Download COMM 3170: Introduction to Organizational Communication

COMM 3170:
Introduction to
Organizational Communication
Summer 2005
Dan Lair
[email protected]
Questions from Chapter Five
What Is Identity?
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Changing nature of “identity”: from sameness to
uniqueness.
Kuhn & McPartland’s Twenty Statements Test
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Exercise: Answer 20 times the question, “I am . . . .”
Now, consider how many of your answers are:
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characteristics (e.g., honest, friendly)
social roles (e.g., mother, brother)
group or organizational memberships (e.g., positions)
Identity as the sum total of identifications
(Burke)
Discussion: Organizational
Identification
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What is organizational identification?
What was your level of identification with
your organization?
What factors do you feel contributed to
your level of identification with
employees?
Is identification always a desired
organizational goal?
Inducements to Identification:
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Common-ground (e.g., “I was poor, too.”)
Antithesis (i.e., unity in opposition)
Assumed or transcendent “we” (e.g., “We
at Acme believe”)
Unifying symbols (e.g., logos, banners)
--from Kenneth Burke (1950), then adapted by
Cheney (1983), and DiSanza & Bullis (1999)
Identification and Decision Making
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“A person identifies with an
organization when he or she seeks to
select alternatives with the interests
of the organization—as best they can
be determined—uppermost in mind”
--Tompkins & Cheney (1985), adapting the operational
definition by Simon (1976)
The Problem of Organizational Identity:
Communicating Identity in A Crowded
Communication Environment
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Increased media outlets
Increased stakeholder pressures
Increased competition
Other trends?
In a crowded communication climate,
communication is both a cause of and
solution to the problem.
Projecting Organizational Identity:
A Timeline of “External” Corporate
Communication
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1860s: Early Developments in Advertising
1880s: Early Developments in Public Relations
1920s: Growth of Advertising; Emergence of “Lifestyle”
1950s: Advent of Marketing; Growth of Consumerism
1960s-1970s: Consumer Advocacy and Other Social
Movements
1975 Issues/Values Advertising/Management
1980s: Rise of Identity Management
1990s: Dominance of Marketing Discourse
2000: Attempted Consolidation of Communications
Functions
The Problem of Organizational
Identity: Branding as Strategy
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Branding and the Unique Selling Proposition
(Olins, 2000, p. 53):
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This product is better because it contains X (secret,
magic, new, miracle) ingredient that will make it work
more effectively.
If you use it, it will mean that your home will look
more beautiful, or your food will taste much better, or
you yourself will be even more glamorous than
before.
This will leave you more time to remain even more
desirable and attractive for your lovely husband and
family.
The Problem of Organizational
Identity: Branding, Continued
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Evolution and Extension of Branding:
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Consumer brands (USP)
Retail brands
Product brands
Corporate brands
“National” brands
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????
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The Problem of Organizational
Identity: Auto-communication
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The organization sends messages to the
“outside” that it then receives itself.
This may be conscious or largely unconscious.
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The organization repeats a message so that it
eventually internalizes it.
The organization sees the environment in such a
way that confirms its own expectations.
The last two are largely unconscious.