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CMNS 380 - Assignment 1
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences: Athabasca University
CMNS 380 - Assignment 1
Tutor: Holly Dougall
CMNS 380 - Assignment 1
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Concept Questions
1. What effects did the industrial revolution have on organizational communication?
The industrial revolution caused organizations to focus on using communication to make
workers more efficient and effective – similar to machines. People began to realize that machines
were capable of producing more uniform products faster and they believed that organizations
should be built around the machines. Just as machines had specialized functions, workers were
assigned specialized tasks to support these machines. For example, according to the course
material, by 1870, it had become “obvious” that workers should be assigned to specialized
activities to support the specialized functions of their machines in Europe. This caused the
importance of communication between workers to deteriorate as the flow of communication
from the top down increased. Managers communicated with workers to provide information and
instructions to control them and ensure production was maximized – the new measure of
organizational success. This was familiar to military and church models, which were accepted as
“right.” In The Principles of Scientific Management, (Taylor, 1911) thought that management
information should be used to control the efforts of workers, rather than to motivate, support, or
enlighten them. He emphasized the selection and training of workers to ensure that the best way
of completing the job was always instituted.
2. What is the “global marketplace”? What are its implications for communication
activities within organizations?
The term global marketplace is used to describe the buying and selling of goods and
services around the world. It also describes the external environment for organizations.
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By using the term “marketplace”, people are able to better understand that there are many
factors, such as a peoples’ needs, beliefs, values, and perceptions, which can be converted to
economic terms, drastically affecting an organization’s success. As organizations now operate in
a global marketplace, these factors change in different parts of the world and affect the way in
which organizations communicate. In order to communicate effectively, organizations must
acknowledge, address, and accommodate these cultural differences as they operate globally.
Cultural differences can be seen in language and how it is used, body language, technology and
social organization. Key factors in successful business dealings with English business people are
dressing formally, ensuring punctuality, greeting others with a handshake, and maintaining
physical space. Although the English are polite and formal, rarely maintaining eye contact during
conversations and often appearing quite charming, they should not be underestimated as they can
be strong negotiators and will take their time to make a decision. As the course material explains,
organizations will only be successful and effective if they understand the sensitivity to these
cultural distinctions, and will perform the research necessary to facilitate successful transactions.
3. Define “leadership”. Why is leadership significant to corporate communications?
Support your position with at least one example from the course materials and one from
your own experience.
Leadership is the act of guiding people which means having someone who is decisive and
influential. Historically, it was believed that leaders were born and gained their skills through
inheritance, but the ease of access to information increased. This changed everything. Leaders
were now unable to claim inherent wisdom, talent, and skill, and people began to believe that
power lied with them and effective leadership relied on effective communication.
CMNS 380 - Assignment 1
This meant that leadership skills were something that needed to be learned and the idea that
leaders could behave in a manner to motivate masses to accomplish a desired result became
prevalent. This makes leadership very significant to corporate communications. The way in
which leadership communications within and outside of its organization has a large impact on
the successfulness of the organization. According to (Marias, 2016), leaders who demonstrate
and maintain high levels of integrity inspire their employees, leading them to be happier and
loyal to the organization, which ultimately has a positive impact on production and an
organization’s bottom line. An example of this from What Makes a Good Leader? is the
commentary from Susan Mucha of Powell-Mucha Consulting Inc. It explains how to effectively
lead global, cross-cultural teams. She notes that leaders who are able to understand behavioural
patterns driven by the different cultures of team members, encouraging discussions about
differences and similarities, and making it comfortable for team members to be open about their
concerns, can help to eliminate conflict and build stronger teams. (Marias, 2016). A personal
example of the significance of leadership to corporate communications is my work in the
Canadian Military. The entire military relies heavily on leadership to carry on operations to
protect our country. The Defence Administrative Orders and Directives dictate that Corporate
Internal Communications in the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed
Forces must be closely aligned with both internal and external communications efforts. It
outlines how leadership and managers within the Defence Team shall always ensure that
appropriate resources are dedicated to internal communications efforts and that all
communications programming considers strategic-level communications direction.
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All efforts go hand-in-hand in order to ensure successful implementation of corporate-level
information activities.
4. Define “public consultation”. Which sectors use this process most frequently and why?
Public consultation is the process where the input of public is taken and valued to make
decisions that can directly affect the public in any way. It creates efficiency, transparency, and
involvement from the public. The process of public consultation is most often used by
governments and large organizations, usually those that have a considerable impact on the
communities surrounding them, like plants or factories. An example of this would be The Public
Consultation Process for Nuclear Power in Alberta and Saskatchewan. It compares the public
consultation processes of the Alberta and Saskatchewan governments around introduction of
nuclear power. Each province took a different approach to gauging public opinion about this
issue and there were fears that the process would be driven by small groups of experts, rather
than by the public. The public consultation process in Saskatchewan rendered that over 3,900
participants participated and that the residents of the province did not support nuclear power.
Alberta’s process consisted of discussion groups and telephone surveys with over 4,800
participants. The feedback included conditional support of nuclear power in the province (Bratt,
2015).
Organizations would look to conduct public consultations to support good decision-making on
large plans or projects to minimize the chances of negative brand and reputation impact. If
organizations make decisions that affect the surrounding communities without knowing or
understanding the position or thoughts of those communities about the decision, there can be
significant backlash for the organization.
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When it comes to new policies and regulations that will affect a business group, it is in the best
interested of the government to choose public consultation.
5. What is an “interest group”? How are such organizations relevant to public consultation
processes?
Interest groups can be defined as an association of people formed on the foundation of
one or more shared interests or concerns with a goal of influencing public policy for their gain.
They tend to build pressure on policy makers, so the outcome can be in their own interest of the
public. Interest groups influence the entire process. Communicators coordinate with various
interest groups throughout the consultation process and it has been recognized that sometimes
they are more involved in the whole process than the communicators themselves. As it states in
the course material, interest groups balance the self-interest of the corporate sector, and often, the
ideological self-interest of some governments. As government abandons its role in preserving
and protecting the public good in favour of encouraging private interests, the role of the interest
group has necessarily changed. Their presence completes the circle of private and public interests
at the consultation table. Going back to the Alberta and Saskatchewan nuclear power case, the
public hearings in Saskatchewan generated substantial media coverage; in contrast, the nuclear
issue in Alberta was below the radar. The downside of public hearings is that they can be
hijacked by special interest groups and the silent majority can be ignored (Bratt, 2015).
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Short Answer Questions
1. The biological systems view of organization is quite different from the machine model;
explain how, and specify the category into which your own organization (or another with
which you are familiar) falls.
In the Unit readings, the systemic or biological view includes the concept of networks
within and beyond the organization. The network approach ensures that people are connected,
and that information can travel in any direction required to facilitate the best possible response—
that is, adapt—to an emerging situation. At a high-level, a difference of the biological system
view of an organization is that the organization is viewed as a continually changing network. On
the other hand, the machine model views the organization as being purely hierarchical.
Organizations using the machine model try to make sure that the flow of communication
only goes from the top to the bottom with messages being carefully made and accessible to be
used as a control point. The biological systems view of an organization values communication
and adapts its communications to changing situations. The Military very much resembles to the
machine model as the first line of communication starts at the top from either the Chief of
Defence Staff or a Commander of a base. The communication eventually makes its way down
the chain (machine) and then is actioned by the next leader in charge. A managerial
approach supports organizational requirements (or operational requirements in the Military) over
the needs of individuals, and decision making is reserved for the privileged executive powers.
According to this model, the role of communication is to sustain this pattern. So far in my career,
I have unfortunately not seen much of a behavioural approach, which assumes that employees
are self-directed and motivated to succeed (Likert 1969; McGregor 1960).
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2. Digital media presents both opportunities and challenges for organizations; please
comment on both.
As is states in the course material, the evolution of electronic and social media have
meant that businesses communicate with their publics and stakeholders on a more personal level,
but problems can also arise due to people having access to publish anything from anywhere.
Digital media provides organizations with diverse communication channels that allow them to
directly reach customers around the world. This cost effective communication technique displays
information more informally, but is also the quickest way to communicate in this day in age. It
involves more consistency and tracking to keep information from going lost. These new means
of communication also provide organizations with a mechanism for measuring effectiveness. For
disadvantages, one major challenge of digital media is the ability for customers to engage
organizations in real-time discussions. Outside corporate control, records of what a company
does and says, as well as what is said about it, are more readily available and searchable by
anyone with Internet access (Argenti, 2006). Customers expect immediate responses, and this
takes away the organization’s ability to prepare responses to questions or concerns. The use of
digital media for corporate communications also removes the ability for quality control of
messaging. There are more stakeholders who can now send and receive messages. This allows
for misinformation to quickly spread within an organization. This makes organizations much
more vulnerable and at risk of communication issues.
3. How is the concept of “community” important to an adaptive organization?
The concept of “community” in this course to refer to a group of people with common
values and beliefs.
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They’re important to organizations because responding to the needs of a community is easier
than responding to multiple individuals. Therefore, this allows the organization to remain agile
and efficient in its communications. Adaptive organizations really look at the needs of investors
and clients. They want to be timely in their responses and value open communication, both in
and outside of the organization. The word “Stakeholder” applies to this as it is described as
people who have interest in the outcomes and operations of the organization and can affect (or be
affected) by the decisions of the organization. Communicators within a community must help an
organization to achieve its strategic and service objectives, or risk being irrelevant. The growing
importance of external stakeholders often leads to a great deal more emphasis on communication
related to strategic benefits and service processes.
4. What are some initiatives that organizations can take to encourage ethical
communication?
There are multiple ways in which an organization can encourage ethical communication.
One way is to lead by example. Making sure that the organization’s management and leadership
are communicating in an ethical manner aids to set the tone for the organization - it also sets a
standard for employees. Another initiative to encourage ethical communication is for
organizations to document what their expectations and standards are regarding communications,
similar to what the Canadian Public Relations Society and International Association of Business
Communicators have done with the professional codes of ethics. Documenting expectations and
standards clearly minimizes the chance for interpretation throughout the organization. These
expectations can be incorporated into the communication process allowing organizations to
identify issues before they get bigger and become a concern for the public.
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In the course material, it states that ethical behaviour must start with top management. Although
practitioners can monitor and counsel on ethical matters, the organization’s top managers must
lead by example. By incorporating ethics into the communication process and promulgating
ethical values, organizations are more able to identify and address potential problems before they
start or before they become a much larger and public concern.
5. Describe a controversial situation or issue that has received significant media attention in
your community. Identify at least three stakeholders in the matter. Do you think that a
public consultation program would help to rectify the situation? Why or why not?
The leadership and practice of public consultation can greatly affect support for, and
confidence in, the results of an action. However, while many organizations profess their
commitment to consultation, others avoid consultation wherever possible (such as people
refusing the COVID-19 vaccine). Often, individual project managers will avoid consultation
because they do not want to be exposed to, or risk, possible criticism and conflict. A major
controversial issue that has received significant media attention is the COVID-19 worldwide
pandemic and vaccinations. There have been reports on the continued protests and anti-vaxxers
who do not believe in getting the vaccine - this pandemic has greatly involved the economy and
social media. Three stakeholders in the matter are the Canadian Federal Government, healthcare
professional organizations, and immunization programs. Holding public consultations would not
rectify this situation as the people have already made up their minds who will not be getting
vaccinated, therefore will still result in the economy struggling to survive (companies closing
due to lack of business). The government cannot do more than they have already to change
people’s minds and can not force anyone to receive the vaccine.
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Short Essay Questions
1. What are some key features of good business leadership as described in Unit 2?
A great business leader is one who does duties beyond management and regular job
duties. They encourage others and create a vision for their team of what needs to be achieved and
how the team can get to the desired results. Good leadership is described in the text, What Makes
a Great Leader? (Marias, 2016), dives into a myriad of features of good business leadership
which he defines as “the ability of an individual to lead or guide other individuals, teams, or
entire organizations in the accomplishment of goals” (p. 8). The first is the ability to aspire
others. A great leader has the ability to aspire others naturally. They are also very good at
influencing others for the better. If leaders can aspire the workers, they will automatically work
the best they can, which leads to the growth of the organization. Inspired employees are more
productive and inspire those around them.
Empowerment of employees is another key feature. This aspect of leadership is growing
ever more important as millennials enter the workforce. In Marias’ article, when asked how to
lead this generation, the majority of SMT Magazine readers note it is a challenge as they are
often narcissistic with a sense of entitlement. They are a generation that does not want to be lead
as they have a strong belief that they already know everything. Marias notes that they “want to
understand a leader’s expectations, but want to be left alone to accomplish them” (p. 9).
Clarity of vision is also a key feature. Great leaders have a clear vision. They know how
to stay focused and clear out all the distractions that are around them. Leaders need this or else it
will leave the rest of the team confused.
Positive attitude is essential. Your attitude determines your actions. A positive attitude of
a leader can influence employees to have positive attitude at work.
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It brings optimism to the workplace. Work can sometimes stress people out, especially with short
deadlines and wanting to achieve goals that may seem unrealistic at first. If a leader is relaxed
and positive, they will perform their best even under demanding circumstances.
Integrity in a leader means living by the ethical or moral code. A leader sets an example
for others to follow and if a leader doesn’t have integrity, then nothing can be expected from the
other employees. Therefore, it is one of the most important attributes of a good leader.
Strategic mind. It’s a famous saying ‘innovation distinguishes a leader and a follower’. A leader
is the one with the gimmicked and distinct mindset. This feature distinguishes him from others
completely.
Leaders understand what the stakeholders and top management want from the company, makes
innovative strategies of how that can be achieved and then, present it to its team and encourage
them to accomplish it.
Passion is an energy and vision. A leader who is not passionate is not a good leader.
Passion aspires others to follow the leader’s vision and keep them motivated and on the same
track as leaders. If you are passionate about something, anything can be achieved. Seeing a
leader extremely passionate, employees will follow.
In conclusion, there are many characteristics needed for business leadership to be
considered good. Many of these skills and traits go hand-in-hand and are dependent on others. A
good leader cannot demonstrate integrity if they are seen to be self-serving. They cannot inspire
others to be decisive if they are not. Employees cannot be empowered if they are not decisive.
And while it can be easy to simply list the features required to be a good leader, it is less simple
to obtain these skills and traits, and even harder to put these features into action.
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With the ever-increasing fast-paced nature of organizations, leaders must constantly be assessing
their surroundings and adapting to their environment to make sure they are successful in leading
their team.
2. Discuss the implications of mechanical and adaptive organizational assumptions.
Mechanical organizations operate like machines. They are built on the foundation of a
hierarchical structure, with centralized authority and formal protocols. Just as machines support
specialized functions, protocols and departments are structured in such a way to support their
own functions as well. Taylor’s (1911) assumption was believing that management information
should be used to control the efforts of workers, rather than to motivate, support, or enlighten
them.
Adaptive organizations are like living organisms and are built upon the notion that the
organization is a network, allowing themselves the ability to change with current trends and
environment. Both types of organizations have advantages and disadvantages. The hierarchical
structure of mechanical organizations means that authority comes from the top of the chain to the
bottom. It is expected that procedures will be followed as set out by the top tier and any change
in these procedures down the line is discouraged. An advantage to following established
procedures is that it helps to maintain consistency which can create more efficiency within the
organization. An example would be working at a manufacturing plant. They have procedures
where every person has a specific task that goes towards the same goal. Everyone must ensure
they meet the requirements of their task within the allotted time to ensure the production line
runs as expected. This level of standardization helps organizations build a positive reputation and
trust with their customers.
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In a mechanical organization, each department has a part in supporting and achieving the
vision, mission, and goal communicated from the top of the organization’s chain. This
information would be communicated from high-level people to department managers who are
expected to develop and implement procedures within their departments. Communication would
continue to go down to the department managers who are then expected to ensure that their
teams are following the formal protocols and delivering a consistent result.
There are always challenges that arise. Many employees working in mechanical
organizations find it to be much too repetitive or boring - often causing employee morale to be
low. When an employee’s insight into an organization is limited, they can feel they are of little
value to the team. Communication comes from the top to the bottom, therefore the
communication between the employees/departments are not valued as much, or their issues are
minimized in the background. Another disadvantage of the mechanical organization is the way in
which success and profitability are measured, and their inability to change. Mechanical
organizations usually set benchmarks that are expected to be consistently attained and rely on
simple statistical data reporting. The issue is the narrowed measure of success. Even if a
department consistently meets its target, does not mean it’s successful or profitable. If
organizations do not look at both internal and external factors, it can lead to over/unwanted
production.
On the other side, adaptive organizations continually monitor internal and external
impacts to the organization, change protocols as necessary to meet market demands, and
minimize the over or unwanted production risks. A benefit of adaptive organizations is a more
positive organizational culture and increased employee morale.
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This is obtained through open communication and decision making placed throughout the
organization, beyond the top of the communication chain. A behavioural approach can assume
that employees are self-directed and motivated to succeed (Likert 1969; McGregor 1960). This
gives the organization an opportunity to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace, as
opposed to relying on outdated protocols which can cause an organization itself to become
outdated. An example of this would be organizations (restaurants) creating healthier options on
their menus to attract health-conscious people rather than relying on their older options for
income, or Google and Facebook with lots of different ideas and creativity with employees that
are more content.
Many organizations these days would likely fall under the adaptive category due to
encouraging multidirectional communication, but the reality is that most organizations these days
are most likely a combination of both types. There will always be advantages and disadvantages,
but not every organization is perfect. Communication can always get lost one way or another.
The main thing to note is if communication gets too complex for how fast-paced the world is
getting, it may create confusion within the organization and more problems start to arise.
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CMNS 380 - Assignment 1
References
Argenti, P. A. (2006). How Technology Has Influenced the Field of Corporate Communication.
Journal of Business and Technical Communication, 20(3), 357–370. https://doi.org/
10.1177/1050651906287260
Likert, R. (1969). New patterns of management. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Marias, S. L. (2016). What makes a great leader? SMT: Surface Mount Technology, 31(10), 8–11.
McGregor, D. (1960). The human side of enterprise. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Taylor, F. (1911). The Principles of Scientific Management [E-book]. Project Gutenberg