ASSESSING ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION QUALITY

What I can say about this topic is the extent to which any organization is meeting its communication-related responsibilities. The word audit has a similar meaning in organizational communication study. In the same way, a financial audit tests the financial conditions of an organization, a communication audit is an examination of the quality of communication within an organization. If communication is important, then testing communication becomes a priority. Any method of auditing must examine organizational communication comprehensively. Several auditing methods are available. Consultants and techniques have proliferated over the last decade. There are several values of conducting communication audits. Communication audit can portray the overall nature of communication in a particular organization; describe the value and relevance of specific communication tools, assess whether employees have received key messages, help organizations develop a strategic plan for measuring effectiveness of communication in an organization. A manager can pick and choose from the available methods to suit the needs of the organization. Audit findings should include a detailed explanation of findings, a set of recommendations for solution, and a sequence for implementation. Audit results may vary from client expectations. Auditors, therefore, must be diplomatic when relaying information that may be inconsistent with client expectations.

CRISIS COMMUNICATION . . .

Crises happen. Crisis communication is an essential component of organizational communication. Crisis communication is a component of crisis management; it is not the same as crisis management. Crisis communication is a very real problem for contemporary organizations. Not reacting well to a crisis can result in the generation of employee rumours, plummeting stock values, a lack of employee confidence, and a reduction in consumer trust. Crisis communication is fundamentally different from image management, because not all messages that are communicated during a crisis are related to building or restoring the company image. Also, crisis communication must involve communicating to internal as well as external receivers. Organizations that are exceptionally profitable and well managed can encounter sudden problems that may rock their enterprise. When crisis occur, organizations are compelled to communicate to various audiences. The quality of these communications is crucial for the success of the organization. Sloppy communication during crisis can plague an organization right out of existence. Effective communication can transform potential disasters into positive situations for a company. Effective crisis communication requires support from top management, comprehensive brainstorming regarding potential crisis, identification of internal and external stakeholders, designated spoke persons and a commitment to implement the plan. Crisis communicators are advised to quickly respond to crisis situations, be committed to using the plan that already established, be accessible, avoid silence and ‘no comments’, be truthful and be scrupulously honest when communicating with your internal and external stakeholders. Last but not least, crisis communication is an important element of effective organizational communication.

INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION AND THE ORGANIZATION . . .

The effects of cultural diversity on organizations are significant. This topic shows that intercultural communication in terms of why it is important for organizational success and how persons who need to communicate interculturally can do so efficiently. The world is becoming smaller. Organizational men and women, sooner or later, will need to be adept at communicating interculturally. Intercultural communication can define as communication between people whose cultural perceptions and symbol systems are distinct enough to alter the communication event. Essentially, intercultural communication is a more complex form of interpersonal communication because there are more variables that can serve as impediments. Intercultural communication contexts have additional communication noises. Among these noises are perceptual and world view disparities, disparate language systems, disparate nonverbal systems, and ethnocentrism. Cultural factors will likely create additional obstacles for the communicators. Because of the frequency of intercultural interactions in organization, organizational men and women are occasionally, if not regularly, faced with communication challenges related to cultural differences. Overcoming these barriers requires a willingness to become knowledgeable about others, respect for differences, familiarity with other language systems, nonverbal behaviours, and customs, awareness that cultures are not monolithic entities, and adopting an egalitarian frame and abandoning ethnocentric perspectives.

COMMUNICATION CLIMATE AND ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE

In my view, this topic examines the relationships between climate, culture and organizational communication. Climate and culture are powerful forces affecting organizational communication. At the same time, daily routine communication behaviour affects what emerges as the organizational culture and climate. The climate of the organization is more crucial than are communication skills or techniques in creating an effective organization. The organization’s culture can determine, or at least affect, the nature of the climate. Redding identifies five characteristics of an ideal supportive climate which are ‘SCOPE’ -Supportiveness, Credibility, confidence and trust, Openness, Participatory decision making, and Emphasis on high performance goals. Organizational culture is an elusive concept. The culture of an organization is concerned with the belief and value system of that organization. Schein has identified several mechanisms that affect how culture is embedded in organizations which are formal statements of organizational philosophy, responses to crises, organizational structure, and focus of attention, storytelling and legends, design of physical spaces, deliberate coaching and modelling by leaders, also promotion and salary increment criteria. It is far easier to prescribe the ingredients for a supportive climate than it is to create the climate. Similarly, it is easy to identify desirable cultural traits of an organization and far more difficult to embed those traits in an organization. Assimilation theory explains how individuals within organizations are socialized and the role of communication in that socialization process. Credibility, leadership, and the extent of a human resource orientation, are important planks in the floorboard of an organization’s culture.

COMMUNICATION NETWORK . . .

What can I concluded about this topic is all discuss the types of networks organizations need to have, the advantages of using these networks, and the characteristics of particular communication networks. Communication networks are the channels that provide “highway” for information travel. Organizations must create, cultivate, and nourish these networks. There are several networks necessary for effective organizational communication which is upward, downward, and horizontal networks. Messages in organizations, whether they are formal or informal, there are travel in one of three directions. Either the messages travel upward from subordinate to superior, downward from superior to subordinate, or horizontally between employees on the same level. Next are formal and informal networks. Formal networks are those that are prescribed by the organization. These are the official, appropriate channels for people to follow when relaying information. Informal networks are those channels that carry information on routes that are not prescribed by the organization. Informal networks usually generate on the basis of factors that are only peripherally related to corporate policy. Last but not least are internal and external networks. External networks in organizations refer to those channels that carry information from within the organization to outside the organization, or those networks that carry information from outside the organization to inside the organization. Typically, external networks carry advertising messages, messages related to public relations, and messages relaying information about consumer complaints, concerns, and recommendations. The phone numbers and website addresses in many products are examples of external networks. Any channels within the organization that carry information are called internal networks. Vigilance in terms of maintaining these networks is as essential as vigilance in terms of maintaining the quality of motor highways. Without navigable routes, messages cannot be communicated intra or interdepartmentally. The result of poor networking can be organizational chaos and disaster.

FORMAL VS INFORMAL COMMUNICATION

# Formal Organization - a system of consciously coordinated activities or forces of two or more persons. (definite, structured, common purpose)

• Persons are able to communicate with one another

• Willing to contribute action

• To accomplish a common purpose

# Informal Organization - based on myriad interactions that take place thourghout an organization’s history.

• Indefinite

• Structureless

• No definite subdivisions of personnel

• Results: customs, mores, folklore, institutions, social norms, ideals --

may lead to formal organization

MANAGEMENT THEORY AND ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION

To my entire friend, this topic discusses theories that provide the underpinnings for, and explain the evolution of, organizational communication. In my personal view, theories need not be abstract and valueless. Good theories must actually be practical. Classical theories suggest that downward communication of information about tasks and procedures is essential. The Hawthorne Studies claimed to demonstrate that communicating information about performance was important, upward networks were desired by employees and informal networks were inevitable. The successful implementation of human relations and human resource approaches requires the credible communication of information about job performance and recognition. Systems theories suggest that for organizations to thrive there must be communication that links departments to one another, communication that links the organizations to its external environment, effective communication of task and procedural messages, and effective communication of recognition and observation. Cultural theorists argue that culture is an important dimension of organizational success and that communication plays a vital role in the evolution of that culture. Critical theorists argue that communication can be used abusively to maintain power and disable organizational women and men. These theorists believe it is in the best interests of the organization and the individuals who work within them to become aware of oppressive practices and become liberated from them. Symbiotic applications of organizational theories can help persons understand the dimensions and applications of communication in organizations.

WHAT IS THE MEANING OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION?

“Organizational communication, can be defined as people working together to achieve individual or collective goals. People can relate to each other only through some form of communication. The survival of an organization depends on individuals and groups who are able to maintain among themselves effective and continuing relationships. If we can understand organizational communication, we will understand the organization itself. Communication can be defined as "the transfer of meanings between persons and groups". The purpose of communication may range from completing a task or mission to creating and maintaining satisfying human relationships. The word transfer means more than the simple process of "packaging" an idea as conceived by a sender and transporting it to the mind of a receiver, where it is "unpackaged". It implies the creation of meaning in the mind of a sender followed by a re-creation of the same meaning in the mind of a receiver. If something occurs along the way to change the sender's original meaning, the communication has failed in its intent. Communication may be considered a functional part of an organizational system, and it may be considered in an interpersonal context. The structure of an organization is determined in part by the network of channels or paths along which information must flow between members or subunits. ”

MY OPINION ABOUT THIS COURSE . . .

This course intends to expose about different facets of management and types of communication processes that organization’s members do in order to achieve the objectives set by the organization. They will also be informed of the different strategies organizations normally use to achieve their desired goals, to enhance their image as well as to curb problems emerging from their communication’s ineffectiveness.

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NaMe : FaiZaL RoBuaN

STuDeNT ID : 2006133239 (PaRT 6)

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