Organizational Communication 2/24/14

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Alignments 3. Open systems encourage alignments between systems - Identify and eliminate dysfunctions - Requisite variety - Matching subsystems

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Environment • Different environments favor diefferet species of organizations - Consider internet environment and bussinesses - Favor different methods

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Gareth Morgan: the Organization as an Organism "Goals, structures, and efficiency, now become subsidiary to problems of survival and other biological concerns." - Gareth Morgan

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General Systems Theory • Ludwig von Bertalanffy, '68 • All phenomena can be viewed as a web of relationships among elements, or a system • All systems have common patterns, behaviors, and properties that can be understood and used to develop greater insight into behavior

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Katz and Kahn • Published 'the Social Psychology of Organizations' - helped us understand what people do to contribute to an organization's effectiveness • Application of General systems theory to organizations as open systems with a focus on open systems of communication - Social not physical systems, made by people - Need of system for maintenance inputs to keep human variability in check

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Metaphors • Machine: to machines, predictable and have replaceable parts - to understand them • Family: to families - more concern about employee treatment and involvement • Organism Metaphor: compare organizations to complex organisms that must interact with their environment

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Organizational subsystems (see graph)

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Organizations as Living Organisms • Organizations as clusters of interrelated human, business, and technical systems that interact with the environment • Corporate survival - balance internal needs and adapt to the environment • Organic systems that remain open to new challenges

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Practical (cont) 2. Organizations as sets of interrelated subsystems - Contain wholes within wholes - Individuals belong to groups, groups belong to departments, departments belong to divisions, divisions belong to organizations, etc

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Practical Implications 1. Importance of the environment in which organization exists - must organize with environment in mind: - Scanning - Look for changes in task, context - Bridge critical boundaries - Develop strategic responses

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Some Systems Concepts (see handout)

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System: A complex set of relationship among interdependent parts

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Systems Approaches • General Systems Theory - Gen Systems Theory, Von Bertalanffy ('68) - Katz and Kahn, 'The Social Psychology of Organizations ('66) - Gareth Morgan • Contingency Theory - Lawrence and Lorsch • Karl Weick, Social Psychology of Organizing

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Systems Exercise - W

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What is a system? - A system is greater than the sum of its parts - Relationships are what make a system - Organizations interact with their environments

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• For other metaphors, it's a Prescriptive consideration of Organizational Communication Perspectives • For organism comparison: Descriptive, explanatory approach to Organizational communication