Organizational Communication 1

BBA 2026, Organizational Communication 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit II Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

3. Distinguish between the responsibilities of communicators at different levels of an organization. 3.1 Classify message directions within organizations.

7. Discuss the impact that organizational culture has on employees, processes, and functions within an

organization. 7.1 Identify factors that adhere to various approaches for studying organizational communication. 7.2 Categorize factors associated with major organizational theories. 7.3 Evaluate the organizational culture within an organization.

Reading Assignment Chapter 2: Perspectives for Organizational Communication Chapter 3: Communication Implications of Major Organizational Theories Click here to access the Chapter 2 Presentation. Click here to access a PDF version of the Chapter 2 Presentation. Click here to access the Chapter 3 Presentation. Click here to access a PDF version of the Chapter 3 Presentation.

Unit Lesson Would you rather swim with sharks or whales? The answer to this question may seem straightforward, but within businesses and other organizations such a metaphor can be formed to describe the culture of an organization. Observing organizational culture is just one way to critically evaluate the structure and function of an organization and the effectiveness of the communication processes within. According to Daniela (2013), “Knowledge of organizational behavior helps to better understand oneself and other people” (p.1555). Employing perspectives including functional tradition, the Meaning-Centered approach, and emerging perspectives can provide a way to focus questions for studying organizations and their communication implications (Shockley-Zalabak, 2015). In addition, there are also theories to consider that can help conceptualize the phenomenon of organizational operations from various viewpoints such as scientific management, human behavior, postmodern, critical, and feminist perspectives (Shockley-Zalabak, 2015). Each of these perspectives can enhance the study of organizational communication from various viewpoints and provide one with tools to study individuals and groups within these organizations. The key focus in this unit will be on the influence that organizational culture, also known as corporate culture, has on overall operations and communication practices. Using this perspective, one can observe how organizational culture influences operations, members, and leadership within an organization. Additionally, one can see how these elements interact to create and preserve a vibrant, efficient, and effective culture for the well-being of the organization (including employees, external stakeholders, and the overall success and longevity of an organization).

UNIT II STUDY GUIDE

The Impact of Organizational Culture on Operations and Processes

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Organizational Culture To begin, it is important to understand what organizational culture means. Shockley-Zalabak (2015) defines organizational culture as a sense that organizations create through specific ways of accomplishing tasks and communicating internally and externally. Organizational culture “reflects the shared realities and shared practices in the organization and how they create and shape organizational events” (Shockley-Zalabak, 2015, p. 46). Additionally, Jones (2010) defines organizational culture as the “set of shared values and norms that control organizational members’ interactions with each other and with suppliers, customers, and other people outside the organization” (p. 179). Culture can help or hinder organizational effectiveness because organizational culture can influence the way members make decisions, interpret and manage the environment, decide what is done with information, and determine how members behave (Jones, 2010). Hence, organizational culture can have a profound effect on a company’s competitive position in the market as well as on the members within the organization. Doina, Mirela, and Constantin (2008) explain that “companies have ‘cultures’ as people have ‘personalities’” (p. 560). The culture of a company is composed of its collection of beliefs and reactions that are almost “instinctive, of heroes and negative characters, of realizations, interdictions and commandments” (Doina et al., 2008, p. 560). The idea of heroes and negative characters is very interesting, for such characters can represent members or leaders within an organization. Organizational Culture as a Metaphor: Sharks or Whales There are many ways to describe an organization’s culture. Referring back to the metaphor of sharks and whales, a culture that is made up of whales can be described as cooperative and supportive. A culture that is composed of sharks can be described as ultra-competitive and ruthless. Both organizational cultures can be observed in companies present in the market place, institutions, and non-profit arenas, but what is important is not to mix these two varying ideologies by placing a shark leader in a culture of whales or dropping a whale type employee in shark infested waters. An organization’s culture can be a powerful influence on day-to-day operations. “Cultural inclinations are well entrenched. But it’s possible to draw on the positive aspects of culture, turning them to your advantage, and offset some of the negative aspects as you go” (Katzenback, Steffen, & Kronley, 2012, p. 111). For example, in an organization it is important to recognize creative employees and enhance the culture by taking advantage of the skill sets and innovative ideas the employees want to share by reinforcing a cooperative environment where information sharing is rewarded. “One of the greatest challenges of guiding cultural change, development, or stability, is influencing the organization to follow the same guiding principles, to understand the values and priorities, and to make choices consistent with how we want the culture to operate” (Nicol, 2014, p. 34). Maintaining a culture of whales can be a challenge, and using the values that epitomize the organization’s missions can help this endeavor succeed. Organizational Culture: Morale and Cooperativeness Organizational culture can affect the level of cooperativeness found within an organization. Workplace culture can affect employee satisfaction levels for the job or contribute to employee burn-out (Watts, Robertson, Winter, & Leeson, 2013). Grant (2013) purports that a significant predictor of group or cultural effectiveness is the amount of help that employees and team members give one another. Grant (2013) contends that in an organization that invests “extensive time and energy in coaching, teaching, and consulting with their colleagues,” the productivity and effectiveness of an organization improves (p. 8). The organization in a whale-type culture must establish “an environment in which customers and suppliers feel that their needs are the organization’s top priority” (Grant, 2013, para. 10). Grant refers to this type as an organizational culture of givers. Conversely, Grant (2013) explains how company culture can also stack employees against each other for the control of resources, which makes it ineffective for them to provide help to others unless they can expect a reciprocal investment. In this type of culture, employees who pour out to others unselfishly and freely provide information and resources soon find out the negatives of this type of cooperative behavior, for the “takers exploit them by monopolizing their time or even stealing their ideas. Over time, employees anticipate taking- behavior and protect themselves by operating like takers or by becoming matchers, who expect and seek reciprocity whenever they give help” (Grant, 2013, para. 15). The culture of an organization and how the culture can be positively or negatively affected by supporting and condoning either value system. Grant (2013) posits that an ineffective organization can be turned around to a more cooperative style by

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employing three practices: facilitate help-seeking, recognize and reward givers, and screen out takers. Thus, a whale-type culture that supports a spirit of cooperation can maintain or improve an organizational culture. Organizational Culture: Overcoming Conflict An organization’s culture can influence how members involved in that culture make decisions and view conflict. “The more talented an individual, the greater the risk that they’ll leave” if the employee feels disrespected and unsupported in the organizational culture (Meshanko, 2013, p. 8). This would be an example of a whale member swimming with the sharks, so it is important to get the right fit. When employees are on board with the culture and direction of the company, leaders can continue to inspire positive changes to the culture through clear communication of values, providing rewards and public acknowledgments for employee contributions and innovate ideas, and removing fear of retribution for making mistakes (Davis, 2010). Davis (2010) offers an example of changing a component of corporate culture by using the blame game as an example. The author contends that when endeavoring to resolve conflicts and establishing processes to solve problems, and leaders perpetuate a culture of blaming other departments or individuals, this component of the culture will not change. The leaders on top instill this behavior by reemploying and reinforcing its use. To overcome this negative component of organizational culture and others there are two methods Davis (2010) suggests employing. First, leaders must create “inspiring customs that enable employees and managers to creatively work together without sabotage or blame” (Davis, 2010, pp. 10-11). Next, leaders must communicate the “destructive power of negative thoughts to sabotage desired outcomes” (Davis, 2010, p. 11). In using the blame game example, one way to overcome this would be to incorporate new practices to resolve conflict at every level using “curiosity rather than blame” (Davis, 2010, p. 11). The example of the blame game is a tendency for employees in organizations with shark-type leaders in place to begin using as a means to demonstrate each individuals own effectiveness in the company. However, this is counterproductive to productivity and morale. A whale-type leader can instill a sense of safety and reinforce a spirit of cooperation among employees to enhance the culture and increase productivity. An organization can be positively or negatively influenced by how members communicate with one another. Pirjol and Maxim (2012) found that organizational culture guides employees to meet certain expectations. Members of an organization can “create misunderstandings, quarrels, frustration and all this leads to a drastic decrease in performance. Usually employees are frustrated not by their work, but by the working environment, by colleagues, by managers, by the fact that they are not appreciated” (Pirjol & Maxim, 2012, p. 374). Thus, the influence of organizational culture is significant. An example of a successful company culture made up of whales is the company Federal Express. Doyle (2013) reveals that the practice of leaders fostering a culture of people first, then profit helps the company stay competitive. According to Doyle (2013), “FedEx’s People Service Profit (P-S-P) corporate philosophy takes care of the people who deliver impeccable service to the company” (p. 37). When the company culture to cultivate and nurture its employees is a primary focus, then the employees will take care of the customers. Organizational Culture: Leadership The way in which a high-level leader chooses to fill his or her position can affect the company culture. Valentine (2012) explains that “cultural leadership indicates the degree to which cultural ideologies and expressive behaviors are affected by leadership” (p. 130). There is much research in the field that supports this supposition. A leader in a high position of authority and influence can directly affect a company’s culture and thus improve it or diminish it. Drawing on the initial analogy of culture as sharks and whales—if an organization places a shark-type leader in a key leadership position within an organization made up of whales, the results could be disastrous and many casualties would be a result (including a decrease in productivity and buy-in to the new company mission and values, lowered morale, and increased turnover rate). On the other hand, if a whale were placed over a company composed of sharks, then the whale would not long be in the position but be eaten alive by the aggressive culture. Some organizations foster a company culture that reinforces shark behavior, whereas others foster a culture that is conducive to a whale-type mentality. It is important to place the right person in the position that fits the best. The focus of this discussion will be on ways to reinforce a whale-type culture by placing a whale-type leader in a leadership position. Organizational culture can be influenced positively or negatively based on communication techniques. Paul and Berry (2013) conducted a study using questionnaires to determine the significance that executive leaders had on organizational culture in a post-merged organizational environment. The findings suggest that leaders

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in authoritative positions had a profound impact on maintaining or changing organizational culture. Some specific areas that leaders can engage employees in include exemplifying the values of the organization as a leader and communicating to employees the “mission, vision, and strategy” of the organization (Paul & Berry, 2013, p. 9). Rogers (2013) supplies an example of leadership positively affecting a company culture that was causing the company to falter in the market. The new leader changed the culture to one of accountability and began to communicate the business plan and expectations of the company mission, vision, and values to employees and external stakeholders (Rogers, 2013). The turnaround of the company was evidenced as productivity increased, and the company repositioned itself as a competitive player in the market once again (Roberts, 2013). One way to describe a healthy company culture is one that is flexible, transparent, and responsive (Battley, 2013). However, it also must be clearly aligned with the organization’s strategic objectives and priorities. Organizational Culture: Decision Making The systems in an organization can have a significant effect upon the culture of a group and influence how decisions are made. Shockley-Zalabak (2015) reveals that an open system within an organization continually takes in new information; whereas, a closed system “lacks input communication, making it difficult to make good decisions and stay current” (p. 30) with the needs of the members/employees. For example, if a leader is not accessible or distances him or herself from employees, the impact on the culture could be negative. The trust in the leader can favorably influence the cohesion of the group (Doina et al., 2008). The influence the closed or open system has on a culture can positively or negatively influence the productivity of its employees. Organizational culture is a topic that can affect anyone who works with a group of people in various arenas. In order to influence organizational culture positively, there are certain skills that leaders in positions of authority and influence should employ. Schoemaker, Krupp, and Howland (2013) reveal that the ability to “anticipate, challenge, interpret, decide, align, and learn” (p. 131) are all important techniques for effective leaders to employ. If a leader believes and exemplifies the value system of the organizational culture, then employing these six techniques to instill the values and norms in every decision and operating procedure can be a useful strategy for maintaining and improving the culture. This effective management style is confirmed in McClean, Burris, and Detert’s (2013) findings that state if a leader is responsive to employees’ suggestions for change and improvement and supports a culture of cooperation and openness, then employees will respond. However, if the leader is not open to enhancing the operations and culture, then many good employees will leave the company. The tendency is to replace the employees that buy in to the values of the company with those who buy in to the values of the new leadership that may at times be against the original culture. To be an effective leader and positively influence organizational culture, research suggests that leaders should balance warmth and strength rather than heavy handedness (Cuddy, Kohut, & Neffinger, 2013). The researchers found that leaders who are personable and well-liked have a greater chance of success than those who are disliked (Cuddy et al., 2013). Leaders who emphasize their credentials, competence, and operate using fear tactics are found to be less effective. Hence, employees are less comfortable swimming in a sea surrounded by sharks. Cuddy et al. (2013) explain that “fear can undermine cognitive potential, creativity, and problem solving, and cause employees to get stuck and even disengage” (p. 56). That is why it is important to place the right leader in the right position. If the culture that needs to be maintained or fostered is one of cooperation, then a whale-type leader that supports these values should be put in place. When coming into a new leadership position, “begin with warmth” rather than leading with an iron fist (Cuddy et al., 2013, p. 56). Cuddy et al. (2013) continue that “warmth is the conduit of influence: It facilitates trust and the communication and absorption of ideas” (p. 56). This is in stark contrast to some leaders who attempt to change a company culture through tyrannical leadership techniques, or shark antics. Cuddy et al. (2013) purport that the most effective way to lead and influence company culture is to balance their competence with qualities of warmth and strength. Conclusion Organizational culture is a real and vibrant component of organizational operations. As evidenced through various publications in the field, organizational culture can be positively or negatively influenced by leaders and members within an organization. In order to maintain and even enhance an organization’s culture, it is

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imperative to position people that will uphold the same values and beliefs of the culture. This will ensure that leaders and members will support the culture and exemplify the behaviors needed to reinforce the established culture rather than tear it down. An effective culture will support the mission and vision of the institute and set members up for success. As research has shown, leaders can influence the culture or an organization in positive or negative ways. It is important for leaders and members within an organization to be cognizant of the phenomenon known as organizational culture and work to support the mission and value system that he/she is put in place to support. Would you rather swim with sharks or whales? It depends on whether you are a shark or a whale.

References Battley, S. (2013). Leader sustainability. Leadership Excellence, 30(3), 16. Cuddy, A. C., Kohut, M., & Neffinger, J. (2013). Connect, then lead. Harvard Business Review, 91(7), 54-61. Daniela, P. (2013). The interdependence between management, communication, organizational behavior,

and performance. Annals Of The University Of Oradea, Economic Science Series, 22(1), 1554-1562. Davis, R. (2010). Positive culture. Leadership Excellence, 27(8), 10-11. Doina, R., Mirela, S., & Constantin, R. (2008). The organizational culture and the factors of its formation.

Annals of the University of Oradea, Economic Science Series, 17(4), 559-562. Doyle, R. (2013). Your company culture. LP/Gas, 73(5), 37. Grant, A. (2013). Givers take all: The hidden dimension of corporate culture. Mckinsey Quarterly, (2), 52-65. Jones, G. (2010). Organizational theory, design, and change (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Katzenback, J. R., Steffen, I., & Kronley, C. (2012). Cultural change that sticks: Start with what’s already

working. Harvard Business Review, 90(7/8), 110-117. McClean, E. J., Burris, E. R., & Detert, J. R. (2013). When does voice lead to exits? It depends on leadership.

Academy Of Management Journal, 56(2), 525-548. Meshanko, P. (2013). R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Smart Business Columbus, 22(1), 8. Nicol, A. (2014). More mission, less statement. Product Design & Development, 69(3), 34. Paul, G. W., & Berry, D. M. (2013). The importance of executive leadership in creating a post-merged

organizational culture conducive to effective performance management. South African Journal Of Human Resource Management, 11(1), 1-15.

Pirjol, F., & Maxim, R. (2012). Organizational culture and its way of expression within the organization. Annals

of The University Of Oradea, Economic Science Series, 21(2), 371-376. Rogers, B. (2013). Saving Hartford: Turnaround lessons from chairman and CEO Liam McGee. Forbes.Com,

23. Schoemaker, P. H., Krupp, S., & Howland, S. (2013). Strategic leadership: The essential skills. Harvard

Business Review, 91(1), 131-134. Shockley-Zalabak, P. S. (2015). Fundamentals of organizational communication: Knowledge, sensitivity,

skills, values (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Valentine, D. (2012). Maintaining organization culture through leadership succession planning. Franklin

Business & Law Journal, 2012(3), 130-135.

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Watts, J., Robertson, N., Winter, R., & Leeson, D. (2013). Evaluation of organizational culture and nurse burnout. Nursing Management – UK, 26(6), 24-29.

Suggested Reading In order to access the resources below, you must first log into the myCSU Student Portal and access the Business Source Complete database within the CSU Online Library. Koopman, M. (2014). The importance of a reading-focused culture. Leadership Excellence, 31(4), 23-25. Meshanko, P. (2013). R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Smart Business Columbus, 22(1), 8. Nicol, A. (2014). More mission, less statement. Product Design & Development, 69(3), 34.