Communicative Constitution of Organizations

What are some examples of activity coordination?

Examples of activity coordination includes communication about who will take another's place if someone becomes ill and designating someone to write down information onto a spreadsheet or paper during group work activities such as our Thursday group meetings.

What are examples of the many documents that often play a role in the self-structuring of an organization?

Examples of documents that often play a role in the self-structuring of an organization is memos, procedure manuals, and charts.

"All four flows are necessary for organization"

If one of the flows is not acknowledged, disorganization can occur including a fight for leadership.

What does the institutional positioning flow involve?

Institutional positioning flow involves communication between an organization and external entities.

What are strengths of CCO?

It provides relative simplicity, a community of agreement and aesthetic appeal.

Summarize how the four flows can be applied to Lutgen-Sandvik's example

Lutgen-Sandvik used CCO to address the organizational issue of abuse of employees by studying a women's shelter with abusive behavior amongst the workers. The four flows can work to analyze the issue at hang in regards to the organizational structure.

What does the membership negotiation flow involve?

Membership negotiation flow involves communication that regulates the extent to which a person is an organized member. An example is an interview process.

Explain how membership negotiation is an ongoing process

Membership negotiation is an ongoing process because we are always applying for new jobs, new positions, and new friend groups throughout life.

Who created the Communicative Constitution of Organizations?

Robert McPhee

What does the self-structuring flow involve?

Self-structuring flow involves communication that shapes the relationships among an organization's members.

What tradition is Communicative Constitution of Organizations?

Socio-cultural

"The same message can address multiple flows"

Sometimes a single message is able to belong to more than one flow. Intersecting flows is the essence of organizing itself.

"Different flows happen in different places"

Space and time work to separate the four flows.

What are critiques of CCO?

The theory doesn't provide a new understanding, it is too simple, and has a big picture with messy details.

What did Weick theorize about communication?

Weick took an information systems approach in which he said organizations are like organisms, active beings that must continually process information to survive.

What is a flow and what assumptions about communication does it reflect?

A flow is a circulating field of messages that constitute organization. They reflect who is a member of the organization, how they structure their working relationships, how they coordinate their work, and how the organization positions itself with other organizations and people.

What does the activity coordination flow involve?

Activity coordination involves communication that accomplishes the organization's work towards goals.

What is the objective/interpretive placement of Communicative Constitution of Organizations?

Almost fully interpretive

"Different flows address different audiences"

Although groups may care heavily about one aspect of their collegiate experience, they may not fully care about another.

What is an example of institutional positioning?

An example of institutional positioning is when Greek organizations collaborate and compete with one another such as Greek sing or Step sing.

What is the distinctive perspective on organizations taken by CCO scholars?

CCO scholars look at organizations as a river, always changing and active. Just because there is water doesn't mean there is a river and just because people are communicating doesn't mean it's an organization.

Summary of Communicative Constitution of Organizations

Communicative Constitution of Organization, CCO, is the belief that communication brings the organization into existence. McPhee believes that people in conversations co-construct their social words. These social worlds are their organizations.