Organizational Communication

12 Key excerpts on "Organizational Communication"

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  eBook - ePub

  Communication in Organizational Environments

  Functions, Determinants and Areas of Influence

  • Anna Rogala, Sylwester Bialowas(Authors)
  • 2016(Publication Date)
  • Palgrave Macmillan

    (Publisher)

  Organizational Communication.

  These areas impact all aspects of the organizational life (Miller 1996 ), overlapping and mutually complementing each other. It should be emphasized that it is difficult to demarcate them both from the scientific and practical point of view. Thus, business communication is defined as “the scholarly study of the use, adaptation, and creation of languages, symbols, and signs to conduct activities that satisfy human needs and wants by providing goods and services for private profit” (Reinsch 1996 , p. 28). The goal of management communication is to develop and disseminate knowledge, which is to contribute to increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of modern managers (Smeltzer 1996 , pp. 22–23). Importantly, this approach highlights the role of management in the Organizational Communication process, the obligations connected with it, as well as the importance of communicative competence as such. Next, corporate communication is defined as “a corporation’s voice and the images it projects of itself on a world stage populated by its various audiences, or what we refer to as constituencies” (Argenti and Forman 2002 , p. 4). This concept is thus wider than the previous two as it includes both internal and external communication. Defining Organizational Communication, D. Tourish and O. Hargie note that it consists of how the members of an organization attribute meanings to messages within verbal and non-verbal communication, communication skills, and communicative effectiveness, and how they distort these meanings when communicating with one another through both formal and informal channels (2004 , p. 10). In an attempt to conduct a comprehensive analysis of Organizational Communication, H. Kalla proposes adopting a holistic approach. Its principal construct is integrated internal communication, which should be understood as all formal and informal communication taking place internally at all levels in an organization (2005 , p. 304). Naturally, the proponents of this concept also recognize the relationships and dependencies between external and internal communication (Cheney and Christensen 2001 ; Kalla 2005

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  Shared Experiences in Human Communication

  • Stewart L. Tubbs(Author)
  • 2020(Publication Date)
  • Routledge

    (Publisher)

  What does all this mean? It is apparent that definitions, approaches to and perceptions of Organizational Communication are legion. It is apparent that Organizational Communication can mean and refer to whatever the author wants. Despite this wide variety of viewpoints, a few common strands can be detected in many of the fifty perceptions:

  1. Organizational Communication occurs within a complex open system which is influenced by and influences its environment.
  2. Organizational Communication involves messages, their flow, purpose, direction and media.
  3. Organizational Communication involves people, their attitudes, feelings, relationships and skills.

  These propositions lead to my definition of Organizational Communication: Organizational Communication is the flow of messages within a network of interdependent relationships. This perception of the field of Organizational Communication includes four key concepts, each of which I will now define and illustrate briefly: messages, networks, interdependent, and relationship.

  Messages

  The following messages were taken from letters of wives, husbands, mothers and fathers, on file at the San Antonio Veterans Administration: “Both sides of my parents are poor and I can’t expect nothing from them, as my mother has been in bed for one year with the same doctor, and won’t change.” “Please send me a letter and tell me if my husband has made application for a wife and baby.” “I can’t get any pay. I has 6 children, can you tell me why this is?” “I am forwarding you my marriage certificate and my 2 children, one is a mistake as you can plainly see.” “I am annoyed to find out that you branded my child as illiterate, it is a dirty lie as I married his father a week before he was born.” “You changed my little boy to a girl, does this make a difference?” “In accordance with your instructions, I have given birth to twins in the enclosed envelope.” “My husband had his project cut off 2 weeks ago and I haven’t had any relief since.”

  Undoubtedly, the senders of the above letters may not have had the same meanings in their minds as may be interpreted by some readers. In fact, many of the senders probably would deny any other possible interpretation of their messages except the one they intended. How often do we assign a meaning to a message and assume that because we know what it means, so shouldn’t everyone else? In a popularly used teaching film on communication, a manager is upset with his employee for not following his explicit instructions for completing a “model job.” When the worker joyfully displayed his electrical-mechanical simulation “model,” his boss angrily shouted, “I didn’t ask you for this!” The employee, now frightened by his employer’s loud, shrill voice and fast moving gestures, proclaimed, “But boss, you asked me to produce a model job, and that’s what I did!” The now almost violent boss screamed, “But I didn’t mean that you should build a model. I meant that you should do a model job, a good job, an excellent job!” The employee interrupted, “But boss, that’s not what you said!” In a final shout of despair, the boss yelled, “Don’t listen to what I say; listen to what I mean!

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  Human Communication Theory and Research

  Concepts, Contexts, and Challenges

  • Robert L. Heath, Jennings Bryant(Authors)
  • 2013(Publication Date)
  • Routledge

    (Publisher)

  Members of organizations attempt to make rational decisions about their performance; they seek to maximize the rewards for their efforts while minimizing the costs. Members of organizations communicate to perform tasks and enact roles on behalf of those organizations. Individuals negotiate with other organizational members, including management on how those tasks and roles will be performed.

  The study of Organizational Communication centers on means by which people gain information, shape opinions, make decisions, coordinate efforts, voice expectations, assimilate into the organization, leave the organization, and create rapport with one another. Through communication, people coordinate their actions to achieve individual and collective goals. This process begins early in people’s lives and continues as they mature. People learn communication styles and content at an early age from other family members, educational institutions, media, and work experience.

  The study of Organizational Communication focuses on processes of interaction, means by which members create shared meaning, and strategic coordination of goal-oriented activities. Organizational Communication is not something that transpires within a “box” (the organization) but rather what happens between people who are members of an organization or outsiders who interact with them. Rather than thinking of an organization communicating, it is best to think of people communicating within and on behalf of an organization. This action is not random, but coordinated; it requires that members acquire and share information as well as persuade one another on an array of matters. Actions and statements of individuals bring the organization to life. Meaning (individual and shared opinions) influences what people do and how they do it. Actions are affected by the “culture” and “climate” of each organization.

  This chapter examines variables and theories to explain why people communicate as they do as a consequence of their membership in organizations. Themes address the unique nature of Organizational Communication, organizations as systems and as shared meaning. The chapter focuses on units of analysis: interpersonal, especially superior–subordinate interactions, task-group interaction, and the organization communicating inwardly and externally to foster mutually beneficial relationships with key stakeholders.

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  Communicating in the 21st Century

  • Baden Eunson(Author)
  • 2016(Publication Date)
  • Wiley

    (Publisher)

  chapter 17 ‘Public communication’).

  An organisation consists of a group of people who work together to achieve a common purpose. It can consist of two people or two million people, and can be structured as a small business or an army, corporation, government or church. An organisation is bigger than the individuals and groups that comprise it, but smaller than the society that gives it its context and environment.

  What is organisational communication?

  Organisational communication is difficult to define. Richmond and McCroskey (2009 ) describe it as ‘the process by which individuals stimulate meaning in the minds of other individuals, by means of verbal and nonverbal messages in the context of a formal organisation’. Pace and Faules (1994 , p. 20) suggest it is ‘the display and interpretation of messages among communication units who are part of a particular organisation. An organisation is comprised of communication units in hierarchical relations to each other and functioning in an environment’. Miller (2015 , p. 1) has this to say.

  Most scholars would agree that an organisation involves a social collectivity (or a group of people) in which activities are coordinated in order to achieve both individual and collective goals. By coordinating activities, some degree of organisational structure is created to assist individuals in dealing with each other and with others in the larger organisational environment. With regard to communication, most scholars would agree that communication is a process that is transactional (i.e., it involves two or more people interacting within an environment) and symbolic (i.e., communication transactions ‘stand for’ other things, at various levels of abstraction). To study ‘organisational communication’, then, involves understanding how the context of the organisation influences communication processes and how the symbolic nature of communication differentiates it from other forms of organisational behaviour.

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  Industrial/Organizational Psychology

  An Applied Approach

  • Michael Aamodt(Author)
  • 2015(Publication Date)
  • Cengage Learning EMEA

    (Publisher)

  This helps drive the daily activities of employees and ensures that they are all working in support of the organization’s priorities. This usually takes the form of setting objec-tives and performance management and is where the strategic and operational elements of an organization meet. For organizations to be effective, all three legs of the communications stool must be strategi-cally aligned and working together. Organizations are living organisms whose systems and structures are set up to accomplish a goal. A publicly traded company’s goal may be to grow shareholder value; a sports team’s goal may be to win the game; and a symphony orchestra’s goal may be to master a piece of music. To create an effective communication strategy, my advice is to take into account the information needs of all constituents in each part of the system. Amy Podurgal, M.S. President, Square Peg Consulting, Inc. © Pat Bartley Organizational Communication 399 Copyright 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s). Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it. employees who submit cost-saving ideas that are ultimately adopted by the company. In a study of organizations encouraging suggestions, the Employee Involvement Asso-ciation found that over 30% of employees submitted at least one suggestion, approxi-mately 37% of suggestions were adopted, and the value of the typical suggestion was 10 times greater than the cost of rewarding the suggestion (Wells, 2005). Third-Party Facilitators The use of a third party such as a liaison or an ombudsperson is another method that can increase upward communication.

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  Organizational Behavior

  • Michael A. Hitt, C. Chet Miller, Adrienne Colella, Maria Triana(Authors)
  • 2017(Publication Date)
  • Wiley

    (Publisher)

  6 (2009): 84–85; D. Aucoin, “MySpace vs. Workplace,” Boston Globe (May 29, 2007), http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2007/05/29/ myspace_vs_workplace; M. Brandel, “How to ‘Get Found’ On the Web,” Computerworld (March 26, 2007), p. 30. Organizational Communication 297 emotions include fear, disgust, surprise, happiness, and anger. Therefore, people in a variety of countries such as the United States, Spain, Argentina, New Guinea, and Japan are all likely to recognize a smile as a sign of happiness and a scowl as a sign of disgust. Organizational Communication The purpose of Organizational Communication is to facilitate the achievement of the orga- nization’s goals. This form of communication involves the use of communication networks, policies, and structures. Studies show that effective communication is important both for the success of project teams as well as the organization as a whole. In fact, findings from a sample of small businesses revealed that when organizational leaders communicate and share their vision about the business’ future, that act is positively associated with staff satis- faction, customer satisfaction, and business financial performance. 57 Communication Networks Communication networks represent patterns of communication (who communicates with whom). Thus, they correspond to the structure of communication flows in the organization, and they affect coordination, innovation, and performance. 58 There are a variety of possible patterns, and a few of the more common ones are presented in Exhibit 9‑2. Each line shown in the exhibit represents two-way communication and, as such, counts as two network con- nections for the purposes of this chapter. Networks can be characterized in terms of their density. 59 In sparse networks, there are few connections among members. In dense networks, there are many connections. The wheel, Y, and circle networks depicted in Exhibit 9-2 are sparse.

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  Communication in Everyday Life

  • Seyed Ali Fallahchay(Author)
  • 2020(Publication Date)
  • Society Publishing

    (Publisher)

  The chapter also states some of the communication networks that are widely adopted in organization. The chapter also evaluates the role of creative thinking as an imperative tool in communication at workplace. In the end, the chapter discusses some of the barriers that act as a major hurdle effective workplace communication. 7.1. WHAT IS WORKPLACE COMMUNICATION? Workplace communication can be defined as the process of exchanging information, both verbal as well as non-verbally, within an organization. There are various ways to engage in the communication. To be a valuable and an effective member in an organization, it is essential to have good communication skills and know the importance of communication in company. Effective workplace communication is concerned with achieving the goal of organization. Workplace communication is of utmost importance for every organization whether it is private or public, because it increases efficiency and productivity. Ineffective workplace communication can hamper the smooth flow of communication, which can result in creating the communication gaps between employees that causes confusion, impede productivity, wastes time, and reduce transparency. Misunderstandings that cause friction among individuals can be evaded by communicating in an effective and efficient manner. To make the communication successful, it is important to pass it from a sender to a receiver. This must occur irrespective of the form of communication. To make sure that the communication be effective, it must be delivered by the sender clearly so that the receiver understands the actual meaning of the message. This means that communication involves speaking, listening, reading, and reasoning skills. As communications pass from the sender source to the Communication in the Workplace 161 receiver, there is higher likelihood that the original meaning of the message could be changed.

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  Communication N5 SB

  TVET FIRST

  • A Thorne(Author)
  • 2021(Publication Date)
  • Macmillan

    (Publisher)

  [2] 3.4 Watching a training video on YouTube with your colleagues. [2] 3.5 Emailing a photo of a product to an interested client. [2] 3.6 Uploading a product photo to your company’s social media page. [2] TOTAL: [20] Unit 1.3: Internal communication Every organisation is made up of people who communicate with each other as they carry out the work and goals of the organisation. Definition of internal communication Internal communication takes place when an organisation sends information to, or receives it from, individuals, teams or departments within the organisation, including board members and shareholders. Please see Table 1.2.1 on page 8 for the differences between internal and external communication. The main functions of communication within an organisation are: command (control), relational (relationships) and ambiguity (uncertainty) management, as described below. Command Authority and control are communicated. Staff are given tasks, projects, instructions, responsibilities and duties to carry out. The purpose is to reach the goals of the organisation in an efficient, successful and professional way. Relational The goal of relational communication is to create good working relationships among people within the organisation. It also maintains and strengthens such relationships. Business will prosper if everyone gets along well. Managing ambiguity This is about asking enough questions until you can make a difficult decision or solve a problem. This is important in a complicated situation or a crisis. It is also about making sure that an instruction, rule, etc. is clear to all involved. Figure 1.3.1: Three main functions of internal communication 14 Module 1 TVET FIRST Managing ambiguity well is a life skill, not only a leadership skill. Many aspects of our lives are uncertain, unpredictable and constantly changing. Decide beforehand to be flexible, bounce back quickly and stay calm.

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  Business Management

  • James Burrow, Brad Kleindl, Michael Becraft, , James Burrow, Brad Kleindl, Michael Becraft(Authors)
  • 2016(Publication Date)
  • Cengage Learning EMEA

    (Publisher)

  The group may be a corporation, a nation, or any other organized group. An organizational culture is the collection of beliefs and patterns of behavior that are shared by people within an organization. Each business has its own internal culture that influences the way formal and informal communications occur. Factors such as the type of business, the personalities of its leaders, and its operating procedures create this organizational culture. An organizational culture often influences the way people interact with each other and with people outside of the organization. The culture of an organization influences the communication climate. Cul-tures differ widely among firms. Cultures may be very closed, very open, or somewhere in between. A closed culture is one that relies on top-down decision making and adheres to numerous rules and strict disciplining for violations of established procedures. Rigid rule making and authoritarian leadership can breed distrust and secrecy while discouraging creativity and decision making at lower levels. In such organizations, communications tend to be quite formal. Experts refer to this type of organization as having a closed communication system. When trust and confidence prevail among employees, an organization is said to have an open communication system. This type of culture encourages creativ-ity and problem solving at all levels and supports communication and informa-tion sharing. Trust, supportiveness, risk taking, and decision making influence whether an employee will like or dislike working for a company. In turn, these factors help determine how productive employees will be. Most organizations have neither a fully open nor fully closed culture. Some-times a business may change its culture. A comfortable culture for one person, may not be comfortable for another. Some employees prefer a culture with pri-marily an open communication system, whereas others prefer a culture with primarily a closed communication system.

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  The IABC Handbook of Organizational Communication

  A Guide to Internal Communication, Public Relations, Marketing and Leadership

  • Tamara Gillis(Author)
  • 2006(Publication Date)
  • Jossey-Bass

    (Publisher)

  It helps create awareness, and when it is effective, it can build understanding. Informal communication builds commitment and helps employees translate the business direction to their own role—as it involves face-to-face communication between a manager and an employee. The more time and resources that are invested in making sure employees can translate the strategy to their own cir- cumstances, the more likely the organization is to have a committed workforce who knows how to execute the plan. LEVERAGING ORGANIZATIONAL SYSTEMS: CREATING SOLID COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES Effectively communicating organizational strategies relies on the quality of com- munication skills on the part of leadership and the quality of information they have to share with their employees. Leadership Communication Is Essential A critical determinant of the ability to communicate an organization’s strategy lies in senior management’s capacity to create a culture of openness. Can prob- lems be talked about openly? If the answer is no, then the organization will most likely fail in its ability to implement its strategy. An organization may have a brilliant strategy, but its success or failure lies in its ability to execute it. Leaders must spend as much time on the action plan as they do on designing the strategic road map. Often this requires addressing organization issues and con- fronting the barriers blocking the successful implementation of a strategy. Today, more than ever before, a leader’s ability to communicate—through words and actions—is crucial. This is a critical factor in developing and main- taining organizational trust. A number of studies report that employees today show the following characteristics: • Employees are increasingly questioning leaders’ ability to manage their organizations. • There is an increasing sense of fear in the workplace due to constant change initiatives and uncertainty.

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  Excellence in Communicating Organizational Strategy

  • Donald P. Cushman, Sarah Sanderson King, Donald P. Cushman, Sarah Sanderson King(Authors)
  • 2001(Publication Date)
  • SUNY Press

    (Publisher)

  This process allows for multiple philosophic assumptions, a variety of communication constructs and relationships, and numerous implementing procedures for improv- ing communication outcomes. Evidence supporting this claim can be drawn from the activi- ties of a small set of academics, managers, and consultants from across disciplines and across cultures. A group of forty researchers from five continents—North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Aus- tralia—have focused on researching public, private, and not-for-profit organizations. They have over the past six years (a) held confer- ences and produced publications aimed at stimulating and integrat- 21 DEVELOPMENT OF Organizational Communication ing the Organizational Communication literature, (b) conducted case studies and benchmarked Organizational Communication processes of the most successful firms in the world, and (c) undertaken major consultancies aimed at testing High-Speed Management as a com- munication theory in use. Let us briefly review each of these efforts. Conferences and Publications Each year between 1993 and 1998 a conference has been held in different parts of the world which has brought together between thirty and forty participants (not always the same people) aimed at presenting research papers that stimulate and integrate organiza- tional communication theory and research. These conferences have been supported by national governments, private-sector organiza- tions, educational institutions, European business associations, and the U.S. Fulbright Commission. Several books and journal articles have been published which report the most significant research presented at these conferences.

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  Organisational Behaviour

  • Gert Alblas, Ella Wijsman(Authors)
  • 2021(Publication Date)
  • Routledge

    (Publisher)

  • Encourage critical contributions from employees by explicitly asking for them and responding to them seriously. 198 © Noordhoff Uitgevers bv 5 Summary ▶ The exchange of information between two or more people is called communication. ▶ Verbal communication is accompanied by non-verbal signals. These are communicated by: • intonation • posture • gestures • body movement • facial expressions • eye contact ▶ Communication can have four aspects: • a factual aspect • an expressive aspect • a relational aspect • an appealing aspect ▶ The exchange of information in organisations takes place: • via fixed channels (formal communication) • randomly (informal communication) ▶ Informal communication can spread through the organisation in different ways, such as via: • the simple chain • the gossip chain • the probability chain • the cluster chain ▶ Advantages of informal communication are: • employees are better and more quickly informed • employees can resolve problems more quickly ▶ Negative effects of informal communication are: • lack of openness • rumour formation • gossip ▶ Impediments to interpersonal communication can be caused by: • the sender • interference • the receiver • the feedback ▶ Interference (physical, psychological or semantic) causes poor reception of the message. ▶ Defective decoding of the message by the receiver can be caused by: • a lack of knowledge about the subject of the message • the state of mind of the receiver • a poor relationship between the sender and the receiver • the situation in which the message is received ▶ Interpersonal communication can be improved if: • the sender indicates his goal • the sender is clear, concise and open • the receiver has sufficient listening skills • the receiver gives feedback on how the message has been understood © Noordhoff Uitgevers bv 5 COMMUNICATION IN ORGANISATIONS 199 Assignments 5.1 Five people are dissatisfed with communication within their company.

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