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Alexandra Bimonte
Organizational Communication
Dr. Delancey
December 26, 2011
Released in theatres in 1999 and grossing over $10 million, Office Space, was well
received by audiences. Americans love movies and shows that portray the inner workings of an
office in a comedic light; take the hit televisions series The Office and 30 Rock for two current
examples. Office based parodies are well liked. Surprisingly, as entertaining and uproarious as
this Hollywood blockbuster is, it does possess educational value. It exemplifies many of the
points that are discussed in our organizational communication course. The overarching principle
exemplified in Office Space is how it represents the classical approach to organizations as well
as instances where it demonstrates the opposite of such characteristics. Throughout the film there
are various scenes and quotes that reflect many aspects of topics and issues in organizational
performance.
Working for the software company Initech and their greedy and lackluster boss, Bill
Lumbergh, Peter Gibbons, Samir Nagheenanajar, and Michael Bolton, and Milton Waddams
truly hate their jobs and claim it is ruining their lives. An announcement is made that the
company is downsizing. Surprisingly, Peter gets promoted and Samir and Michael are in danger
of being fired. These three friends and coworkers collaborate and rebel against Initech by
creating computer virus to embezzle money from Initech into Peter’s account which does not go
according to plan. Also, Joanna is an important character with her own story too. She works as
a waitress at the restaurant Chotchkie’s that Peter frequents and eventually they begin dating
This is just the general summary of the movie’s main points.I will further explore the many
facets of how an organization, such as the fictitious Initech and Chotchkie’s, operates and the
impact on those who work there.
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Alexandra Bimonte
Organizational Communication
Dr. Delancey
December 26, 2011
The classical approach to organizational communication came into being during the
switch from an agrarian to an industrial society and is often equated with the metaphor of a
machine (Miller 17). The machine metaphor possesses three distinct traits. They are
specialization, standardization, and predictability (Miller 17). Specialization is the division of
labor. Michael and Samir are programmers for Initech, Peter is responsible for going through
codes in software and substituting 1998 for 98, Milton collates papers, Bob Porter and Bob
Slydell are consultants hired to interview and fire employees from Initech, and Bill Lumbergh is
the Vice President of Initech. Each individual has very specific duties that they are responsible
for. No one ever does a task that is not part of their job description. The second trait,
standardization goes hand in hand with the idea of replaceability (Miller 17). Just as parts in a
machine are easily replaced so are the employees working at Initech. Peter and Milton’s jobs are
especially easy to replace. It supports the idea that the employees are cogs and can be swapped
out with ease (Miller 18). The third trait of a machine is predictability. There are rules that
dictate what is expected and if a problem surfaces it can be fixed by rationally thinking through
the situation. Peter reports to work on time and does his monotonous job and follows directions
from his superior, Bill Lumbergh. Milton exemplifies this willing employee attitude by
following Bill’s orders of always moving his desk around the office. He only mumbles under his
breath, but never challenges the system. This predictable trait characterizes all the Initech
employees until Peter goes to see a hypnotherapist. After the session with the hypnotherapist,
Peter’s once conformist nature is switched out to an employee who does and says what he wants.
He becomes highly unpredictable. Not coming into work among other actions demonstrate his
new found freedom.
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Alexandra Bimonte
Organizational Communication
Dr. Delancey
December 26, 2011
In one scene during an office meeting, everyone emerges from their cubicle and there is a
banner hanging up that reads, “Is this good for the COMPANY?” Mr. Lumbergh then goes on to
state as he points to the banner, “So you should ask yourself, with every decision that you make,
Is this good for the company? Am I helping the best way that I can for the company...?” This
goes along with Fayol’s principle of “subordination of individual interest to general interest” and
that the employees’ foremost priority is the goals of the organization and not their individual
needs and desires (Miller 29). Task related topics are the most important topic. Innovation and
maintenance-related communication were not methods of communication were discouraged
(Miller 29). In the office, communication was restricted to work-related issues.
Direction of communication flow is also relevant to the classical approach.
Information flows from the top to the bottom (vertical) and there is no bottom up or employee to
employee (horizontal) dissemination of information. All communication begins with Mr.
Lumbergh and flows down the hierarchical chain. There is little to no feedback that makes it
from lower-level employees, such as Peter and Milton, to high-level management, Mr.
Lumbergh.
The channel of communication is another feature. Typically with a classical
organization, formal communication via written rules is the most prevalent method (Miller 30).
This was not the case with Initech. Peter and the other employees received instruction and
negative comments via face-to-face interaction or via phone. These two can facilitate the flow of
communication in a classical organization, but usually the written form trumps them. When
Peter forget to do his TPS reports, Mr. Lumbergh paid him a personal visit to his cubicle to talk
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Alexandra Bimonte
Organizational Communication
Dr. Delancey
December 26, 2011
about the incident as well as Peter receiving multiple phone calls from management to remind
him of his TPS reports.
The style of communication would be formal in a classical organization. Initech meets
this criteria for the most part.
Another classical approach evidenced by the inner workings of Initech illustrates Max
Weber’s Theory of Bureaucracy. The three characteristics of this theory include a clearly
defined hierarchy, division of labor, and centralization of decision making and power as well as
organizations being closed rather than open systems (Miller 23). The “functioning of authority”
is the most pertinent and Mr. Lumbergh would be classified as a traditional authority figures
since it is an accepted belief that the Vice President has the final say and control in an
organization (Miller, 23). However, this does not mean that the individual possesses the
abilities, actions, or behaviors that make them a charismatic authority figure but rather their
power is based upon the tradition of authority (Miller 23). In the case of Bill Lumbergh, he
generates all his power purely from tradition.
Peter describes Mr. Lumbergh as an “unholy,
disgusting pig of a boss…who represents all that is solace and wrong.” It is obvious that Peter
has no respect for upper management and finds him to be inadequate for his position.
Even Joanna, Peter’s girlfriend, deals with similar issues on a different scale and in an
alternate work environment. Working as a waitress at the restaurant Chotchkie’s, she
experiences the nature of being a low-level employee when her boss Stan reprimands her for
wearing only the required minimum fifteen pieces of flair which are the pin like buttons worn on
the uniform. Stan addresses this issue of flair with Joanna twice. The first time her response is
apathetic but she agrees to his request of expressing herself more by adding some flair. However,
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Alexandra Bimonte
Organizational Communication
Dr. Delancey
December 26, 2011
the next time Stan addresses this subject and how she is expressing herself, Joanna’s response
reflects what she has really been thinking and feeling. She responds to her boss with: “I do want
to express myself. Ok? And I don't need thirty-seven pieces of flair to do it (as she gives him the
finger). All right? There's my flair! And this is me expressing myself. I hate this job! I hate this
goddamn job and I don't need it!” (as she storms away.) Joanna’s outburst came after Peter
convinced her that Initech and Chotchkie’s were evil and just wrong. Joanna demonstrated
resistance that was undertaken on an individual level.
As the song, “Damn it Feels Good to be a Gangsta” by Geto Boys is playing in the
background, Peter after being promoted comes into work that day with a whole new “gangster”
attitude. He has switched his outlook from conformist to rebel. He starts out by parking in Mr.
Lumbergh’s Reserved VP parking spot, he unscrews the handle to the office’s door, takes down
the “Is this good for the COMPANY?” banner, guts a fish he caught on his desk over his loathed
TPS reportrs, re-designs his cubicle by knocking it over to have a view of the window, plays
Tetris instead of doing work, and tells Bill Lumbergh that he has not yet completed the TPS
reports and tells him to “just come back later.” The old, rule following, life loathing Peter would
have never done this before his new, refreshed outlook that was triggered by a hypnotherapist.
Using the critical approach discussed in chapter six, some of its foundations are
applicable to events in Office Space. According to the classical job design and rewards in
contemporary organizations, “money will probably always be a critical factor in recruiting and
rewarding them.” There were no financial rewards or incentives given to employees at Initech.
Even if they were available, they probably would not have been effective for employees such as
Peter. Peter said that if he had a million dollars he would relax, sit on his ass all day, and do
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Alexandra Bimonte
Organizational Communication
Dr. Delancey
December 26, 2011
nothing.” Obviously for him monetary incentives would not have increased his performance at
work.
“Hegemony is the process in which a dominant group leads another group to accepts
subordination as the norm” (Miller 107). This idea fosters power differentiation which is a trait
of a classical organization. Milton is the epitome
Emancipation is the final goal and “is a process of emerging awareness and
communicative action on part of the oppressed” (Miller 107).
Resistance is how “workers can exert counterpressure on this exercise of power and
control” (Miller 108).
Classical organizations have several other characteristics that Office Space
illustrates and some other traits it does not support.
Hierarchical structure
Clear chain of command
Clear role differentiation
Clear power differentiation-power=ability to influence, different power with different levels of
organization, and increases as you move up
Clear status differentiation- prestige associated with a particular role, higher means more prestige
Individuality is discouraged
Financial gain is primary motivation
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Alexandra Bimonte
Organizational Communication
Dr. Delancey
December 26, 2011
“Alienation can occur through the repetitive and boring jobs created by technology;
oppression can occur as worker are replaced or limited in advancement by robotics or other
technical achievements. Surveillance is one more example of how management maintains its
domination over employees.” (Miller 105).
“When alienated people are able to consider their condition critically, emancipation will
be possible. For organizational communication theorists, it is important to find ways that people
can participate in free and open communication about power and control in the organizations
where they work.” ( Miller 108).
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