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Organizational Communication
Lecture 1.
Ing. Jiří Šnajdar
2015
Organizational communication is a relatively new
field. The first textbook in the area was published
les than 40 years ago.
Many universities did not have a single course in
organizational communication until 1980 – early
1990s.
The growth in the last decade has been rapid. Now
scholars and business practitioners identify
communication as 1. central to organizational
activity, 2. multidimensional and 3. Problematic.
Most of us know, firsthand , that organizational
communication can be difficult. We may attend
poorly run meetings, hear long and rumbling
briefings, etc.
Organizational communication deals with all of
these areas and many others. Organizational
communication is multifaceted and complex.
Three such foundation planks / points relate to
centrality, pervasiveness, and complexity of
organizational communication.
„Organizational communication is the vital link in
the chain of events that is the proces of managing
business. It is the single factor that makes an
organization viable, successful, effective,
enduring.“ Roy Foltz
Communication is not frill that provides a valueadded dimension to the organization or the
individuals who comprise it. It is a central factor
that determines the organizational constitution. It is
a vital to an organization as your heart is to your
health.
Communication actually consists of a great deal
more than what individual managers say or
information that managements publish.
Organizational communication is multifaceted and
complex. The range of communication issues
affecting organization is extensive, and the cause
of any one communication problem is often more
complicated than it appears to be.
To some communication referes to speaking,
listening, and writing skills. To others
communication is perceive as something related to
the technologies that are employed to facilitate the
communication.
Organizational communication consists of
electronic communication, printed matter, such as
newsletters, magazines, and internal memoranda,
as whatis meant by internal communication.
Organizational communication issues include all of
these areas and many more.
There are several common myths or
misunderstandings about what is meant by
organizational communication.
Organizational communication pertains only to
business and those who study business.
It is easy to train someone to be effective
communicator in organization.
Organizational communication is the role of HR or
corporate communication people.
People know how to communicate. We can all
speak, hear. Most of us can use internet. Certainly
inteligent people can communicate well.
Shearing a sophisticated vocabulary makes a
group, and members of that group, effective
organizational communicators.
What is Essential for Organizational
Communication?
The proces whereby members gather pertinent
information about their organization and the
changes occuring within it.
The coordination by communication of a number of
people who are interdependently related.
The proces of creating and exchanging messages
within an organization in order to help organization
to cope with the uncertainties of a changing
environment.
The proces of creating, exchanging, interpreting
and storing messages within a system of human
interrelationships.
The study of sending and receiving messages that
create and maintain a system of consciously
coordinated activities.
These definitions all have valuble atributes.
Organizational communication is a field of study. It
involves creating, sending, receiving, and
interpreting information. Effective organizational
communication helps organization cope with
uncertainty and exists within a complex system of
interrelationships.
The communication is a nonlinear proces that
occures when people intentionally or unintetionally
send and recieve verbal and nonverbal message.
Communication in fact it is not linear it is not oneway phenomenon.
Communication can be intentional or unintentional.
Organizational women and men must comunicate
to function.
More significantly, people could not „not
communicate“ even if they wish to „not
communicate“.
Communication can be verbal or nonverbal.
A verbal message is one that uses words to convey
meaning. Any message, whether spoken or read,
that uses words to relay meaning contains verbal
messages.
Nonverbal communication involves more than just
body language. Time, tone of voice, smell, dress,
size, and touch all contribute to what is prceived as
meaningful.
Studnts of organizational communication need to
remember that nonverbal messages do not actually
mean anything until receiver decodes them.
Even verbal messages do not mean anything until
receiver decode them.
However with nonverbal messages there is
considerable room for misinterpretation.
The act of sending message, in and itself, does not
mean that communication has taken place. This is
often misunderstood aspect of communication,
especially in these times of technological
availability.
If a senior administrator sends employees
electronic reports, but employees do not read the
reports, we cannot say that the manager has
communicated the message dispite the fact that a
cogent message have been broadcast.
In short, message received is message
communicated.
Once a message has been received it cannot be
eradicated. Someone might say the words, „I take
that back“, but this does not erase the prior
message.
Communication is different from understanding.
Some people think of communication as being
synonymous with understanding.
As significantly, an ability to come to agreement
does not mean that two people are not
communicating effectively.
Communication is contextual. There are several
levels of communication.
Intrapersonal communication – communicating with
yourself.
Dyadic communication – refers to communication in
groups of two. Interpersonel exchanges, formal or
informal.
Group communication – group meetings are a
common context of communication in
organizations.
Groups are defined as bodies of 3 – 15 people.
Public communication – presentations by senior
executives.
Public communication is a more linear context, but
public commnication involves feedback and in
certain situation, involves a great deal of
interaction.
Mass communication – whether print or electronic
involves disseminating information to large,
sometimes unknown receivers.
We must be able to read, write, speak, listen and
use basic communicating technology.
Being a skilled communicator,involves more than
just having sklil competences.
Communication sklil reflects the ability and
willingness to aply capabilities intelligently.
Networks – an organization requiers networks to
connect related units in its systematic
environments.
Establishing and cultivating these channels is a
challange.
Culture – is important for organizational
communicators in at least two ways. Organizations
can have their own culture. Communication affects
the evolution of these cultures and concurrently,
organizational culture affects communication
quality. Organisations are often multinational.
Power – if people can understand the rudiments of
organizational communication they can become
more effective and powerful in terms of their
personal daily aktivity, their contributions to the
organization as a whole and their opportunities to
become proffessionally fulfiled.