Arguing that, as a general principle, the most efficient, best organized and managed organization would have little duplication of work or of service to its markets or publics, this paper presents a method for assessing duplication among organizational components of work performed and of services to various publics and for determining the extent…

Using data drawn from ten initial physician/patient interviews, an original category system was employed to analyze patterns of physician/patient communication. Static analysis, interaction analysis, and Markov chain analysis were used to discover the underlying communication patterns associated with patient satisfaction. Results revealed that…

Describes a perspective designed to examine the structure, function, and process of interpersonal communication to locate the major sources of problems in particular interactions. States assumptions of the perspective, defines the elements and processes of interpersonal communication, suggests ways to use the framework, and describes current…

Presents a theoretical account of how speakers interpret that which is taken for granted in messages. Discusses research concerning enthymemes, argument theory, indirect speech acts, conversational maxims, pragmatic implication and other areas. Provides a framework for a model of how speakers interpret unspoken portions of utterances. (JMF)

Three studies were conducted to ascertain the relationship between predisposition for group work climate and the types of procedural messages that group members employ. In the studies, expectations about group work procedures fell into two categories: high procedural order (HPO) and low procedural order (LPO). Each category consisted of four…

This paper proposes the use of interaction process analysis to study negotiation behaviors. Following a review of current literature in the field, the paper presents a theoretical framework for the analysis of both labor/management and social negotiation processes. Central to the framework described are two systems of activities that together…

Presents results from two studies of how lower-back-pain patients communicate to health care providers. Suggests specific directions for future research. (MS)

Results suggest that (1) schizophrenic and nonschizophrenic families use language differently when they communicate and (2) computer analysis of conversation may be a promising diagnostic tool. (PD)

The discussions of four family-related topics by 85 married couples were recorded and analyzed to test the validity of an expanded version of the relational communication coding system developed by L. Edna Rogers and Richard V. Farace. The expanded version of the system is based on the implicit intensity continuum that underlies the communication…

Results of exploratory investigation indicate that failures to communicate management information systems (MIS) concepts can result from the sender's communication style being inappropriate to the receiver's cognitive type. Details of the research methodology, analysis of variance, and summary of results are given, as well as recommendations for…

A study analyzed the verbal interactions of married couples in high, moderate, and low marital satisfaction groups to determine whether (1) the interaction processes within the three satisfaction groups differed and (2) there were different communication patterns that characterized the interaction processes of the groups. Subjects were 34 young…

Currently researchers are reexamining the validity of viewing alcoholics outside of their most important social unit: the family. However, a review of the current research shows little directly addressing how communication patterns influence and possibly sustain alcoholic behavior within the family setting. One study suggests that alcoholism and…

Recent studies have investigated the transition of relationships from a more intimate to a less intimate state--the depenetration process. Various phases of interpersonal conflict in the dissolution of marital dyads have been described, and factors indicating that a marriage might be "in trouble" have been identified. Processes that are…

Sixty half-hour family discussions generated by the "revealed differences technique" were analyzed to determine the emotional intensity and quality (friendliness/attacking) of messages between individuals in families with schizophrenic and "normal" sons. Thirty families in each situation (schizophrenic/normal) were matched for comparison. Both…

A study was conducted to determine the perceptions of staff members in the psychiatric treatment division of a residential mental health center regarding the internal communication situation among division employees. The study, which combined organizational communication and basic communication research perspectives, was based both on an…