Organizational communication for survival : making work, work

Assuming a unique perspective for an organizational communication text, this "handbook" focuses the reader on how to communicate with managers and peers to survive, thrive and prosper in organizational environments. Taking a "subordinate" approach, this "survival guide for employees" centers on understanding how and why managers communicate the ways they do and how employees can adapt their own communication skills to be more effective in the organizational environment. In fifteen straightforward chapters, this book provides clear and concise guidelines, along with a foundation of theory and scholarship, to help readers become more effective communicators in today's workforce.

• Preface p. xi
• 1 The Nature of Organizations p. 1
• Types of Organizations p. 2
• Common Characteristics of All Organizations p. 3
• Organizational Environments p. 9
• Preliminary Principles for Peons p. 10
• Viewing Organizations p. 14
• References and Recommended Readings p. 14
• Study Guide p. 15
• 2 The Nature of Communication in Organizations p. 16
• Myths and Misconceptions about Communication in Organizations p. 16
• Organizational Communication Defined p. 20
• Components of Communication p. 20
• Functions of Communication in Organizations p. 25
• Organizational Communication Networks p. 27
• Formal Communication Flow and Impact p. 28
• References and Recommended Readings p. 31
• Study Guide p. 31
• 3 Nonverbal Behavior and Communication p. 32
• Significance of Nonverbal Communication in Organizations p. 33
• Functions of Nonverbal Messages p. 34
• Categories of Nonverbal Messages p. 36
• Immediacy and Organizational Communication p. 42
• References and Recommended Readings p. 45
• Study Guide p. 46
• 4 Administration, Supervision, and Communication p. 47
• Supervisors' Duties: Subordinates' Views p. 48
• Why Aren't Managers Doing Their Jobs? p. 50
• To Supervise or to Administer? That is the Question p. 54
• What Kind of Manager Do You Have? p. 56
• References and Recommended Readings p. 56
• Study Guide p. 57
• 5 Barriers to Effective Communication p. 58
• Climate Control p. 58
• Status p. 60
• Communication Overload p. 61
• Defensiveness p. 65
• References and Recommended Readings p. 67
• Study Guide p. 67
• 6 Personality, Temperament, and Communication Traits p. 69
• Personality and Temperament p. 69
• Temperament/Personality and Communication p. 70
• Communication Traits p. 71
• Sociocommunicative Orientations and Styles p. 77
• References and Recommended Readings p. 80
• Study Guide p. 81
• 7 Organizational Orientations and Communication Traits p. 82
• Organizational Orientations p. 82
• Personality Types p. 85
• Organizational Orientations and Temperament p. 90
• Organizational Orientations, Temperament, and Communication Traits p. 91
• Organizational Orientations, Temperament, and Organizational Outcomes p. 91
• References and Recommended Readings p. 92
• Study Guide p. 93
• 8 Perceptions of People in Organizations p. 94
• Source Credibility p. 96
• Interpersonal Attractiveness p. 97
• Homophily p. 100
• References and Recommended Readings p. 103
• Study Guide p. 104
• 9 Approaches to Management p. 105
• Early Orientations p. 106
• Leadership Approaches p. 110
• The Ideal Leader? p. 114
• Management Communication Styles and Decision Making p. 114
• Decision Making and Communication p. 117
• Why Managers Select One MCS Over Another p. 119
• Identifying the MCS p. 122
• References and Recommended Readings p. 123
• Study Guide p. 124
• 10 Power and Status p. 125
• Nature of Status p. 125
• Status Symbols p. 126
• Communication and Status p. 127
• Power p. 129
• From the Peon's Perspective p. 134
• References and Recommended Readings p. 135
• Study Guide p. 136
• 11 Organizational Culture p. 137
• Defining Culture p. 137
• Culture and Communication p. 138
• Cultural Terminology p. 138
• Organizations and Cultures p. 140
• Ethnocentrism p. 142
• References and Recommended Readings p. 149
• Study Guide p. 150
• 12 Communication and Change p. 151
• Why People Resist Change in Organizations p. 151
• Informal Communication Network Roles p. 153
• Innovativeness: The Willingness to Adopt p. 159
• Introducing Change p. 162
• Six Conditions Necessary for Successful Change p. 168
• References and Recommended Readings p. 170
• Study Guide p. 170
• 13 Disagreement, Conflict, and Groupthink p. 171
• Disagreement and Conflict p. 172
• Tolerance for Disagreement p. 174
• Conflict Prevention p. 178
• Conflict Management p. 180
• Groupthink: Too Much Agreement for the Good of the Organization p. 181
• References and Recommended Readings p. 185
• Study Guide p. 185
• 14 Effective Supervisory and Subordinate Relationships p. 187
• Why Some Do Not Survive: Ten Common Communication Mistakes p. 190
• How to Survive: Common Communication Strategies for Survival p. 193
• References and Recommended Readings p. 199
• Study Guide p. 199
• 15 Discrimination and Pseudodiscrimination p. 201
• The Need for Discrimination p. 201
• The Evils of Discrimination p. 202
• Making Evaluations Work (For You) p. 203
• Staying Out of Trouble: The Peon Perspective p. 205
• Dealing with Pseudodiscrimination and Diversity p. 206
• References and Recommended Readings p. 207
• Study Guide p. 207
• Index p. 208