COMMUNICATING AND ORGANIZING

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COMMUNICATING AND ORGANIZING
HEY, IVE GOT AN IDEA - LETS GET ORGANIZED!
Lecture 2B
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CENTRAL TENSION OF ORGANIZING

• STRUGGLE BETWEEN STRUCTURAL AND DIALOGICAL
  NECESSITIES
• CONTRADICTORY COMPLEXITIES OF ORGANIZING
  ORGANIZATIONS HUMAN LIFE
• FINDING THE BALANCE BETWEEN CONSTRAINING HUMAN
  ACTION AND FREEING IT (CREATIVE CHOICE)

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CENTRAL TENSION OF ORGANIZING

• ORGANIZING TOWARD A COMMON PURPOSE
• FOR MORE THAN TWO PEOPLE
• REQUIRING PREDICTABLE, RECURRING ACTION
• ALWAYS BEGINS WITH AN EMPHASIS ON CONSTRAINT
  THROUGH STRUCTURE
• EVEN THOUGH CONSTRAINT CREATES CON-COM IN THE
  VERY COMMUNICATION PROCESSES THAT ALLOWED IT TO
  BE CREATED IN THE FIRST PLACE

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ORGANIZATIONSOFTEN START AS COMPLEX CONTEXTS

• ONE SPECIFIC CONTEXTUAL VARIABLE - SIZE OF GROUP
• MAKES COMMUNICATING TO ORGANIZE FOR A COMMON GOAL
  MUCH MORE COMPLICATED THAN TWO PERSON
  COMMUNICATION
• FORMAL STRUCTURING SEEMS NECESSARY

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SIZE OF GROUP CREATES COMPLEX CONTEXTS

• GROUP SIZE INTERACTIONS
• 2 2
• 3 9
• 4 28
• 5 75
• 6 186
• 7 441
• 8 1056

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ORGANIZING AND CONTRADICTORY COMPLEXITY

• SO..
• LIKE INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION, ORGANIZING
  COMMUNICATION HAS CONTRADICTORY COMPLEXITY
• ORGANIZING PEOPLE FOR A COMMON GOAL REQUIRES
  EFFECTIVE COMMMUNICATION, BUT THE ACT OF
  ORGANIZING ITSELF CAN UNDERMINE THE CONDITIONS
  FOR THAT EFFECTIVENESS AND THUS THE ACHIEVEMENT
  OF THE COMMON GOAL.

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ORGANIZING AND CONTRADICTORY COMPLEXITY

• THIS CON-COM MUST ALSO BE ACCEPTED AND MANAGED
• CONDITIONS THAT ARE CLOSED, UNEQUAL, SUPPORTIVE
  OF ORG. NEEDS BUT NOT PEOPLE NEEDS CREATE NOISE
  THAT CAN UNDERMINE ORG. PURPOSE
• RE-ORGANIZING REQUIRED

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