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COMM 306: Exam 1
Organizational Communication
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the study of sending and receiving messages that create and maintain a system of consciously coordinated activities or forces of two or more people. Encompasses all elements of organization and accounts for employee and managerial experiences.
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Messages
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symbols exchanged between employees
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structure
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communication creates and recreates framework that impacts flow of information
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process
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ongoing interaction, past impacts future
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behavior
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act of exchanging messages
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affective
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emotions felt from interaction
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cognitive
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interpreting meaning
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Misunderstandings
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problems that occur in communication process
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potential cause of misunderstanding
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maximizing salary vs. minimizing cost
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potential cause of misunderstanding
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autonomy vs. commitment and constraint
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potential cause of misunderstanding
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job stability vs. organizational flexibility
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potential cause of misunderstanding
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creativity vs. efficiency
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potential cause of misunderstanding
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emotionality vs. rationality
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Business communication
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emphasis on developing and improving employee skill sets
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managerial communication
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focus placed on concepts and skills, managers need to fulfill responsibilities
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corporate communication
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emphasis on external image and communication of organizations to shareholders
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1950's
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when did organizational communication become a field?
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hierarchy
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vertical level of organization, distribution of authority among roles and positions
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formalization
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degree to which interactions in organization are characterized by rules, regulations, and norms
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industrial revolution
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brought about the introduction of classical management theories. people began to work together during this time period to be more efficient
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Machine Metaphor
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workers should be considered machines and part of a larger machine that is the organization
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predictability
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component of machine metaphor.
confidence in expected functioning
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standardization
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component of machine metaphor. easily found replacement
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specialization
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component of machine metaphor. each portion plays a precise role
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Fredrick Taylor
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"father of scientific management". Concerned with maximizing profit
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systematic soldering
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social pressure to perform less work and keep wages high
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cause of systematic soldiering
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workers belief that increased work would decrease work force
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cause of systematic soldiering
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piecework pay- employees paid set wages for production
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cause of systematic soldering
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rule of thumb method=poor training
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scientific management in modern organizations
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assembly lines, technology for surveillance and monitoring, tracking worker performance
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Henri Fayol
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developed the administrative theory
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administrative theory
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prescription for how management should function
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scalar chain
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principle of structure of the administrative theory that describes strict vertical hierarchy and communication
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gangplank
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principle of structure of the administrative theory and is the horizontal link between employees
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unity of command
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principle of structure of the administrative theory and says that orders are recieved from one supervisor. authority can never be undermined this way
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unity of direction
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principle of structure of the administrative theory similar activities means same manager
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order
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principle of structure of the administrative theory and says that all employees have specified roles and should be doing the right thing at the right time in the right place
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division of work
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principle of structure of the administrative theory that says that each worker has an individualized specialized job
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centralization
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principle of organizational power and means that decisions are made at the top of the hierarchy only
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authority and responsibility
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principle of organizational power and says that managers have power positions and must be able to give commands
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discipline
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principle of organizational power that says that employees should be obedient and listen to manager
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remuneration of personnel
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principle of organization reward and means that employees are paid fairly
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equity
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principle of organization reward says that employees are treated with justice and fairness
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tenure stability
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principle of organization reward that says that there is a guarantee of sufficient time period to be productive.
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webers theory of bureaucracy
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theoretically ideal and pure form of organization. had elements similar to taylor and fayol but was based more on theory than industrial experimentation
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traditional authority
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proposed by weber, this involves personal loyalty to the person in leadership, employees are loyal because of the legitimacy of the position of person in charge.
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charismatic authority
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leadership is achieved through influence and passion
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rational legal authority
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based on rational application of rules or laws, leaders achieve power based on skill and legitimacy. this is the preferred form of authority according to weber
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Tenets of Bureaucracy
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mechanisms dedicated to preserving and enhancing rational authority
-rules-> plans to cover all possible future events. should be universalistic and impersonal
-specified sphere of competence-> expectation of completing your job function and the authority or ability to do it
-no ownership of technology-> no nonhuman form of production possessed by employees
-everything in writing-> all occurences are placed in writing, decisions, rules, meetings, and etc.
-maintenance of ideal type-> monitoring, maintaining, and updating the bureaucracy itself
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human relations theory
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shift in emphasis from task to worker, workers can meaningfully contribute, social relationships are recognized as heart of organization
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Hawthorne studies
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series of studies conducted at western electric compound that began the human relations theory
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illumination study
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study was conducted to test the effect of lighting intensity on worker production. this test was a failure because the optimum illumination was not found. the conclusion was that more investigation was needed
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relay assembly test room study
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5 women workers were studied to see if production would increase, it did not
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bank wiring room observation study
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study that resulted from the interviewing program
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hawthorne effect
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observing ones behavior leads to the increase in satisfaction and production
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upward communication
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the fact that workers are asked their opinions was enough to increase positive attitudes towards the company
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theory x
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classical theories assumptions that managers hold regarding their workers.
1. the average human being has a dislike of work and will avoid it if he can
2. most people must be coerced, controlled, directed, threatened with punishment to get them to put forth adequate effort toward the achievement of organizational objectives.
3. the average human being prefers to be directed, wishes to avoid responsibility, has relatively little ambition, wants security overall.
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theory y
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proposed by mcgregor and is competing assumptions of human nature to that of theory___.
1. the want to work is as natural as rest and play
2. external control and threat of punishment are not only means of bringing about effort.
3. commitment to objectives is a function of the rewards associated with their achievement
4. the average human being learns not only to accept but to seek responsibility
5. the capacity to exercise a high degree of imagination, ingenuity, and creativity in the solution of organizational problems is widely distributed in the population
6. under the conditions of modern industrial life, the intellectual potentialities of the average human being are only partially realized
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differences in human relations and human resources
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1. human resource theory states that all people are "reservoirs of untapped resources" and managers must tap into this
2. human resources theory says that many decisions can be made much more efficiently by those workers who are most closely associated with their consequences.
3. increased satisfaction is not due to mere participation in decision making instead it is related to the improved decision making and self control that occurs due to participation that is heard.
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system 1 explorative authoritative
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rooted in classical theory this system is where managers tend to motivate their workers through fear, threats, punishment, and occasional reward
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system 2 benevolent authoritative
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motivation under this system is based partially on rewards and possibility for punishment, decision making is a little bit more flexible with policy decisions at top and less important decisions at lower
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system 3 consultative
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closely aligned with human resources. workers are motivated with rewards, occasional punishment and limited involvement in decision making and goal setting
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system 4 participative
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underscores the basic elements of the human resources theory. genuine participation in decision making, free flowing communication, full use of every workers ability and creativity, high concern for goals of organization. system is preferred by Likert
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organism metaphor
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an organization is viewed as a living organism in an environment that can turn inputs into outputs
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equifinality
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the same final state may be reached from different initial conditions and in different ways
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systems approach different from classical approach
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an open systems approach is different from a classical approach because it says that a final state may be reached in different ways and that there is more than one "best way" to do a job
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differences between open and closed system approach
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open system approach allows for different ways to complete a task whereas closed system approach only allows for on best way to do it
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input
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energic imports that help sustain the system
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throughput
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parts of the system transform the material or energy in some fashion
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output
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the system returns some product to the environment
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contingency theory
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first applications of systems concepts to organizations are now referred to as ___________. this theory states that there is no best way to run an organization, rather structure and management is contingent on the environment in which the organization is structured.
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mechanistic systems
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appropriate for a stable environement where there is little change or the change is predictable. these systems are characterized by specialization, centralization, clearly defined roles, and vertical communication.
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organic systems
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required in changing environments with unstable conditions, communication is both horizontal and vertical which tends to be in the form of consultation rather than orders
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goals of critical theory
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revealing how social and technological structures within organizations serve to oppress workers
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historical framework of critical theory
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BASED IN WORKS OF KARL MARX- interested in relationship between owners and workers in capitalist society. He viewed the system as inherently unfair and wanted workers to overthrow system, he believed in emancipation and freedom. Later progressed by the Frankfurt School which critiqued the power imbalances inherent in society. Later organizational scholars took interes (1970).
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common beliefs of critical scholars
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-certain societal structures lead to power imbalances
-power imbalances lead to alienation and oppression for certain goals
-scholars uncover power imbalances and inform the oppressed group
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power
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imposing ones will on behavior of others, power is created and maintained in a variety of ways
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approaches to power in a critical perspective
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1. through an outright, explicit exercise of power
2. through an adherence to a work teams socially constructed norms
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ideology
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deeply held assumptions that guide behavior
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four functions of ideology
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...
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concertive control
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group members reinforce values and vision of upper management to guide behavior
-form of unobtrusive control
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technological panopticon
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a way of keeping employees on their toes because they never know when a supervisor is watching and when they are not.
-can be computer spyware and other things
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critical theory and technology
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technology is used to maintain the power of the elite few. this is done through tethering-> constant connection with organization through technology
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employee resistance
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defending and distancing oneself from power of organization
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dissent
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expression of disagreement of organization policies, practices, and operations
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