Organisational Culture and Communication (MANBCU344)
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Summary Organizational Culture and Communication (MAN-BCU344)
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Course
Organisational Culture and Communication (MANBCU344)
Institution
Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen (RU)
Book
Organizational Communication
Summary of the literature and lectures on Organizational Culture and Communication at Radboud University. This course can be taken in the second or third year.
Business Administration: Business Administration / International Business Administration
Organisational Culture and Communication (MANBCU344)
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Organisational Culture and Communication
Lecture 1 – introduction and the three perspectives
Introduction
Organizations are constituted and enacted through the concerted actions of its members. They are
containers in which communication and interactions happen, thus, communication is seen as an
essential feature of organizations. Culture also important aspect, as it involves the norms, practices
and beliefs that are inherited and transmitted (also to new members).
Communication is about: creating shared meaning by using signs and symbols, among duo’s, groups
and larger social structures, while creating complete social realities.
Why study organizational communication? to improve your own understanding of organizations,
improve your experience as an organizational member, develop the communication skills that are
important in organizations, or to start a career as communication professional in an organization.
Organizational communication: basis for understanding every human process in organizations.
Includes: content, structure and process of human interaction, through language and symbols in
day-to-day organizational activities. Well-developed communication skills essential to personal
effectiveness in organizations.
Organizational culture: organization is operating within a social context that is made up of people
interacting together. Culture exist when people share similar interpretation of their environment
and behavior towards each other. With communication members create and change their social
context.
Traditional perspective
Communication: communication is objectively observable, measurable, labeled, classified,
and related to organizational processes. E.g. can be used to create shared meaning and
process of sending-receiving. Communication is effective if the receiver interprets the
message with the same intended meaning. Goal: assess the effectiveness of communication
by checking its productivity or welfare.
Culture: organizational culture is assessed in terms of capability of long-term of the
organization. Does organization enhance performance? Culture is observed through
observable variables like rituals and traditions. Understanding organizational culture helps to
understand the organization, and newcomers should immerse in the culture and fit-in.
Three core variables of traditional perspective : realist (there is only one truth), deterministic
(all facts can be explained by a cause), and positivist (only believe in what science can
prove).
Organizations are objects to be studies with concepts of traditional social science.
o Old traditional perspective: organizations are machines consisting of interconnected
parts and operated by managerial control. Employees cooperate and comply.
o New traditional perspective: organizations are living systems, managerial decisions
and intentions not the only elements that shape this system. Internal elements like
unions, trade, professional groups and external elements like local, state and federal
government shape system as well.
Interpretive perspective
Communication: communication is process of creating shared meaning and constructing and
coordinating social circles. Interpretivists see culture as something subjective rather than
objective, and want to uncover the culture behind social actions. Organization is seen as a
, social construct that exists through communication > communicative activities are revealed
in daily processes, and together create the unique identity of the organization.
Culture: organizations are cultures, a social construction represented though shared
meanings, believes and experiences that are developed through interaction. Beliefs of
members are revealed during interactions. Organizational culture is network of shared
meanings with focus on symbols that can reveal values and beliefs.
Critical-interpretivist perspective
Communication: with critical perspective, very important emphasis on power asymmetries.
Communication then is seen as a construct giving advantage to some groups (managers,
owners) while disadvantaging others (workers, women). People with power can more easily
be heard and defend their grounds with their interest. Critical perspective advises: give voice
to minority to express their view and challenge the dominant group, by exposing the power
asymmetries with the incentive to change.
Culture: organizations are instruments of oppression, relationship between dominant and
minority groups are conflictual. These two groups can be ranged in terms of gender, status,
and ethnicity. Dominant group experiences systematic privilege, while minority group
experiences disadvantages and discrimination.
Issue: critical perspective mentions that these issues of systematic inequalities are often
disregarded through the process of normalization.
All three perspectives reveal different ideas about communication and culture. Traditional
perspective is the oldest perspective and was dominant for many years. Now, no perspective is
dominant and each perspective works well for different topics.
Lecture 2 – what is communication and how do people communicate?
Introduction
Communication is any behavior that consists of having a message perceived and interpreted.
Creation of shared meaning between individuals through verbal and non-verbal actions. It is a
process connecting individuals.
Four definitions of communication: 1. Any perceived and interpreted behavior (Watzalick). 2.
Communication not only creating shared meanings, but also constructing social realities in
coordinated and actively managed ways (Pearce and Cronen). 3. Communication is socially situated
meaning-making, generating coherence and community through cultural meanings and forms
(Carbaugh). 4. Process of creating shared meaning through signs and symbols, among duo’s, groups,
and larger social structures via many ways and for many purposes (Papa).
Types of communication
Verbal communication: informal way of communication expressed by talking & writing, that
is culturally transmitted, freely created and ambiguous. Jargon is the vocabulary that only
people within a group understand. Literal words.
Nonverbal communication: paralanguage (nonverbal speech sounds like tone and volume),
body language, body movement (kinetics), posture, space, affection, etc. More difficult to
understand, more implicit, you should observe attentively and pay attention to cues.
o Regulators (raise eyebrows), adaptors (unconscious body movement), emblems
(peace sign/thumbs up), illustrators (emphasize what you are saying), affect display
(smile, show emotion).
Visual communication: connected with space (between people, placement of objects, or
boundaries that define territory.
, o Fixed feature space: boundaries to mark territory
o Semi-fixed space: all elements used to fill up a room
o Informal space: physical space between people, friends, colleagues, strangers
Communication models
1. Eunson: communication process consists of 3 stages: sender, message, receiver
2. Lasswell: communication process can be broken down into who, what, channel, whom,
effect
3. Shannon and Weaver: communication goes from source, transmitter, through a channel,
through a receiver to its destination. It is best if there is little noise.
a. Critique: oversimplification, linear (goes only one way), assumes communication is
always intentional, disregards body language and social contexts.
4. Berlo: communication from source, message, through channel, to receiver. Source and
receiver influenced by communication skills, attitudes, knowledge, culture and social system.
Message influenced by content, structure, treatment etc. Channel is hearing, seeing,
touching, smelling and tasting.
a. Critique: still a linear model (goes only one way)
5. Lievrouw & Finn: place of communication form in a box with control (sender/receiver),
involvement (high/low), and temporality (simultaneous (call) or nonsimultaneous (mail)).
a. Critique: Hard to compare different forms of communication, disregards non-verbal
cues, weird way of describing communication.
6. Foulger: creator imagines and creates message, consumer observes and interprets, every
communication in this model is two-way/active interaction, communication is not perfect
because of media, environment and noise > therefore chaos and often misunderstood.
7. Eunson: sender gives message to receiver, receiver gives feedback to sender, importance of
context (who has control). Two way model, role of noise and channels.
8. Anderson: influence of low and high context cultures between communication. Is context
(posture, eye contact, relationships, tone of voice) important while communicating?
9. Meyer: more elaborated model on low/high context cultures, distinguished between four
dimensions cause countries can be both low and high context. Emotionally (un)expressive,
and (avoids) confrontational.
Functions of communication
Content, goals, effects: communication should be structured to convey content, go solve a goal and
reach its intended effect. However, sometimes breaking down due to its limitations in
communication process. Goals can be: symbolic interaction, control and manipulation, interpersonal
communication, and social capital.
Traditional perspective on communication
= main function of communication: effectively convey information
Definition of communication by Papa: creation of shared meaning between two or more people
through verbal and nonverbal transaction. Functions:
Production: communicate to coordinate & control activities to produce system outputs, e.g.
giving instructions
Maintenance: maintain system processes and cooperation, stimulate mental processes
between individuals, e.g. employee of the month, value interaction
Innovation: communicate new ideas, implement changes
Definition of communication by Dance and Larson: that which ties, links, or connects any orderly
relationships by providing the bond through which they may exist and may be perceived. Functions:
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