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Workplace Contexts Chapter 10 Shedletsky & Aitken Human Communication on the Internet Perspectives of Understanding Organizational Communication Functional Perspective: – The functionalist is concerned about an organization that functions efficiently; Critical Perspective: – Concerned with power and control; Interpretive Perspective: – Organizations seen through human subjectivity; Revising Traditional Theories About the Workplace Bureaucracy: – The Internet flies in the face of existing bureaucracy because the new communication interactions often have no written rules, roles are flexible, and certain individuals may have expertise outside their traditional roles; Revising Traditional Theories About the Workplace Scientific Management: – Concerned about the standardization and systems of an organization; Classical Management: – The role of managers has become less authoritarian than earlier on, budgeting, coordinating, directing, organizing, planning, reporting, and staffing; Revising Traditional Theories About the Workplace Human Relations: – Interpersonal communication-management who could communicate with their employees--became an essential element in creating effective organizations; Theory X and Theory Y: – Theory X believes that people are motivated by material rewards and require threats; Revising Traditional Theories About the Workplace Theory X and Theory Y: – Theory Y believes that people are motivated by having meaningful and enjoyable work; Participative Decision-Making: – A concern for people and production; The most effective managers demonstrate supportive relationships; Revising Traditional Theories About the Workplace Symbolic Relationship between People and Organizations: – The individual and the organization need each other, yet there is a fundamental tension between the two--a tension between expressing oneself and being suppressed by the organization; Revising Traditional Theories About the Workplace Symbolic Relationship between People and Organizations: – This theory fits well with Shedletsky and Aitken’s conceptualization of the Internet-individuals and organizations can use computer communication to reduce tensions; Revising Traditional Theories About the Workplace Contingency Theories: – Adaptive--prepared to adapt to problems due to: Environmental uncertainty, unrest, evasiveness Technological systems Nature and clarity of the task Interpersonal relationships within the organization Conflict Business Commnication on the Internet A powerful influence of the Internet on the workplace is its ability to act as a change agent; The boundaries of the workplace are changed; Who can access whom, interdependence, speed, access to information; Communication Patterns Internet (computer) communication leads to flat organization; Messages tend to be brief; Employees can be overloaded with messages; It can be difficult to differentiate between essential and non-essential messages; Normal, interpersonal cues are absent; Roles & Boundaries Online communication can confuse the usual roles of people in organizations; The hierarchical lines of organization are often violated by Internet communication; Access to information can diffuse power and control; Meaning is blurred because roles are blurred; Meaning is blurred because traditional boundaries are blurred; Boundaries between work and play are blurred; Boundaries between business and personal are blurred; Tensions Paradoxes abound regarding the Internet and organizations; – Stock market and online business – Connected workers and feelings of isolation; – Changes versus no change; Table 10.1. Paradoxes of Internet-based Decision-Making (Adapted from Neher, 1997, pp. 277-278) Fewer restrictions for people in different geographical regions and time zones. Sequencing can be confusing or lost completely. Freedom and flexibility. Lost synergy. “Leaner” form of communication. Lacks “richness of the variety of messages. . .available in FtF situations.” Reduced nonverbal cues “soften status and authority cues, thereby lessening possible inhibitions or constraints on members’ contributions.” Loss of leadership may prompt “floundering about, without a clear sense of direction.” Ideas can be analyzed separately from source, so there is more independent thinking and rationality. Take longer to explain through text. “Displaying written lists, proposals, vote tallies, and the like on a screen tends to focus discussion more on content than on the source.” Flaming is common because there are no nonverbal softening cues. More even contribution by all members. “Quiet” members may “talk” more effectively. Can take longer to solve problems. Ideas and information more readily available. System may prompt group to use inappropriate methods. Culture and Climate A culture is the mores or traditions, a persistent, lasting structure and a pervasive influence on all elements of the organization; Culture influences the way people communicate, organizational structure, message behavior, the modes of acceptable communication, and who communicates with whom; The Culture of a workplace Includes Cultural network; Heroes; Rites and rituals; Values; Work environment; Internet and Organizational Climate Consider how network monitoring might affect organizational climate; – The construct of climate is that an organization has an ongoing social environment; Monitoring can create a climate of fear; Internet and Organizational Climate Consider these factors of organizational climate that may be affected by communication on the Internet: – Structure and constraint – Individual responsibility – Warmth and support – Reward and punishment – Conflict and tolerance Internet and Organizational Climate – Performance standards and expectations – Identity and group loyalty – Risk E-business E-business refers to commerce conducted via the Internet; Since no central authority manages the Internet, e-businesses have great flexibility; Work groups can easily come and go; Many companies are outsourcing jobs; E-business Business can send out targeted e-mails; Companies can provide customer services and human resources online; Internet videoconferencing offers a viable alternative to flying to face-toface meetings; Online Business Interaction Consumer communication – Online businesses collect extensive data in an effort to analyze who you are, what you want, and what will make you buy; Interpersonal communication (1-to-1) – The quality of work completed through CMC can be as good or better than when people work face-to-face; Online Business Interaction – Online communication can be used to replace and enhance other forms of communication; – People using email in work contexts need to be particularly careful regarding the clarity, appropriateness, and security of messages; Online Business Interaction Collaborative communication – One advantage of online collaboration is the reshaping of time and space – Groupthink: When getting along and going along with others is more important to the group than debate – Individual vs. team One finding in CMC is that the individual may be less important than the team Online Business Interaction Communication overload – One of the serious problems with business communication is the sheer volume of information exchanged Risky communication – There is always the potential for risk in communication – CMC creates a new type of risk in business contexts – When employees and customers depend on uninterrupted access to critical data, the consequences of downtime is magnified