COMM 355 Exam 1

unity of command

An employee should receive orders from only one supervisor

centralization

Centralization occurs when decisions are made at the top of the hierarchy rather than at lower levels.

Individual Strategies

Communicates to newcomers that the organization accepts the newcomer and is even willing to adjust and adapt to him/her

division of labor

Each worker should have a limited set of tasks to accomplish

remuneration of personnel

Employees should be paid a fair price for their services

equity

Employees should be treated well, with kindness and justice, but this does not preclude being forceful or stern with them; everyone receives similar treatment.

job rationales

Explain the purpose for the jobs and how they relate to other organizational activities and goals

Authority and Responsibility

Like Taylor, Fayol thought that those in authority should give orders and expect workers to comply.

esprit de corps

Management should promote a sense of unity, harmony, and cohesion

four principles of management

Managers should develop a science for each person's work, select and train workers scientifically, gain cooperation of workers to ensure that the work is done according to the scientific principles, and divide the work between managers and workers

unity of direction

Only one head (i.e., one manager) shall administer a group of activities having the same purpose.

machines and organizations share

Predictability, Standardization and Specialization

job performance reports

Provide managers with information about how individuals or units are producing

realistic job previews

Realistic job previews provide the applicant with the positive and attractive aspects of a future job and place of employment as well as information about some of the less attractive or mundane aspects of a job.

Initiative

The ability to plan and execute the plan are important skills.

subordination of individual interest

The interest (e.g., demands, needs, wants, desires) of an individual employee should not come before the interest of the entire organization.

order

There should be a place for every material object in the organization, and each employee should also have a designated place in the organizational structure.

Stability of Tenure

To maintain a stable organization, employees should be retained once they demonstrate competence in performing their job after an adequate period of training.

results-oriented appraisal

appraisals include clear performance objectives and objective measures to reduce the potential for biased appraisals

policy responses and feedback

communicate to management subordinates' positive or negative reactions and perceptions of organizational policies and practices, especially when they involve changes.

Task procedures

communicate to managers the procedures subordinates use to accomplish tasks

social or relational communication

communication that develops and maintains personal relationships and friendships in the organization.

impersonal sources

employee handbooks and organizational websites.

participation

employees are asked their opinions and are able to make real decisions that influence their work.

profit/stock sharing

employees are eligible for bonuses and company shares

employment security

employees can expect that they can continue to work for the company as long as they want (assuming competence) and that the organization would attempt to avoid layoffs even in challenging economic times

Maintenance or authority communication

establishing and maintaining the chain of command or hierarchy in the organization

Anticipatory Organizational Socialization

examines how our communication experiences shape our decisions about which organizations to join or not join.

Anticipatory Role Socialization

explains how our communication experiences shape our decisions about the roles or careers we will assume in organizations, including work roles (i.e., jobs) or voluntary roles, as well as our more general attitudes about work.

information distribution

getting information out to employees can be challenging.

indoctrination or culture information

helps create an understanding and commitment to the values, beliefs, and goals of the organization.

message direction

how communication moves throughout an organization (e.g., upward, downward).

Security

how safe we feel within an organizational setting

Social Contact

how we engage with others nonverbally (e.g., through eye contact) in the office.

Problem reports

identify issues that are inhibiting an individual or other organizational members from accomplishing individual or organizational goals

Production or Task communication

includes any communication related to producing the organization's output, whether it is a product or a service or even a public image (e.g., directions, feedback, reports).

information transfer

information is provided to another individual

innovation communication

involves discussions of new ideas and approaches, particularly ones that solve organizational problems.

shared meaning

is the meaning attributed to the message shared between communicators

job description

jobs are clearly defined and up-to-date so employees know their responsibilities

transactional meaning creation

meaning is created in the communication transaction involving both parties or through the dialogue between communicators.

disjunctive socialization

no role models are available or provided to the newcomer, so the newcomer learns on his or her own.

training opportunities

not only do new employees receive training for their jobs, but established ones periodically receive training to assist them in their careers.

ineffective communication

occurs when a lack of understanding happens as a result of intended and unintended verbal or nonverbal behavior. Ineffective communication inhibits participants' ability to coordinate activities and manage relationships.

effective communication

occurs when the senders and receivers reach an understanding in response to intentional verbal or nonverbal messages. Effective communication allows people to coordinate their actions and manage their relationships.

variable socialization

organization provides no real cues to newcomer as to when to expect movement to target role.

social definition of organizations

organizations have social responsibilities and expects that they be responsible and responsive to the public

upward communication

originates with individuals who are lower in organizational authority and moves up the chain of command.

downward communication

originates with those higher in organizational authority and is directed at those with less organizational authority.

workgroup sources

peers, supervisors, and subordinates.

Power differentials

power differentials often intimidates subordinates and keeps negative information from making it up the chain of command.

nature of feedback

praise increases commitment and motivation; criticism leads to defensiveness and increased turnover.

Procedure and practice information

provides explanation of organizational policies, practices, and norms.

Feedback

provides subordinates with evaluations of their performance and gives guidance on ways to improve

Boundary Passages

psychological or socially constructed boundaries that separate social spheres and groups of individuals

Scalar Chain

related to the unity of command, a clear hierarchy with clear lines of communication should exist from level to level decision-making authority.

Divestiture Socialization

seeks to deny and strip away certain personal characteristics of the newcomer

other organizational sources

staff or administrative personnel and mentors.

Amount of feedback

subordinates can feel that they do not have enough information or that they have too much information (i.e., information overload).

lack of receptivity

subordinates often feel that their supervisors are not actually receptive to information, especially negative information.

upward distortion

subordinates tend to skew their upward communication and only provide positive news or reframe negative information.

external sources

suppliers, customers, clients, family and friends.

job instructions

tell subordinates what task or jobs they need to do and the process for doing them.

Functional boundaries

the boundaries we use to distinguish different groupings of employees within organizations (e.g., departments, units).

span of control

the number of subordinates managed by a single supervisor.

anticipatory socialization

the period of time before an individual joins an organization.

hierarchical boundaries

the rank or status individuals have within organizations (e.g., managers, entry-level, CEOs)

Symbolic Identification

the status we have within our organization (e.g., big office versus small office).

internal career opportunities

there are clear and multiple career paths in the company; supervisors know their subordinates' aspirations

relational uncertainties

uncertainty about how to relate to their peers, supervisors, and other organizational members.

uncertainty about the broader organization

uncertainty about the culture and norms of an organization

task related uncertainties

uncertainty about the what the job actually entails (in terms of tasks), whether there are specific procedures or norms for doing these tasks, and how they will be evaluated for doing their jobs.

uncertainty about power relationships

uncertainty about who is more influential in an organization.

legal definition of organizations

views organizations based on recognizing them as entities with the same sorts of rights, privileges, and obligations as people

Message Content

what information is sent in a message.

strategic ambiguity

when meaning is deliberately not clear

organizational socialization

•"The process by which an individual acquires the social knowledge and skills necessary to assume an organizational role." •Allows newcomer to: acculturate, understand/employ attitudes/behaviors, and identify.

institutional strategies

•Communicate to newcomers that they should adapt to the organization. Research indicates that individuals who experience institutional strategies have more role clarity, are more committed to the organization, and are generally more satisfied than those who experience individual strategies.

Critical Perspective

•Critical scholars view organizations as systems of economic and political exploitation in which individuals in positions of power use that power in ways that benefit themselves over other organizational members. •Often uses qualitative and discourse analysis.

organizational outsiders

•Don't know the norms, know the behaviors, the attitude, and not sure of how to obtain and/or send information

Interpretive Perspective

•Interpretive scholars focus on the subjective meaning that individuals assign their organizational experiences. •Typically use qualitative methods.

organizational insiders

•Know the norms, the behaviors and act accordingly, the attitude and have adopted it, and know how to send and receive information

person-job fit

•Person-Job fit concerns management finding the right employee to fill an open position.

Recruitment

•Recruitment objectives: •How many positions need to be filled; how diverse and large of an applicant pool is desired. •Recruitment strategies: •Where to advertise positions to attract talent; what skills/information to include in description. •Recruitment activities: When and where interviews will occur.

post-positivist perspective

•Researchers view reality as an objective phenomenon and perceive that their role as researchers is to measure and examine organizations objectively much like scientists conducting experiments. •Typically use quantitative methods.

selection process

•Résumés and cover letters: •Present a clear narrative, highlighting your fit with the position and organization. •Screening interviews: •Provides an opportunity to display communication competencies and to decide whether applicants are likeable, interpersonally attractive, and well mannered. •Follow-up or second interviews: •Occurs at job sites. Usually longer and consists of meeting with multiple individuals.

uncertainty management theory

•UMT explains how individuals manage uncertainty about others through communication. •UMT offers that individuals experience uncertainty when they meet a new individual and try to gain information to reduce that uncertainty.

investiture socialization

•affirms the characteristics and identity that the newcomer brings to the organization. In essence, the organization is saying, "We like you the way you are."

Inclusionary Boundaries

•concern the social fabric or interpersonal domain of organization life and whether a person is on the periphery of the organization or at the center (e.g., who is the decision-maker and who is on the fringe or edge).

person-organization fit

•concerns whether there is a match between organizational values and the employee. •Job candidates should consider whether they are a good fit for a particular job and organization.

informal socialization

•informal, laissez-faire socialization, where newcomer is not distinguished from others.

formal socialization

•occurs when newcomers are segregated, in one form or another, from regular organizational members.

random socialization

•occurs when the sequence of steps leading to target role is unknown, ambiguous, or continually changing.

fixed socialization

•organization provides newcomer with a precise timetable for when to expect progression to target role.

serial socialization

•organization uses an experienced organizational member, who occupies a similar role to the one the newcomer will occupy, to help "groom" the newcomer.

group socialization

•putting a group of recruits through a common set of experiences together.

sequential socialization

•the degree to which the organization specifies a certain set of steps to be completed to advance to their target role.

communicative definition of organizations

•views them as being created and maintained through communication. •Organizations can only exist through communication

nonverbal communication

•when individuals assign meaning to the behaviors and actions of others (e.g., posture, tone, eye contact, vocal cues, gestures, physical appearance). •Nonverbal communication in organizations conveys security, symbolic identification, and social contact.

individual socialization

•when recruits are brought into the organization in relative isolation from one another and put through a unique set of experiences.