G.I.F.T.S.

Submission: Organizational Communication Role Plays

Time: 75 minute class period

Category: conflict, small group, leadership

Goal: To have students use their interpersonal communication skills in an organizational

setting, to engage in critical thinking skills.

Rationale: Students always want to know “how am I going to use this in my job?” This
exercise is designed to allow students to put together multiple concepts and demonstrate
how they can utilize a variety of communication skills to reach their desired goal.

Directions: Place students into small groups – perhaps 4 – 5 students, depending on class
size. Have one member of each group draw a scenario out of the hat and act out a brief
(2-3 minute) role play designed to resolve some kind of workplace issue. After all of the
groups have performed their role play, give a mini- lecture on the topic of the day
(management style, affinity-seeking strategies, conflict style, etc.) I then have each group
draw a particular type of communication strategy or style out of a hat. I have used a
variety of concepts for these particular role plays – management style, affinity seeking
strategies, conflict resolution style, etc. Have the students re-perform their same role play
from their particular style or strategy. Have the audience guess which style or strategy is
being employed. Discussion should follow that asks students what the likely outcome
will be. Is this outcome prosocial or antisocial? Who wins? How do the people involved
feel? What sort of listening behaviors were demonstrated? Is there a better approach/
strategy that would have worked better in this situation?

Explanation of its connection to concepts, theory, or skills: As the students discuss the
role plays, I make it a point to apply theory back to the skit. For example, in role play #5,
I may ask, “which affinity seeking strategies may be most appropriate in a work place
setting?” “What difference does it make if her boss has a Theory X or Theory Y style of
management?” “How might the research on Attribution Theory influence the discussion
between manager and employee in situation 2?”

Typical results: This activity is great because it allows students to see how what they are
learning can impact their communication choices – and what effects may flow from those
choices. It is extremely flexible. And the students also like that these scenarios are all
based on real situations (I changed the names and some of the details, of course!).
Another benefit of this activity, is that it gets the students in front of the class in a group.
It helps them to bond and perhaps demonstrate their sense of humor or show off their
understanding of the concepts. The students can be very creative and offer excellent
alternatives. Sometimes they just need to be reminded to perspective take – which is
always helpful when trying to communication effectively.
 Organizational Communication Role Plays

1. Worktime at XYZ productions starts at 8:00am. Phil, a member of the accounts

payable department, regularly comes in around 8:20. Recently, he has come in as late as
9:00 on more than one occasion. Phil takes a full lunch break and leaves at 5:00pm with
the rest of the employees. Although Phil gets all of his work done, Sue (director of XYZ
Productions) doesn’t like Phil’s disregard for the scheduled start time.

2. Jen is a recent hire at Disbam Healthcare. She is a bright and capable member of the
marketing department. However, some of Jen’s colleagues have noticed Jen’s lowcut
blouses, short skirts, and otherwise revealing clothing more appropriate for a Friday night
out on the town. Her boss, Greg, must confront Jen and try to get her to modify her
dress.

3. Bill works as a paralegal at Brown & Dermill Law Firm. The partners have noticed he
has used his work computer to enter non-work related websites such as ESPN. He has
also entered gambling sites, such as Pokerstars and Virtualcasino. Alex Brown decides to
confront Bill about his concerns with his internet usage.

4. Sarah has been a sales representative for Autumn Imports, a small local company, for
the past three years. She spends most of her time in her office making calls. Although
she does not like her small dingy office without a window, she really loves her job.
Recently Mike has been hired. Mike gets an office nearly twice the size of Sarah’s, with
a window, newer furniture, and artwork. Sarah knows no other offices are available,
however she finds her anger in this matter is interfering with her work. She decides to
confront the president of Autumn Imports.

5. Steve has been working as a laborer for Silverstone for six months before he reveals
the intimate details of his love life, his family’s health history in graphic detail, and his
personal financial information such as his debt, salary, and how much his clothes cost.
Most people aren’t interested in what Steve has to say, although some people are polite
and listen. His boss doesn’t think this kind of self-disclosure is appropriate for the
workplace.

6. Michelle has been working very hard at Ruggles Bar & Grill for just over a year. She
waits tables and is in good standing with management. She needs to stay at Ruggles
because she doesn’t have a car and Ruggles is the only restaurant she can walk to from
her home. Ruggles does not have regularly scheduled raises or performance reviews.
Michelle decides to initiate a conversation with her boss to try to get a raise.
Management is on a limited budget, and fears giving a raise to Michelle would mean
everyone would want a raise.