Foundations of Organizational Communication

Organization

A social unit of people that is structred and managed to meet a need or to pursue collective goals

Organizational Communication w

the process of creating exchanging, interpreting (correctly or incorrectly), and storing message within a system of himan interrelationships

Central to understanding communication in organizations

Messages are…

Assumptions and Features 

Communication is central to an org, Com is dynamic, Com is complex, Com is imperfect , Misunderstanding, in communication, characterizes an organization 

Aspects of Our Complicated World 

Technology, Globalization, Terrorism, Climate Change, Workforce Diversity

Intersectionality Theory

A person’s social position emerges based on personal Identity Male vs Female Old vs Young 

Communication Constitution of Organizations (CCO)

How organizations come to be (We behave appropriately in different environments based on the surroundings we've created)

Duality of Structure w

Organizations are structured by continuous interaction between individuals, Org as the medium and outcome

Key Ideas of Structuration Theory

Reclusively- Orgs are produced and reproduced

Knowledgeable agents

Individuals are aware that they contribute to the structuring of an org. Interactions create or eventually promote change 

Awerness

Discursive means

Unaware

Practical means

little d

the actual spoken or written language in use

Big D

the broader social, and ideological system of thinking , acting, and being

The Four Flows

Membership Negotiation, Self-structuring, Activity coordination, Institutional positioning

Membership Negotiation 

How people bring the organization into existence; entrances and exits over time 

Self structuring

Providing norms, standards, and rules for getting work done in an organization 

Activity coordination

Highlighting interdependence 

Institutional positioning

Involves different interactions at the macro level 

Organizational Identity

Developing and maintaining an image of the org that will help foster relationships with other orgs 

Transmissive Model of Com 

Moving information from source to receiver SMCR 

Constitutive Model of Com 

A process that PRODUCES and REPRODUCES meaning

Approach to comunication

Semiotic- The use of signs and symbols as messages. Meaning is found in the symbolic representation 

in charge

The only people who were seen as human were people were…

Machine Metaphor

compares complex sysyems like organization, human bodies, or society like Specialization, Standardization, Predictability 

Henri Fayol’s Theory of Classical Management

focuses on total organization structure and universal management functions rather then indiviuals shoiop flors tasks

Elements of Management 

Planning, Organizing, Command, Coordination, Control - Communication is implicit in these 5 elements 

Weber's Theory of Bureaucracy

• Clearly defined hierarchy 

• Division of labor 

• Centralization of decision-making and power 

• Relatively closed systems 

• Importance of rules 

• Functioning of authority

The Hawthorne Studies 

Mayo and research team interested in how changes in work environment would impact production of factory workers 

• 5 years of work would be one week of vacation 

• Women in the workplace 

• Attitudes were being observed 

Hawthorne

Interview Program - Collection of attitude and satisfaction 

Hawthorne Effect

Because I know that i am being watched, I change my behavior 

Findings of Hawthrones Test

Incentives, Pressure from management Worker selection 

The best process + the highest people = highest productivity 

McGregor's Theory X

• Manager influenced by the most negative aspects of classical management, Needs to incentivise you, Believe that you don't want to work, Seen as negative and mean 

McGregor's Theory Y

• Manager who adheres to precepts of human relations movements Use relationships, Seen as more likable, Believe you naturally want to work, Gives you more freedom 

Theory Y book

• Expenditure of effort is natural 

• External control and punishment not the only means 

• Committed to objectives; rewards associated with achievements 

• Average human accepts responsibility 

• Full of potential 

• Gives you more room and space to achieve

McGregor's Theory X and Y

One style is not better than the other, Both can and should be used, But it is up to your workers to how you should manage them

Organization

A social unit of people that is structured and managed to meet a need or to pursue collective goals.

Organizational Communication (Definition)

The process of creating, exchanging, interpreting (correctly or incorrectly), and storing messages within a system of human interrelationships.

Four Key Features of Organizational Communication

1. Communication is central to organizational existence

2. Communication is dynamic

3. Communication is complex

4. Communication is imperfect

Five Complicating Factors of Modern Organizations

1. Technology

2. Globalization

3. Terrorism

4. Climate Change

5. Workforce Diversity

Intersectionality Theory

A perspective stating that a person's social position or identity emerges along a spectrum based on personal identities and sociocultural patterns, rather than simple checkboxes.

Communicative Constitution of Organizations (CCO)

A theoretical perspective asserting that organizations are not static containers, but are continuously brought into existence, maintained, and transformed through communication interactions.

Duality of Structure (Structuration Theory)

The concept that organizations are structured by continuous interactions between individuals, making organizational structures both the medium and the outcome of interaction.

Little "d" vs. Big "D" Discourse

• Little "d" discourse: Actual spoken or written language used in day-to-day interaction.

• Big "D" Discourse: Broader social, cultural, and ideological systems of thinking, acting, and being.

The Four Flows of CCO

1. Membership Negotiation

2. Self-Structuring

3. Activity Coordination

4. Institutional Positioning

Membership Negotiation (CCO Flow)

The communicative flow regulating how individuals enter, navigate, and exit an organization over time.

Self-Structuring (CCO Flow)

The communicative flow that provides norms, standards, rules, and structural designs for getting work done.

Activity Coordination (CCO Flow)

The communicative flow focused on managing task interdependence and ongoing daily operations.

Institutional Positioning (CCO Flow)

The communicative flow that manages interactions at the macro level to establish an organization's identity and relationships with external entities.

Constitutive Model of Communication

A model that views communication as a process that actively produces and reproduces shared meaning within an organization.

Semiotic Approach to Communication

An approach focused on the use of signs, symbols, and gestures (such as corporate logos) to convey organizational meaning.

Machine Metaphor

A classical management view comparing organizations to machines, emphasizing specialization, standardization, and predictability.

Fayol's Five Elements of Management

1. Planning

2. Organizing

3. Command

4. Coordination

5. Control

Six Facets of Weber's Bureaucracy

1. Clearly defined hierarchy

2. Division of labor

3. Centralization of decision-making and power

4. Relatively closed systems

5. Importance of rules

6. Functioning of authority

Weber's Three Types of Organizational Authority

• Traditional Authority: Power based on title or position.

• Charismatic Authority: Power based on personality and social capital.

• Rational-Legal Authority: Power based on expertise, rules, and normative systems (dominates bureaucracies).

Taylor's Scientific Management (Core Formula)

The principle that combining the best work processes with the proper selection of workers yields the highest productivity.

Systematic Soldiering

A practice where workers collectively enforce informal production limits to prevent management from raising performance expectations.

Hawthorne Effect

The phenomenon where workers alter or improve their performance simply because they know they are being observed.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (Levels)

1. Physiological

2. Safety

3. Affiliation/Social

4. Esteem

5. Self-Actualization

McGregor's Theory X vs. Theory Y

• Theory X: Assumes workers are inherently lazy, dislike responsibility, and must be controlled or coerced.

• Theory Y: Assumes effort is natural, workers are self-motivated, seek responsibility, and possess creative potential.

Human Relations vs. Human Resources Approach

• Human Relations: Focuses primarily on worker satisfaction and social relationships.

• Human Resources: Recognizes employees as valuable cognitive assets whose ideas contribute directly to organizational goal achievement.

Likert's System IV Continuum

• System I: Exploitive Authoritative

• System II: Benevolent Authoritative

• System III: Consultative

• System IV: Participative

System Processes (General Systems Theory)

• Input: Information or resources entering the system.

• Throughput: Processing and evaluating information internally.

• Output: The resulting action, product, or meaning produced.

Negative vs. Positive Feedback (Systems Theory)

• Negative Feedback: Corrective feedback that reduces deviation to maintain the existing norm.

• Positive Feedback: Growth-oriented feedback that amplifies deviation to encourage system change.

Equifinality

A systems property stating that a system can reach the same final outcome through multiple different paths.

Requisite Variety

A systems principle stating that an organization's internal complexity must match the complexity of its external environment.

Weick's Theory of Organizing

A framework stating that the central goal of organizing is to reduce equivocality (uncertainty/ambiguity) through sensemaking.

Liaison (Network Analysis Role)

A highly connected individual in a network who regularly interacts with and connects multiple subgroups without belonging exclusively to any single one.