Preface     xi
The Nature of Organizations     1
Types of Organizations     2
Common Characteristics of All Organizations     3
Organizational Environments     9
Preliminary Principles for Peons     10
Viewing Organizations     14
References and Recommended Readings     14
Study Guide     15
The Nature of Communication in Organizations     16
Myths and Misconceptions about Communication in Organizations     16
Organizational Communication Defined     20
Components of Communication     20
Functions of Communication in Organizations     25
Organizational Communication Networks     27
Formal Communication Flow and Impact     28
References and Recommended Readings     31
Study Guide     31
Nonverbal Behavior and Communication     32
Significance of Nonverbal Communication in Organizations     33
Functions of Nonverbal Messages     34
Categories of Nonverbal Messages     36
Immediacy and Organizational Communication     42
References and Recommended Readings     45
Study Guide     46
Administration,Supervision, and Communication     47
Supervisors' Duties: Subordinates' Views     48
Why Aren't Managers Doing Their Jobs?     50
To Supervise or to Administer? That is the Question     54
What Kind of Manager Do You Have?     56
References and Recommended Readings     56
Study Guide     57
Barriers to Effective Communication     58
Climate Control     58
Status     60
Communication Overload     61
Defensiveness     65
References and Recommended Readings     67
Study Guide     67
Personality, Temperament, and Communication Traits     69
Personality and Temperament     69
Temperament/Personality and Communication     70
Communication Traits     71
Sociocommunicative Orientations and Styles     77
References and Recommended Readings     80
Study Guide     81
Organizational Orientations and Communication Traits     82
Organizational Orientations     82
Personality Types     85
Organizational Orientations and Temperament     90
Organizational Orientations, Temperament, and Communication Traits      91
Organizational Orientations, Temperament, and Organizational Outcomes     91
References and Recommended Readings     92
Study Guide     93
Perceptions of People in Organizations     94
Source Credibility     96
Interpersonal Attractiveness     97
Homophily     100
References and Recommended Readings     103
Study Guide     104
Approaches to Management     105
Early Orientations     106
Leadership Approaches     110
The Ideal Leader?     114
Management Communication Styles and Decision Making     114
Decision Making and Communication     117
Why Managers Select One MCS Over Another     119
Identifying the MCS     122
References and Recommended Readings     123
Study Guide     124
Power and Status     125
Nature of Status     125
Status Symbols     126
Communication and Status     127
Power     129
From the Peon's Perspective     134
References and Recommended Readings     135
Study Guide     136
Organizational Culture      137
Defining Culture     137
Culture and Communication     138
Cultural Terminology     138
Organizations and Cultures     140
Ethnocentrism     142
References and Recommended Readings     149
Study Guide     150
Communication and Change     151
Why People Resist Change in Organizations     151
Informal Communication Network Roles     153
Innovativeness: The Willingness to Adopt     159
Introducing Change     162
Six Conditions Necessary for Successful Change     168
References and Recommended Readings     170
Study Guide     170
Disagreement, Conflict, and Groupthink     171
Disagreement and Conflict     172
Tolerance for Disagreement     174
Conflict Prevention     178
Conflict Management     180
Groupthink: Too Much Agreement for the Good of the Organization     181
References and Recommended Readings     185
Study Guide     185
Effective Supervisory and Subordinate Relationships     187
Why Some Do Not Survive: Ten Common Communication Mistakes     190
How to Survive: Common Communication Strategies for Survival     193
References and Recommended Readings     199
Study Guide     199
Discrimination and Pseudodiscrimination     201
The Need for Discrimination     201
The Evils of Discrimination     202
Making Evaluations Work (For You)     203
Staying Out of Trouble: The Peon Perspective     205
Dealing with Pseudodiscrimination and Diversity     206
References and Recommended Readings     207
Study Guide     207
Index     208