Download Communication in Organizations

Communication in Organizations
By: Elizabeth B. Oliveira
What is Organizational
Communications?

Katherine Miller defines it as:
–
“The Study of Organizational
Communications involves understanding
how the context of the organization
influences communication process and
how the symbolic nature of
communication differentiates it from other
forms of organizational behavior” (1).
Henry Fayol’s Theory of
Classical Management

Fayol’s Theory Is concerned with the
Managerial function of Organizing

It is based on two concepts
–
Elements of Management

–
Concerned with with Managers should do
Principal’s of Management

Concerned with how Managers should enact the
Elements of Management
5 Elements of Management
Planning
Looking into Future to attain organizational goal
Organization
Arrangement of Employees and the evaluation of
these employees
Command
Giving employees task in order to meet the
organizational goal
Coordination
Working together to accomplish a goal.
Control
Ensuring the organization is functioning as planned
Principals of Management
–
Scholar Chain

–
Unity of Command

–
Work is it’s best when employees are assigned to a
limited number of specialized tasks
Order

–
Proposes activities that have similar goals
Division of Labor

–
Employee should receive orders from only one person
Unity of Direction

–
Management should be in hierarchy
Appoint places for each employee
Span of Control

Managers are more effective if they have control of a
limited number of employees
Weber’s Theory of
Bureaucracy
Clearly defined Hierarchy
 Division of Labor
 Centralization of Decision Making
 Closed Systems
 Importance of Rules
 Functioning Authority

–
Traditional (Listen to people above you)
– Charismatic
Taylor’s Theory of
Scientific Management
One best way to do the job
 Proper selection of workers
 Appropriate & Proper training of
workers
 Strict Division of Labor

–
Difference between Management &
Workers
Principals of
Organizational Power

Centralization
–

Authority & Responsibility
–

Organization most effective when central
management has control over decision
making & employee activities
Managers should hold authority &
responsibility must accompany authority
Discipline
–
Organizational Members should be
obedient to the rules of the Organization
Principals of
Organizational Reward

Remuneration of Personnel
–

Equity
–

Employees should be rewarded for their
work with appropriate salary & benefits
Employees should be treated equally
Tenure Stability
–
Job should guarantee sufficient time on
the job for employees to achieve
maximum performance
Principals of
Organizational Attitude

Subordination of Individual Interest to
general Interest
–

Initiative
–

Interests of the whole take precedence
over interests of the individuals
Employees must work in the best interest
of the organization
Esprit de Corps
–
No dissension in the organizational ranks
Summary
Classical Organizational Theories all
use a machine metaphor that
conceptualize the organization as
highly standardized, specialized, and
predictable (Miller, 22).
 Structure & job design in today’s
organizations often reflect the ideas
expounded many years ago by
classical theorists (Miller, 22).

References

Miller, K. (2006). Organizational
Communication. Belmont: Holly J Allen