, group building and maintenance roles, and individual roles.
The Role of Group Assignments:
The group task role is the role that enables the group to focus more specifically on
achieving group goals. In carrying out With each of these roles, members do not act as
separate individuals, but as part of a larger whole. The needs and goals of the group govern
the roles that members must perform. Effective group members will perform several of these
functions, although some people are locked into a few specific roles.
Role Fostering and Sustaining Groups:
No one and no group is task-oriented all the time. A group is a unit whose members
have diverse interpersonal relationships. These relationships need to be nurtured if the group
is to function effectively-if group members are to be satisfied and productive. If this function
is not performed, group members will be damaged if group processes become bogged down,
frequent conflicts arise, or small group communication becomes disrupted on some personal
or social level.
Individualized role:
The task group role and the fostering and sustaining group role are all productive.
They assist the group in achieving its goals, and are group-oriented. The roles we will
discuss here are counter-productive. They hinder the group in achieving its goals and are
more individual-oriented than group-oriented group. Such roles are often termed
malfunctions, which hinder group effectiveness in terms of both productivity and personal
satisfaction.
Member Participation:
Here are some guidelines that will help make your participation in small group
communication effective and more enjoyable. Some of these suggestions are elaborations
and extensions of the basic characteristics of effective interpersonal communication.
Group-Oriented:
In a small group you are a team member - a member of a larger whole. Your
participation will be valuable if it helps achieve the group's goals of the group and increase
member satisfaction. Your job is to mobilize your skills, knowledge and ideas so that the
group can develop solutions that are better than those developed by one person. Individual
achievement can hinder the group.
Center the conflict on the problem:
Conflict in a small group situation is inevitable. Conflict is a natural part of the small
group process, but center the conflict on the problem rather than the person.
Be Critically Unbiased:
A common but unproductive developmental symptom occurs when members come
to the group with preconceived notions. When this happens, the small group process turns
into a series of individualized debates, with each person trying to defend his or her position.
Instead, members should come to the group armed with relevant information that will be
useful in the discussion process. They should not have made up their minds about the
solutions or conclusions they will accept.
Ensure understanding:
Make sure that your ideas and information are understood by all participants. If
something is worth saying. Then what is said should also be made clear. If in doubt, ask
yourself if what you are saying is clear, -Is my question clear enough?‖ -Did I explain it
clearly enough?‖ Also make sure that you are clear about the contributions of other
members, especially before you discuss the issue with them. In practice, people often
express their disagreement in their own words.
Groupthink:
Here are some symptoms that can help you recognize groupthink in the groups you
observe or participate in.
- Group members think that the group and its members cannot be defeated by danger.
- Members create rationalizations to avoid dealing directly with the danger or threat.
- Group members believe that their group is moral.
- Those who go against the grain are considered to be oversimplifying the problem, embracing
pluralistic ways.
- Group pressure is aimed at any member who shows hesitation or questions the group's
arguments or proposals. questioning the group's arguments or proposals.
- Group members censor their own doubts.
- Group members believe that all members agree unanimously, whether such agreement is
expressed or not.
- Group members begin to act as information that reaches other group members, especially if
such information can create differences of opinion.
Leaders in Small Group Communication
In most small groups, one person serves as the leader. In other groups, leadership
may be held by several people. Furthermore, the leader may be appointed or automatically
appear in the group In process development group communication.
Leadership Style:
In addition to looking at the main concerns in leadership, as we did with situational
leadership theory, we can also look at leadership in terms of three leadership styles: hands-
off, democratic and authoritarian.
Control-Leasing Leader:
The hands-off leader does not take the initiative to direct or suggest alternative
courses of action. Rather, this leader allows the group to develop and make mistakes. This
kind of leader rejects any authority given.
Democratic Leader:
The Democratic leader provides direction, but allows the group to develop and
implement the way its members want. Group members are encouraged to determine goals
and procedures. The democratic leader stimulates self-direction and self-actualization in
group members.
Keeping Members on Track:
Many people are egocentric and will only feel their own wants and problems. In this
case, the role of the leader is needed to direct the members to stay on the path of discussion.
Ensuring Member Satisfaction:
Members have different psychological needs and wants and many enter the group precisely
because of these needs and wants. Even if the group deals with for example political issues,
the various members may come together for reasons that are more psychological than
political.
Stimulate Evaluation and Improvement:
All groups will face obstacles if they are trying to solve a problem, make a decision,
or develop ideas. No single group is perfectly effective. All groups have the opportunity to
improve themselves.
Prepare Members for Discussion:
Groups form slowly and need to be shaped into meaningful discussions. The leader
should prepare the members for the discussion. This involves getting members ready to
interact in small groups, as well as ready to discuss a specific issue.
Public Communication
Public communication is the exchange of messages with a number of people who are
in a particular organization or outside the organization face-to-face or through the media.
The quality that distinguishes public organizational communication from interpersonal
communication and small group communication is :
Public communication is oriented towards the speaker or source. In interpersonal and
small group communication there is a reciprocal relationship between the speaker and
the recipient involved. In public organizational communication the speaker dominates
the relationship.
In public communication involves a large number of recipients but in interpersonal
communication there are usually 2 people and small group communication no more
than 5-7 recipients, public communication messages are intended to attract many
people, hundreds or millions of people.
In public communication there is less interaction between the speaker and the listener.
This results in less direct interaction between the speaker and the listener, especially
the larger the audience.
The language used in public communication is more general so that it can be
understood by the audience. Usually before the presentation the speaker knows the
specific type of audience.
The purpose of public communication is :
- Providing information to a large number of people who know the organization, for example
about the organization's activities and production.
- Establishing relationships between the organization and the community outside the
organization such as use of organizational services, users of organizational products and
society in general.
- Providing entertainment to a number of people such as recounting a pleasant experience to a
crowd.
Conclusions
Organizational communication is the direction and interpretation of messages among
communication units that are part of a particular organization. Organizational
communication is also the organizing behavior that occurs and how those involved in the
process transact and give meaning to what is happening. Organizational communication also
has the meaning of sending and receiving various organizational messages in formal and
informal groups of an organization. It also includes the approaches involved in
organizational communication. In addition, there are also communication networks and
flows in communication. As well as the interaction format of organizational communication
which consists of communication interpersonal, communication small group, and public
communication.
Definition of Organizational Communication
Understanding of organizational communication is inseparable from its relation to
various other aspects of organizational behavior as a whole, or when viewed more broadly,
namely in relation to interdisciplinary studies, especially communication science.
Organizational behavior deals with how and why people act, think and feel in an
organizational setting (Paul D. Sweeney & Dean B. Mc Farlin, 2002: 3). To better
understand organizational communication. We must refer to the various notions of
communication and organization that will be described in the following section:
Communication
The term communication comes from the Latin word -communication‖ which means
notification, giving part, exchange, where the speaker expects consideration or answer from
the listener. The adjective is communis which means common or shared. The verb is
communicare which means to dialogue, confer or deliberate (Anwar Arifin, 1994: 24).
Communication is a process that is generally used by humans in social interaction.
Basically, it has such a broad understanding, both as a separate science and as a
process. There are various definitions of communication, Carl I. Hovland suggests as
follows: communication is the process by which a person / communicator Convey stimuli
(usually symbols in the form of words) to change the behavior of others / communicants
(Onong Uchyana Effendy, 1993: 24). Then Shimp (1993; 8) states that communication is
the process to create or cause a common thought between the one who gives the sign and the
one who receives the sign. Shimp's definition emphasizes more on the communication
process that aims at creating a common thought or opinion on the interaction that occurs
(Terence A. Shimp, 1993: 8).
Pace & Faules (2001; 28) suggest that communication can be distinguished from all
other human and organizational behavior because it involves the mental process of
understanding people, objects and events. Two common forms of action that constitute
communication that emphasize on 1) the creation of messages or, more precisely, the
creation of performances, and 2) the interpretation of messages or the interpretation of
performances (R. Wayne Pace & Don F. Daules, Deddy Maulyana). Harold D. Lasswell
explained communication as an answer to the questions: Who, Say, What, In which channel,
To whom, With what effect? This sentence then known as the Lasswell formula (Effendy,
256). From what Lasswell stated, in essence, it includes elements of communication, namely
the existence of; communicators, messages conveyed, media used, communicants /
audiences, and effects. In simple terms, it can be interpreted that communication is a
message delivery activity with the aim of equalizing the meaning of a person / institution
(communicator) to another person / audience (communicator).
Organization
One of the most important things in understanding organizational communication is
that we should understand the approaches that influence the way of thinking or looking at
organizations. Organization according to Robbins (2001; 4) is defined as a consciously
coordinated social unit, consisting of two or more people, which functions on a relatively
continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set of goals (Stephen P. Robbins, 2001: 4).
Pace & Faules (2001: 11) suggest that there are two approaches in understanding
organizations, the objective approach and the subjective approach. Meaning -"Objective" in
this concept refers to the view that objects, behaviors, and events exist in the real world and
are independent of observation, while -"Subjective" refers to reality itself as a social
construction, reality as a creative process that allows people to create what is "out there".
According to the objective approach, an organization is something physical and
concrete, and is a structure with definite boundaries, something stable. The term -
organization‖ implies that something tangible encapsulates people, relationships, and goals.
The subjective approach views organizations as activities that people do, consisting of
actions, interactions, and transactions involving people. Organizations are created and
nurtured through the constantly changing contacts that people have with one another and do
not exist in isolation from the people whose behaviors make up the organization.
So based on the objective approach, organization means structure; while based on the
subjective view, organization means process (organizing behavior). The implication is that,
according to the objective approach, studying the organization is studying the whole, how
the organization can adapt in the best way to the environment to develop itself and survive,
while according to the subjective approach, knowledge about the organization is obtained by
looking at behaviors and what those behaviors mean to those who do it, the structure is
recognized but the emphasis is on human behavior in the sense that it is not independent of
human actions. These two approaches, both objective and subjective, not only affect the way
of looking at organizational communication, but also in understanding the organization other
aspects related to organizational behavior.
Organizational Communication
Based on the description above, organizational communication can be defined as the
direction and interpretation of messages between communication units that are part of a
particular organization. The definition emphasizes more on the functional aspect (objective).
Meanwhile, when viewed from an interpretative (subjective) perspective, organizational
communication is seen as a process of creating meaning for the interactions that constitute
the organization. Organizational communication is the organizing behavior that occurs and
how those involved in the process transact and give meaning to what is happening (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Maulana, 31).
A simpler definitive statement is put forward by Arnold & Feldman (1986: 154) that
organizational communication is the exchange of information between people in the
organization, where the process generally includes stages: attention, comprehension,
acceptance as true, and retention.
The Nature of Communication in Organizations
When talking about organizational communication, what is drawn in a person is
things related to the role and status of each person in the organization, because the role and
status of a person also determines how to communicate with others as well as how to
communicate with him, so a good person is a person who always connects roles and statuses
with work (Alo Liliweri, 1997: 59).
In modern society people recognize a person because he or she has a variety of roles
and statuses. In an organization, this diversity is seen through the division of labor where
each person will work according to his talents and abilities so that he is responsible for the
work. When the number or types of work are more and more diverse, it is necessary to
intertwine the different types of work, intertwine between a leader and subordinates or
between leaders who ultimately form a large synergistic force to produce higher quality
output. At this stage communication is needed.
Organizational communication is often also interpreted as organizing behavior,
namely how a subordinate is involved in the process of transacting and giving meaning to
what is happening. Therefore, when the organization considered just a group of people who
interact then communication only functions as an organization; he is the organization itself.
So organizational communication will center on the symbols that make organizational life
possible, whether the words, ideas and constructs that encourage authorize, coordinate, and
realize organized activities in specific situations (Barry Cusway and Derej Logde, 1995:
115).
Any writing or anything related to organizational communication always considers
two main concepts, namely organization and communication. An organization can be
approached as an object of fun and interest, but there are those who may very well view
organizations as oppressive That favorable or oppressive attitude is actually very depends on
the understanding and practice of interactions, relationships and transactions that occur
between people in the organization, which is called organizational communication. So the
position of communication in organization is actually emphasizes on how an organization is
constructed and maintained through the communication process. With Thus organizational
communication is more than just what people but rather a theoretical explanation of
communication practices in organizations that serves togetherness both in the organization
as well as serving other people who need the organization. In other words, the existence of
communication in the organization makes one able to distinguish two things, namely: first,
showing how members work as an organization; and second, how the network operations
that link them to each other. In this perspective, communication is important in
organizations, 1). Communication is the way, through communication people seek
information and develop a number of criteria for getting work for them; 2). Communication
is a process for them in determining a choice which practical.
The Importance of the Study of Organizational Communication
The study of organizational communication is important because it is a discipline
that can take a number of legitimate and useful directions. In the sense that the study will
provide benefits not only for anyone who wants to understand organizational behavior
better, but also has pragmatic aspects for people who want to improve their performance as
participants/members of an organization. The study of organizational communication can
provide a strong foundation for careers in management, human resource development, and
corporate communication, as well as other human-oriented tasks in organizations (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Mulyana, 25).
Interpersonal Communication Interaction Format
Interpersonal communication is the process of exchanging information between
someone with at least one other person or usually between two people who can be
immediately known back. With the increase in people involved in communication, the
perception of people in communication events increases so that the communication becomes
more complex (Arni Muhammad, 2009: 158).
Classification Interpersonal communication
Intimate interaction; in organizations, this relationship is developed in informal
communication systems. For example, the relationship seen between two good
friends in the organization, who have personal interactions perhaps outside of their
roles and functions in the organization.
Social Conversation is an interaction to please someone simply by talking a little. If
two or more people get together and talk about concerns, interests outside the
organization such as family, sports, political issues.
Interrogation is an interaction between someone in control, who requests or even
obeys information from others.
Interview is a form of communication interpersonal communication where two
people engage in a conversation in the form of questions and answers.
Purpose of Interpersonal Communication
Finding yourself
Discovering the outside world
Establish and maintain meaningful relationships
Change in attitude and behavior
For play and fun
To help
Effective Interpersonal Relationships
According to Rogert, interpersonal relationships will occur effectively if both parties
fulfill the conditions:
meet each other in person
empathize appropriately with the other person and communicate meaningfully with
each other.
Respect each other, be positive and reasonable without judgment or objection.
really live each other's experiences, being receptive to each other's empathy.
Feel that maintaining mutual openness and a supportive climate reduces the tendency
for salience disruptions.
Exhibit behaviors that are trusting and reinforce feelings of security towards others.
Small Group Communication
Is a collection of individuals who can influence each other, get some satisfaction
from each other, interact to multiple goals, take on roles, bond with each other and
communicate face-to-face.
Purpose of small group communication
o Personal Objective
Relationships social, the goal is to strengthen interpersonal
relationships and improve our well-being.
Channeling, this goal is usually carried out in an atmosphere that
favors the exchange of ideas or heated arguments in family
discussions, where self-disclosure is appropriate.
Group therapy, this is usually used to help people eliminate their
attitudes, or behaviors in some aspect of their lives.
Learning, as a common reason for people to join small groups, is
learning from others. Learning happens in a variety of settings. The
underlying assumption of group learning is the idea of two-way
learning.
o Work-related goals
Decision-making; People who come together in groups to make
decisions about something. Discussing alternatives with others helps
people decide which is the best option for the group.
Small Group as a system
Small groups are small organizations that have four basic components: input or
process, output or result of feedback.
o Inputs, are the raw materials in a small group such as people, information that
the group uses to interact. People or group members are inputs because each
person in the group brings certain qualities such as personality, age, health,
knowledge, attitudes, values and problem-solving abilities.
o Process, refers to all the internal processes that occur within the group during
the discussion.
o Outcome, is the decision or resolution reached by the group.
o Feedback, containing responses that tie the system together. Feedback
provides input for future group meetings.
Small Group Characteristics
o Make it easier friendly meeting
o Group personality. When a group of people come together they forming its
own identity that makes up the personality of the group.
o Cohesiveness, which is the attraction group members have for each other and
their desire to stick together.
o Commitment to the task. Another individual activity within the group that is
closely related to with commitment is motivation.
o The size of Group size seems simple enough but group size has some
important ramifications within the group.
o Group norms, are rules and guidelines used by the group itself, as well as
some external factors outside the group.
o Interdependence. The most important thing is that group members depend on
each other to some degree, and on each other less.
Roles of Small Group Communication members
Kennet Benne and Paul Sheats (1948) proposed a classification of member roles on
this important topic. Benne and Sheats divided member roles into three general classes:
group task roles, group building and maintenance roles, and individual roles.
The Role of Group Assignments:
The group task role is the role that enables the group to focus more specifically on
achieving group goals. In carrying out With each of these roles, members do not act as
separate individuals, but as part of a larger whole. The needs and goals of the group govern
the roles that members must perform. Effective group members will perform several of these
functions, although some people are locked into a few specific roles.
Role Fostering and Sustaining Groups:
No one and no group is task-oriented all the time. A group is a unit whose members
have diverse interpersonal relationships. These relationships need to be nurtured if the group
is to function effectively-if group members are to be satisfied and productive. If this function
is not performed, group members will be damaged if group processes become bogged down,
frequent conflicts arise, or small group communication becomes disrupted on some personal
or social level.
Individualized role:
The task group role and the fostering and sustaining group role are all productive.
They assist the group in achieving its goals, and are group-oriented. The roles we will
discuss here are counter-productive. They hinder the group in achieving its goals and are
more individual-oriented than group-oriented group. Such roles are often termed
malfunctions, which hinder group effectiveness in terms of both productivity and personal
satisfaction.
Member Participation:
Here are some guidelines that will help make your participation in small group
communication effective and more enjoyable. Some of these suggestions are elaborations
and extensions of the basic characteristics of effective interpersonal communication.
Group-Oriented:
In a small group you are a team member - a member of a larger whole. Your
participation will be valuable if it helps achieve the group's goals of the group and increase
member satisfaction. Your job is to mobilize your skills, knowledge and ideas so that the
group can develop solutions that are better than those developed by one person. Individual
achievement can hinder the group.
Center the conflict on the problem:
Conflict in a small group situation is inevitable. Conflict is a natural part of the small
group process, but center the conflict on the problem rather than the person.
Be Critically Unbiased:
A common but unproductive developmental symptom occurs when members come
to the group with preconceived notions. When this happens, the small group process turns
into a series of individualized debates, with each person trying to defend his or her position.
Instead, members should come to the group armed with relevant information that will be
useful in the discussion process. They should not have made up their minds about the
solutions or conclusions they will accept.
Ensure understanding:
Make sure that your ideas and information are understood by all participants. If
something is worth saying. Then what is said should also be made clear. If in doubt, ask
yourself if what you are saying is clear, -Is my question clear enough?‖ -Did I explain it
clearly enough?‖ Also make sure that you are clear about the contributions of other
members, especially before you discuss the issue with them. In practice, people often
express their disagreement in their own words.
Groupthink:
Here are some symptoms that can help you recognize groupthink in the groups you
observe or participate in.
- Group members think that the group and its members cannot be defeated by danger.
- Members create rationalizations to avoid dealing directly with the danger or threat.
- Group members believe that their group is moral.
- Those who go against the grain are considered to be oversimplifying the problem, embracing
pluralistic ways.
- Group pressure is aimed at any member who shows hesitation or questions the group's
arguments or proposals. questioning the group's arguments or proposals.
- Group members censor their own doubts.
- Group members believe that all members agree unanimously, whether such agreement is
expressed or not.
- Group members begin to act as information that reaches other group members, especially if
such information can create differences of opinion.
Leaders in Small Group Communication
In most small groups, one person serves as the leader. In other groups, leadership
may be held by several people. Furthermore, the leader may be appointed or automatically
appear in the group In process development group communication.
Leadership Style:
In addition to looking at the main concerns in leadership, as we did with situational
leadership theory, we can also look at leadership in terms of three leadership styles: hands-
off, democratic and authoritarian.
Control-Leasing Leader:
The hands-off leader does not take the initiative to direct or suggest alternative
courses of action. Rather, this leader allows the group to develop and make mistakes. This
kind of leader rejects any authority given.
Democratic Leader:
The Democratic leader provides direction, but allows the group to develop and
implement the way its members want. Group members are encouraged to determine goals
and procedures. The democratic leader stimulates self-direction and self-actualization in
group members.
Keeping Members on Track:
Many people are egocentric and will only feel their own wants and problems. In this
case, the role of the leader is needed to direct the members to stay on the path of discussion.
Ensuring Member Satisfaction:
Members have different psychological needs and wants and many enter the group precisely
because of these needs and wants. Even if the group deals with for example political issues,
the various members may come together for reasons that are more psychological than
political.
Stimulate Evaluation and Improvement:
All groups will face obstacles if they are trying to solve a problem, make a decision,
or develop ideas. No single group is perfectly effective. All groups have the opportunity to
improve themselves.
Prepare Members for Discussion:
Groups form slowly and need to be shaped into meaningful discussions. The leader
should prepare the members for the discussion. This involves getting members ready to
interact in small groups, as well as ready to discuss a specific issue.
Public Communication
Public communication is the exchange of messages with a number of people who are
in a particular organization or outside the organization face-to-face or through the media.
The quality that distinguishes public organizational communication from interpersonal
communication and small group communication is :
Public communication is oriented towards the speaker or source. In interpersonal and
small group communication there is a reciprocal relationship between the speaker and
the recipient involved. In public organizational communication the speaker dominates
the relationship.
In public communication involves a large number of recipients but in interpersonal
communication there are usually 2 people and small group communication no more
than 5-7 recipients, public communication messages are intended to attract many
people, hundreds or millions of people.
In public communication there is less interaction between the speaker and the listener.
This results in less direct interaction between the speaker and the listener, especially
the larger the audience.
The language used in public communication is more general so that it can be
understood by the audience. Usually before the presentation the speaker knows the
specific type of audience.
The purpose of public communication is :
- Providing information to a large number of people who know the organization, for example
about the organization's activities and production.
- Establishing relationships between the organization and the community outside the
organization such as use of organizational services, users of organizational products and
society in general.
- Providing entertainment to a number of people such as recounting a pleasant experience to a
crowd.
Conclusions
Organizational communication is the direction and interpretation of messages among
communication units that are part of a particular organization. Organizational
communication is also the organizing behavior that occurs and how those involved in the
process transact and give meaning to what is happening. Organizational communication also
has the meaning of sending and receiving various organizational messages in formal and
informal groups of an organization. It also includes the approaches involved in
organizational communication. In addition, there are also communication networks and
flows in communication. As well as the interaction format of organizational communication
which consists of communication interpersonal, communication small group, and public
communication.
Definition of Organizational Communication
Understanding of organizational communication is inseparable from its relation to
various other aspects of organizational behavior as a whole, or when viewed more broadly,
namely in relation to interdisciplinary studies, especially communication science.
Organizational behavior deals with how and why people act, think and feel in an
organizational setting (Paul D. Sweeney & Dean B. Mc Farlin, 2002: 3). To better
understand organizational communication. We must refer to the various notions of
communication and organization that will be described in the following section:
Communication
The term communication comes from the Latin word -communication‖ which means
notification, giving part, exchange, where the speaker expects consideration or answer from
the listener. The adjective is communis which means common or shared. The verb is
communicare which means to dialogue, confer or deliberate (Anwar Arifin, 1994: 24).
Communication is a process that is generally used by humans in social interaction.
Basically, it has such a broad understanding, both as a separate science and as a
process. There are various definitions of communication, Carl I. Hovland suggests as
follows: communication is the process by which a person / communicator Convey stimuli
(usually symbols in the form of words) to change the behavior of others / communicants
(Onong Uchyana Effendy, 1993: 24). Then Shimp (1993; 8) states that communication is
the process to create or cause a common thought between the one who gives the sign and the
one who receives the sign. Shimp's definition emphasizes more on the communication
process that aims at creating a common thought or opinion on the interaction that occurs
(Terence A. Shimp, 1993: 8).
Pace & Faules (2001; 28) suggest that communication can be distinguished from all
other human and organizational behavior because it involves the mental process of
understanding people, objects and events. Two common forms of action that constitute
communication that emphasize on 1) the creation of messages or, more precisely, the
creation of performances, and 2) the interpretation of messages or the interpretation of
performances (R. Wayne Pace & Don F. Daules, Deddy Maulyana). Harold D. Lasswell
explained communication as an answer to the questions: Who, Say, What, In which channel,
To whom, With what effect? This sentence then known as the Lasswell formula (Effendy,
256). From what Lasswell stated, in essence, it includes elements of communication, namely
the existence of; communicators, messages conveyed, media used, communicants /
audiences, and effects. In simple terms, it can be interpreted that communication is a
message delivery activity with the aim of equalizing the meaning of a person / institution
(communicator) to another person / audience (communicator).
Organization
One of the most important things in understanding organizational communication is
that we should understand the approaches that influence the way of thinking or looking at
organizations. Organization according to Robbins (2001; 4) is defined as a consciously
coordinated social unit, consisting of two or more people, which functions on a relatively
continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set of goals (Stephen P. Robbins, 2001: 4).
Pace & Faules (2001: 11) suggest that there are two approaches in understanding
organizations, the objective approach and the subjective approach. Meaning -"Objective" in
this concept refers to the view that objects, behaviors, and events exist in the real world and
are independent of observation, while -"Subjective" refers to reality itself as a social
construction, reality as a creative process that allows people to create what is "out there".
According to the objective approach, an organization is something physical and
concrete, and is a structure with definite boundaries, something stable. The term -
organization‖ implies that something tangible encapsulates people, relationships, and goals.
The subjective approach views organizations as activities that people do, consisting of
actions, interactions, and transactions involving people. Organizations are created and
nurtured through the constantly changing contacts that people have with one another and do
not exist in isolation from the people whose behaviors make up the organization.
So based on the objective approach, organization means structure; while based on the
subjective view, organization means process (organizing behavior). The implication is that,
according to the objective approach, studying the organization is studying the whole, how
the organization can adapt in the best way to the environment to develop itself and survive,
while according to the subjective approach, knowledge about the organization is obtained by
looking at behaviors and what those behaviors mean to those who do it, the structure is
recognized but the emphasis is on human behavior in the sense that it is not independent of
human actions. These two approaches, both objective and subjective, not only affect the way
of looking at organizational communication, but also in understanding the organization other
aspects related to organizational behavior.
Organizational Communication
Based on the description above, organizational communication can be defined as the
direction and interpretation of messages between communication units that are part of a
particular organization. The definition emphasizes more on the functional aspect (objective).
Meanwhile, when viewed from an interpretative (subjective) perspective, organizational
communication is seen as a process of creating meaning for the interactions that constitute
the organization. Organizational communication is the organizing behavior that occurs and
how those involved in the process transact and give meaning to what is happening (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Maulana, 31).
A simpler definitive statement is put forward by Arnold & Feldman (1986: 154) that
organizational communication is the exchange of information between people in the
organization, where the process generally includes stages: attention, comprehension,
acceptance as true, and retention.
The Nature of Communication in Organizations
When talking about organizational communication, what is drawn in a person is
things related to the role and status of each person in the organization, because the role and
status of a person also determines how to communicate with others as well as how to
communicate with him, so a good person is a person who always connects roles and statuses
with work (Alo Liliweri, 1997: 59).
In modern society people recognize a person because he or she has a variety of roles
and statuses. In an organization, this diversity is seen through the division of labor where
each person will work according to his talents and abilities so that he is responsible for the
work. When the number or types of work are more and more diverse, it is necessary to
intertwine the different types of work, intertwine between a leader and subordinates or
between leaders who ultimately form a large synergistic force to produce higher quality
output. At this stage communication is needed.
Organizational communication is often also interpreted as organizing behavior,
namely how a subordinate is involved in the process of transacting and giving meaning to
what is happening. Therefore, when the organization considered just a group of people who
interact then communication only functions as an organization; he is the organization itself.
So organizational communication will center on the symbols that make organizational life
possible, whether the words, ideas and constructs that encourage authorize, coordinate, and
realize organized activities in specific situations (Barry Cusway and Derej Logde, 1995:
115).
Any writing or anything related to organizational communication always considers
two main concepts, namely organization and communication. An organization can be
approached as an object of fun and interest, but there are those who may very well view
organizations as oppressive That favorable or oppressive attitude is actually very depends on
the understanding and practice of interactions, relationships and transactions that occur
between people in the organization, which is called organizational communication. So the
position of communication in organization is actually emphasizes on how an organization is
constructed and maintained through the communication process. With Thus organizational
communication is more than just what people but rather a theoretical explanation of
communication practices in organizations that serves togetherness both in the organization
as well as serving other people who need the organization. In other words, the existence of
communication in the organization makes one able to distinguish two things, namely: first,
showing how members work as an organization; and second, how the network operations
that link them to each other. In this perspective, communication is important in
organizations, 1). Communication is the way, through communication people seek
information and develop a number of criteria for getting work for them; 2). Communication
is a process for them in determining a choice which practical.
The Importance of the Study of Organizational Communication
The study of organizational communication is important because it is a discipline
that can take a number of legitimate and useful directions. In the sense that the study will
provide benefits not only for anyone who wants to understand organizational behavior
better, but also has pragmatic aspects for people who want to improve their performance as
participants/members of an organization. The study of organizational communication can
provide a strong foundation for careers in management, human resource development, and
corporate communication, as well as other human-oriented tasks in organizations (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Mulyana, 25).
Interpersonal Communication Interaction Format
Interpersonal communication is the process of exchanging information between
someone with at least one other person or usually between two people who can be
immediately known back. With the increase in people involved in communication, the
perception of people in communication events increases so that the communication becomes
more complex (Arni Muhammad, 2009: 158).
Classification Interpersonal communication
Intimate interaction; in organizations, this relationship is developed in informal
communication systems. For example, the relationship seen between two good
friends in the organization, who have personal interactions perhaps outside of their
roles and functions in the organization.
Social Conversation is an interaction to please someone simply by talking a little. If
two or more people get together and talk about concerns, interests outside the
organization such as family, sports, political issues.
Interrogation is an interaction between someone in control, who requests or even
obeys information from others.
Interview is a form of communication interpersonal communication where two
people engage in a conversation in the form of questions and answers.
Purpose of Interpersonal Communication
Finding yourself
Discovering the outside world
Establish and maintain meaningful relationships
Change in attitude and behavior
For play and fun
To help
Effective Interpersonal Relationships
According to Rogert, interpersonal relationships will occur effectively if both parties
fulfill the conditions:
meet each other in person
empathize appropriately with the other person and communicate meaningfully with
each other.
Respect each other, be positive and reasonable without judgment or objection.
really live each other's experiences, being receptive to each other's empathy.
Feel that maintaining mutual openness and a supportive climate reduces the tendency
for salience disruptions.
Exhibit behaviors that are trusting and reinforce feelings of security towards others.
Small Group Communication
Is a collection of individuals who can influence each other, get some satisfaction
from each other, interact to multiple goals, take on roles, bond with each other and
communicate face-to-face.
Purpose of small group communication
o Personal Objective
Relationships social, the goal is to strengthen interpersonal
relationships and improve our well-being.
Channeling, this goal is usually carried out in an atmosphere that
favors the exchange of ideas or heated arguments in family
discussions, where self-disclosure is appropriate.
Group therapy, this is usually used to help people eliminate their
attitudes, or behaviors in some aspect of their lives.
Learning, as a common reason for people to join small groups, is
learning from others. Learning happens in a variety of settings. The
underlying assumption of group learning is the idea of two-way
learning.
o Work-related goals
Decision-making; People who come together in groups to make
decisions about something. Discussing alternatives with others helps
people decide which is the best option for the group.
Small Group as a system
Small groups are small organizations that have four basic components: input or
process, output or result of feedback.
o Inputs, are the raw materials in a small group such as people, information that
the group uses to interact. People or group members are inputs because each
person in the group brings certain qualities such as personality, age, health,
knowledge, attitudes, values and problem-solving abilities.
o Process, refers to all the internal processes that occur within the group during
the discussion.
o Outcome, is the decision or resolution reached by the group.
o Feedback, containing responses that tie the system together. Feedback
provides input for future group meetings.
Small Group Characteristics
o Make it easier friendly meeting
o Group personality. When a group of people come together they forming its
own identity that makes up the personality of the group.
o Cohesiveness, which is the attraction group members have for each other and
their desire to stick together.
o Commitment to the task. Another individual activity within the group that is
closely related to with commitment is motivation.
o The size of Group size seems simple enough but group size has some
important ramifications within the group.
o Group norms, are rules and guidelines used by the group itself, as well as
some external factors outside the group.
o Interdependence. The most important thing is that group members depend on
each other to some degree, and on each other less.
Roles of Small Group Communication members
Kennet Benne and Paul Sheats (1948) proposed a classification of member roles on
this important topic. Benne and Sheats divided member roles into three general classes:
group task roles, group building and maintenance roles, and individual roles.
The Role of Group Assignments:
The group task role is the role that enables the group to focus more specifically on
achieving group goals. In carrying out With each of these roles, members do not act as
separate individuals, but as part of a larger whole. The needs and goals of the group govern
the roles that members must perform. Effective group members will perform several of these
functions, although some people are locked into a few specific roles.
Role Fostering and Sustaining Groups:
No one and no group is task-oriented all the time. A group is a unit whose members
have diverse interpersonal relationships. These relationships need to be nurtured if the group
is to function effectively-if group members are to be satisfied and productive. If this function
is not performed, group members will be damaged if group processes become bogged down,
frequent conflicts arise, or small group communication becomes disrupted on some personal
or social level.
Individualized role:
The task group role and the fostering and sustaining group role are all productive.
They assist the group in achieving its goals, and are group-oriented. The roles we will
discuss here are counter-productive. They hinder the group in achieving its goals and are
more individual-oriented than group-oriented group. Such roles are often termed
malfunctions, which hinder group effectiveness in terms of both productivity and personal
satisfaction.
Member Participation:
Here are some guidelines that will help make your participation in small group
communication effective and more enjoyable. Some of these suggestions are elaborations
and extensions of the basic characteristics of effective interpersonal communication.
Group-Oriented:
In a small group you are a team member - a member of a larger whole. Your
participation will be valuable if it helps achieve the group's goals of the group and increase
member satisfaction. Your job is to mobilize your skills, knowledge and ideas so that the
group can develop solutions that are better than those developed by one person. Individual
achievement can hinder the group.
Center the conflict on the problem:
Conflict in a small group situation is inevitable. Conflict is a natural part of the small
group process, but center the conflict on the problem rather than the person.
Be Critically Unbiased:
A common but unproductive developmental symptom occurs when members come
to the group with preconceived notions. When this happens, the small group process turns
into a series of individualized debates, with each person trying to defend his or her position.
Instead, members should come to the group armed with relevant information that will be
useful in the discussion process. They should not have made up their minds about the
solutions or conclusions they will accept.
Ensure understanding:
Make sure that your ideas and information are understood by all participants. If
something is worth saying. Then what is said should also be made clear. If in doubt, ask
yourself if what you are saying is clear, -Is my question clear enough?‖ -Did I explain it
clearly enough?‖ Also make sure that you are clear about the contributions of other
members, especially before you discuss the issue with them. In practice, people often
express their disagreement in their own words.
Groupthink:
Here are some symptoms that can help you recognize groupthink in the groups you
observe or participate in.
- Group members think that the group and its members cannot be defeated by danger.
- Members create rationalizations to avoid dealing directly with the danger or threat.
- Group members believe that their group is moral.
- Those who go against the grain are considered to be oversimplifying the problem, embracing
pluralistic ways.
- Group pressure is aimed at any member who shows hesitation or questions the group's
arguments or proposals. questioning the group's arguments or proposals.
- Group members censor their own doubts.
- Group members believe that all members agree unanimously, whether such agreement is
expressed or not.
- Group members begin to act as information that reaches other group members, especially if
such information can create differences of opinion.
Leaders in Small Group Communication
In most small groups, one person serves as the leader. In other groups, leadership
may be held by several people. Furthermore, the leader may be appointed or automatically
appear in the group In process development group communication.
Leadership Style:
In addition to looking at the main concerns in leadership, as we did with situational
leadership theory, we can also look at leadership in terms of three leadership styles: hands-
off, democratic and authoritarian.
Control-Leasing Leader:
The hands-off leader does not take the initiative to direct or suggest alternative
courses of action. Rather, this leader allows the group to develop and make mistakes. This
kind of leader rejects any authority given.
Democratic Leader:
The Democratic leader provides direction, but allows the group to develop and
implement the way its members want. Group members are encouraged to determine goals
and procedures. The democratic leader stimulates self-direction and self-actualization in
group members.
Keeping Members on Track:
Many people are egocentric and will only feel their own wants and problems. In this
case, the role of the leader is needed to direct the members to stay on the path of discussion.
Ensuring Member Satisfaction:
Members have different psychological needs and wants and many enter the group precisely
because of these needs and wants. Even if the group deals with for example political issues,
the various members may come together for reasons that are more psychological than
political.
Stimulate Evaluation and Improvement:
All groups will face obstacles if they are trying to solve a problem, make a decision,
or develop ideas. No single group is perfectly effective. All groups have the opportunity to
improve themselves.
Prepare Members for Discussion:
Groups form slowly and need to be shaped into meaningful discussions. The leader
should prepare the members for the discussion. This involves getting members ready to
interact in small groups, as well as ready to discuss a specific issue.
Public Communication
Public communication is the exchange of messages with a number of people who are
in a particular organization or outside the organization face-to-face or through the media.
The quality that distinguishes public organizational communication from interpersonal
communication and small group communication is :
Public communication is oriented towards the speaker or source. In interpersonal and
small group communication there is a reciprocal relationship between the speaker and
the recipient involved. In public organizational communication the speaker dominates
the relationship.
In public communication involves a large number of recipients but in interpersonal
communication there are usually 2 people and small group communication no more
than 5-7 recipients, public communication messages are intended to attract many
people, hundreds or millions of people.
In public communication there is less interaction between the speaker and the listener.
This results in less direct interaction between the speaker and the listener, especially
the larger the audience.
The language used in public communication is more general so that it can be
understood by the audience. Usually before the presentation the speaker knows the
specific type of audience.
The purpose of public communication is :
- Providing information to a large number of people who know the organization, for example
about the organization's activities and production.
- Establishing relationships between the organization and the community outside the
organization such as use of organizational services, users of organizational products and
society in general.
- Providing entertainment to a number of people such as recounting a pleasant experience to a
crowd.
Conclusions
Organizational communication is the direction and interpretation of messages among
communication units that are part of a particular organization. Organizational
communication is also the organizing behavior that occurs and how those involved in the
process transact and give meaning to what is happening. Organizational communication also
has the meaning of sending and receiving various organizational messages in formal and
informal groups of an organization. It also includes the approaches involved in
organizational communication. In addition, there are also communication networks and
flows in communication. As well as the interaction format of organizational communication
which consists of communication interpersonal, communication small group, and public
communication.
Definition of Organizational Communication
Understanding of organizational communication is inseparable from its relation to
various other aspects of organizational behavior as a whole, or when viewed more broadly,
namely in relation to interdisciplinary studies, especially communication science.
Organizational behavior deals with how and why people act, think and feel in an
organizational setting (Paul D. Sweeney & Dean B. Mc Farlin, 2002: 3). To better
understand organizational communication. We must refer to the various notions of
communication and organization that will be described in the following section:
Communication
The term communication comes from the Latin word -communication‖ which means
notification, giving part, exchange, where the speaker expects consideration or answer from
the listener. The adjective is communis which means common or shared. The verb is
communicare which means to dialogue, confer or deliberate (Anwar Arifin, 1994: 24).
Communication is a process that is generally used by humans in social interaction.
Basically, it has such a broad understanding, both as a separate science and as a
process. There are various definitions of communication, Carl I. Hovland suggests as
follows: communication is the process by which a person / communicator Convey stimuli
(usually symbols in the form of words) to change the behavior of others / communicants
(Onong Uchyana Effendy, 1993: 24). Then Shimp (1993; 8) states that communication is
the process to create or cause a common thought between the one who gives the sign and the
one who receives the sign. Shimp's definition emphasizes more on the communication
process that aims at creating a common thought or opinion on the interaction that occurs
(Terence A. Shimp, 1993: 8).
Pace & Faules (2001; 28) suggest that communication can be distinguished from all
other human and organizational behavior because it involves the mental process of
understanding people, objects and events. Two common forms of action that constitute
communication that emphasize on 1) the creation of messages or, more precisely, the
creation of performances, and 2) the interpretation of messages or the interpretation of
performances (R. Wayne Pace & Don F. Daules, Deddy Maulyana). Harold D. Lasswell
explained communication as an answer to the questions: Who, Say, What, In which channel,
To whom, With what effect? This sentence then known as the Lasswell formula (Effendy,
256). From what Lasswell stated, in essence, it includes elements of communication, namely
the existence of; communicators, messages conveyed, media used, communicants /
audiences, and effects. In simple terms, it can be interpreted that communication is a
message delivery activity with the aim of equalizing the meaning of a person / institution
(communicator) to another person / audience (communicator).
Organization
One of the most important things in understanding organizational communication is
that we should understand the approaches that influence the way of thinking or looking at
organizations. Organization according to Robbins (2001; 4) is defined as a consciously
coordinated social unit, consisting of two or more people, which functions on a relatively
continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set of goals (Stephen P. Robbins, 2001: 4).
Pace & Faules (2001: 11) suggest that there are two approaches in understanding
organizations, the objective approach and the subjective approach. Meaning -"Objective" in
this concept refers to the view that objects, behaviors, and events exist in the real world and
are independent of observation, while -"Subjective" refers to reality itself as a social
construction, reality as a creative process that allows people to create what is "out there".
According to the objective approach, an organization is something physical and
concrete, and is a structure with definite boundaries, something stable. The term -
organization‖ implies that something tangible encapsulates people, relationships, and goals.
The subjective approach views organizations as activities that people do, consisting of
actions, interactions, and transactions involving people. Organizations are created and
nurtured through the constantly changing contacts that people have with one another and do
not exist in isolation from the people whose behaviors make up the organization.
So based on the objective approach, organization means structure; while based on the
subjective view, organization means process (organizing behavior). The implication is that,
according to the objective approach, studying the organization is studying the whole, how
the organization can adapt in the best way to the environment to develop itself and survive,
while according to the subjective approach, knowledge about the organization is obtained by
looking at behaviors and what those behaviors mean to those who do it, the structure is
recognized but the emphasis is on human behavior in the sense that it is not independent of
human actions. These two approaches, both objective and subjective, not only affect the way
of looking at organizational communication, but also in understanding the organization other
aspects related to organizational behavior.
Organizational Communication
Based on the description above, organizational communication can be defined as the
direction and interpretation of messages between communication units that are part of a
particular organization. The definition emphasizes more on the functional aspect (objective).
Meanwhile, when viewed from an interpretative (subjective) perspective, organizational
communication is seen as a process of creating meaning for the interactions that constitute
the organization. Organizational communication is the organizing behavior that occurs and
how those involved in the process transact and give meaning to what is happening (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Maulana, 31).
A simpler definitive statement is put forward by Arnold & Feldman (1986: 154) that
organizational communication is the exchange of information between people in the
organization, where the process generally includes stages: attention, comprehension,
acceptance as true, and retention.
The Nature of Communication in Organizations
When talking about organizational communication, what is drawn in a person is
things related to the role and status of each person in the organization, because the role and
status of a person also determines how to communicate with others as well as how to
communicate with him, so a good person is a person who always connects roles and statuses
with work (Alo Liliweri, 1997: 59).
In modern society people recognize a person because he or she has a variety of roles
and statuses. In an organization, this diversity is seen through the division of labor where
each person will work according to his talents and abilities so that he is responsible for the
work. When the number or types of work are more and more diverse, it is necessary to
intertwine the different types of work, intertwine between a leader and subordinates or
between leaders who ultimately form a large synergistic force to produce higher quality
output. At this stage communication is needed.
Organizational communication is often also interpreted as organizing behavior,
namely how a subordinate is involved in the process of transacting and giving meaning to
what is happening. Therefore, when the organization considered just a group of people who
interact then communication only functions as an organization; he is the organization itself.
So organizational communication will center on the symbols that make organizational life
possible, whether the words, ideas and constructs that encourage authorize, coordinate, and
realize organized activities in specific situations (Barry Cusway and Derej Logde, 1995:
115).
Any writing or anything related to organizational communication always considers
two main concepts, namely organization and communication. An organization can be
approached as an object of fun and interest, but there are those who may very well view
organizations as oppressive That favorable or oppressive attitude is actually very depends on
the understanding and practice of interactions, relationships and transactions that occur
between people in the organization, which is called organizational communication. So the
position of communication in organization is actually emphasizes on how an organization is
constructed and maintained through the communication process. With Thus organizational
communication is more than just what people but rather a theoretical explanation of
communication practices in organizations that serves togetherness both in the organization
as well as serving other people who need the organization. In other words, the existence of
communication in the organization makes one able to distinguish two things, namely: first,
showing how members work as an organization; and second, how the network operations
that link them to each other. In this perspective, communication is important in
organizations, 1). Communication is the way, through communication people seek
information and develop a number of criteria for getting work for them; 2). Communication
is a process for them in determining a choice which practical.
The Importance of the Study of Organizational Communication
The study of organizational communication is important because it is a discipline
that can take a number of legitimate and useful directions. In the sense that the study will
provide benefits not only for anyone who wants to understand organizational behavior
better, but also has pragmatic aspects for people who want to improve their performance as
participants/members of an organization. The study of organizational communication can
provide a strong foundation for careers in management, human resource development, and
corporate communication, as well as other human-oriented tasks in organizations (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Mulyana, 25).
Interpersonal Communication Interaction Format
Interpersonal communication is the process of exchanging information between
someone with at least one other person or usually between two people who can be
immediately known back. With the increase in people involved in communication, the
perception of people in communication events increases so that the communication becomes
more complex (Arni Muhammad, 2009: 158).
Classification Interpersonal communication
Intimate interaction; in organizations, this relationship is developed in informal
communication systems. For example, the relationship seen between two good
friends in the organization, who have personal interactions perhaps outside of their
roles and functions in the organization.
Social Conversation is an interaction to please someone simply by talking a little. If
two or more people get together and talk about concerns, interests outside the
organization such as family, sports, political issues.
Interrogation is an interaction between someone in control, who requests or even
obeys information from others.
Interview is a form of communication interpersonal communication where two
people engage in a conversation in the form of questions and answers.
Purpose of Interpersonal Communication
Finding yourself
Discovering the outside world
Establish and maintain meaningful relationships
Change in attitude and behavior
For play and fun
To help
Effective Interpersonal Relationships
According to Rogert, interpersonal relationships will occur effectively if both parties
fulfill the conditions:
meet each other in person
empathize appropriately with the other person and communicate meaningfully with
each other.
Respect each other, be positive and reasonable without judgment or objection.
really live each other's experiences, being receptive to each other's empathy.
Feel that maintaining mutual openness and a supportive climate reduces the tendency
for salience disruptions.
Exhibit behaviors that are trusting and reinforce feelings of security towards others.
Small Group Communication
Is a collection of individuals who can influence each other, get some satisfaction
from each other, interact to multiple goals, take on roles, bond with each other and
communicate face-to-face.
Purpose of small group communication
o Personal Objective
Relationships social, the goal is to strengthen interpersonal
relationships and improve our well-being.
Channeling, this goal is usually carried out in an atmosphere that
favors the exchange of ideas or heated arguments in family
discussions, where self-disclosure is appropriate.
Group therapy, this is usually used to help people eliminate their
attitudes, or behaviors in some aspect of their lives.
Learning, as a common reason for people to join small groups, is
learning from others. Learning happens in a variety of settings. The
underlying assumption of group learning is the idea of two-way
learning.
o Work-related goals
Decision-making; People who come together in groups to make
decisions about something. Discussing alternatives with others helps
people decide which is the best option for the group.
Small Group as a system
Small groups are small organizations that have four basic components: input or
process, output or result of feedback.
o Inputs, are the raw materials in a small group such as people, information that
the group uses to interact. People or group members are inputs because each
person in the group brings certain qualities such as personality, age, health,
knowledge, attitudes, values and problem-solving abilities.
o Process, refers to all the internal processes that occur within the group during
the discussion.
o Outcome, is the decision or resolution reached by the group.
o Feedback, containing responses that tie the system together. Feedback
provides input for future group meetings.
Small Group Characteristics
o Make it easier friendly meeting
o Group personality. When a group of people come together they forming its
own identity that makes up the personality of the group.
o Cohesiveness, which is the attraction group members have for each other and
their desire to stick together.
o Commitment to the task. Another individual activity within the group that is
closely related to with commitment is motivation.
o The size of Group size seems simple enough but group size has some
important ramifications within the group.
o Group norms, are rules and guidelines used by the group itself, as well as
some external factors outside the group.
o Interdependence. The most important thing is that group members depend on
each other to some degree, and on each other less.
Roles of Small Group Communication members
Kennet Benne and Paul Sheats (1948) proposed a classification of member roles on
this important topic. Benne and Sheats divided member roles into three general classes:
group task roles, group building and maintenance roles, and individual roles.
The Role of Group Assignments:
The group task role is the role that enables the group to focus more specifically on
achieving group goals. In carrying out With each of these roles, members do not act as
separate individuals, but as part of a larger whole. The needs and goals of the group govern
the roles that members must perform. Effective group members will perform several of these
functions, although some people are locked into a few specific roles.
Role Fostering and Sustaining Groups:
No one and no group is task-oriented all the time. A group is a unit whose members
have diverse interpersonal relationships. These relationships need to be nurtured if the group
is to function effectively-if group members are to be satisfied and productive. If this function
is not performed, group members will be damaged if group processes become bogged down,
frequent conflicts arise, or small group communication becomes disrupted on some personal
or social level.
Individualized role:
The task group role and the fostering and sustaining group role are all productive.
They assist the group in achieving its goals, and are group-oriented. The roles we will
discuss here are counter-productive. They hinder the group in achieving its goals and are
more individual-oriented than group-oriented group. Such roles are often termed
malfunctions, which hinder group effectiveness in terms of both productivity and personal
satisfaction.
Member Participation:
Here are some guidelines that will help make your participation in small group
communication effective and more enjoyable. Some of these suggestions are elaborations
and extensions of the basic characteristics of effective interpersonal communication.
Group-Oriented:
In a small group you are a team member - a member of a larger whole. Your
participation will be valuable if it helps achieve the group's goals of the group and increase
member satisfaction. Your job is to mobilize your skills, knowledge and ideas so that the
group can develop solutions that are better than those developed by one person. Individual
achievement can hinder the group.
Center the conflict on the problem:
Conflict in a small group situation is inevitable. Conflict is a natural part of the small
group process, but center the conflict on the problem rather than the person.
Be Critically Unbiased:
A common but unproductive developmental symptom occurs when members come
to the group with preconceived notions. When this happens, the small group process turns
into a series of individualized debates, with each person trying to defend his or her position.
Instead, members should come to the group armed with relevant information that will be
useful in the discussion process. They should not have made up their minds about the
solutions or conclusions they will accept.
Ensure understanding:
Make sure that your ideas and information are understood by all participants. If
something is worth saying. Then what is said should also be made clear. If in doubt, ask
yourself if what you are saying is clear, -Is my question clear enough?‖ -Did I explain it
clearly enough?‖ Also make sure that you are clear about the contributions of other
members, especially before you discuss the issue with them. In practice, people often
express their disagreement in their own words.
Groupthink:
Here are some symptoms that can help you recognize groupthink in the groups you
observe or participate in.
- Group members think that the group and its members cannot be defeated by danger.
- Members create rationalizations to avoid dealing directly with the danger or threat.
- Group members believe that their group is moral.
- Those who go against the grain are considered to be oversimplifying the problem, embracing
pluralistic ways.
- Group pressure is aimed at any member who shows hesitation or questions the group's
arguments or proposals. questioning the group's arguments or proposals.
- Group members censor their own doubts.
- Group members believe that all members agree unanimously, whether such agreement is
expressed or not.
- Group members begin to act as information that reaches other group members, especially if
such information can create differences of opinion.
Leaders in Small Group Communication
In most small groups, one person serves as the leader. In other groups, leadership
may be held by several people. Furthermore, the leader may be appointed or automatically
appear in the group In process development group communication.
Leadership Style:
In addition to looking at the main concerns in leadership, as we did with situational
leadership theory, we can also look at leadership in terms of three leadership styles: hands-
off, democratic and authoritarian.
Control-Leasing Leader:
The hands-off leader does not take the initiative to direct or suggest alternative
courses of action. Rather, this leader allows the group to develop and make mistakes. This
kind of leader rejects any authority given.
Democratic Leader:
The Democratic leader provides direction, but allows the group to develop and
implement the way its members want. Group members are encouraged to determine goals
and procedures. The democratic leader stimulates self-direction and self-actualization in
group members.
Keeping Members on Track:
Many people are egocentric and will only feel their own wants and problems. In this
case, the role of the leader is needed to direct the members to stay on the path of discussion.
Ensuring Member Satisfaction:
Members have different psychological needs and wants and many enter the group precisely
because of these needs and wants. Even if the group deals with for example political issues,
the various members may come together for reasons that are more psychological than
political.
Stimulate Evaluation and Improvement:
All groups will face obstacles if they are trying to solve a problem, make a decision,
or develop ideas. No single group is perfectly effective. All groups have the opportunity to
improve themselves.
Prepare Members for Discussion:
Groups form slowly and need to be shaped into meaningful discussions. The leader
should prepare the members for the discussion. This involves getting members ready to
interact in small groups, as well as ready to discuss a specific issue.
Public Communication
Public communication is the exchange of messages with a number of people who are
in a particular organization or outside the organization face-to-face or through the media.
The quality that distinguishes public organizational communication from interpersonal
communication and small group communication is :
Public communication is oriented towards the speaker or source. In interpersonal and
small group communication there is a reciprocal relationship between the speaker and
the recipient involved. In public organizational communication the speaker dominates
the relationship.
In public communication involves a large number of recipients but in interpersonal
communication there are usually 2 people and small group communication no more
than 5-7 recipients, public communication messages are intended to attract many
people, hundreds or millions of people.
In public communication there is less interaction between the speaker and the listener.
This results in less direct interaction between the speaker and the listener, especially
the larger the audience.
The language used in public communication is more general so that it can be
understood by the audience. Usually before the presentation the speaker knows the
specific type of audience.
The purpose of public communication is :
- Providing information to a large number of people who know the organization, for example
about the organization's activities and production.
- Establishing relationships between the organization and the community outside the
organization such as use of organizational services, users of organizational products and
society in general.
- Providing entertainment to a number of people such as recounting a pleasant experience to a
crowd.
Conclusions
Organizational communication is the direction and interpretation of messages among
communication units that are part of a particular organization. Organizational
communication is also the organizing behavior that occurs and how those involved in the
process transact and give meaning to what is happening. Organizational communication also
has the meaning of sending and receiving various organizational messages in formal and
informal groups of an organization. It also includes the approaches involved in
organizational communication. In addition, there are also communication networks and
flows in communication. As well as the interaction format of organizational communication
which consists of communication interpersonal, communication small group, and public
communication.
Definition of Organizational Communication
Understanding of organizational communication is inseparable from its relation to
various other aspects of organizational behavior as a whole, or when viewed more broadly,
namely in relation to interdisciplinary studies, especially communication science.
Organizational behavior deals with how and why people act, think and feel in an
organizational setting (Paul D. Sweeney & Dean B. Mc Farlin, 2002: 3). To better
understand organizational communication. We must refer to the various notions of
communication and organization that will be described in the following section:
Communication
The term communication comes from the Latin word -communication‖ which means
notification, giving part, exchange, where the speaker expects consideration or answer from
the listener. The adjective is communis which means common or shared. The verb is
communicare which means to dialogue, confer or deliberate (Anwar Arifin, 1994: 24).
Communication is a process that is generally used by humans in social interaction.
Basically, it has such a broad understanding, both as a separate science and as a
process. There are various definitions of communication, Carl I. Hovland suggests as
follows: communication is the process by which a person / communicator Convey stimuli
(usually symbols in the form of words) to change the behavior of others / communicants
(Onong Uchyana Effendy, 1993: 24). Then Shimp (1993; 8) states that communication is
the process to create or cause a common thought between the one who gives the sign and the
one who receives the sign. Shimp's definition emphasizes more on the communication
process that aims at creating a common thought or opinion on the interaction that occurs
(Terence A. Shimp, 1993: 8).
Pace & Faules (2001; 28) suggest that communication can be distinguished from all
other human and organizational behavior because it involves the mental process of
understanding people, objects and events. Two common forms of action that constitute
communication that emphasize on 1) the creation of messages or, more precisely, the
creation of performances, and 2) the interpretation of messages or the interpretation of
performances (R. Wayne Pace & Don F. Daules, Deddy Maulyana). Harold D. Lasswell
explained communication as an answer to the questions: Who, Say, What, In which channel,
To whom, With what effect? This sentence then known as the Lasswell formula (Effendy,
256). From what Lasswell stated, in essence, it includes elements of communication, namely
the existence of; communicators, messages conveyed, media used, communicants /
audiences, and effects. In simple terms, it can be interpreted that communication is a
message delivery activity with the aim of equalizing the meaning of a person / institution
(communicator) to another person / audience (communicator).
Organization
One of the most important things in understanding organizational communication is
that we should understand the approaches that influence the way of thinking or looking at
organizations. Organization according to Robbins (2001; 4) is defined as a consciously
coordinated social unit, consisting of two or more people, which functions on a relatively
continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set of goals (Stephen P. Robbins, 2001: 4).
Pace & Faules (2001: 11) suggest that there are two approaches in understanding
organizations, the objective approach and the subjective approach. Meaning -"Objective" in
this concept refers to the view that objects, behaviors, and events exist in the real world and
are independent of observation, while -"Subjective" refers to reality itself as a social
construction, reality as a creative process that allows people to create what is "out there".
According to the objective approach, an organization is something physical and
concrete, and is a structure with definite boundaries, something stable. The term -
organization‖ implies that something tangible encapsulates people, relationships, and goals.
The subjective approach views organizations as activities that people do, consisting of
actions, interactions, and transactions involving people. Organizations are created and
nurtured through the constantly changing contacts that people have with one another and do
not exist in isolation from the people whose behaviors make up the organization.
So based on the objective approach, organization means structure; while based on the
subjective view, organization means process (organizing behavior). The implication is that,
according to the objective approach, studying the organization is studying the whole, how
the organization can adapt in the best way to the environment to develop itself and survive,
while according to the subjective approach, knowledge about the organization is obtained by
looking at behaviors and what those behaviors mean to those who do it, the structure is
recognized but the emphasis is on human behavior in the sense that it is not independent of
human actions. These two approaches, both objective and subjective, not only affect the way
of looking at organizational communication, but also in understanding the organization other
aspects related to organizational behavior.
Organizational Communication
Based on the description above, organizational communication can be defined as the
direction and interpretation of messages between communication units that are part of a
particular organization. The definition emphasizes more on the functional aspect (objective).
Meanwhile, when viewed from an interpretative (subjective) perspective, organizational
communication is seen as a process of creating meaning for the interactions that constitute
the organization. Organizational communication is the organizing behavior that occurs and
how those involved in the process transact and give meaning to what is happening (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Maulana, 31).
A simpler definitive statement is put forward by Arnold & Feldman (1986: 154) that
organizational communication is the exchange of information between people in the
organization, where the process generally includes stages: attention, comprehension,
acceptance as true, and retention.
The Nature of Communication in Organizations
When talking about organizational communication, what is drawn in a person is
things related to the role and status of each person in the organization, because the role and
status of a person also determines how to communicate with others as well as how to
communicate with him, so a good person is a person who always connects roles and statuses
with work (Alo Liliweri, 1997: 59).
In modern society people recognize a person because he or she has a variety of roles
and statuses. In an organization, this diversity is seen through the division of labor where
each person will work according to his talents and abilities so that he is responsible for the
work. When the number or types of work are more and more diverse, it is necessary to
intertwine the different types of work, intertwine between a leader and subordinates or
between leaders who ultimately form a large synergistic force to produce higher quality
output. At this stage communication is needed.
Organizational communication is often also interpreted as organizing behavior,
namely how a subordinate is involved in the process of transacting and giving meaning to
what is happening. Therefore, when the organization considered just a group of people who
interact then communication only functions as an organization; he is the organization itself.
So organizational communication will center on the symbols that make organizational life
possible, whether the words, ideas and constructs that encourage authorize, coordinate, and
realize organized activities in specific situations (Barry Cusway and Derej Logde, 1995:
115).
Any writing or anything related to organizational communication always considers
two main concepts, namely organization and communication. An organization can be
approached as an object of fun and interest, but there are those who may very well view
organizations as oppressive That favorable or oppressive attitude is actually very depends on
the understanding and practice of interactions, relationships and transactions that occur
between people in the organization, which is called organizational communication. So the
position of communication in organization is actually emphasizes on how an organization is
constructed and maintained through the communication process. With Thus organizational
communication is more than just what people but rather a theoretical explanation of
communication practices in organizations that serves togetherness both in the organization
as well as serving other people who need the organization. In other words, the existence of
communication in the organization makes one able to distinguish two things, namely: first,
showing how members work as an organization; and second, how the network operations
that link them to each other. In this perspective, communication is important in
organizations, 1). Communication is the way, through communication people seek
information and develop a number of criteria for getting work for them; 2). Communication
is a process for them in determining a choice which practical.
The Importance of the Study of Organizational Communication
The study of organizational communication is important because it is a discipline
that can take a number of legitimate and useful directions. In the sense that the study will
provide benefits not only for anyone who wants to understand organizational behavior
better, but also has pragmatic aspects for people who want to improve their performance as
participants/members of an organization. The study of organizational communication can
provide a strong foundation for careers in management, human resource development, and
corporate communication, as well as other human-oriented tasks in organizations (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Mulyana, 25).
Interpersonal Communication Interaction Format
Interpersonal communication is the process of exchanging information between
someone with at least one other person or usually between two people who can be
immediately known back. With the increase in people involved in communication, the
perception of people in communication events increases so that the communication becomes
more complex (Arni Muhammad, 2009: 158).
Classification Interpersonal communication
Intimate interaction; in organizations, this relationship is developed in informal
communication systems. For example, the relationship seen between two good
friends in the organization, who have personal interactions perhaps outside of their
roles and functions in the organization.
Social Conversation is an interaction to please someone simply by talking a little. If
two or more people get together and talk about concerns, interests outside the
organization such as family, sports, political issues.
Interrogation is an interaction between someone in control, who requests or even
obeys information from others.
Interview is a form of communication interpersonal communication where two
people engage in a conversation in the form of questions and answers.
Purpose of Interpersonal Communication
Finding yourself
Discovering the outside world
Establish and maintain meaningful relationships
Change in attitude and behavior
For play and fun
To help
Effective Interpersonal Relationships
According to Rogert, interpersonal relationships will occur effectively if both parties
fulfill the conditions:
meet each other in person
empathize appropriately with the other person and communicate meaningfully with
each other.
Respect each other, be positive and reasonable without judgment or objection.
really live each other's experiences, being receptive to each other's empathy.
Feel that maintaining mutual openness and a supportive climate reduces the tendency
for salience disruptions.
Exhibit behaviors that are trusting and reinforce feelings of security towards others.
Small Group Communication
Is a collection of individuals who can influence each other, get some satisfaction
from each other, interact to multiple goals, take on roles, bond with each other and
communicate face-to-face.
Purpose of small group communication
o Personal Objective
Relationships social, the goal is to strengthen interpersonal
relationships and improve our well-being.
Channeling, this goal is usually carried out in an atmosphere that
favors the exchange of ideas or heated arguments in family
discussions, where self-disclosure is appropriate.
Group therapy, this is usually used to help people eliminate their
attitudes, or behaviors in some aspect of their lives.
Learning, as a common reason for people to join small groups, is
learning from others. Learning happens in a variety of settings. The
underlying assumption of group learning is the idea of two-way
learning.
o Work-related goals
Decision-making; People who come together in groups to make
decisions about something. Discussing alternatives with others helps
people decide which is the best option for the group.
Small Group as a system
Small groups are small organizations that have four basic components: input or
process, output or result of feedback.
o Inputs, are the raw materials in a small group such as people, information that
the group uses to interact. People or group members are inputs because each
person in the group brings certain qualities such as personality, age, health,
knowledge, attitudes, values and problem-solving abilities.
o Process, refers to all the internal processes that occur within the group during
the discussion.
o Outcome, is the decision or resolution reached by the group.
o Feedback, containing responses that tie the system together. Feedback
provides input for future group meetings.
Small Group Characteristics
o Make it easier friendly meeting
o Group personality. When a group of people come together they forming its
own identity that makes up the personality of the group.
o Cohesiveness, which is the attraction group members have for each other and
their desire to stick together.
o Commitment to the task. Another individual activity within the group that is
closely related to with commitment is motivation.
o The size of Group size seems simple enough but group size has some
important ramifications within the group.
o Group norms, are rules and guidelines used by the group itself, as well as
some external factors outside the group.
o Interdependence. The most important thing is that group members depend on
each other to some degree, and on each other less.
Roles of Small Group Communication members
Kennet Benne and Paul Sheats (1948) proposed a classification of member roles on
this important topic. Benne and Sheats divided member roles into three general classes:
group task roles, group building and maintenance roles, and individual roles.
The Role of Group Assignments:
The group task role is the role that enables the group to focus more specifically on
achieving group goals. In carrying out With each of these roles, members do not act as
separate individuals, but as part of a larger whole. The needs and goals of the group govern
the roles that members must perform. Effective group members will perform several of these
functions, although some people are locked into a few specific roles.
Role Fostering and Sustaining Groups:
No one and no group is task-oriented all the time. A group is a unit whose members
have diverse interpersonal relationships. These relationships need to be nurtured if the group
is to function effectively-if group members are to be satisfied and productive. If this function
is not performed, group members will be damaged if group processes become bogged down,
frequent conflicts arise, or small group communication becomes disrupted on some personal
or social level.
Individualized role:
The task group role and the fostering and sustaining group role are all productive.
They assist the group in achieving its goals, and are group-oriented. The roles we will
discuss here are counter-productive. They hinder the group in achieving its goals and are
more individual-oriented than group-oriented group. Such roles are often termed
malfunctions, which hinder group effectiveness in terms of both productivity and personal
satisfaction.
Member Participation:
Here are some guidelines that will help make your participation in small group
communication effective and more enjoyable. Some of these suggestions are elaborations
and extensions of the basic characteristics of effective interpersonal communication.
Group-Oriented:
In a small group you are a team member - a member of a larger whole. Your
participation will be valuable if it helps achieve the group's goals of the group and increase
member satisfaction. Your job is to mobilize your skills, knowledge and ideas so that the
group can develop solutions that are better than those developed by one person. Individual
achievement can hinder the group.
Center the conflict on the problem:
Conflict in a small group situation is inevitable. Conflict is a natural part of the small
group process, but center the conflict on the problem rather than the person.
Be Critically Unbiased:
A common but unproductive developmental symptom occurs when members come
to the group with preconceived notions. When this happens, the small group process turns
into a series of individualized debates, with each person trying to defend his or her position.
Instead, members should come to the group armed with relevant information that will be
useful in the discussion process. They should not have made up their minds about the
solutions or conclusions they will accept.
Ensure understanding:
Make sure that your ideas and information are understood by all participants. If
something is worth saying. Then what is said should also be made clear. If in doubt, ask
yourself if what you are saying is clear, -Is my question clear enough?‖ -Did I explain it
clearly enough?‖ Also make sure that you are clear about the contributions of other
members, especially before you discuss the issue with them. In practice, people often
express their disagreement in their own words.
Groupthink:
Here are some symptoms that can help you recognize groupthink in the groups you
observe or participate in.
- Group members think that the group and its members cannot be defeated by danger.
- Members create rationalizations to avoid dealing directly with the danger or threat.
- Group members believe that their group is moral.
- Those who go against the grain are considered to be oversimplifying the problem, embracing
pluralistic ways.
- Group pressure is aimed at any member who shows hesitation or questions the group's
arguments or proposals. questioning the group's arguments or proposals.
- Group members censor their own doubts.
- Group members believe that all members agree unanimously, whether such agreement is
expressed or not.
- Group members begin to act as information that reaches other group members, especially if
such information can create differences of opinion.
Leaders in Small Group Communication
In most small groups, one person serves as the leader. In other groups, leadership
may be held by several people. Furthermore, the leader may be appointed or automatically
appear in the group In process development group communication.
Leadership Style:
In addition to looking at the main concerns in leadership, as we did with situational
leadership theory, we can also look at leadership in terms of three leadership styles: hands-
off, democratic and authoritarian.
Control-Leasing Leader:
The hands-off leader does not take the initiative to direct or suggest alternative
courses of action. Rather, this leader allows the group to develop and make mistakes. This
kind of leader rejects any authority given.
Democratic Leader:
The Democratic leader provides direction, but allows the group to develop and
implement the way its members want. Group members are encouraged to determine goals
and procedures. The democratic leader stimulates self-direction and self-actualization in
group members.
Keeping Members on Track:
Many people are egocentric and will only feel their own wants and problems. In this
case, the role of the leader is needed to direct the members to stay on the path of discussion.
Ensuring Member Satisfaction:
Members have different psychological needs and wants and many enter the group precisely
because of these needs and wants. Even if the group deals with for example political issues,
the various members may come together for reasons that are more psychological than
political.
Stimulate Evaluation and Improvement:
All groups will face obstacles if they are trying to solve a problem, make a decision,
or develop ideas. No single group is perfectly effective. All groups have the opportunity to
improve themselves.
Prepare Members for Discussion:
Groups form slowly and need to be shaped into meaningful discussions. The leader
should prepare the members for the discussion. This involves getting members ready to
interact in small groups, as well as ready to discuss a specific issue.
Public Communication
Public communication is the exchange of messages with a number of people who are
in a particular organization or outside the organization face-to-face or through the media.
The quality that distinguishes public organizational communication from interpersonal
communication and small group communication is :
Public communication is oriented towards the speaker or source. In interpersonal and
small group communication there is a reciprocal relationship between the speaker and
the recipient involved. In public organizational communication the speaker dominates
the relationship.
In public communication involves a large number of recipients but in interpersonal
communication there are usually 2 people and small group communication no more
than 5-7 recipients, public communication messages are intended to attract many
people, hundreds or millions of people.
In public communication there is less interaction between the speaker and the listener.
This results in less direct interaction between the speaker and the listener, especially
the larger the audience.
The language used in public communication is more general so that it can be
understood by the audience. Usually before the presentation the speaker knows the
specific type of audience.
The purpose of public communication is :
- Providing information to a large number of people who know the organization, for example
about the organization's activities and production.
- Establishing relationships between the organization and the community outside the
organization such as use of organizational services, users of organizational products and
society in general.
- Providing entertainment to a number of people such as recounting a pleasant experience to a
crowd.
Conclusions
Organizational communication is the direction and interpretation of messages among
communication units that are part of a particular organization. Organizational
communication is also the organizing behavior that occurs and how those involved in the
process transact and give meaning to what is happening. Organizational communication also
has the meaning of sending and receiving various organizational messages in formal and
informal groups of an organization. It also includes the approaches involved in
organizational communication. In addition, there are also communication networks and
flows in communication. As well as the interaction format of organizational communication
which consists of communication interpersonal, communication small group, and public
communication.
Definition of Organizational Communication
Understanding of organizational communication is inseparable from its relation to
various other aspects of organizational behavior as a whole, or when viewed more broadly,
namely in relation to interdisciplinary studies, especially communication science.
Organizational behavior deals with how and why people act, think and feel in an
organizational setting (Paul D. Sweeney & Dean B. Mc Farlin, 2002: 3). To better
understand organizational communication. We must refer to the various notions of
communication and organization that will be described in the following section:
Communication
The term communication comes from the Latin word -communication‖ which means
notification, giving part, exchange, where the speaker expects consideration or answer from
the listener. The adjective is communis which means common or shared. The verb is
communicare which means to dialogue, confer or deliberate (Anwar Arifin, 1994: 24).
Communication is a process that is generally used by humans in social interaction.
Basically, it has such a broad understanding, both as a separate science and as a
process. There are various definitions of communication, Carl I. Hovland suggests as
follows: communication is the process by which a person / communicator Convey stimuli
(usually symbols in the form of words) to change the behavior of others / communicants
(Onong Uchyana Effendy, 1993: 24). Then Shimp (1993; 8) states that communication is
the process to create or cause a common thought between the one who gives the sign and the
one who receives the sign. Shimp's definition emphasizes more on the communication
process that aims at creating a common thought or opinion on the interaction that occurs
(Terence A. Shimp, 1993: 8).
Pace & Faules (2001; 28) suggest that communication can be distinguished from all
other human and organizational behavior because it involves the mental process of
understanding people, objects and events. Two common forms of action that constitute
communication that emphasize on 1) the creation of messages or, more precisely, the
creation of performances, and 2) the interpretation of messages or the interpretation of
performances (R. Wayne Pace & Don F. Daules, Deddy Maulyana). Harold D. Lasswell
explained communication as an answer to the questions: Who, Say, What, In which channel,
To whom, With what effect? This sentence then known as the Lasswell formula (Effendy,
256). From what Lasswell stated, in essence, it includes elements of communication, namely
the existence of; communicators, messages conveyed, media used, communicants /
audiences, and effects. In simple terms, it can be interpreted that communication is a
message delivery activity with the aim of equalizing the meaning of a person / institution
(communicator) to another person / audience (communicator).
Organization
One of the most important things in understanding organizational communication is
that we should understand the approaches that influence the way of thinking or looking at
organizations. Organization according to Robbins (2001; 4) is defined as a consciously
coordinated social unit, consisting of two or more people, which functions on a relatively
continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set of goals (Stephen P. Robbins, 2001: 4).
Pace & Faules (2001: 11) suggest that there are two approaches in understanding
organizations, the objective approach and the subjective approach. Meaning -"Objective" in
this concept refers to the view that objects, behaviors, and events exist in the real world and
are independent of observation, while -"Subjective" refers to reality itself as a social
construction, reality as a creative process that allows people to create what is "out there".
According to the objective approach, an organization is something physical and
concrete, and is a structure with definite boundaries, something stable. The term -
organization‖ implies that something tangible encapsulates people, relationships, and goals.
The subjective approach views organizations as activities that people do, consisting of
actions, interactions, and transactions involving people. Organizations are created and
nurtured through the constantly changing contacts that people have with one another and do
not exist in isolation from the people whose behaviors make up the organization.
So based on the objective approach, organization means structure; while based on the
subjective view, organization means process (organizing behavior). The implication is that,
according to the objective approach, studying the organization is studying the whole, how
the organization can adapt in the best way to the environment to develop itself and survive,
while according to the subjective approach, knowledge about the organization is obtained by
looking at behaviors and what those behaviors mean to those who do it, the structure is
recognized but the emphasis is on human behavior in the sense that it is not independent of
human actions. These two approaches, both objective and subjective, not only affect the way
of looking at organizational communication, but also in understanding the organization other
aspects related to organizational behavior.
Organizational Communication
Based on the description above, organizational communication can be defined as the
direction and interpretation of messages between communication units that are part of a
particular organization. The definition emphasizes more on the functional aspect (objective).
Meanwhile, when viewed from an interpretative (subjective) perspective, organizational
communication is seen as a process of creating meaning for the interactions that constitute
the organization. Organizational communication is the organizing behavior that occurs and
how those involved in the process transact and give meaning to what is happening (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Maulana, 31).
A simpler definitive statement is put forward by Arnold & Feldman (1986: 154) that
organizational communication is the exchange of information between people in the
organization, where the process generally includes stages: attention, comprehension,
acceptance as true, and retention.
The Nature of Communication in Organizations
When talking about organizational communication, what is drawn in a person is
things related to the role and status of each person in the organization, because the role and
status of a person also determines how to communicate with others as well as how to
communicate with him, so a good person is a person who always connects roles and statuses
with work (Alo Liliweri, 1997: 59).
In modern society people recognize a person because he or she has a variety of roles
and statuses. In an organization, this diversity is seen through the division of labor where
each person will work according to his talents and abilities so that he is responsible for the
work. When the number or types of work are more and more diverse, it is necessary to
intertwine the different types of work, intertwine between a leader and subordinates or
between leaders who ultimately form a large synergistic force to produce higher quality
output. At this stage communication is needed.
Organizational communication is often also interpreted as organizing behavior,
namely how a subordinate is involved in the process of transacting and giving meaning to
what is happening. Therefore, when the organization considered just a group of people who
interact then communication only functions as an organization; he is the organization itself.
So organizational communication will center on the symbols that make organizational life
possible, whether the words, ideas and constructs that encourage authorize, coordinate, and
realize organized activities in specific situations (Barry Cusway and Derej Logde, 1995:
115).
Any writing or anything related to organizational communication always considers
two main concepts, namely organization and communication. An organization can be
approached as an object of fun and interest, but there are those who may very well view
organizations as oppressive That favorable or oppressive attitude is actually very depends on
the understanding and practice of interactions, relationships and transactions that occur
between people in the organization, which is called organizational communication. So the
position of communication in organization is actually emphasizes on how an organization is
constructed and maintained through the communication process. With Thus organizational
communication is more than just what people but rather a theoretical explanation of
communication practices in organizations that serves togetherness both in the organization
as well as serving other people who need the organization. In other words, the existence of
communication in the organization makes one able to distinguish two things, namely: first,
showing how members work as an organization; and second, how the network operations
that link them to each other. In this perspective, communication is important in
organizations, 1). Communication is the way, through communication people seek
information and develop a number of criteria for getting work for them; 2). Communication
is a process for them in determining a choice which practical.
The Importance of the Study of Organizational Communication
The study of organizational communication is important because it is a discipline
that can take a number of legitimate and useful directions. In the sense that the study will
provide benefits not only for anyone who wants to understand organizational behavior
better, but also has pragmatic aspects for people who want to improve their performance as
participants/members of an organization. The study of organizational communication can
provide a strong foundation for careers in management, human resource development, and
corporate communication, as well as other human-oriented tasks in organizations (Pace and
Faules, Deddy Mulyana, 25).
Interpersonal Communication Interaction Format
Interpersonal communication is the process of exchanging information between
someone with at least one other person or usually between two people who can be
immediately known back. With the increase in people involved in communication, the
perception of people in communication events increases so that the communication becomes
more complex (Arni Muhammad, 2009: 158).
Classification Interpersonal communication
Intimate interaction; in organizations, this relationship is developed in informal
communication systems. For example, the relationship seen between two good
friends in the organization, who have personal interactions perhaps outside of their
roles and functions in the organization.
Social Conversation is an interaction to please someone simply by talking a little. If
two or more people get together and talk about concerns, interests outside the
organization such as family, sports, political issues.
Interrogation is an interaction between someone in control, who requests or even
obeys information from others.
Interview is a form of communication interpersonal communication where two
people engage in a conversation in the form of questions and answers.
Purpose of Interpersonal Communication
Finding yourself
Discovering the outside world
Establish and maintain meaningful relationships
Change in attitude and behavior
For play and fun
To help
Effective Interpersonal Relationships
According to Rogert, interpersonal relationships will occur effectively if both parties
fulfill the conditions:
meet each other in person
empathize appropriately with the other person and communicate meaningfully with
each other.
Respect each other, be positive and reasonable without judgment or objection.
really live each other's experiences, being receptive to each other's empathy.
Feel that maintaining mutual openness and a supportive climate reduces the tendency
for salience disruptions.
Exhibit behaviors that are trusting and reinforce feelings of security towards others.
Small Group Communication
Is a collection of individuals who can influence each other, get some satisfaction
from each other, interact to multiple goals, take on roles, bond with each other and
communicate face-to-face.
Purpose of small group communication
o Personal Objective
Relationships social, the goal is to strengthen interpersonal
relationships and improve our well-being.
Channeling, this goal is usually carried out in an atmosphere that
favors the exchange of ideas or heated arguments in family
discussions, where self-disclosure is appropriate.
Group therapy, this is usually used to help people eliminate their
attitudes, or behaviors in some aspect of their lives.
Learning, as a common reason for people to join small groups, is
learning from others. Learning happens in a variety of settings. The
underlying assumption of group learning is the idea of two-way
learning.
o Work-related goals
Decision-making; People who come together in groups to make
decisions about something. Discussing alternatives with others helps
people decide which is the best option for the group.
Small Group as a system
Small groups are small organizations that have four basic components: input or
process, output or result of feedback.
o Inputs, are the raw materials in a small group such as people, information that
the group uses to interact. People or group members are inputs because each
person in the group brings certain qualities such as personality, age, health,
knowledge, attitudes, values and problem-solving abilities.
o Process, refers to all the internal processes that occur within the group during
the discussion.
o Outcome, is the decision or resolution reached by the group.
o Feedback, containing responses that tie the system together. Feedback
provides input for future group meetings.
Small Group Characteristics
o Make it easier friendly meeting
o Group personality. When a group of people come together they forming its
own identity that makes up the personality of the group.
o Cohesiveness, which is the attraction group members have for each other and
their desire to stick together.
o Commitment to the task. Another individual activity within the group that is
closely related to with commitment is motivation.
o The size of Group size seems simple enough but group size has some
important ramifications within the group.
o Group norms, are rules and guidelines used by the group itself, as well as
some external factors outside the group.
o Interdependence. The most important thing is that group members depend on
each other to some degree, and on each other less.
Roles of Small Group Communication members
Kennet Benne and Paul Sheats (1948) proposed a classification of member roles on
this important topic. Benne and Sheats divided member roles into three general classes:
group task roles, group building and maintenance roles, and individual roles.
The Role of Group Assignments:
The group task role is the role that enables the group to focus more specifically on
achieving group goals. In carrying out With each of these roles, members do not act as
separate individuals, but as part of a larger whole. The needs and goals of the group govern
the roles that members must perform. Effective group members will perform several of these
functions, although some people are locked into a few specific roles.
Role Fostering and Sustaining Groups:
No one and no group is task-oriented all the time. A group is a unit whose members
have diverse interpersonal relationships. These relationships need to be nurtured if the group
is to function effectively-if group members are to be satisfied and productive. If this function
is not performed, group members will be damaged if group processes become bogged down,
frequent conflicts arise, or small group communication becomes disrupted on some personal
or social level.
Individualized role:
The task group role and the fostering and sustaining group role are all productive.
They assist the group in achieving its goals, and are group-oriented. The roles we will
discuss here are counter-productive. They hinder the group in achieving its goals and are
more individual-oriented than group-oriented group. Such roles are often termed
malfunctions, which hinder group effectiveness in terms of both productivity and personal
satisfaction.
Member Participation:
Here are some guidelines that will help make your participation in small group
communication effective and more enjoyable. Some of these suggestions are elaborations
and extensions of the basic characteristics of effective interpersonal communication.
Group-Oriented:
In a small group you are a team member - a member of a larger whole. Your
participation will be valuable if it helps achieve the group's goals of the group and increase
member satisfaction. Your job is to mobilize your skills, knowledge and ideas so that the
group can develop solutions that are better than those developed by one person. Individual
achievement can hinder the group.
Center the conflict on the problem:
Conflict in a small group situation is inevitable. Conflict is a natural part of the small
group process, but center the conflict on the problem rather than the person.
Be Critically Unbiased:
A common but unproductive developmental symptom occurs when members come
to the group with preconceived notions. When this happens, the small group process turns
into a series of individualized debates, with each person trying to defend his or her position.
Instead, members should come to the group armed with relevant information that will be
useful in the discussion process. They should not have made up their minds about the
solutions or conclusions they will accept.
Ensure understanding:
Make sure that your ideas and information are understood by all participants. If
something is worth saying. Then what is said should also be made clear. If in doubt, ask
yourself if what you are saying is clear, -Is my question clear enough?‖ -Did I explain it
clearly enough?‖ Also make sure that you are clear about the contributions of other
members, especially before you discuss the issue with them. In practice, people often
express their disagreement in their own words.
Groupthink:
Here are some symptoms that can help you recognize groupthink in the groups you
observe or participate in.
- Group members think that the group and its members cannot be defeated by danger.
- Members create rationalizations to avoid dealing directly with the danger or threat.
- Group members believe that their group is moral.
- Those who go against the grain are considered to be oversimplifying the problem, embracing
pluralistic ways.
- Group pressure is aimed at any member who shows hesitation or questions the group's
arguments or proposals. questioning the group's arguments or proposals.
- Group members censor their own doubts.
- Group members believe that all members agree unanimously, whether such agreement is
expressed or not.
- Group members begin to act as information that reaches other group members, especially if
such information can create differences of opinion.
Leaders in Small Group Communication
In most small groups, one person serves as the leader. In other groups, leadership
may be held by several people. Furthermore, the leader may be appointed or automatically
appear in the group In process development group communication.
Leadership Style:
In addition to looking at the main concerns in leadership, as we did with situational
leadership theory, we can also look at leadership in terms of three leadership styles: hands-
off, democratic and authoritarian.
Control-Leasing Leader:
The hands-off leader does not take the initiative to direct or suggest alternative
courses of action. Rather, this leader allows the group to develop and make mistakes. This
kind of leader rejects any authority given.
Democratic Leader:
The Democratic leader provides direction, but allows the group to develop and
implement the way its members want. Group members are encouraged to determine goals
and procedures. The democratic leader stimulates self-direction and self-actualization in
group members.
Keeping Members on Track:
Many people are egocentric and will only feel their own wants and problems. In this
case, the role of the leader is needed to direct the members to stay on the path of discussion.
Ensuring Member Satisfaction:
Members have different psychological needs and wants and many enter the group precisely
because of these needs and wants. Even if the group deals with for example political issues,
the various members may come together for reasons that are more psychological than
political.
Stimulate Evaluation and Improvement:
All groups will face obstacles if they are trying to solve a problem, make a decision,
or develop ideas. No single group is perfectly effective. All groups have the opportunity to
improve themselves.
Prepare Members for Discussion:
Groups form slowly and need to be shaped into meaningful discussions. The leader
should prepare the members for the discussion. This involves getting members ready to
interact in small groups, as well as ready to discuss a specific issue.
Public Communication
Public communication is the exchange of messages with a number of people who are
in a particular organization or outside the organization face-to-face or through the media.
The quality that distinguishes public organizational communication from interpersonal
communication and small group communication is :
Public communication is oriented towards the speaker or source. In interpersonal and
small group communication there is a reciprocal relationship between the speaker and
the recipient involved. In public organizational communication the speaker dominates
the relationship.
In public communication involves a large number of recipients but in interpersonal
communication there are usually 2 people and small group communication no more
than 5-7 recipients, public communication messages are intended to attract many
people, hundreds or millions of people.
In public communication there is less interaction between the speaker and the listener.
This results in less direct interaction between the speaker and the listener, especially
the larger the audience.
The language used in public communication is more general so that it can be
understood by the audience. Usually before the presentation the speaker knows the
specific type of audience.
The purpose of public communication is :
- Providing information to a large number of people who know the organization, for example
about the organization's activities and production.
- Establishing relationships between the organization and the community outside the
organization such as use of organizational services, users of organizational products and
society in general.
- Providing entertainment to a number of people such as recounting a pleasant experience to a
crowd.
Conclusions
Organizational communication is the direction and interpretation of messages among
communication units that are part of a particular organization. Organizational
communication is also the organizing behavior that occurs and how those involved in the
process transact and give meaning to what is happening. Organizational communication also
has the meaning of sending and receiving various organizational messages in formal and
informal groups of an organization. It also includes the approaches involved in
organizational communication. In addition, there are also communication networks and
flows in communication. As well as the interaction format of organizational communication
which consists of communication interpersonal, communication small group, and public
communication.
