COMM 385

Study Guide for Exam 1

What is organizational communication?

• Parsons' organizational types (pp. 8-9)
• functionalist vs. interpretive perspectives (pp. 13-14 and lecture)
• technology & communication (pp. 18-19)

Classical school

• historical development (pp. 26-28 and lecture)
• scientific management (pp. 28-20 and lecture)
• from Fayol, the scalar chain and "Fayol's bridge" only (bottom of 31 and top of 32)
• Weber's theory of bureaucracy (pp. 33-36 and lecture)
• summary on classical theory and communication (pp. 36-37)

Human relations school

• historical development (pp. 37-38 and lecture)
• Hawthorne studies (pp. 38-39 and lecture)
• democratic leadership (p. 40)
• Barnard's contribution (pp. 40-41)
• summary on human relations theory and communication (pp. 42-43)
• principles of job design (Moberg and Caldwell reading)

Systems school

• basic principles and applications to communication (pp. 43-48 and lecture notes)
• social construction of organizations and information equivocality (pp. 48-50 and lecture)

Cultural school

• definition of organizational culture (p. 50)
• types of cultures and cultural attributes (pp. bottom of 51 to54)
• implications (pp. 54-55)
• critical theory (pp. 55-57)
• history and impact of new technologies (pp. 57-61)

Group communication

• pressure for uniformity (pp. 200-205)
• role structure (205-211)
• cohesion and groupthink (211-213)
• principles of supportive communication (pp. 103-106)

Group decision making

• models by Tuckman & Jensen; Gersick; Poole (selections from pp. 213-217)
• group vs. individual decision making (lecture)

Teams and the collective

• self-managing teams (pp. 81-83; 87)
• principles and problems with Japanese management (87-92)
• Hofstede's dimensions of national culture and their implications for organizational communication (lecture)
• groupware and GSS (pp. 117-123 and lecture)
• audioconferencing, videoconferencing, computer conferencing and their effects (225, 227, 228-230 and lecture)