Reflection

After 5 months of studying Communication and Organization, I have learnt a lot from the course, with the help of the theories, examples and case studies provided. Besides, the group exercise and group discussion carried out during tutorial was very helpful and informative as well. I was quite lost about this course at the beginning of the semester, but after reading the textbook and doing related research on this course, and after working on all 3 assignments, my questions towards the theories and concepts are all cleared. I now have a better understanding towards organization system and the effective communication related methods and matters within an organization, thus I believe this will help me in my future career.

Chapter 13 : Technological Processes

Summary from Textbook:

Due to the ever changing technological world, improvements in the form of communication can be seen as well in organizations. Examples of organizational communication technology include: electronic mail, voice mail, facsimile (fax), audio and videoconferencing, computer conferencing, management information system, Group Decision Support System (GDSS), Internet.

These forms of communication help improve the quality and speed in which information is disseminated to employees. Information can also be sent to employees in different geographical locations, and also allow communication between individuals at different points in time. Transcripts of conversations and meetings also can be stored due to GDSS technologies, and also allow for quick retrieval of past information that might have been impossible to retrieve years ago. In addition, organizational participants are offered a wide array of interaction and decision-making options that are different from previous ways of working.

Due to initial misgivings in the workplace, such implementation of technologies may not be used, until people slowly get to know and understand them. Two theories that highlight the importance of organizational communication media use are the media richness theory and the social information processing theory.

The media richness theory considers 4 criteria: the availability of instant feedback, the use of multiple cues, the use of natural language and the personal focus of the medium.

The social information processing theory looks at the following to decide on the effectiveness of such media: the objective characteristics of the task and media, past experience and knowledge, individual differences and social information

The channel expansion theory that considers the user’s personal experience, and the dual capacity model that proposes that every medium has both data and symbol carrying capacity are also considered. The media synchronicity theory considers the media used between several people, and that individuals have the choice in deciding which form of media to use in communications.

The use of organizational communication technology has several effects: inhibition of the communication of social and emotional content, organizational communication patterns. To the organizational structure, it provides the following effects: increased flexibility and structure, greater individuality and teamwork, more responsibility and less control.

Different approaches view communication technology processes differently:

• Classical- tool used to enhance efficiency of organizations by supplementing or replacing efforts of workers


• Human relations- tool to free workers from mundane tasks


• Human resources- tool to enhance efficiency of organization when used in combination with human workers


• Systems- seen as a way to link organizational subsystems, and to link the organization with the environment


• Cultural- seen as a symbolic manifestation of organizational culture and as a medium through which cultural values are developed and communicated


• Critical- seen as a means to repress workers through the de-skilling of jobs and control of information. Can also be seen as allowing more open communication

This chapter talks about the effects of different forms of communication on the communication style and process. This is not only seen within the organization, but also in the public life as well. Technology is important in these days, as it can allow for storage of information, communication with many people over great distances almost instantly.


Reference:

Miller, K 2009, Organizational Communication: Approaches and Processes, 6^th edition, Belmont, CA, Wadsworth Publishing Company.

Week 13 Tutorial

The last Communication and Organization tutorial was on the discussion regarding the temporary shut down of Qantas airline. Due to the different media releases and many other differing opinions and reviews that I have read, I was confused as to the real truth behind the issue until this tutorial. The union were not the ones who wanted to shut the airline down, rather it was Qantas themselves who did this, as they did not want to give into the unions demands. This involved the Diversity theory learnt in Communication and Organization, as the Qantas employees each had their individual characteristics, and had different work skills that required different communication methods. This topic can relate to the Decision-Making process theory as well when it comes to Qantas downsizing their workforce. This is because the workforce in Qantas was seen as an example of the utilisation of the Machine Metaphor, where the employees were replaceable. What Qantas did was to replace current employees with new employees with just half the current employee’s wages. By doing so, the CEO of Qantas earned more by cutting down the cost, which in the meantime caused conflicts between the airline and the public, as they questioned Qantas’s ethics.

Emotions at work- Brainstorming Illustration

This video clip shows an example on leadership and group communication where the leader of the group guided the discussion throughout and managed to pull the group members in to the right track after they went off track/out of topic. He also tried to make sure that everyone gave their opinions, and presented each idea to the President, even when he himself did not think the idea was useful. This shows that everyone was given a chance in voicing out their opinions and was taken into consideration regardless of the usefulness or relevance. Besides, after each member gave their opinions, the leader represented them as a team in delivering the ideas to the president. This video clip relates to the theories learnt in chapter 8, Decision Making Processes, where it involves the Descriptive Small-Group Decision Making – Phase models of Small-Group Decision Making where all 4 phases: orientation, conflict, emergence and reinforcement were seen. Orientation phase occurred when they all got to know each other, conflict was when they all suggested solutions to the problems, emergence was when they gave their decisions to the president, and reinforcement was seen when the president decided to have a joke with them and pretended to accept all their solutions.

The part in which communication in the group was open and everyone was allowed to present their decisions shows the importance of communication to the essay. The way in which the leader kept trying to bring everyone back on track whenever the conversation moved away from problem-solving, and his decision to inform the president of all the solutions provided, showed how everyone’s voice is important, and how one of the roles of the leader is to guide the group.

Reference:

Clinton, B 2011, Clinton Foundation: Celebrity Division, video online, available at http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/71a3d4cccc/clinton-foundation-celebrity-brainstorm, viewed 1 November 2011.