Communication and Power in Organizational Theory: CCO, Feminism, and Social Networks

Communication Constitutes Organization (CCO)

The view that communication is not contained by organizations, but instead constitutes them.

Container Metaphor

Traditional perspective that organizations are containers in which communication occurs.

Social Constructionism

The belief that reality is constructed through communication and social interaction.

Structuration Theory

Theory explaining how human action (agency) and organizational structures influence each other.

Duality of Structure

The idea that structures both shape and are shaped by human actions.

Montreal School

Developed by James Taylor & François Cooren; emphasizes co-orientation between text and conversation.

Co-orientation

Process through which individuals coordinate actions using text and conversation.

Text

The tangible product of conversation that can act and have agency.

Conversation

The real-time interaction among individuals that generates organizational meaning.

Scaling Up

The process by which meaning in communication becomes codified and distanced through six degrees of separation.

Six Degrees of Separation

A concept that suggests all people are six or fewer social connections away from each other.

Ventriloquism

When one agent in an organization 'speaks for' others or represents their voices.

Four Flows of CCO

The four communicative processes that constitute an organization: Membership Negotiation, Self-Structuring, Activity Coordination, Institutional Positioning.

Membership Negotiation

Communication that determines who is a member and what membership means.

Self-Structuring

Communication that shapes rules, roles, and norms within the organization.

Activity Coordination

Interaction that allows members to complete work together.

Institutional Positioning

Communication that defines the organization's identity and relationships with external entities.

Materiality

The physical and technological aspects that influence communication and organizing.

Social Capital

The benefits and resources gained from relationships and networks.

Ego Network

A person's direct connections and relationships.

Global Network Structure

The overall pattern of relationships across a larger system.

Reciprocity

The natural human tendency to return favors, which strengthens relationships.

Structural Holes

Gaps between disconnected groups that can create opportunities for power and brokerage.

Multiplexity

When individuals share multiple types of connections (e.g., coworker + friend).

Strength of Ties

The closeness or intensity of a relationship; strong ties provide support, weak ties offer new information.

Law of Reciprocity

The social rule that people tend to respond to positive actions with similar positive actions.

Borrowed Social Capital

Using connections from others to access new opportunities or resources.

Networking Misconception

The belief that networking is selfish; in reality, it is mutually beneficial when based on reciprocity.

Critical Approach

Focuses on power, domination, and inequality in organizations; aims for emancipation.

Radical Frame of Reference

Views organizations as battlegrounds for competing interests (e.g., management vs. labor).

Power

The ability to control resources, information, decision-making, and discourse.

Control of Discourse

The way language and communication create and maintain power structures.

Ideology

Taken-for-granted assumptions about reality that shape how people perceive situations.

Hegemony

When the dominated accept their subordination as normal through manufactured consent.

Emancipation

Liberation from restrictive power structures and ideologies through awareness and action.

Resistance

Counterpressures by workers against power and control (e.g., strikes, jokes, protests).

Concertive Control

Control that emerges in team-based organizations through shared values and peer discipline.

Simple Control

Direct authority and supervision.

Technological Control

Control through tools, systems, or technology.

Bureaucratic Control

Control through formal rules and hierarchy.

Feminist Approach

Analyzes how gender and patriarchy influence organizational structures and communication.

Liberal Feminism

Seeks equality for women within existing systems.

Radical Feminism

Advocates dismantling patriarchal institutions.

Standpoint Feminism

Emphasizes marginalized voices to reshape dialogue.

Postmodern Feminism

Focuses on deconstructing male-dominated systems of meaning.

Pluralist Feminism

Blends approaches to respond to social change without rejecting structure.

Sexual Harassment Narratives

Ways women frame experiences (e.g., misunderstanding, trivialization, reification).

Disciplined Bodies

How organizations enforce gendered expectations about appearance and behavior.

Organizational Socialization

The process through which individuals learn the culture, norms, and roles of an organization.

Anticipatory Socialization

Learning about an organization or occupation before entering it.

Encounter Stage

Adjusting and making sense of new roles after entry.

Metamorphosis Stage

Becoming an accepted insider within the organization.

Role-Related Information

Knowledge about specific job duties and expectations.

Cultural Information

Understanding the organization's norms and values.

Newcomer Information-Seeking Tactics

Strategies for learning about an organization (e.g., overt questions, observation).

Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory

Explains how supervisors and subordinates develop unique working relationships.

Role Taking

Supervisor assigns tasks to assess the newcomer's abilities.

Role Making

Employee and supervisor negotiate roles and expectations.

Role Routinization

Roles stabilize; relationships fall into in-group or out-group.

Organizational Exit

The process of leaving an organization, which affects both the leaver and those remaining.

Rational Model of Decision Making

Sequential steps: Formulation, Concept Development, Detailing, Evaluation, Implementation.

Bounded Rationality

The idea that decision-makers are limited by time, information, and cognitive capacity.

Satisficing

Choosing an option that is 'good enough' rather than optimal.

Intuitive Decision Making

Relying on experience and gut feelings rather than formal logic.

Fisher's Phase Model

Four stages of group decision-making: Orientation, Conflict, Emergence, Reinforcement.

Poole's Multiple Sequence Model

Suggests that groups follow different paths (unitary, complex cyclic, or solution-oriented).

Unitary Sequence Path

Group follows traditional decision-making stages.

Complex Cyclic Path

Group cycles through multiple problem-solution phases.

Solution-Oriented Path

Group jumps directly to proposing solutions without deep analysis.