Organizational Information Theory

Question 1

Organizational Communication

Answer 1

Communication within & among large, extended environments

Question 2

Theoretical Foundations of OIT

Answer 2

General Systems Theory & Theory of Sociocultural Evolution

Question 3

General Systems Theory

Answer 3

Looks at how parts of organizations are interrelated in order to understand the organization as a whole

Question 4

Theory of Sociocultural Evolution

Answer 4

Organizations constantly adapt to external pressures to survive; (Darwin’s belief that only the fittest can survive in challenging surroundings

Question 5

Equivocality

Answer 5

Is the extent to which organizational messages are uncertain, ambiguous, and/or unpredictable

Question 6

Reducing Equivocality

Answer 6

Enactment, Selection, Retention

Question 7

Enactment

Answer 7

Interpretation of the information received by the organization

Question 8

Selection

Answer 8

A coping response to dialectical tensions; refers to prioritizing oppositions

Question 9

Retention

Answer 9

Collective memory allowing people to accomplish goals

Question 10

Organizational Rules

Answer 10

Duration, Personnel, Success, and Effort Rules

Question 11

Duration Rules

Answer 11

States that decisions regarding equivocality should be made in the least amount of time

Question 12

Personnel Rules

Answer 12

States that most knowledgeable workers should resolve equivocality

Question 13

Success Rules

Answer 13

A successful plan of the past will be used to reduce current equivocality

Question 14

Effort Rules

Answer 14

Decisions regarding equivocality should be made w/ the least amount of work

Question 15

Organizational Communication Cycles

Answer 15

Act, Response, Adjustment, and Double interact loops

Question 16

Cycles

Answer 16

Series of communication behaviors that serve to reduce equivocality

Question 17

Act

Answer 17

Communication behaviors indicating a person’s ambiguity(being open to more than one interpretation) in receiving a message

Question 18

Response

Answer 18

Reaction to equivocality

Question 19

Adjustment

Answer 19

Organizational responses to equivocality

Question 20

Double Interact Loops

Answer 20

Cycles of an organization (e.g; interviews, meetings) to reduce equivocality