A Look at Organizational Communication
In this paper I will present my interpretation of organizational communication based on my personal work experience, interlaced with the fundamentals that we have been studying. There will be personal reflections of circumstances experienced and an attempt to conceptualize these based on organizational communication fundamentals. Assessing communication is broad and subjective. Because of the diversity in the workforce which includes a multitude of personalities obtained from a global pool, the interactions and interpretations of them vary in scope and dimension. Also, of great importance are the values of each individual, which are influenced by many forces, and ultimately the ethics that dictate behavior.
What is important and desirable to one person, may not be important to the next. Values differ as internationalization influences behavioral choices regarding ethics. There is no singular set of values that are consistent in any workplace. This brings not only challenges for working together, but potential disagreements of values that determine the actions of employees.
There was a circumstance that created great difficulty based on two different people, and two different value sets. One individual became very arrogant with the success of his showroom and the responsibility of being a manager who is able to make many decisions without consulting upper management. Since he had the power to do many things without scrutiny, he decided that it was ok to sell some merchandise for cash, upon completing paperwork linking it to a client for pick up falsely. This is just a form of stealing and I believe it is unethical. The employee rationalized that it would not be missed, and hurts no one. I think it is wrong and against my values and ethics. He had no problem with it, as his values and ethics differ greatly from mine.
This certainly could be one of the dilemmas illustrated in the textbook. What would you do? What should I do? That very question has plagued me daily since I found out about his activities. If I confront him about it, he can lie to superiors about me and damage my reputation to protect him. He can say that I am lying and that I have no proof. There is now the chance of me being portrayed as a trouble maker. If I say nothing, I allow him to continue stealing from the company. Conundrums such as this face employees on a daily basis. The strength of one’s beliefs, values and morals are the contributing factors to the ethics held by each individual.
In organizations, value congruence is the similarity between individual and organizational values. Work satisfaction, commitment and employee turnover are directly influenced. In culturally diverse organizations, specific alternatives based on culture, rather than one best way, in conjunction with flexibility prove effective. In order to identify positively with an organization there must be some value congruence which relates directly to overall job satisfaction. The above dilemma illustrates a difference in peer ethics and values. There are many opportunities for differences of option to occur in any organization. The variables are large, and personal interpretation based on ethics is at the root of many problems that occur.
This leads to the topic of destructive communication behaviors. “A number of behaviors such as deception, invasion of privacy, aggression, incivility, sexual harassment, and discrimination are almost universally considered unethical.” (2009, Shockley-Zalabak). This does not mean that these behaviors do not go on. They do, on a daily basis. It is most likely that most people would be able to tell about an experience related to one of these destructive, unethical behaviors. The position that I hold now, was almost not offered to me based on one thing: That I am female. It was merely a group of men, hiring men only, like a “good old boys club”. It is interesting how I found this out, and how I brought it to their attention in a most gracious manner. It would have been a case of downright discrimination and it became clear to them that their decision could be not only unethical, but against the law. In the end, I got the job, but was almost discriminated against, which falls under civil rights laws as a sub category of sexual harassment. One would not think this amongst many other unacceptable behaviors still go on, with so many laws to protect against it, but it is common. I have experienced it before as well. It seems that many companies are missing ethical policies that prevent such abuse. Some companies have policy to prevent this, but do not enforce the standards that they have set up. The damage that is created by people who use destructive communication behavior is dramatic and underestimated. This is dysfunctional behavior that people just get used to.
To recognize dysfunctional patterns without placing blame on the character or personality of the person is a critical behavior necessary for the communication professional. People, their character and personality cannot usually be changed, but patterns of interaction and behavior can. Being objective to problematic and dysfunctional behaviors is the key to correcting them. Because we have lived with many of our dysfunctional behaviors, for all of our lives, to recognize them is half of the battle towards their correction. To understand how peers can disconfirm each other and how to avoid doing so is a necessary skill in order to exist in any work situation. An adequate assessment of another is a difficult thing to gage, but most importantly to understand the cultural differences that create the value system that people have and ultimately the ethical decisions that influence their behavior.
Since values are the backbone of judgments, behaviors that are ultimately formed are based on this. One can find bias present, depending on the individual. If one is biased against a particular person, difficulty with communication can create problems. Stereotyping is based on bias as well, and slants ones vision of things, and ultimately can create communication issues. Some types of stereotyping can be beneficial, and not all behavior of this nature should be viewed negatively, though much of these circumstances can be viewed in that way.
Balancing disclosure in the workplace is tricky at best. It is very subjective knowing how much to disclose, and how much to keep to yourself. You can give a peer power over you, if you give them too much information. It is important to be aware of disclosure patterns, and to take into consideration the effects that various disclosures will have on others. It is a positive step to managing and balancing this effectively, to obtain better relationships in the workplace. Being respectful and honest are important in not just disclosures, but in organizational settings as well as eliminating destructive and dysfunctional behaviors.
Good communication is an asset that can be acquired from extensive sales training. The communication based nature of sales and the ability to perform effectively, offers success or failure. Listening is a skill that can be perfected over time, and can be the most important tool aiding in all forms of communication, not just interpersonal. Trying to give others enough time to talk is a good idea, even if they don’t have much to say. At one point, we will get a chance to say what is on our minds, and learning to exercise more patience during each interaction will prove beneficial.
My language skills have improved over the years, with the most weight given to taking speech classes, and having to speak in front of others. My diction and articulation are often confused as having an accent which I find this interesting. It appears that many people do not articulate very effectively, and that is where the confusion comes in. Having to make sales presentations that are understandable and persuasive, has offered me opportunities to speak and present well. In order to complete an understandable presentation, it is imperative to address questions effectively and handle objections as well. Having these skills, which I have obtained from the sales presentation process, as well as the speech training, has proved very useful in all aspects of my life in relation to communication. In school and work groups, I tend to be an overachiever and a high producer. This can be good and bad. It is good for the productivity of the whole, but can cause resentment to superiors, as they think you are trying to take their job. Promotions are usually offered to me within a short time in most work situations, due to hard work and tenacity. As time has passed, and I find myself in mid-life, I feel less motivated to be so high performing and have less desire to stand out. I think this has a lot to do with recognition. I used to be more in need of attention, and found that I could accomplish that by making people notice me. At present, I find that I do not need to be recognized as much, as I feel content with my work accomplishments in life, thus far. For group communication success, it seems most similar to performing as a team. It is not the actions of one person and their contributions, but the collective effort of the whole. It is the combination of interactions combined with the communication of the group that creates a new group dimension. To place individual needs separately from the needs of the group is crucial. Knowing and recognizing that in every group there will be leaders, as well as those who follow is important as well. However, each person in a group plays a necessary role, and no matter what that role, all are important to its composition. In today’s work environment the global influences coupled with all of the cultural diversity offer a dynamic and interesting workplace.
To communicate effectively within work groups requires skill and tact. This is a reference to my work experiences. We depend on being able to communicate and understand to get things accomplished, as well as function in the manner required. Organizational structures need to be understood and respected, or unwanted events could transpire. Downward communication seems to be the most common, with upward communication more rare. This may be due to the negative ramifications that could transpire on the upward form. The structure of an organization can vary from place to place, but no matter where you find yourself, it is imperative to interact in an effective manner based on the individual group requirements. Rules, structure, etiquette and chain of command must be respected to communicate, develop professional relationships and interact effectively in any organization. Effective management will make or break a company. People do not leave companies, they leave managers. I wonder how many managers realize how important they are to organizations. The subjective nature of values and ethics that people hold dictates their behavior. The many influences are extreme and hard to quantify which makes all forms of communication in today’s global society, influenced by the diversity of many cultures a challenge for all organizations. Effective and clear communication is not only an attribute, but a necessary skill needed by everyone. It can be simple or in a more complex range, but whatever the case, it is a necessary and useful tool in every organizational setting.
References
Shockey-Zalabak, P. (2009), Fundamentals of organizational communication. (7th Ed.).
Boston: Pearson Education
