Organizational Communication: Balancing Creativity and Constraint

by Eisenberg, Eric M.; Goodal, H. L., Jr; Goodall, H. Lloyd

• ISBN13: 9780312201753
• ISBN10: 0312201753
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-01-01
• Publisher: Bedford/st Martins

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
About the Authors	xxiii
PART I Approaching Organizational Communication
Communication and the Changing World of Work	3	(17)
Perspective	3	(2)
Organizational Communication: Outline of the Book	5	(1)
The Changing World of Work	6	(14)
Questions, Not Answers	6	(1)
New Developments in the World of Work	7	(1)
Beyond Space: The Global Economy	8	(1)
Questionable Labor Practices	9	(1)
Multicultural Management	9	(2)
Communication Technology	11	(1)
Beyond Time: Competition and the Urgent Organization	12	(1)
Turbulent Organizational Environments	13	(1)
Beyond Loyalty: The New Social Contract	14	(1)
Shifting Power Bases	15	(1)
New Values and Priorities	16	(1)
What Would You Do? 1.1 Organizational Structure and Employee Well-Being	17	(1)
The Meaning of Work	18	(1)
Who Can Afford to Prioritize?	18	(1)
Summary	18	(1)
Questions for Review and Discussion	19	(1)
Defining Organizational Communication	20	(31)
Approaches to Organizational Communication	20	(9)
Communication as Information Transfer	21	(1)
Communication as Transactional Process	22	(2)
Communication as Strategic Control	24	(2)
What Would You Do? 2.1 Organizational Ambiguity in Action	26	(1)
Communication as a Balance of Creativity and Constraint	27	(2)
Organizations as Dialogues	29	(8)
Foundations of Dialogue: Self, Other, and Context	29	(6)
Dialogue and the Situated Individual	35	(2)
Definitions of Dialogue	37	(14)
Dialogue as Equitable Transaction	38	(1)
Dialogue as Empathic Conversation	39	(1)
Dialogue as Real Meeting	40	(2)
Summary	42	(1)
Questions for Review and Discussion	43	(1)
Case Study: The Many Robert Smiths	44	(7)
PART II Theories of Organizational Communication
Three Early Perspectives on Organizations and Communication	51	(37)
Why Theory?	52	(1)
Organizational Communication Theories as Historical Narratives: The Three P's	53	(2)
Theories Are Partial	53	(1)
Theories Are Partisan	53	(1)
Theories Are Problematic	54	(1)
Classical Management Approaches	55	(10)
From Empire to Hierarchy	55	(1)
From Resistance to Domination	56	(3)
The Industrial Revolution	59	(2)
Scientific Management	61	(1)
Fayol's Classical Management	62	(1)
Bureaucracy	63	(2)
Implications for Organizational Communication	65	(1)
The Human Relations Approach	65	(11)
Historical and Cultural Background	65	(1)
What Would You Do? 3.1 Rank has Its Privileges: Influences of the Bureaucratic Organization on Home and Family Life	66	(2)
What Is Human Relations?	68	(1)
The Hawthrone Studies	69	(1)
Reflections on Human Relations	70	(2)
Beyond Human Relations	72	(1)
Leadership Style	72	(1)
Simon's Decision-Making Model	73	(1)
Institutional Theory	74	(2)
The Human Resources Approach	76	(12)
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs	76	(1)
McGregor's Theory Y Management	77	(2)
Likert's Principle of Supportive Relationships	79	(1)
Summary	79	(1)
What Would You Do? 3.2 The Politics of Middle Management	80	(3)
Questions for Review and Discussion	83	(1)
Riverside State Hospital	84	(4)
The Systems Perspective on Organizations and Communication	88	(25)
The Systems Perspective	89	(5)
Historical and Cultural Background	90	(1)
The Origins of Systems Theory in the Sciences	90	(1)
Biology and General Systems Theory	91	(3)
From Biology to Organizational Communication	94	(1)
What Is a System?	94	(7)
Environment and Open Systems	95	(1)
What Would You Do? 4.1 The Addictive Organizational System	96	(1)
Interdependence	97	(1)
Goals	98	(1)
Processes and Feedback	99	(1)
Openness, Order, and Contingency	100	(1)
The Appeal of Systems Theory for Organizational Communication	101	(12)
Margaret Wheatley's New Science of Leadership	101	(1)
Peter Senge's Learning Organization	102	(1)
Karl Weick's Sense-Making Model	103	(2)
Retrospective Sense Making	105	(1)
Loose Coupling	106	(1)
Partial Inclusion	107	(1)
Summary	107	(3)
Questions for Review and Discussion	110	(1)
Stargazers	111	(2)
Cultural Studies of Organizations and Communication	113	(27)
The Cultural Approach	113	(3)
Cultures as Symbolic Constructions	114	(2)
Historical and Cultural Background	116	(9)
Factors Contributing to the Rise of Organizational Culture	116	(1)
Social Trends	116	(2)
Methodology	118	(4)
Practicality	122	(3)
Five Views of Organizational Culture	125	(9)
Comparative Management	125	(1)
Corporate Culture	126	(2)
Organizational Cognition	128	(1)
Organizational Symbolism	128	(2)
Critical and Postmodern Views	130	(2)
Integration	132	(1)
Differentiation	132	(1)
Fragmentation	133	(1)
A Communication Perspective on Organizational Culture	134	(6)
Summary	134	(2)
What Would You Do? 5.1 The Politics of Interpreting Culture	136	(1)
Questions for Review and Discussion	137	(1)
The Culture of Meetings	138	(2)
Critical Approaches to Organizations and Communication	140	(25)
Critical Theory	141	(3)
Historical and Cultural Background	141	(1)
The Rise of Critical Theory in the United States	141	(1)
The Centrality of Power	142	(2)
Power and Ideology	144	(7)
The Hidden Power of Cultures: Native Assumptions	145	(1)
The Hidden Power of Ideology: Manufactured Consent	146	(1)
The Hidden Power of Communication: Myths, Metaphors, and Stories	147	(1)
The Hidden Power of Organizational Communication: Politics	148	(1)
What Would You Do? 6.1 Metaphors Can Suspend Critical Thinking	149	(1)
The Hidden Power of Society: Hegemony	150	(1)
Critical Theories of Power	151	(6)
Feminist Theory	151	(4)
Work-Hate Narratives	155	(2)
Pro-People or Pro-Profits?	157	(3)
Critical Theory and Organizational Communication Research	160	(5)
Summary	161	(1)
Questions for Review and Discussion	162	(1)
The Brilliant Engineer	163	(1)
The Woman in Question	164	(1)
Postmodern Perspectives on Organizations and Communication	165	(26)
What Is Postmodern Theory?	165	(2)
A Tour of a Postmodern Organization	167	(4)
The Primacy of Communication	167	(1)
Employee Voice and the ``Company Team''	168	(1)
Communication across Difference	169	(1)
Globalization and Customization	170	(1)
Corporate Image	170	(1)
Organization-Environment Relationships	171	(1)
The Postmodern Turn: Where Did It Come From?	171	(6)
Postmodernity and Postmodernism	172	(1)
A Historical Break	172	(1)
New Political and Aesthetic Movements	173	(1)
New Cultural Understandings and Practices	174	(2)
New Ways of Doing Business: E-Commerce	176	(1)
Objections to Postmodern Theory	177	(4)
Postmodern Deconstruction	177	(1)
An Example: The Nordstrom Employee Handbook	177	(1)
What Would You Do? 7.1 The Dilemma of Postmodern Ethics	178	(3)
But Is It Really Postmodern?	181	(1)
Implications of the Postmodern Approach for Creativity and Constraint	181	(10)
Postmodern Dialogue	182	(1)
Narrative as the Site of Postmodern Consciousness	182	(1)
The Postmodern View of Work as Interpretation	183	(1)
Summary	184	(1)
Questions for Review and Discussion	185	(1)
Designing a Postmodern University, Part I	186	(1)
Designing a Postmodern University, Part II	187	(4)
PART III Levels of Analysis
The Experience of Work	191	(36)
The Experience of Work within Organizations	192	(27)
Assimilation: Entering the Organizational Dialogue	193	(1)
Anticipatory Socialization	193	(1)
Organizational Assimilation	194	(2)
Organizational Turning Points	196	(1)
Indicators of Cooperation	197	(1)
Job Satisfaction	197	(1)
Job Involvement	198	(1)
Organizational Identification	198	(1)
Organizational Commitment	199	(1)
Employee Empowerment	200	(1)
Employee Productivity	201	(1)
What Would You Do? 8.1 Support Us or Else!	202	(2)
Indicators of Resistance	204	(1)
Stress and Burnout	204	(13)
New Directions for Work Organization	217	(2)
The Experience of Work outside Organizations	219	(8)
Outsourcers: The New Economy	221	(1)
Self-Reliance: Developing a New Skill Set	222	(1)
Summary	223	(1)
Questions for Review and Discussion	224	(1)
Developing a Skill Set	225	(1)
Interviewing Others about Their Experience of Work	226	(1)
Interpersonal Relationships and Organizational Communication	227	(37)
Interpersonal Relationships Are One Key to Success	228	(18)
Communicating with Customers	229	(1)
The Customer Service Revolution	229	(2)
Communicating with Supervisors	231	(1)
Semantic-Information Distance	232	(1)
Upward Distortion	233	(1)
Managing the Boss	234	(1)
Communicating with Peers	235	(1)
Within-Group Communication	235	(1)
Cross-Functional Communication	236	(2)
Unstructured Peer Communication	238	(1)
Communicating with Employees	238	(1)
Openness	239	(1)
Supportiveness	240	(1)
Motivation	241	(4)
Empowerment	245	(1)
New Directions in Leadership	246	(4)
Learning Leadership Skills	249	(1)
Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness	249	(1)
Obstacles to Interpersonal Relationships: Working the Boundaries	250	(14)
What Would You Do? 9.1 Managing the Superior-Subordinate Relationship	251	(1)
Cultural Boundaries	252	(1)
Ways of Thinking and Acquiring Knowledge	252	(1)
Ways of Doing and Achieving	252	(1)
Ways of Thinking about Universal Issues	253	(1)
Nonverbal Dimensions of Culture	253	(1)
Negotiating a Middle Ground	254	(1)
Physical Boundaries	254	(1)
Emotional Boundaries	255	(1)
Romantic Relationships at Work	256	(1)
Boundary Violations: Sexual Harassment	256	(2)
Summary	258	(1)
Questions for Review and Discussion	259	(1)
The Total Empowerment Program	260	(2)
Sexual Harassment of a College Intern	262	(2)
Communicating in Teams and Networks	264	(36)
Teams	264	(20)
What Is a Team-Based Organization?	264	(1)
Types of Teams	265	(1)
Project Teams	266	(1)
Work Teams	266	(3)
Quality-Improvement Teams	269	(1)
What Would You Do? 10.1 The Dilemmas of Midlevel Management in Fostering Empowerment	270	(1)
Communicative Dimensions of Teamwork	270	(1)
Roles	271	(1)
Norms	272	(1)
Decision Making	272	(3)
Conflict and Consensus	275	(2)
Cultural Diversity	277	(2)
Team Learning	279	(2)
A Retreat from Teams?	281	(3)
Networks	284	(10)
Types of Networks	285	(1)
Small-Group Communication Networks	285	(1)
Emergent Communication Networks	286	(1)
Communication Networks	287	(1)
Patterns of Interaction	288	(1)
Communication Roles	289	(1)
Contest Areas of Communication	290	(1)
Interorganizational Communication Networks	291	(2)
The Networked Society	293	(1)
Creativity and Constraint in Teams and Networks	294	(6)
Summary	295	(1)
Questions for Review and Discussion	295	(2)
Improving Organizational Communication Using Teams	297	(2)
The Networked Community	299	(1)
Managing the Total Enterprise: Strategy, Human Resources, and Communication Technology	300	(27)
Positioning the Organization	301	(5)
Competitive Strategy	301	(2)
Types of Business Strategies	303	(2)
Strategy and the Business Life Cycle	305	(1)
Strategic Alignment	306	(4)
The Original 7-S Model of Strategic Alignment	307	(3)
Human Resources	310	(4)
Talent	310	(1)
Targeted Selection	311	(1)
Performance Management	312	(1)
Training and Development	313	(1)
Communication Technology	314	(13)
Types of Communication Technology	314	(1)
Effects of Communication Technology	315	(2)
What Would You Do? 11.1 Surfing Sickness	317	(1)
Synchronicity and Media Richness	318	(1)
Secrecy and Privacy	319	(1)
Mediated Interpersonal Communication	320	(1)
Summary	320	(1)
Questions for Review and Discussion	321	(1)
Advertising and the American Way of Life	322	(1)
Hacked Off	323	(4)
PART IV The Future Is Here
The Future of Organizational Communication	327	(20)
The Learning Organization	328	(8)
Learning Basic Skills	328	(2)
Learning New Technologies	330	(1)
Biotechnology	331	(1)
Virtual Reality	332	(2)
Learning New Ways of Organizing	334	(1)
Self-Organizing Systems	334	(1)
Ecofeminism	335	(1)
The Moral Dimensions of Organizational Communication	336	(3)
Communication Ethics	337	(1)
Ecological Responsibility	337	(1)
What Would You Do? 12.1 Who's Responsible?	338	(1)
Scenario Planning: A Guide to the Future of Organizational Communication	339	(3)
Creativity and Constraint: A New Interpretation	342	(5)
Summary	344	(1)
Questions for Review and Discussion	344	(2)
Scenario Planning	346	(1)
APPENDIX A Field Guide to Studying Organizational Communication	347	(10)
Finding an Organization to Study	348	(1)
Framing Your Study	349	(1)
Ten Assumptions about Doing Field Research	350	(2)
How to Study Naturalistic Communication in an Organization: A Basic Process Outline with Commentary	352	(4)
Typical Organization of a Paper Based on Field Study Methods	356	(1)
References	357	(28)
Author Index	385	(6)
Subject Index	391