Question #3: Organizational Communication and Classical approaches

Discuss which approach or approaches to Organizational Communication seems most closely connected to the Classical approaches to management and discuss why this is so.

The classical management approaches “are represented by a collection of theories that share the underlying metaphor of organizations modeled after efficient machines” (Eisenberg, 64). This means that all the parts in the organization run smoothly and without any problems, similar to a well-oiled machine. Some factors included in this machine metaphor would be the employees, the tools needed to produce the desired product, and the management all working in harmony.

During the eighteenth century through the beginning of the twentieth century, organizations resembled empires. Positions of power were very evident and the workers relied on the industry to make a living. The workers were the lowest of the empire and the bosses ruled over them. Information was only sent to managers and supervisors, and the workers were controlled by the higher positions. The methods for production also ensured that the workers were passive in the workplace and only did what they were told. Employees felt controlled and began to experience resistance to domination. This is defined as any action on the part of oppressed individuals to lessen the constraints placed on them by those in power.

The Industrial Revolution brought about division of labor and hierarchy in industries. Division of labor is how the tasks are handed out among individuals and hierarchy is the vertical organization of power. However, scientific management was introduced in 1880 to 1920 and this was characterized management as a science. It was based on “clearly defined laws, rules, and principles” (Eisenberg, 72). It was based on planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating, and controlling of the employees. Everyone did a certain task that enabled products to be created and the company to be successful.

Bureaucracy was the term used to describe these early organizations. It entailed a division of labor, a hierarchy of offices, rules that guided performance, separation of personal life from work life, hiring employees based on technical qualifications, and employment as a career.

Overall, the classical management approach ignores the needs and creativity of the workers. Communication is only needed before the machine is used. An example of this would be communication that explains how to use a certain machine or discussing an employee’s tasks. Communication should not happen during production because it will slow down the process. Communication is only needed in the classical approach when giving orders and enforcing rules. This lack of communication forces a separation of power that can lead to employee unhappiness.

The approaches to Organization Communication are communication as information transfer, communication as transactional process, communication as strategic control, and communication as a balance of creativity and constraint. Communication as information transfer applies to the classical approaches to management because thoughts are transferred from the boss or supervisor to the employee. It is important because it allows for a central route to communicating with the entire system. Information and orders are sent out from a central source which is important. However, it is not the most fitting approach because very little communication happens in the classical approaches. Communication as transactional-process model says that clear communication is not made between senders and receivers. The roles happen at the same time. Information is always flowing between the sender and receiver. This also does not happen in classical approaches because little communication happens between the powerful boss and the employees. Communication as strategic control relates to the classical approaches the most because it is used to control the environment. In this approach, clarity is not always the most important factor in communication. Communication is mostly goal related and in order to reach a certain end, communication is taken as the receiver adapts it in his or her mind. This approach to organizational communication best fits the classical approach because industries are always trying to run like a well-oiled machine. The end is what is important, not the communication or emotions between people. Finally, communication as a balance of creativity and constraint means that people are always trying to figure out a balance between individual creativity and organizational constraint. In an industry that relies on scientific management and the classical approaches to management, there is very little room for creativity. Employees do what they are told and are not able to stray from their orders. This theory does not apply to organizational communication.

Organization communication relies heavily on communication as strategic control in order to have employees perform in the desired way. Messages are sent and received by the employer that tries to accomplish their task in the most efficient way. Creativity is limited and emotions are often disregarded. Classical approaches focus on efficiency and productivity and not the needs of the workers.

Question #2 : Interview

In order to discuss the work experience and organizational structure of a company, I interviewed Jennifer Wentz of Weis Markets. We discussed her career as an architectural draftsperson and I asked questions about her boss, the way Weis Markets runs, and what motivates her to accomplish her work. Throughout the interview I learned a lot about her career and the way her organization is structured. In this post I will describe the organizational theories that correlate with Ms. Wentz’s career and the changes in the organization since she first began at the company.

Weis Markets is a chain of grocery stores with a majority of locations in Pennsylvania. Ms. Wentz’s occupational title is an architectural draftsperson or as it is now considered, a computer aided drafting (CAD) operator. She works in a special building where she and a group of people draft store remodels and new store construction plans. She first began her career with Weis markets fourteen years ago. At this time she was completely in charge of her own project, which she drew by hand from conception of the idea until the completion. Ms. Wentz said that drafting by hand was more of an art and it required artistic skill. Some people were very good at it and others were not. However, the drafting career has changed tremendously since the use of computers.

Currently Ms. Wentz uses her computer to formulate plans. Nothing is drawn by hand anymore and she says that there are very few people that would want to revert to drawing by hand now that computers are so efficient. Instead of the need for artistic abilities, a vast knowledge of computers is needed so that you can put appropriate parts of the plans together. You now need to know what you have to draw as well as how to make the computer do that task in the most efficient way.
Another difference in her job from when she first began is that a CAD operator does not see a project through until its completion. Now the operator lays out the basic floor plan of a store and then sends it to a consultant that does the entire project. Ms. Wentz says does not like this current trend because she then has to go back through the project and check all of the consultant’s work, which she does not enjoy. This brought up the question of productivity and conditions in the workplace.

Ms. Wentz clearly stated that Weis does not treat its workers in an extra caring manner in order to increase productivity. She says that they always want to quickly change store plans and does not give the CAD operators enough time to fix them. In addition, the large workroom used for creating the building plans was separated into small cubicles a few years ago. This means that many people are highly productive and focus on the plan they are supposed to be doing. Opposing this positive point, others use their cubicles to cover up the work they are not doing. Disregarding those that misuse the cubicle, they were created to keep workers focused and productive.

The Weis architectural department has a hierarchy of workers. Hierarchy “refers to the vertical arrangement of power and authority that distinguishes managers from employees.” The architect of the department has to be licensed by the state the building is being built in and is the boss of the department. Then the department is divided into people working on new grocery stores and those working on remodeled stores. Each branch has an overseer. The operators that work in these departments are the lowest in the chain.

Weis Markets follows the human relations approach when dealing with their employees. Though there are no great efforts made to treat their workers exceedingly well, there are some attempts at an employee and boss relationship. When the CAD operators are pressured to redo a drawing at a moment’s notice, the boss advocates for them. He or she knows how long it will take a project to be redrawn, and lets the main boss know. This creates a relationship between he or she and the operators. Though plans are drawn on the computer, it is not a routine task like those that follow the classical management approach. Weis employees are told what to do, but they must also use their knowledge and individual skills to carry out a project. Overall, the attempt to increase worker productivity is superficial, which is a major theme in the human relations approach. Walls that are used to separate employees from each other and to give the office a home-like atmosphere, though Ms. Wentz says it is far from home-like. It is an extremely superficial way of satisfying the employees. The employees do not have a direct say in what goes on in the office like in the human resource approach. Rather, they are expected to increase their productivity because of the office environment, though that is often not the case. However, Ms. Wentz says that when people are not productive, it is their own choice to do so.

After my interview with Ms. Wentz I realize that there are definite strengths and weaknesses in the organizational theories of this chapter. Mainly I see that employees are trying their best to be productive in their careers even though their environments are not always inviting or inspiring. De-skilling a task to be so routine that you need absolutely no skill is not something that would inspire productivity or life happiness out of someone. A job should be interesting to the employee and offer some sort of emotional reward. I feel that Ms. Wentz’s job does offer her satisfaction after designing a project. Even though the environment is not designed for team work or a work place democracy, it is usually a place of productivity. The job technology andn approach has changed since she first began, though it is still something she enjoys.

A Happy Work Life

My ideal work life is one that involves challenges, creative tasks, and a sense of accomplishment at the end of each workday. I would like a job that allows me to think on my own rather than being told what to do in every situation. I want to plan large events and be involved in all of the details that go along with them. It is essential that I follow the craft ideal and work because it is a process of self-development and enjoyment. I want work to be something that I do because I love it and not simply because it earns money. “Work as a duty…has been changing considerably in the last decades,” says Erich Fromm. No longer do people focus on work as a necessary evil. The workplace now has the capacity to excite and fulfill its workers. This is the type of attitude I plan on having towards my work life.

I plan to avoid every form of alienated work by being emotionally connected to my career. If I feel passionate and creatively involved in a project, I will not be alienated from my work. Alienation in the workplace means that everything is set up for you. You have a time and a pace to work at. You are not fulfilled by your work, creativity is limited, and wages represent self worth. Money should not be the only reason for working and if it is, then the worker is alienation from their career. Fromm says, “Work, instead of being an activity satisfying in itself and pleasurable, became a duty and an obsession.” Some people see their job as a duty and a way to earn money. Other individuals put off career enjoyment until they feel they have enough money to leave the alienated job and move to something they actually enjoy. Careers focused on alienation cause the workers to become hostile and lazy. Both of these characteristics do not encourage the type of work life I wish to have.

Jill Fraser discusses alienation in White-Collar Sweatshop and says that “unpleasant working conditions, difficult job demands, and rising career insecurities have combined to make stress the constant companion of many of today’s white-collar men and women.” Workers are no longer doing jobs that they love, but rather carrying stress with them throughout the day because of their jobs. They have less time to unwind because they are working long hours and even weekends. Another problem associated with today’s worker is “job spill.” This means that the concrete lines of work in the past are no longer present. For example, the forty-hour workweek and a lunch break every day. Workers no longer have a work life and a social life; work becomes their entire life.

Fromm and Fraser’s main point is that alienation has taken over the craft ideal in the workplace. People have forgotten that it is possible to have a career that is fun, creative, and challenging in a positive way. I will not waste time in an alienated career. I do not want any form of alienation in my future work life and I will not stay in a job if I see the pattern of alienation becoming prevalent. I want my work life to be challenging and fulfilling, but I do not want it to become a task or something to dread. If this ever happens in my work life, I will find a job that better suits me.



Erich Fromm



Jill Andresky Fraser's Book White- Collor Sweatshop

Erich Fromm, "Worker in an Alienated Society." In Harry Brent and William Lutz (Eds.), Rhetorical Considerations (3rd Ed.), pp.228-232. Cambridge, MA: Winthrop Publishers, 1980.

Jill Andresky Fraser, White- Collor Sweatshop. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 2001.