Organizational Communication PDF
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ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION 2 ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION A Critical Approach Dennis K. Mumby The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 3 FOR INFORMATION: SAGE Publications, Inc. 2455 Teller Road Thousand Oaks, California 91320 E-mail: [email protected] SAGE Publications Ltd. 1 Oliver’s Yard 55 City Road London, EC1Y 1SP United Kingdom SAGE Publications India Pvt. Ltd. B 1/I 1 Mohan Cooperative Industrial Area Mathura Road, New Delhi 110 044 India SAGE Publications Asia-Pacific Pte. Ltd. 3 Church Street #10–04 Samsung Hub Singapore 049483 Acquisitions Editor: Matthew Byrnie Editorial Assistant: Stephanie Palermini Production Editor: Eric Garner Copy Editor: Megan Granger Typesetter: C&M Digitals (P) Ltd. Proofreader: Laura Webb Indexer: Rick Hurd Cover Designer: Edgar Abarca 4 Marketing Manager: Liz Thornton Permissions Editor: Karen Ehrmann Copyright © 2013 by SAGE Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Photos for “Critical Technologies” and “Critical Case Study” boxes: Courtesy of Dynamic Graphics/liquidlibrary/Thinkstock. Printed in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Mumby, Dennis K. Organizational communication: a critical approach /Dennis K. Mumby. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-4129-6315-2 (pbk.) 1. Communication in organizations. I. Title. HD30.3.M863 2013 306.44—dc23 2012018541 This book is printed on acid-free paper. 12 13 14 15 16 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 5 Brief Contents Preface Acknowledgments PART I: D EVELOPING A CRITICAL APPROACH TO ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION 1 Introducing Organizational Communication 2 The Critical Approach PART II: THEORIES OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION AND THE MODERN ORGANIZATION 3 Scientific Management, Bureaucracy, and the Emergence of the Modern Organization 4 The Human Relations School 5 Organizations as Communication Systems 6 Communication, Culture, and Organizing PART III: CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION AND THE NEW WORKPLACE 7 Power and Resistance at Work 8 The Postmodern Workplace: Teams, Emotions, and No-Collar Work 9 Communicating Gender at Work 10 Communicating Difference at Work 11 Leadership Communication in the New Workplace 12 Branding and Consumption 13 Organizational Communication, Globalization, and Democracy 14 Communication, Meaningful Work, and Personal Identity Glossary References Index About the Author 6 Detailed Contents Preface Acknowledgments PART I: DEVELOPING A CRITICAL APPROACH TO ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION 1 Introducing Organizational Communication Organizations as Communicative Structures of Control Defining “Organizational Communication” Interdependence Differentiation of Tasks and Functions Goal Orientation Control Mechanisms Direct Control Technological Control Critical Technologies 1.1: Defining Communication Technology Bureaucratic Control Ideological Control Disciplinary Control Communication Processes Framing Theories of Organizational Communication Functionalism: The Discourse of Representation Interpretivism: The Discourse of Understanding Critical Case Study 1.1: A Conduit Model of Education Critical Theory: The Discourse of Suspicion Postmodernism: The Discourse of Vulnerability Feminism: The Discourse of Empowerment Conclusion Critical Applications Key Terms 2 The Critical Approach The Critical Approach: A History Karl Marx Marx’s Key Issues Critiquing Marx 7 The Institute for Social Research (the Frankfurt School) Critical Theory and the Critique of Capitalism Critical Theory and the Critique of Enlightenment Thought Critical Case Study 2.1: McDonaldizing “Fridays” Critiquing the Frankfurt School Cultural Studies Understanding Organizational Communication From a Critical Perspective Organizations Are Socially Constructed Through Communication Processes Critical Technologies 2.1: Mediating Everyday Life Organizations Are Political Sites of Power and Control Organizations Are Key Sites of Human Identity Formation in Modern Society Organizations Are Important Sites of Collective Decision Making and Democracy Organizations Are Sites of Ethical Issues and Dilemmas Conclusion Critical Applications Key Terms PART II: THEORIES OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION AND THE MODERN ORGANIZATION 3 Scientific Management, Bureaucracy, and the Emergence of the Modern Organization The Emergence of the Modern Organization Time, Space, and the Mechanization of Travel Time, Space, and the Industrial Worker Critical Technologies 3.1: Timepieces and Punch Clocks Scientific Management: “Tayloring” the Worker to the Job Taylor’s Principles: The “One Best Way” The Contributions of Frank and Lillian Gilbreth A Critical Assessment of Scientific Management The Legacy of Scientific Management Bureaucratic Theory: Max Weber and Organizational Communication Weber’s Types of Authority Charismatic Authority Traditional Authority Rational–Legal Authority Weber’s Critique of Bureaucracy and the Process of “Rationalization” The Legacy of Bureaucracy Critical Case Study 3.1: Rationalizing Emotions 8 Conclusion: A Critical Assessment of “Classic” Theories of Organization Critical Applications Key Terms 4 The Human Relations School Placing the Human Relations Movement in Its Historical and Political Context Elton Mayo and the Hawthorne Studies The Hawthorne Studies The Illumination Studies (1924–1927) The Relay Assembly Test Room (RATR) Studies (April 1927–February 1933) The Interview Program (September 1928–January 1931) The Bank Wiring Observation Room Study (November 1931–May 1932) Implications of the Hawthorne Studies Critical Case Study 4.1: Reframing Happiness at Zappos A Critique of the Hawthorne Studies Reexamining the Empirical Data Critiquing the Ideology of the Hawthorne Researchers The Wholly Negative Role of Conflict Rational Manager Versus “Sentimental” Worker Gender Bias in the Hawthorne Studies Summary Mary Parker Follett: Bridging Theory and Practice Follett’s Theory of Organization The Strange Case of the Disappearing Theorist Human Resource Management Douglas McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y Critical Technologies 4.1: “Wilfing” Your Life Away Rensis Likert’s Four Systems Approach Critiquing Human Resource Management Conclusion Critical Applications Key Terms 5 Organizations as Communication Systems Situating the Systems Perspective The Principles of the Systems Perspective Interrelationship and Interdependence of Parts Holism 9 Input, Transformation (Throughput), and Output of Energy Negative Entropy Equilibrium, Homeostasis, and Feedback Hierarchy Goal Orientation Equifinality and Multifinality Organizations as Systems of Communication Critical Technologies 5.1: Organizing Food Karl Weick and Organizational Sense Making Weick’s Model of Organizing: Enactment, Selection, and Retention A Critical Perspective on Weick Critical Case Study 5.1: Airlines and Equivocality Niklas Luhmann and the Autopoietic Organization A Critical Perspective on the Autopoietic Organization Conclusion Critical Applications Key Terms 6 Communication, Culture, and Organizing The Emergence of the Cultural Approach Two Perspectives on Organizational Culture The Pragmatist Approach: Organizational Culture as a Variable Critical Technologies 6.1: Communication Technology and Organizational Culture The Purist Approach: Organizational Culture as a Root Metaphor A Broader Conception of “Organization” The Use of Interpretive, Ethnographic Methods The Study of Organizational Symbols, Talk, and Artifacts Relevant Constructs Facts Practices Vocabulary Metaphors Critical Case Study 6.1: Organizational Culture and Metaphors Rites and Rituals Organizational Stories Summarizing the Two Perspectives Conclusion Critical Applications Key Terms 10
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