ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION THEORIES 1

Organizational Communication Theories

Dr. Hilentzaris Sofia

Tziliou Charis-Artemis

COMM 430

4/12/2009
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Communication is the process by which two or more people exchange ideas. It is a

central activity in most human and organizational activities. The communication in an

organization is very important. Organizational communication occurs within a particular

social system composed of interdependent groups attempting to achieve commonly

recognized goals. Is the number one fact for having a healthy organizational system that

later will involve positive results. Communication is one of the most important topics of

organization behavior. Effective communication is vital in organizational strategies as

well as for managing day to day activities through people. Managers spend a lot of their

time in communicating, exchanging information with their partners and workers. What is

very important for a manager is to have some basic knowledge on the theories of

organizational communication. There have been many theorists that analyzed their

thoughts in how the communication process should be taking place in an organization.

All these theories are analyzed in different periods and in different content. (Narayana

Rao, 2009)

The first period is called “Classical Perspectives” from 1900 to 1930. The assumptions

of this period were that a “science” of organization will lead to greater efficiency and

production. The owners of an organization should control all resources, and the workers

that follow orders and work hard can improve themselves. Some of the most famous

theories from this period are those of Frederick Taylor and Max Weber. (Ashcraft, n.d)

According to Frederick Taylors Scientific Management there is only one “best way”

to complete any task. A manager should select personnel scientifically and judge by the
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production. Also the main inspiration of this theory is that the manager plans and

workers implement the plan. . (Ashcraft, n.d)

According to Max Weber’s theory of Bureaucracy there is a hierarchical system of

authority by division of labor directed by explicit rules impersonally applied, staffed by

full-time, life-time, professionals. . (Ashcraft, n.d)

The second period is called “Human Relations & Resources” from 1930 to 1965. The

assumptions of this period are that “A happy worker is a productive worker” also there is

a belief that the organizations should have more democratic values and open

communication. Some of the most famous theories of that period are those of F. J.

Roethlisberger, Jack Gibb, and Rensis Likert. . (Ashcraft, n.d)

According to F. J. Roethlisberger’s theory about “Managers & (Mis) communication”

management is a verbal activity involving the use and interpretation of language, which is

variable and emotional. All members have personal histories and emotional needs that

must be considered. Good managers facilitate open communication and seek to

understand worker perceptions. . (Ashcraft, n.d)

According to Jack Gibb’s theory of Organizational communication “climate”, there

are two types of “climate” that exist in an organization. The “defensive climate” that

contains evaluation, control orientation, strategy, neutrality, superiority and certainty.

And the “supportive climate” that contains description, problem orientation, spontaneity,

empathy, equality, and provisionalism. . (Ashcraft, n.d)

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The last theory of that period is Rensis Likert’s theory that described the relationship,

involvement, and roles between management and subordinates in industrial settings. He

identified 4 management systems, Exploitative-Authoritative, Benevolent-Authoritative,

Consultative, and Participative. . (Ashcraft, n.d)

The communication status of that period is viewed as a tool to coordinate, increase

morale, and tap members’ creative resources. There is a function of production and

maintenance and the structure is formal and informal. The downward communication is

still stressed but with increasing concern for upward & horizontal. . (Ashcraft, n.d)

The third period is called “Systems Theory” from 1960 to 1980. The assumptions of

that period are the need to understand better the nature of organizations. The most

famous theory of that period is of Katz & Kahn. . (Ashcraft, n.d)

According to that theory, which is called “Open Systems”, organizations are open,

self-renewing systems that ingest energy from the environment, transform that energy

and expend it back into the environment. It’s like having the input, then the process and

then comes the output. Unlike a physical system the organization is social, created by

people and bonded by psychological forces. According to Barnard, Katz and Kahn, “The

system involves overriding goals that necessitate the subordination of individual needs.

Such is the nature of rule enforcement, accomplished through role behavior, norms, and

values. These interrelated components provide a necessary integration within the

system”. (Ashcraft, n.d)

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The status of communication in that period was viewed as ongoing and constitutive, a

feedback loop to manage stability-adaptation. The function was based on system “blood,”

that organizes and continually builds structure which is informal, networked, and

multidirectional. . (Ashcraft, n.d)

The fourth period is called “Cultural Perspectives” and it is generally constructed in

the 80’s. The assumptions of that period are that there is no objective or factual reality of

organization. Members collectively produce that reality as they negotiate meaning. Some

of the examples of that period are Comparative Management, Corporate Culture, and

Cultural Symbolism & Performance. . (Ashcraft, n.d)

The Comparative Management Culture is imported into organizations from national,

regional, and ethnic influences. Corporate Culture derives from what an organization has,

like an asset or possession to be managed toward enhanced performance. And there is an

emphasis on culture as unified across an organization. Cultural Symbolism and

Performance is derived from what an organization is, from the performance that is

ongoing, communicative, contextual, episodic, and improvisational. . (Ashcraft, n.d)

The status of communication in that period is viewed as the ongoing activity through

which organizational realities are created, expressed, maintained, and transformed. The

function it uses is maintenance and innovation, defined in terms of meaning systems, and

the structure it has is mostly informal, emergent, and multidirectional. . (Ashcraft, n.d)
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And the last period is “Critical Perspectives” taking place after 1985 where the

general assumptions are based on Marx’s critique of work, and also on the assumption

that, organizational communication produces systems of power, which are not neutral or

random but, instead, promote dominant interests. Some of the most famous theories in

that period are those of Stanley Deetz and the Feminist Perspectives. . (Ashcraft, n.d)

According to the theory of Stanley Deetz based on Corporate Colonization “the

corporate sector has become the primary institution of U.S. society, and it has colonized

most areas of our lives Our capacity to participate in democracy has gradually eroded

Yet, because colonization is unobtrusive, we do not scrutinize the scope of corporate

power as we do other social and political trends. To revive democracy, we must expose

the consequences of colonization and work to ensure the political and workplace

participation of multiple stakeholders”. Deetz takes a humanistic view of the world. He

believes that communication is ongoing, and rather than reflecting reality, comes from

reality. The individual meanings we come up with are shared. Rather than using the

information model, Deetz uses a "communication model" in which employees' level of

involvement with an organization is critical. (Deetz, S., 1982)

According to the Feminist Perspectives there are some beliefs that bind diverse

feminist approaches, like “organizations are gendered” in ways that tend to privilege

men. Such inequalities are unethical, impractical, and changeable. Inequality works and

thereby improves the working lives of women and men. (Ashcraft, n.d)
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The Status of communication in that period is viewed as a process of systematic

distortion and social change. The function that have been used was maintenance, but in a

different, “deep structure” sense, to liberate and transform. And the structure concerned

with the processes and outcomes of hierarchy that could be formal and informal, surface

and deep. (Ashcraft, n.d)

According to Narayana Rao, “Communication is found to make the biggest relative

contribution to the effectiveness of managers. Good communicators are more likely to be

adjudged as effective. Other issues like motivation, decision making, stress,

organizational structure, etc. can also contribute to problems and therefore can be

solutions to problems. But, it is to be stated that communication is a central activity in

most human and organizational activities”. (Narayana Rao, 2009)

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References

Ashcraft L. Karen. Major Areas of Organizational Communication Theory in the 20th

Century.[Internet].Availablefromhttp://www.hum.utah.edu/communication/classes/fa04/4

170-1/theorysumm.pdf November 3, 2009

Deetz, S. (1982). Critical interpretive research in organizational communication. Western

Journal of Speech Communication, 46, 131-149.

Narayana Rao. Communication: Importance and Definition:Organizational Behavior

Revision Article Series [Internet]. Version 10. Knol. 2009 Sep 19. Available from:

http://knol.google.com/k/narayana-rao/communication-importance-and-

definition/2utb2lsm2k7a/69. November 3, 2009