Organizational communication

Lore & Background

Organizational communication is a field of study within communication studies that examines all areas of communication and information flow contributing to an organization’s functioning. The field is constantly evolving, and its scope has shifted over time to include not only traditional for-profit companies but also non-governmental organizations and non-profits. Organizations are formed and sustained through continuous communication among members and both internal and external subgroups that share objectives. This communication flow encompasses internal and external stakeholders and can be either formal or informal. The discipline traces its lineage through business information, business communication, and early mass communication studies from the 1930s through the 1950s. Initially, it consisted of a few professors within speech departments interested in speaking and writing in business settings. Nobel laureate Herbert A. Simon wrote in 1947 about “organization communications systems,” stating communication is “absolutely essential to organizations.” W. Charles Redding played a prominent role in establishing the discipline. In the 1950s, the field focused on communication’s role in improving organizational life and output. By the 1980s, it turned away from a purely business-oriented approach toward the constitutive role of communication in organizing. In the 1990s, critical theory gained influence, with scholars focusing on communication’s ability to both oppress and liberate organizational members, influenced by theorist Michel Foucault. From the 2000s onward, a “discursive turn” emerged, and interpretive and critical research expanded, creating a more varied landscape. Recent years have seen shifts in public opinion toward mass media, with increased reliance on social media and vulnerability to “fake news,” while giving all members of the public the capability to share their stories.

Reader's Guide

Organizational communication has shifted significantly over time. In the 1950s, it focused on improving organizational life and output. In the 1980s, the field turned away from a business-oriented approach and became concerned with the constitutive role of communication in organizing. The 1990s saw the rise of critical theory, influenced by Michel Foucault, focusing on communication's ability to oppress and liberate. From the 2000s onward, a 'discursive turn' occurred, and interpretive and critical research expanded, creating a more varied landscape. Early assumptions included rational human action, reliance on formal logic and empirical data, and viewing communication as a mechanical process within organizations as containers. Later, Herbert Simon's bounded rationality challenged perfect rationality, and Peter Senge introduced learning organization and systems thinking. Robert Craig suggested seven components of communication theory: rhetorical, semiotic, phenomenological, cybernetic, sociopsychological, sociocultural, and critical.

Did You Know?

• In the 1990s, the field focused on communication's ability to both oppress and liberate organizational members.
• Michel Foucault is often revered as the father of Post-modern thought and described as a 'radical relativist' by Camille Paglia.
• In the early 2000s, discoveries of illegality and corruption led to bankruptcies of large organizations, changing views on ethics and corporate social responsibility.