Organizational Communication for Survival: an Analysis (part 1)

THE NATURE OF ORGANIZATIONS

This is a book that proposes to talk to you about communicating competently in organizations. Although some people believe "competent communication" no matter where it is practiced (wether you are trying to get a date, sell a car, teach a class or get a job. makes no real difference) The writers of this book are of a mind that what makes a person a competent communicator, in one environment, may not make that same person a competent communicator in another environment. This is seen as a contextual view of communication competence.

Since we have adopted a contextual view, we are committed to the assumption, that to a major extent - what can be described as competent communication behavior - is influenced by the context in which that communication behavior is performed. To understand competent communication behavior in organizations, then, you must first understand the basic nature of the context created by the presence of an organization. Although all of you have existed in organizations, you may never have really stopped to think about the characteristics of those organizations around you. It is important to take time for that consideration

What is an organization? A simple definition of an organization is a group of people working together to achieve common goals. Although this seems rather simplistic, it is a workable definition for many purposes. It clearly fits most work groups. However, most social groups, service groups and religious groups also function very much like formal work-oriented organizations. They usually work together with some common goal in mind.

For definitional purposes here, let us also consider a more formalized definition of an organization.We may define an organization as an "organized collection of individuals working interdependently within a relatively organized, structured,  open system to achieve common goals." The key to this definition is that people are working together in some organized fashion, with a goal in mind. Success of each workers efforts is dependent on the efforts of other workers in the organization. For example, in a major business corporation, although each unit may have various assignments, many of which do not overlap with other units. are still working to meet a common goal (produce a product or service). All units are assessed as to whether or not they can meet their individual goals. Design, production, marketing, shipping etc., all work to achieve a common goal (to produce and sell a product). To work together within any organization requires communication. Communication provides connections, which keep the organization together.

*SOURCE: ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION FOR SURVIVAL, MAKING WORK, WORK - THIRD EDITION BY VIRGINIA P. RICHMOND, JAMES C. MCCROSKEY AND LINDA L. MCCROSKEY; PGS. 1-2*

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