LDR 5223-OL2: Organizational Communication for Leaders
Week 1 Assignment: Expository Analysis Reader Response
Dawn M. Morris
March 15, 2020
This week the article Organizational Communication: A Theoretical Discussion was assigned as a reading exercise. It was originally published in the academic journal, Reuna. The article addresses the topic of organizational communication by exploring some of the historical theories throughout this field’s development, and then discusses in depth modern organizational communication theories and models. What follows is an analysis and response to the article.
The article Organizational Communication: A Theoretical Discussion lacked needed detail in certain paragraphs to properly communicate the authors reasoning for other examples given. For example, when the topic of historical communication theories is discussed the lack of detail can create the appearance of the author portraying a biased point of view. The article states, communication theories generally present as the communication studies v the so-called ‘American School’, founded in the 1930s in the United States, turned to the analysis of the functions and effects of ‘mass means of communication.’ These studies were based on functionalist sociology and social psychology (behaviorist orientation) (Carvalho De Benedicto, et al., 2018, p. 23). It’s important to note that during the 1930’s Freudian behavior theory was a relatively popular in Western psychological studies throughout Europe and the United States. Other American psychologists, such as Skinner, also referenced Freudians behavioral theories and worked for decades helping to transform how not only behaviors, but communication is viewed. The idea of the newly emerging psychological studies in America by Skinner can be seen in this quote from one of his first books, some conceptions of the mind and its faculties, and more recently the ego, super-ego, and id are examples of inner agents or organisms, designed to account for behavior, which have remained the subject of scientific investigation (Skinner, 1938, p. 3). Furthermore, more detail was given to European and Latin American historical theories, which when review this page numerous times appeared to underplay the significance of the behavioral and communication theories from the United States. Further into the article the theories and models discussed align more with the global modern understanding of organizational communication. However even though the article eventually leaned to a more unbiased view, the theoretical historical analysis was never truly readdressed to clarify making it appear as through the United States wasn’t significant in shaping the new modern thought. Aside from the slight biased appearance in one section, the latter pages provide more than one example in detail of unbiased organizational communication. It’s important to note that there are multiple authors, and the means of how each contributed to the article was not given; therefore, it might be the underlying opinion of one of the contributing authors shadowing that particular section of the article.
Overall, the article touched on many important views of organizational communication accepted throughout much of the global community. It’s important for these modern theories to be accepted, especially by any organization that does business across the global community. The more uniform the organizational business practices are the easier it will be to create a successful global business. This also is true of organizations wanting to expand their size. A small organization of five people might not have as an expansive interpretation of organizational communication as an enterprise of more than fifty employees with multiple departments. The earlier that an organization learns and adopts the modern communication theories, the easier it will be when the organization’s size increases.
References
Carvalho De Benedicto, S., Sugahara, C. R., Filho, C. F., & Sousa, J. E. (2018, April 9). Organizational Communication: A Theoretical Discussion. (G. Q. Souki, Ed.) REUNA, Belo Horizonte, 23(I), 20-37. Retrieved March 10, 2020, from https://revistas.una.br/reuna/article/view/937
Skinner, B. F. (1938). The Behavior of Organisms: An Experimental Analysis. Cambridge, The United States of America: B.F. Skinner Foundation.
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