Deck 20: Communicative Constitution of Organizations

Question 1

Which of the following is NOT one of the four flows of communicative constitution of organizations theory?

A) membership negotiation
B) self-monitoring
C) activity coordination
D) institutional positioning

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Communication that shapes the relationships among an organization's members is referred to as:

A) membership negotiation.
B) self-structuring.
C) activity coordination.
D) institutional positioning.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Communication that regulates the extent to which a person is an organization member is known as:

A) membership negotiation.
B) self-structuring.
C) activity coordination.
D) institutional positioning.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Communication between an organization and external entities is known as:

A) membership negotiation.
B) self-structuring.
C) activity coordination.
D) institutional positioning.

Question 5

Communication that accomplishes an organization's work toward its goals is referred to as:

A) membership negotiation.
B) self-structuring.
C) activity coordination.
D) institutional positioning.

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT one of the four principles of the four flows of communicative constitution of organizations theory?

A) All four flows are necessary for organization.
B) Different flows happen in different places.
C) The same message can address multiple flows.
D) Different flows address the same audience.

Question 7

Communication that calls an organization into being is referred to as:

A) sensemaking.
B) constitution.
C) activity coordination.
D) self-structuring.

Question 8

Communication behavior that reduces complexity is called:

A) sensemaking.
B) constitution.
C) activity coordination.
D) closure.

Question 9

A sense of shared understanding that emerges in back-and-forth interaction is known among communicative constitution of organization theorists as:

A) sensemaking.
B) constitution.
C) activity coordination.
D) closure.

Question 10

Work teams assigned to accomplish a goal are referred to as:

A) cadres.
B) units.
C) breakout groups.
D) cabals.

Question 11

Membership negotiation ends after accepting a job offer.

Question 12

According to Robert McPhee's communicative constitution of organization theory, it is everyday conversations that constitute an organization.

Question 13

According to McPhee, an official organizational chart is the final word on structure within an organization.

Question 14

Institutional positioning addresses specific groups within an organization.

Question 15

Membership negotiation targets new members or those who may be leaving.

Question 16

Communicative constitution of organization theorists believe organizations are like a river-always changing, always active, and sometimes violent.

Question 17

Business practices arise from the daily interactions of the organization's members.

Question 18

Financial reports, product ideas, or contract negotiations are example of co-orientation among members in an organization.

Question 19

A goal, or defined purpose, separates an organization from a crowd of people.

Question 20

Conditions under which something can occur are called sufficient conditions.

Question 21

The four flows of communicative constitution of organizations theory concern who is a(n) ________ of the organization, how these members ________ their working relationships, how they ________ their work, and how the organization ________ itself with other people and organizations.

Question 22

Conditions under which something will occur are called ________.

Question 23

According to James Taylor, conversations organize when members engage in ________, or communication "wherein two or more actors are entwined in relation to an object."

Question 24

Define, describe, and illustrate the four flows of communicative constitution of organizations theory.

Question 25

Identify, describe, and illustrate the four principles of the four flows of communicative constitution of organizations theory.

Question 26

Compare and contrast sufficient conditions with necessary conditions as they relate to organizational communication.

Question 27

What do McPhee and other communicative constitution of organization theorists mean when they argue that "any company is what it is because communication brings the organization into existence"?

Question 28

Explain why McPhee thinks that classical management's claim that "organizations are like machines and workers are its cogs" is the wrong metaphor for describing an organization.

Question 29

The text's authors write: "McPhee wouldn't want you to think of the flows as something an organization does. Rather, these four flows, functioning together, are what an organization is." Why do you suppose they make the distinction between "doing" and "being"?

Question 30

Using an organization to which you belong as an example, explain the claim that "No organization survives on its own."

Question 31

McPhee's approach to communicative constitution of organizations is criticized by others who hold similar perspectives, such as James Taylor from the University of Toronto. Rather than subscribing to what he calls McPhee's top-down approach to organizational constitution, Taylor favors alternative perspective. Describe Taylor's approach and then state your own informed opinion about which of the two is most reasonable to you. Support your claim with evidence.

Question 32

Compare and contrast McPhee's communicative constitution of organizations theory with Geertz's and Pacanowsky's cultural approach to organizations.

Question 33

Why is institutional positioning necessary for an organization?

Question 34

McPhee unashamedly borrows heavily from Pearce & Cronen's Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM) in order to develop his communicative constitution of organizations theory. Trace the similarities and identify any differences. What other communication theories seem to undergird McPhee's claim that organizations are constituted through communication?