A Structural Reconceptualization of the Organizational Communication Audit, with Application to a State Department of Education [microform] / James E. Grunig.
The standard organizational communication audit measures employees' perceptions of and satisfaction with communication in an organization. It does not, however, examine the structural characteristics of an organization, such as centralization or stratification--characteristics that can disclose...
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| Format: | Microfilm Book |
| Language: | English |
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1985.
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| Summary: | The standard organizational communication audit measures employees' perceptions of and satisfaction with communication in an organization. It does not, however, examine the structural characteristics of an organization, such as centralization or stratification--characteristics that can disclose whether a total communication system is appropriate for the organization it serves. A reconceptualized audit containing structural variables was administered to all employees of a state department of education as the first step in a communication improvement project. The audit surveyed employees' communication both inside the department and with other organizations and publics, relating communication to perceptions of organizational structure, job satisfaction, and satisfaction with the organization's communication system. Results, almost identical for both central office and field employees, showed that the department seemed to be too rigidly structured. Employees perceived it as having highly centralized decision making processes and little autonomy for those outside top management. They also perceived the department as highly stratified, placing barriers between ranks and making interaction difficult between superiors and subordinates in different units. In general, the findings provided support for the inclusion of structural variables in an organizational communication audit, and suggested that the correlation between communication satisfaction and job satisfaction frequently found by researchers is largely spurious. Numerous tables are included. (FL) |
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| Item Description: | ERIC Note: Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the International Communication Association (35th, Honolulu, HI, May 23-27, 1985). ERIC Document Number: ED263631. |
| Physical Description: | 82 pages |
| Reproduction Note: | Microfiche. |
| Action Note: | committed to retain |