07 Organizational Communication Free Online FlashCards

What is organizational communication?

Organizational communication is the everyday exchange of messages through which people coordinate work, interpret events, make decisions, and maintain relationships.

What does organizational culture mean?

Organizational culture is the shared pattern of meanings and expectations that shapes how members understand and do their work.

In Schein’s model, what are cultural artifacts?

Artifacts are visible or audible features of an organization, such as its office layout, ceremonies, stories, technology, and written policies.

What are espoused values?

Espoused values are the principles an organization says it follows, such as service, safety, or innovation.

What are underlying assumptions in organizational culture?

Underlying assumptions are often-unspoken beliefs that members take for granted, such as whether it is safe to question a supervisor.

How can a gap between stated values and lived culture become visible?

A gap between an organization’s stated values and employees’ lived assumptions can appear in how leaders respond to questions or bad news.

What does a communication network reveal that an organization chart may not?

A communication network maps who exchanges messages with whom and for what purpose; an organization chart shows authority and prescribed reporting lines.

What is downward communication?

Downward communication moves from leaders or supervisors to employees, carrying messages such as goals, instructions, policy changes, and feedback.

What is upward communication?

Upward communication moves from employees to leaders or supervisors and can carry progress reports, questions, concerns, and suggestions.

What is horizontal communication used for?

Horizontal, or lateral, communication occurs among people or units at similar levels, helping colleagues coordinate work or solve shared problems.

What is one benefit and one risk of the grapevine?

The informal network, often called the grapevine, can spread information quickly and connect departments, but its messages may be incomplete or inaccurate.

What makes leadership communication two-way?

Effective leadership communication is two-way: leaders explain decisions and expectations while listening for questions, local knowledge, and dissent.