Organizational Communication Flashcards
What is an organization?
an hierarchy group of 50 or more people to complish a goal or achieve something.
What is “culture?”
a social construction that is regconized by the other people in the culture. ( values, traditions, language, diversity, history, goals, climate)
What is “culture?” (questions)
- Are organizations cultures?
- Are organizations like cultures?
- Can we study organizations as if they were cultures?
What are theories of Organizational Culture?
-Organizational cultures are created, perpetuated, and changed through communication
What is the importance of being able to “read” organizational culture?
- Organiztional culture= $$$
- can predicy performance
- can foretell future
- before employment : is this really a place you want to work?
What is the history of Organizational Communication Theory? (what approaches)
- Classical approaches
- Human Relations approaches
- The human resources perspective
What is the classical approaches to O Comm?
-based in the “machine meatphor”
>specialization, replaceability, standardization, predictable
What did the founders focus on? O Comm
-Focused on power, order, hieracrhy, division of labor, work desgin, vertical and downward flow of communication
When was the classical approach used?
Industural revoluation
What is Mc Gregor’s Theory X and Y?
he created the term “theory X” and “Theory Y” to describe a style of work
What is Theory X mean?
- the average person works as little as possible.
- people lack ambition, dislike responsibility, and prefer to be lead
- workers are self centered and don’t have the needs of the organization in mind (resist change)
What does theory x says about management?
management is responsible for organization, control, and the economic interest of the organization
- employees must be directed and controlled
- without this management, people would be passive or even resistant to organizational needs (punishment)
What is the Human Relations Approach?
-focus on social factors and satisfaction of the human needs of the worker (1930’s)
Who thought of Human Relations Approach?
McGregor (1960)
?
-Mcgregor believed that these Theory X beliefs are widely held, but incorrect
What is Theory Y?
- Managment: work is as natural as play or rest
- external control and threat of punishment are not the only ways to achieve organizational goals
- people can exercise self-diraction and self-control
- commitment to organizational objectives is sufficient motivation
- the average person can learn to accept responibility and even seek out
What does theory y says about management?
- satisfaction and self-actualization can be sufficient rewards to motivate achievement
- humans are naturally imaginative and creatifve by nature
- therefore the tools to solve organzational probelms are distributed widely ( not just in management)
Under what conditions are managment theory Y?
the intellectual potential of the average human behavior are only partially utilized
What theory did McGregor think we could all be managaged under?
Theory Y
What is Human Resources Perspective?
- recognized abuses of both classical appraoches and human relations approaches
- combines some elements of both
- employees are seen as assets who contribute to organization goals
- Example: Rensis Liket’s System IV
What was Likert’s system 1-5?
System I: the exploitive authoritative organization
- motivation through fear and threats
- downward ( inaccurate) communication
System 2?
the benevolent authoritative organization
- motivation through ecomince and ego rewards
- top down decision making and control
- does not value expliting the worker
- managers believe the authiortative style “best of the worker”
System 3?
the consultative organization
- decisions still made the top
- employees are consulted
- highlevel of comunication
System 4?
the paticipative organization
-decision making by all organziation members
goals are established by groups
-control is at all organzational levels
-communications is upward, downward, and horizontal
-values all members contruibration
Likert’s System IV break down
System I: Tells
System II: Sells
System III: Consults
Systems IV: Joins
