Purpose: The purpose of this article is to show the foundational place that communication theory and its practice occupies in functioning work systems. Design/methodology/approach: This paper defines the word communication in terms of the creation and interpretation of displays, describes what it means to have a theoretical foundation for a…

The literature reporting research on message distortion in organizations is reviewed in this paper. Topics covered include: definitions of distortion/fidelity; measures of message display; measures of message interpretation; categories of distortion/fidelity derived from laboratory research; definitions of distortion/fidelity in naturalistic…

Reports the results of two surveys designed to determine what courses and in what sequence such courses should be offered after the introductory course in organizational communication. (MH)

There are several steps in the process of making contacts and negotiating agreements with organizations for the placement of communication interns. The first is to decide on what type of internship will be offered: personnel and employee relationships, training and development, community and public relations, marketing and sales management, or…

Describes various exercises that can be used in teaching organizational communication concepts using an experiential approach. (MH)

Notes that organizational communication and organizational learning share a common focus on how message processing occurs in institutional settings and how they affect and are affected by people and relationships. Proposes that the assessment of organizational learning represents an assessment of a subset of communication processes in an…

Describes the basic or first course in organizational communication as it is taught in colleges and universities in the United States. Presents a content analysis of several of the most frequently adopted textbooks. Finds that the introductory course consists primarily of theory and is taught using lecture-discussion methods. (RS)

Reports on a study of the characteristics of the basic course in organizational communication. Analyzed 100 questionnaires that provided data on the following: schools and departments offering basic courses, faculty, textbooks, and topics covered. (PD)

The Organizational Communication Profile (OCP) provides a way to survey organization member attitudes, perceptions, expectations, and degree of satisfaction with the manner in which information is handled within the organization. Although the OCP is relatively easy to administer and interpret, the instrument has a complex design and provides…