Communication network dynamics during organizational crisis

Communication network is a personal or professional set of relationships between individuals or organizations. In other words, it is a pattern of contacts which are created due to the flow of information among the participating actors. The flow of information establishes various types of relationships among the participating entities. These relationships eventually form an overall pattern that could form a gestalt of the total structure within organizational context. In this paper, we analyze the changing communications structure in order to investigate the patterns associated with the final stages of organizational crisis. Organizational crisis has been defined as organizational mortality, organizational death, organizational exit, bankruptcy, decline, retrenchment and failure to characterize various forms of organizational crisis. We draw on theoretical perspectives on organizational crisis proposed by social network analysts and other sociologists to test 5 key propositions on the changes in the network communication structure associated with organizational crisis: (1) a few actors, who are prominent or more active, will become central during the organizational crisis period; (2) reciprocity within the organizational communication network will increase during crisis period; (3) organizational communication network becomes less transitive as organizations experience crisis; (4) number of cliques increases in a communication network as organizations are going through crisis; and (5) communication network becomes increasingly centralized as organizations go through crisis.     

Socialization,resocialization, and communication relationships in the context of an organizational change

This investigation explores the influence of perceptions of socialization tactics' use and communication relationships on employees at the initiation of and 4 months into an organizational restructuring. Results of this longitudinal investigation reveal that employees (N = 72) report considerable changes in perceptions of organizational socialization/resocialization efforts. Results also indicate that both perceptions of socialization tactics' use and communication relationships contribute to decreased role ambiguity and role conflict and increased commitment at the initiation of the restructuring and four months later. However, the influence of these factors on the dependent variables changes over time. These findings are discussed in relation to recent research on organizational entry and change, and suggestions are made for future research.     

The impact of communication apprehension and fear of talking with a physician on perceived medical outcomes

This study examined the relationships among trait CA, state CA (fear of interacting with a physician), and patient perceived satisfaction with quality of medical care and physician. The results indicated that trait CA and fear of the physician were positively related. However, trait CA was not significantly related to patient perceived satisfaction with quality of medical care or physician. State CA, in contrast, was significantly negatively related to both patient perceived satisfaction with medical care and satisfaction with physician. It is concluded that future research should investigate the impact of physicians’ engaging in positive communication behaviors on patients’ apprehension and medical outcomes.     

Managed care and the paradox of patient confidentiality: A case study analysis from a communication boundary management perspective

Managed care organizations have become one of the dominant forms of health care delivery in the United States. Paradoxically, this system, designed to provide better, less expensive care for patients and increased efficiency for health care providers may be compromising patients’ privacy by making patients’ records available to a wider range of internal and external parties. By allowing many individuals access to patients’ health records, the confidentiality of patients’ private information in the managed care environment is at risk. Using an extension of the communication boundary management perspective (Petronio, 1991, 2000) within a case study approach, a breach of patient confidentiality in a managed care environment is examined. From this analysis, practical recommendations are offered to patients, health care providers, and managed care organizations for managing the paradox of patient confidentiality.     

E-Leaders and Uncertainty Management: A Computer-Supported Qualitative Investigation

Organizations are experiencing more online activity requiring more digital communication than ever before. Due to these increasing electronic experiences and the uncertainties that result for electronic leaders (e-leaders), this study explored the strategies e-leaders use to manage uncertainties within organizational settings. To accomplish this inquiry, computer-supported analysis examined 281 qualitative responses to an e-leader survey. Findings revealed that conditional communication, team, time, and technology strategies are widely deployed by e-leaders to manage the shared uncertainties of people, time, and technology. Further, conditional communication was found to be a ubiquitous and highly co-occurring strategy allowing e-leaders to move from computer mediated communication to face-to-face communication and vice versa, to utilize different channels and messages dependent upon varied goal needs, and to encourage feedback and the sharing of organizational leadership across different technology spaces.     

The speech act theory of interpersonal communication: Stimulus for research

This paper uses the Mann Gulch and Storm King Mountain fire disasters as a beginning point to analyze organizational crises. Several of the human factors that contributed to both disasters are identified, and the point is made that similar factors most likely contribute to other organizational crises. It is argued that the lack of legitimate authority impaired the crews’ ability to overcome disaster. Underlying this is a lack of common experience, communication, and interaction. Based on this analysis of the Mann Gulch and Storm King Mountain fires, practical recommendations for enhancing organizations’ ability to effectively cope with crisis and environmental uncertainty are offered.     

S.C.A.L.E.--spiritual care at life's end: a multi-disciplinary approach to end-of-life issues in a hospital setting

End-of-life care is a hot topic in many hospitals of late, in part due to an aging society, which is forcing health care professionals to address the issue. A culture that places enormous value on youth and avoids the topic of death also contributes to the discomfort many health care professionals feel discussing this topic with their patients and family members. Inpatient satisfaction survey scores at Thunderbird Samaritan Medical Center (TSMC) were very inconsistent on the question of how the institution was meeting the emotional and/or spiritual needs of patients. A staff survey and needs assessment was also conducted regarding end-of-life care, which pointed out communication issues among staff members. All of these factors led to the development of an inter-disciplinary team to examine the issue of end-of-life care at TSMC.     

Evaluation of organizational communication competency: The development of the communication training impact questionnaire

As organizations devote more time and financial support to the development of training programs, the field of organizational communication needs to meet the demand for applications of organizational theory to the work world. This research reports the development of an evaluation instrument designed to go beyond participants' reactions to the training program, and assess the application of a specific skill to work tasks. The degree to which the participants perceive they have mastered the skill also is assessed. Data were collected on 267 participants in various communication training programs. Strong internal reliability, validity tests and factor analysis indicate that the Communication Training Impact Questionnaire can be used to assess two of Kirkpatrick's levels of training impact. Suggestions for using the instrument are discussed and implications for the field of organizational communication are presented.     

国内外知识共享理论研究综述

知识管理理论的兴起带动了知识共享研究的发展。近年来,国内外学者从多角度出发,运用不同的方法对知识共享理论进行了研究。知识共享是一个包含众多因素的理论体系,其中知识共享的内涵可以从信息沟通/信息流动角度、组织学习角度、市场角度、系统角度来理解。除此之外,知识共享的过程、知识共享的影响因素、知识共享的支撑机制也是知识共享理论重要的组成部分,值得学者们继续进行深入研究。     

疫情防控常态化下患者双渠道就诊满意度影响因素研究

[目的/意义]通过分析患者双渠道就诊模式下的在线评论,挖掘其满意度的影响因素,丰富患者满意度研究,从患者满意角度出发为后疫情时期患者双渠道就诊模式下在线医疗平台及关联线下医院的运营提供可行性参考建议.[方法/过程]首先基于扎根理论对患者双渠道就诊模式下的在线评论进行编码,识别患者满意度的主要影响因素及其关系,结合双因素...     

Communication practices as unobtrusive control: An observational study

This paper reports a study that examines naturalistic communication as concertive control. The paper argues that, while the theoretical perspective considers communication in the powerful role of controlling organizational decision making, research efforts have not, for the most part, examined communication practices. Results of an interpretation of communication interaction observed during organizational meetings identify several communicative practices that are interpreted as unobtrusive control practices. First, premises are articulated and reiterated during meetings. Second, leaders simultaneously reinforce and appeal to organizational premises. Third, as premises are articulated and reiterated, leaders' metacommunication suggests that the premises are being drawn from the members. Fourth, members participate in this process through interactive decision‐making rituals. A more complex interpretation is offered to enrich the understanding of concertive control. Specifically, instances of concertive control also operate as bureaucratic control and simple control. Limitations of concertive control are discussed. Results indicate that premises may be negotiated or not accepted. Finally, in one example, the success of concertive control creates a reversal in control roles.     

Staff problems with geriatric care in two types of health care organizations

This essay examines the content and importance of issue‐similar texts created by nursing home and hospital professionals. The purpose of the analysis is to understand some of the cultural, linguistic, and thematic dimensions of nursing home organizations in relation to care for older adults. The number, types, imagery, and intensity of metaphors; the degree of certainty‐ambivalence of language; the primary themes of the stories; the complexity of the communication; and the degree of attraction toward the older patient group are considered. These groups of caregivers appear to be similar in text construction, sympathy toward clients, and the issue of control in relationships. They seem to differ in terms of organizational insensitivity, story content, work context, and complexity of awareness relating to aging issues.     

The Message Design Logics of Organizational Change

This study investigated the influence of context in the production of messages by stakeholders about organizational change. We analyzed messages produced in response to hypothetical organizational change scenarios. The message production task was implemented within a 2×2 experimental design (N = 1,205) fielded at three different organizations. We included multiple replications for each manipulation, and multilevel structural equation modeling allowed for analysis across scenario replications. Results indicated that perceptions of change and context do influence message design mediated by intensity of beliefs about a change. The study extends message design logics theory and contributes to a conceptualization of stakeholder interaction during organizational change as a problem of communication design.     

Challenging Assumptions Underlying the Metamorphosis Phase: Ethnographic Analysis of Metamorphosis Within an Unemployment Organization

Organizational communication scholars have grappled with assimilation processes and expanded the theoretical conceptualization of each phase. This article joins in conversation with organizational communication scholars by identifying and problematizing the assumption that reaching metamorphosis is always a positive experience. Through the ethnographic analysis of empirical data collected from an unemployment support organization, the author argues that being an established organizational member is sometimes counter to organizational objectives. While traditional organizations attempt to maintain and grow their membership, some alternative organizational formats aim to minimize membership. This premise challenges the assumption that achieving metamorphosis is always a desirable state of organizational membership. Furthermore, this study reveals how communication changes when it is undesirable for service recipients to reach metamorphosis.     

Couples’ communication problems: The counselor's perspective

Marital and relational counselors bring their normative ideas about couples’ communication to the therapeutic setting and these ideas become a part of the ongoing dialogue between counselors and their clients. Although many therapists emphasize couples’ communication problems as a source of relational difficulty, it is not clear how therapists conceive of, and explain, those problems. The current study addresses this issue by examining counselors’ perceptions of, and attributions for, couples’ communication problems. Interviews with 50 couples’ counselors suggest that communication problems are common among clients. The most frequently noted communication problems involved failing to take the other's perspective when listening, blaming the other for negative occurrences, and criticizing the other. Most of counselors’ attributions for couples’ communication problems referred to stable, unchanging causes and focused on external factors. A content analysis of the attributions further indicated that many counselors felt communication problems were the result of patterns taught to individuals by their family of origin. Finally, when asked to identify the most central problem for dissatisfied partners, only about one‐fourth of the counselors cited issues directly related to communication. The majority noted that communication was usually a manifestation of other, more fundamental, difficulties. Taken together, the findings indicate that counselors tend to focus on individual, rather than interpersonal and relational factors when conceiving and treating the cause of communication problems.     

The health sciences librarian's exposure to malpractice liability because of negligent provision of information

This article discusses personal and organizational liability for the negligent provision of information by health science librarians providing information regarding patient diagnosis and treatment. It notes claims in the library literature that liability exists for providing faulty information, but these claims do not state or explain the legal basis for such liability. It identifies three basic information retrieval and communication services provided by reference librarians and characterizes the negligent provision of information as a failure to exercise care in one or more of the three. With regard to personal liability, it identifies the relevant law, the tort of negligent misrepresentation involving risk of physical harm, and outlines the elements that a plaintiff would have to establish to sue successfully. With regard to organizational liability, it notes that a plaintiff would use one of two common law theories: either the vicarious liability doctrine of respondeat superior or the direct liability negligent hire theory of recovery.     

图书馆知识转移的组织情境设计

知识转移自1977年首次由Teece提出以后,被国内外学者广泛深入地进行研究。文章从情境理论出发,从战略导向、组织结构、管理风格、组织沟通与协调、组织文化五个方面对图书馆知识转移的组织情境进行了设计,希望实现知识转移情境与组织情境相容相生的良好互动。