CHAPTER 9: Communication in Organizations
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After studying the topics in this chapter, students should be able to:
2. Explain the reciprocal relationship between an organization’s communication and its
culture.
4. Draw on personal experience to provide examples of organizational communication, such
as rites, rituals, stories, and structures.
6. Apply chapter guidelines to improve your effectiveness when communicating in and with
organizations.
MINDTAP ENGAGEMENT QUESTION
The first student activity in Chapter 9 asks students a polling question where they are presented
with a set of answer choices. One point is awarded regardless of what answer they choose. The
question is designed to reveal beliefs or assumptions about a chapter-specific topic. As an
instructor, you can view your classes’ responses as a pie chart within MindTap and discuss the
results in class, if you choose. This chapter’s question is:
Should employers monitor employees’ use of digital media during work hours?
a. No. That’s a violation of privacy.
CHAPTER OUTLINE
I. In addition to the principles of communication such as listening, nonverbal competences,
appreciation of cultural differences, and the ability to work well on teams, organizations
have key features that are essential to their communication environment.
A. Organizations have structure.
1. Structure orders activity in organizations.
3. Most modern organizations rely on a hierarchical structure.
5. A chain of command establishes who is to communicate with whom about what.
B. Organizations have communication networks that are formal and informal links
between members of an organization.
1. In most organizations, people belong to multiple networks.
3. Overlaps between networks ensure that we will communicate in various ways
with many people in an organization.
C. Organizations are linked to external environments that are the means by which
organizations interact with the society in which they operate.
II. Organizational culture consists of ways of thinking, acting, and understanding work that
are shared by members of an organization that reflect an organization’s distinct identity.
A. Organizational cultures consist of meanings shared by members of the organization.
B. The relationship between communication and organizational culture is reciprocal:
communication creates, sustains, and sometimes alters the culture, while
organizational culture influences patterns of communication.
C. Four kinds of communication are particularly important in developing and conveying
organizational culture.
1. Vocabularies reflect and express the history, norms, values, and identity of an
organization.
2. Stories are narratives of experiences that establish and sustain organizational
culture.
a. Corporate stories convey the values, style, and history of an organization. One
3. Rites and rituals are verbal and nonverbal practices that express and reproduce
organizational cultures.
4. Structures organize relationships and interaction between members.
a. Roles are responsibilities and behaviors expected of people because of their
specific positions.
b. Rules are patterned ways of interacting.
III. Digital Media and Organizational Communication
A. Technologies have revolutionized how organizations operate.
B. Digital media (such as email, tweets, texts, virtual meetings, and online data) have the
potential to increase productivity and efficiency.
C. Technologies increase organizational flexibility.
D. Digital media (such as networking sites) enlarge the range of professional contacts.
E. Digital media increase an organization’s marketing reach and strength.
F. Social media can be a powerful distraction from work, which is leading some
employers to monitor employee use of digital media at work.
G. Many employers want to benefit from the fact that employees may be online outside
of work.
IV. Guidelines for Effective Communication in Organizations
A. Strive to create a work-life balance.
B. Manage personal relationships on the job.
You can also search for these terms directly in MindTap to find them in the Reader. Students can
use flashcards in MindTap to study key concepts.
KEY TERMS PAGE IN TEXT
Communication networks 171
Organizational culture 172
Policies 179
Rites 176
Rituals 177
Roles 178
Structure 171
ACTIVITIES
1. Telling Your Story
This exercise centers on the stories that we tell in organizations. Before class, choose three class
2. Culture in One Word
Since organizational culture is composed of shared meanings, the focus of this exercise is to
discuss the role of rituals, vocabulary, rites, and stories and the role they have in maintaining the
3. The Influence of Gender in Organizational Culture
As noted in Chapter 9 of the textbook, organizations historically have been run by men, and
4. Effective Communication at Work
Ask the students to co-create a list of do’s and don’ts of the workplace. Give the groups the
following categories, and provide them with 15 minutes to work in small groups. Then share the
answers as a large group, comparing the different lists and discussing any differences.
Email communication Dress code
Cubicle etiquette Social network posting about work
Work friendships and other relationships
JOURNAL IDEAS
• If you did not use the case study “Ed Misses the Banquet” as a class activity, you can use it
as a journal activity. Have students watch the video (available in MindTap) and then answer
significant story they experienced while they were there and how it helped them feel part of
the organization.
• Have students reflect on stories, rituals, and rules that made them feel alienated from the
organization. What could the organization have done to make them feel more connected to
the place where they worked or served?
• As we learned in Chapter 7 of the textbook, 74% of women in the United States are in the
paid labor force and nearly half of all households in the United States have a woman who is
the primary or exclusive breadwinner. How can organizational communication be improved
TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES
There are additional student resources in MindTap. If you have a networked computer in your
classroom and a projection system for viewing the computer screen, you can easily introduce
your students by walking them through the process for accessing the website. If you don’t have
this projection and computer equipment in your classroom, you can share the resources in this
manual, or refer them to the directions found in their copy of Communication in Our Lives.
Students can use MindTap to answer the questions in many Communication Highlight boxes and
many Communication & Careers boxes found in the text. The Experiencing Communication in
Web Links
Website Description
URL
To learn more about personal relationships in the
workplace, check out this online article, “Workplace
Friendships or Office Romance.”
www.selfgrowth.com/articles/yager.html
The Institute for Workplace Innovation (IWIN) studies
work-life balance.
http://www.uky.edu/Centers/iwin/LWPolicyFinal.pdf
To learn about efforts to reduce discrimination in the
workplace, visit the website of the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission.
www.eeoc.gov
Here is the home page of the Idea Café, which promotes
“small business ideas for starting a business, marketing,
financing, grants, working at home, and Internet
ecommerce.”
http://www.businessownersideacafe.com/
Films
Sister Act can be used to look at issues regarding transformative leadership and how the church
culture was changed when someone from the outside came in with new ideas.
Television
The Office is a popular American television show based on the original British television
comedy. The episodes of this show provide many examples of effective and ineffective
organizational communication.
TEST ITEMS
Multiple Choice Items
1. The term used to describe the ways of thinking, acting, and understanding work that are
shared by members of an organization and reflect an organization’s distinct identity is called
a. organizational structure.
b. organizational culture.
c. organizational hierarchy.
d. organizational rituals.
e. organizational rites.
2. The formal and informal links between members of an organization for the purpose of
communication within the organization are called
a. communication networks.
b. communication structure.
c. communication hierarchies.
d. communication team networks.
e. communicational structural networks.
3. What do the phrases “put something on the back burner,” “stir the pot,” and “give birth to a
plan” reflect about organizations?
a. a sports language
b. a masculine language
c. a feminine language
d. a hierarchical language
e. an organizational language
4. Which of the following are the types of rituals that occur regularly in organizations?
a. corporate, social, and personal
b. personal, social, and task
c. collegial, social, and personal
d. corporate, personal, and task
e. task, personal, and collegial
5. Stories in organizations that convey the values, style, and history of an organization are
called
a. corporate stories.
b. personal stories.
c. collegial stories.
d. ritual stories.
e. rite stories.
6. What is the term used to describe dramatic, planned sets of activities that bring together
aspects of an organization’s culture into a single event?
a. rituals
b. rites
c. collegial events
d. corporate rituals
e. organizational rituals
7. Organizations have certain ______________ governing aspects of work life such as hiring,
promotion, benefits, grievances, and medical leave.
a. rites
b. roles
c. rituals
d. policies
e. rules
8. Communication from subordinates to supervisors is known as
a. downward communication.
b. upward communication.
c. grapevine.
d. supervisory communication.
e. informal communication.
9. The term used to define what is expected of individuals because of their specific positions in
an organization is called their
a. performance expectation.
b. organizational expectation.
c. role.
d. job description.
e. employment expectation.
10. Store managers at Kids Clothing, Inc. are required to conduct weekly audits of the returns the
store has processed. This requirement is a
a. ritual.
b. rite.
c. policy.
d. rule.
e. structure.
11. Organizational charts are means of formalizing ____________ rules.
a. constitutive
b. ritualistic
c. regulative
d. hierarchical
e. organizational
12. Diego and his supervisor have coffee together every Monday. This is an example of a
a. rite.
b. communication network.
c. ritualistic rule.
d. ritual.
e. corporate expectation.
13. Training workshops help organizations to manage change. This would be an example of
a. a formal communication network.
b. a ritual.
c. a renewal rite.
d. a policy.
e. an enhancement rite.
14. Gerri was a new teacher and soon became friends with Julia, who had been a teacher at the
school for several years. In the course of their conversation, Julia told Gerri about the
principal and what she could expect. This is an example of
a. a personal story.
b. a collegial story.
c. a corporate story.
d. a communication network.
e. an organizational story.
15. A desk plaque with an employee’s name and new title is an example of
a. a renewal rite.
b. a rite of passage.
c. a rite of promotion.
d. an enhancement rite.
e. a rite of integration.
True-False Items
16. In most organizations, people belong to only one network.
a. True
b. False
17. Although organizations are different, they have a common vocabulary.
a. True
b. False
18. There is more masculine language in organizations than language that reflects female
interests and experiences.
a. True
b. False
19. The purpose of corporate stories is to help socialize new members into the culture of an
organization.
a. True
b. False
20. Holiday parties are examples of enhancement rights.
a. True
b. False
21. Workplaces should encourage workplace friendships between supervisors and subordinates
because they have few drawbacks.
a. True
b. False
22. Social rituals are routine behaviors that individuals use to express their organizational
identities.
a. True
b. False
23. Renewal rites aim to help organizations manage change.
a. True
b. False
24. A role could be performed by any number of people who have particular talents, experiences,
and other relevant qualifications.
a. True
b. False
25. A presentation to new employees on how the company was founded is an example of a
corporate story.
a. True
b. False
26. Collegial stories can be shared by coworkers to tell us what to expect and from whom.
a. True
b. False
27. Communication between members of an organization creates, sustains, and sometimes alters
the culture.
a. True
b. False
28. Collegial stories teach new members how to get along with other members of the
organization.
a. True
b. False
29. Arbitration, mediation, and executive fiat are examples of blaming rituals.
a. True
b. False
30. When retold among members of an organization, stories foster feelings of connection and
revitalize organizational culture.
a. True
b. False
Fill-in-the-Blank Items
31. ____________________ is a set of procedures, relationships, and practices that provides
predictability for members of an organization so that they understand roles, procedures, and
expectations related to doing work.
32. ____________________ are repeated activities that help members of an organization
perform their jobs.
33. The formal and informal links between members in an organization are
____________________ within the organization.
34. ____________________ consists of the ways of thinking, acting, and understanding work
that are shared by members of an organization and that reflect an organization’s distinct
identity.
35. Because of the public awareness of sexual harassment, organizations have developed
____________________ that prohibit sexual harassment and detail the procedure for making
complaints.
36. Firing, demotions, and reprimands are common ____________________.
37. Forms of communication that occur regularly and that members of the organization perceive
as familiar and routine parts of organizational life are called ____________________.
38. Organizations typically define ____________________ in job descriptions.
39. ____________________ are dramatic, planned sets of activities that bring together aspects
of an organization’s culture in a single event.
40. ____________________ serve to establish and sustain organizational culture through the use
of narratives.
Essay Items
41. Describe the role that corporate stories play in shaping and maintaining organizational
culture.
42. Discuss the benefits and drawbacks of forming friendships with a supervisor you work with.
Would you be likely to form a friendship with your supervisor? Why? Why not?
43. List four ways that digital media have changed the workplace.
TEST ITEMS ANSWER KEY
Multiple Choice Items
1. The term used to describe the ways of thinking, acting, and understanding work that are
shared by members of an organization and reflect an organization’s distinct identity is called
2. The formal and informal links between members of an organization for the purpose of
communication within the organization are called
3. What do the phrases “put something on the back burner,” “stir the pot,” and “give birth to a
plan” reflect about organizations?
4. Which of the following are the types of rituals that occur regularly in organizations?
5. Stories in organizations that convey the values, style, and history of an organization are
called
6. What is the term used to describe dramatic, planned sets of activities that bring together
aspects of an organization’s culture into a single event?
7. Organizations have certain ______________ governing aspects of work life such as hiring,
promotion, benefits, grievances, and medical leave.
8. Communication from subordinates to supervisors is known as
9. The term used to define what is expected of individuals because of their specific positions in
an organization is called their
10. Store managers at Kids Clothing, Inc. are required to conduct weekly audits of the returns the
store has processed. This requirement is a
11. Organizational charts are means of formalizing ____________ rules.
12. Diego and his supervisor have coffee together every Monday. This is an example of a
13. Training workshops help organizations to manage change. This would be an example of
14. Gerri was a new teacher and soon became friends with Julia, who had been a teacher at the
school for several years. In the course of their conversation, Julia told Gerri about the
principal and what she could expect. This is an example of
15. A desk plaque with an employee’s name and new title is an example of
16. In most organizations, people belong to only one network.
17. Although organizations are different, they have a common vocabulary.
18. There is more masculine language in organizations than language that reflects female
interests and experiences.
19. The purpose of corporate stories is to help socialize new members into the culture of an
organization.
20. Holiday parties are examples of enhancement rights.
21. Workplaces should encourage workplace friendships between supervisors and subordinates
because they have few drawbacks.
22. Social rituals are routine behaviors that individuals use to express their organizational
identities.
23. Renewal rites aim to help organizations manage change.
24. A role could be performed by any number of people who have particular talents, experiences,
and other relevant qualifications.
25. A presentation to new employees on how the company was founded is an example of a
corporate story.
26. Collegial stories can be shared by coworkers to tell us what to expect and from whom.
27. Communication between members of an organization creates, sustains, and sometimes alters
the culture.
28. Collegial stories teach new members how to get along with other members of the
organization.
29. Arbitration, mediation, and executive fiat are examples of blaming rituals.
30. When retold among members of an organization, stories foster feelings of connection and
revitalize organizational culture.
Fill-in-the-Blank Items
31. ____________________ is a set of procedures, relationships, and practices that provides
predictability for members of an organization so that they understand roles, procedures, and
expectations related to doing work.
32. ____________________ are repeated activities that help members of an organization
perform their jobs.
33. The formal and informal links between members in an organization are
____________________ within the organization.
34. ____________________ consists of the ways of thinking, acting, and understanding work
that are shared by members of an organization and that reflect an organization’s distinct
identity.
35. Because of the public awareness of sexual harassment, organizations have developed
____________________ that prohibit sexual harassment and detail the procedure for making
complaints.
36. Firing, demotions, and reprimands are common ____________________.
37. Forms of communication that occur regularly and that members of the organization perceive
as familiar and routine parts of organizational life are called ____________________.
38. Organizations typically define ____________________ in job descriptions.
39. ____________________ are dramatic, planned sets of activities that bring together aspects
of an organization’s culture in a single event.
40. ____________________ serve to establish and sustain organizational culture through the use
of narratives.
Essay Items
41. Describe the role that corporate stories play in shaping and maintaining organizational
culture.
42. Discuss the benefits and drawbacks of forming friendships with a supervisor you work with.
Would you be likely to form a friendship with your supervisor? Why? Why not?
43. List four ways that digital media have changed the workplace.