Communication in Organizations
By: Elizabeth B. Oliveira

What is Organizational
Communications?
 Katherine Miller defines it as:
– “The Study of Organizational
Communications involves understanding how the context of the organization influences communication process and how the symbolic nature of communication differentiates it from other forms of organizational behavior” (1).

Henry Fayol’s Theory of
Classical Management
 Fayol’s Theory Is concerned with the
Managerial function of Organizing
 It is based on two concepts
– Elements of Management
 Concerned with with Managers should do
– Principal’s of Management
 Concerned with how Managers should enact the
Elements of Management

5 Elements of Management
Planning
Looking into Future to attain organizational goal
Organization
Arrangement of Employees and the evaluation of these employees
Command
Giving employees task in order to meet the organizational goal
Coordination
Working together to accomplish a goal.
Control
Ensuring the organization is functioning as planned

Principals of Management
–
–
–
–
–
–
Scholar Chain
 Management should be in hierarchy
Unity of Command
 Employee should receive orders from only one person
Unity of Direction
 Proposes activities that have similar goals
Division of Labor
 Work is it’s best when employees are assigned to a limited number of specialized tasks
Order
 Appoint places for each employee
Span of Control
 Managers are more effective if they have control of a limited number of employees

Weber’s Theory of
Bureaucracy
 Clearly defined Hierarchy
 Division of Labor
 Centralization of Decision Making
 Closed Systems
 Importance of Rules
 Functioning Authority
– Traditional (Listen to people above you)
– Charismatic

Taylor’s Theory of
Scientific Management
 One best way to do the job
 Proper selection of workers
 Appropriate & Proper training of workers
 Strict Division of Labor
– Difference between Management &
Workers

Principals of
Organizational Power
 Centralization
– Organization most effective when central management has control over decision making & employee activities
 Authority & Responsibility
– Managers should hold authority & responsibility must accompany authority
 Discipline
– Organizational Members should be obedient to the rules of the Organization

Principals of
Organizational Reward
 Remuneration of Personnel
– Employees should be rewarded for their work with appropriate salary & benefits
 Equity
– Employees should be treated equally
 Tenure Stability
– Job should guarantee sufficient time on the job for employees to achieve maximum performance

Principals of
Organizational Attitude
 Subordination of Individual Interest to general Interest
– Interests of the whole take precedence over interests of the individuals
 Initiative
– Employees must work in the best interest of the organization
 Esprit de Corps
– No dissension in the organizational ranks

Summary
 Classical Organizational Theories all use a machine metaphor that conceptualize the organization as highly standardized, specialized, and predictable (Miller, 22).
 Structure & job design in today’s organizations often reflect the ideas expounded many years ago by classical theorists (Miller, 22).

References
 Miller, K. (2006). Organizational
Communication. Belmont: Holly J Allen