We systematically analyze the role of social comparison processes in organizations. Specifically, we describe how social comparison processes have been used to explain six key areas of organizational inquiry: (1) organizational justice, (2) performance appraisal, (3) virtual work environments, (4) affective behavior in the workplace, (5) stress,…

This article provides a community relations professional the rationale and background regarding the use of Universal Instructional Design in classrooms. It also provides community relations specialists with a communication plan for educating the public on Universal Instructional Design via a teaching and modeling approach. Results of a recent…

Little academic research has examined what public relations actually does for an organization. A study explored definitions of effectiveness in public relations and the value of effective communication. Interviews with 32 practitioners and 10 organization heads revealed numerous definitions of effectiveness, most having to do with achieving…

Responding to the growing sense that organizations and the people that make them up are "in over their heads," this monograph looks at the relationship between talk and development in organizations, noting the ways that developmental talk--or, as it is often referred to, dialogue--differs from the skilled talk that goes on all the time.…

A study examined the development of the Listening Practices Feedback Report (LPFR). Subjects, 189 individuals from 17 companies, completed a questionnaire in which they listed the names of associates who were good or poor listeners and listed five criteria used to determine their selections. These criteria were used to generate items for the LPFR.…

Corporate television suffers from at least two "identity crises": departmental isolation, and the lack of a legitimate identity for the corporate video product itself. Video departments are not usually viewed and accepted by the organizational whole as natural evolutions of a historically defined and behaviorally integrated system. The…

This annotated bibliography presents annotations of 31 books and journal articles dealing with systems theory and its relation to organizational communication, marketing, information theory, and cybernetics. Materials were published between 1963 and 1992 and are listed alphabetically by author. (RS)

Effective communication and the human element are receiving increased emphasis during the 1990s. The communication process is a complex, foundational component within organizations, especially where participative management is practiced. Several models have been developed to describe the communication process; however, few models adequately depict…

This book is the first of three volumes on conflict resolution for school administrators. The introduction provides a context for the discussion by outlining seven human systems levels at which conflict can occur and suggesting that the approach to dealing effectively with conflict varies with the level of the system involved. Chapter 1 explores…

Medical education is undergoing one of its most intense reassessments in a quarter of a century. The current reassessments often have focused on reevaluation of the manner in which basic science and clinical education are provided. This paper aims to identify and illustrate the processes by which members of "MWCOM" (a pseudonym), a…

This study examined the culture of a university by analyzing its stories. Stories were collected over a period of five years at a large midwestern research university. Results suggest that a strong student subculture is frequently in conflict with the organization's dominant tradition-based culture. Stories illustrate the conflict between these…

Language is not to be considered neutral for it works to establish privileged interpretations of reality that assume the illusion of a shared and natural reality. This study examined how consultants specializing in multicultural organizational interventions construct a particular meaning of "diversity" in their responses to a…

This article analyzes post-accident investigation reports from a feminist perspective, showing how a feminist interpretation can change the way technical writers look at expertise and evidence. In comparing formal documentation of mine inspection reports with women's testimony about conditions in the mines, the article shows: (1) how the…

Confucianism has been identified as the major cultural factor that explains the economic success of the Asian Five Dragons (Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan). This paper explores the impact of Confucianism on the organizational communication in these nations, based on the four key principles of confucian teaching: the…

Focusing on the developmental nature of organizational communication competence, this literature review draws on the communication competence and organizational assimilation literatures to propose models of the process of developing organizational communication competence. The paper's first section presents an overview of research exploring…