COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATIONSDEPARTMENT OF HUMAN COMMUNICATION STUDIES

FALL SEMESTER 2017

HCOM 326

ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION DYNAMICS

Dr. S. Irene MatzAssociate Professor

HCOM 326Organizational Communication Dynamics

Tuesday/Thursday 8:30 – 9:45 a.m. Fall 2017

Instructor: S. Irene Matz, Ph.D. Office Hours:Tuesday 11:30–12:30p.m. & 2:30–3:30 p.m.Thursday 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.Or by appointment

Office: CP 420-11Mail: CP 420Phone: 657-278-4418 E-mail: imatz@fullerton.edu

Website: http://commfaculty.fullerton.edu/imatz

Class Meeting TimeHCOM 326

Schedule No. 21748

Tuesday/Thursday 8:30 – 9:45 a.m. Classroom CP 124

Course

Required Texts: Eisenberg, E.M., Trethewey, A., LeGreco. M. & Goodall, Jr. H.L. (2017). Organizational Communication (8th ed.). Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s Press.

Other Readings: To be announced

Course Description:

Prerequisites: Speech Comm 100, 200 or consent of the instructor. The inter-relationships between management and communication theories. The microsystems and macrosystems within an organization are emphasized in terms of intra-personal, interpersonal, small group and organizational communication theories.

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Learning Goals & Outcomes

Further your understanding of systems, organizational theories and ethnographies

o Identify organizational theories, ethnographies and systems and its influence on organizations

Critical analysis of state of organizations from a communication’s perspective

o Identify and discuss these states comparing present and past histories

Explore ethical considerations and standards for decision-making

o Discuss ethics used and abused in organizations and its implications of the organizations

Examine actual case studies and integrate theoretical applications

o Incorporate present-day events and discuss theoretical implications

Critically analyze approaches to leadership and organizational communication and relationships

o Identify and discuss how leadership influences organizations today

Encourage professional and personal intellectual growtho Students should self-analyze their professional and

personal growth and development

Assignment & Assessment Percentage

Attendance, Homework & Participation 10%Mid-term Assessment 20%Final Assessment 20%Chapter Cases 10%Team Reflections & Discussions 10%Final Group Assignment 30%

Written 15%Oral 15%

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Assignment & Assessment PercentageAttendance & Participation

2 classes per week

0-2 class = A3-4 classes = B5 classes = C6 classes = D

Below = F

Course Policies

University regulations require that you are provided with a statement about plagiarism in the course syllabus.

Plagiarism : Plagiarism is defined as the act of taking the specific substance of another and offering it as one’s own without giving credit to the source. Sources must be cited accurately and appropriately. When sources are used, acknowledgment of the original author or source must be made following standard scholarly practice. Cases of plagiarism will constitute dismissal from the course with a failing grade.

Integrity: Academic honesty is a core value at Cal State Fullerton (please see http://www.fullerton.edu/senate/PDF/300/UPS300-021.pdf.) It is cheating if you develop your answers from sources other than those permitted by your professor or represent the work of others as your own. A few specific examples are:

Using the notes of others Using the work of other students Handing in work that isn’t yours Taking a test for someone else Sharing your answers to examination questions or class

assignments with others

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Attendance: Part of your grade will depend on your attendance. Please reference the attendance scale for your letter grade that will be factored into your final grade. Good attendance and promptness are professional behaviors that reflect a responsible employee who is valued. If you must miss a class, please email or phone the professor prior to the class meeting. Please be on time for classes; tardiness interrupts the entire class – use this opportunity to develop habits that lead to your success. A “F” on attendance will automatically earn you a failing grade for the course unless you previously have contacted the professor. Participation is rated on respect for other students and your professor in addition to your active interest and comments during the course. Doing other work in our class; reading other materials; studying for exams; using your computer for other than taking notes are all examples of behaviors that are disruptive to other students and your professor. Please be respectful!

Disability: Students with documented special needs are supported through the Disabled Student Service Office, UH 101, 657-278-3117 and as documented at www.fullerton.edu/disabledservices/.

Emergency: http://emergencypreparedness.fullerton.edu. Make certain that the University has your updated and current contact numbers.

Electronics: Please make certain that all cell phones and other technical equipment are turned off during class meetings. Laptops are for class notes only and need professor’s approval before using in class. Other use in class is not appropriate or tolerated.

Class Expectations: Please demonstrate respect for all students while they are speaking and profession while lecturing. No food in class; beverages are allowed.

Flexibility: Please allow for flexibility with our schedule due to class

enrollment, class speakers, or other events.

Assignments: All assignments are accepted on or before the due date. Assignments should be “professional” quality and must be completed and handed in for a final grade. Please type all assignments. If assignment is late, it will be graded down.

Grading: Use this as a guide for your written assignments:

CLARITY – structural pattern clear, sentences and paragraphs well developed, transitions and report development.

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CONCISENESS – strive for brevity, avoid redundancies, and include well-developed ideas.COMPLETENESS – introduction, body, and conclusion with support and good development.GRAMMAR – capitalization, punctuation, references, grammatical correctness, proofreading, professional appearance.

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SCHEDULETuesday/Thursday

Date ASSIGNMENT CHAPTERWeek of:8/22 Introduction to course Chapter 18/24 Communication and the changing world of work8/29 Defining organizational communication Chapter 28/31 Continue discussion (Team 1 lead)9/5 Early perspectives on organizations and communication Chapter 39/7 Continue discussion (Team 2 lead)912 Ethics discussion – Insider (Film)9/14 Insider (continued) 9/19 Paper due – Insider discussion9/21 Systems perspective (organizations) Chapter 49/26 Cultural studies of organizations and communication Chapter 59/28 Continue discussion (Team 3 lead)10/3 Critical approaches Chapter 610/5 Continue discussion (Team 4 lead)10/10 Midterm assessment (Chapters 1,2,3,4,5 &6)10/12 Identity and difference in organization life Chapter 710/17 Continue discussion (Team 5 lead)10/19 Quiz Show – clips & discussion10/24 Teams and networks Chapter 8

10/26 Team activity & discussion10/31 Communicating leadership (Christopher Reeve clip)

First draft due for final project (see requirements)Chapter 9

11/2 Continue discussion (Team 6 lead)11/7 Leadership activity 11/9 Continue discussion & leadership implications11/14 Organizational alignment Chapter 1011/16 Continue discussion (Team 7 lead)11/20-24 FALL RECESS11/28 Team projects11/30 Team projects12/5 Team projects12/7 Team projects12/14(9:30) FINAL ASSESSMENT

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Chapter Cases

Case studies are included at the end of each chapter. You are responsible for reading, analyzing and discussing these at each class meeting. You should be prepared to incorporate definitions, perspectives and concepts related to the case and topic. Your goal is to illustrate your expertise through chapter readings, topic research of the regional area, product or serve and your experiences. These cases will be discussed on the assigned date. Come prepared to share your insights. Hand in a one-page (typed, double-spaced) discussion that includes any outside research and references. Out of the ten chapters, you are responsible for six written responses.

Team Reflection and Discussion(each team is responsible for leading a discussion for assigned chapter)

Objectives: Learn strategies for working effectively in a groupLearn more about communication theoryCreate an innovative approach to the topic

You will be assigned to a group that will be responsible for sharing insights relating to a case. You will have 10 minutes for your presentation followed by a discussion. The following criteria will serve as a guide for your discussion.

Use chapter discussion of theories and concepts to guide you. Conduct additional research to support your discussion (use 3-4 outside sources

for this – journals, newspapers, current magazines (such as Newsweek, Fortune, Time), interviews, books and other sources.

All team members should equally participate. You will be asked to critique your members at the end of the semester. Your feedback is valuable and will determine the individual grade. For example, if your group earned an “A” for the discussion and one member, with supportive evaluations from other members, did not equally participate, then his/her grade would reflect the effort.

Outline of the presentation, along with references, is due before your presentation. If you are using PowerPoint, a copy of your slides (handouts with 3 slides to a page) will suffice. Please include a Reference section.

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Final Group PresentationCase Study

A business case study is, essentially, a story. It’s a narrative about a problem, challenge, or opportunity faced by a manager or

executive that has a number of possible solutions or outcomes. The story is told as accurately, fairly, and completely as possible, incorporating as

many viewpoints as the author can reasonably accommodate. Such cases are never written for the purpose of identifying heroes and villains, but

for the purpose of beginning a discussion about business problems.

A case study is different from a case history in that it does not provide definitive answers, outcomes, or alternatives. Teaching notes, though, should provide opportunity for discussion of possible solutions and ways to implement a plan through communication and public relations.

Your task is to identify a business problem, challenge or opportunity for a particular organization. Scan through the newspapers, annual reports, journals and business magazines/journals to collect ideas of possible cases. This should be with the realm of an organizational focus and not a social problem.

ResearchConduct preliminary research: Interviews, newspaper files, online databases, or other sources

WriteConstruct a timeline with key events in chronological order.Identify key players in the story by name and role.Identify the critical issues in the caseRank order them by importance to the executive decision maker

Divide up the tasksGather financial dataDo historical researchSave videotape or streaming video from the Internet

DocumentHave at least one reliable source for everything you say or include in the caseMake photocopies, keep detailed notesCopy down dates, times, page numbers, editions, and anything else that will direct a reader to your sourceUse APA style

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Write a Draft Explain the company’s history

industryproduct or service linerevenuesemployee basemarket share

Begin with a key moment in time for your storyIntroduce key characters, role players, and decision makersExplain what happened, when, and howIdentify all relevant assumptionsCite sources in textDon’t look for conclusions, causal factors, or solutions just yet

Be specific. Quantify where possibleUse direct quotes; identify those whom you quoteConsult multiple sources and document as you writeRead about or talk to

customerssuppliersshareholderscommunity officialsregulatory agency officialsemployeescompetitors

First draft due to instructor: October 31, 2017

Write a second draftMake the story flow smoothlyInclude charts, graphs, pictures: whatever makes the story readable for a teaching device

Write teaching notes for students who will read your caseIdentify the business problemExplain the purpose of the caseSpecify and rank the critical issuesIdentify and describe key playersExplain issues students may have trouble understandingDefine specialized terms or unusual processes and proceduresSuggest possible alternative solutions to the problemExamine advantages, disadvantages for each alternative

You may reveal what actually happened in the teaching notes

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Design a PowerPoint presentationShow the reader what happened

with photoscompany logosproductspeopleeventsimagesnews clipsvideos

You are responsible for a PowerPoint presentation and a written report that supports your research. Divide your written report into an introduction, middle and conclusion. Include a Reference page. Report should be approximately 10-15 pages in length (this does not include your title page or reference page). Your presentation should last 25-30 minutes with time for discussion after your presentation.

Your team will be assigned a date during the final two weeks of classes.

Make this informative, a learning opportunity, and a growth for you professionally in learning about the industry. Have fun! Make it unforgettable!

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GRAMMARGRAMMARMost frequently used errors in writing.

WRITING TIPSNUMBERS

Brief Handbook Associated Press• use numerals for numbers that are • 10 or above, use the number, expressed as more than two words, e.g., 10, 11, 12 e.g., 1,568 • under 10, spell out,

3 1/2 e.g., one, two, three

• spell out numbers expressed as one or two words, e.g., twelve,seventy-seven, forty billion

Both sources agree: spell out numbers that begin sentences.

WRONG: 993 juniors entered college last year.

RIGHT: Last year, 993 junior entered college.

EXCEPTION: when referencing a year.e.g., 1990 was a very good year.

SPELL OUT CASUAL EXPRESSIONS:

e.g., A thousand times no.Thanks a million.He walked a quarter of a mile.

MIXTURES

Brief HandbookThey had twelve station wagons and 3 1/2 buses.Associated PressThey had a fleet of 10 station wagons and two buses.

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APOSTROPHE

Brief Handbook Associated Press

1900s, 9's 1900s, 9suse apostrophe, no apostropheexcept dates

LETTERS

a's a's

MULTIPLE LETTERS

IOU'S IOUsVIP'S VIPs

TIME OF DAYA.M./P.M. a.m./p.m.

Webster shows both usages.

Avoid 10:00 p.m. tonight.

Use 12:00 noon or midnight.YOUR/YOU'RE

your — adjectiveexample: your desk, your health

you'reconjunctive — you areexample: you're my friend, you're the best class

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PERSONAL/PERSONNEL

Personal is an adjective meaning "of or pertaining to an individual person."

example: He left work early because of a personal problem.

Personnel is a noun meaning a "group of people engaged in a common job."

example: All personnel should pick up their paychecks on Thursday.

BE CAREFUL NOT TO USE PERSONNEL WHEN THE WORD YOU NEED IS PERSONS OR PEOPLE.

INDIVIDUAL/PERSON

Avoid using individual as a NOUN if person is more appropriate.Change:Several individuals on the panel did not vote.TO:Several persons on the panel did not vote.OR:Several people on the panel did not vote.

Individual is most appropriate when used as an adjective to distinguish a single person from a group.example: The individual employee's obligation to the firm are detailed in the booklet that describes company policies.

WHOSE/OF WHICH

Whose should normally be used with persons; of which should normally be used with inanimate objects.

examples: The man whose car had been towed away was angry.The mantle clock, the parts of which work perfectly, is over one hundred years old.

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If these uses cause a sentence to sound awkward, however, whose may be used with inanimate objects.

example: there are added fields, for example, whose totals should never be zero.

WHO'S/WHOSE

Who's is a contraction of who is.example: Who's scheduled to attend the productivity seminar next month?

Whose is the possessive for who or of which.example: Whose department will be affected by the budget cuts?

Who's and whose are not interchangeable.

ITS/IT'S

its — ownership, possessive form of it, possessive pronoun, no apostrophe

it's — a contraction of it is; it has

example: It's a wise dog that scratches its own fleas.

example: It's now twelve o'clock.

example: The surface of the table has lost its shine.Although nouns normally form the possessive by the addition of an apostrophe and an s, the contraction of it is (it's) has already used that device; therefore, the possessive form of the pronoun it is formed by adding only the s.

AMOUNT/NUMBER

Amount is used with things thought of in bulk (mass nouns).

examples: The amount of electricity available for industrial use is limited.

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The amount of oxygen was insufficient for combustion.

Number is used with things that can be counted as individual items (count nouns).

change:Because the amount of thefts has increased, the doors will be locked in the evening.to:Because the number of thefts has increased, the doors will be locked in the evening.

change:I was surprised at the amount of errors in the report.to:I was surprised at the number of errors in the report.

example:A large number of stockholders attended the meeting.The number of employees who are qualified for early retirement has increased in recent years.

Avoid using amount when referring to countable items.

change:The amount of people in the room gradually increasedto:The number of people in the room gradually increased.

ADVICE/ADVISE

Advice is a noun that means "counsel" or "suggestion."example: My advice is to sign the contract immediately.

Advise is a verb that means "give advice."example: I advise you to sign the contract immediately.

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ACCEPT/EXCEPT

Accept is a verb meaning "to consent to," "agree to take," or "admit willingly."

example:I accept the responsibility that goes with the appointment.

Except is normally a preposition meaning "other than" or "excluding."example:We agreed on everything except the schedule.

COMPLEMENT/COMPLIMENT

Complement means "anything that completes a whole." It is used as either a noun or verb.example:A complement of four employees would bring our staff up to its normal strength. (noun)

The two programs complement one another perfectly. (verb)

Compliment means "praise." It is used as either a noun or a verb.

example:The manager complimented the staff on its efficient job. (verb)

The manager's compliment boosted staff morale. (noun)

A LOT/ALOT

A lot is often incorrectly written as one word (alot).

Write the phrase as two words: a lot.The phrase a lot is very informal, however, and should not normally be used in business writing.change:

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They had a lot of objections.to:They had many objections.

HYPHENS

Hyphens are used to join descriptive words that precede a noun and are used as one-word descriptors. Hyphens are not always used when descriptors follow nouns.

A new car salesmanThe phrase means a new person who sells cars.

A new-car salespersonThis phrase means a person who sells new cars.

His two base hits won the game.The phrase means two hits, but they could have been singles, doubles, triples or home runs.His two-base hits won the game.The phrase means doubles, but the number of such hits is not revealed.

Two-day seminars and two day seminarsThe first phrase means the seminar lasted two days; the second phrase means that there were two day seminars.

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COMMASCOMMAS

1. PREVENTS AMBIGUITYTo be successful, managers with MBAs must continue to learn. (The comma makes clear where the main part of the sentence begins.)

2. LINKING INDEPENDENT CLAUSESThe cable snapped, and the power failed.When you see an airport, fly directly over it at an altitude of 1,500 feet.

3. PARTICIPIAL PHRASE PHRASESThe lathe operator, working quickly and efficiently, finished early.While the angry crowd outside the embassy waited, the ambassador drank cocktails.

4. MODIFYING PHRASES PRECEDE THE MAIN CLAUSE, THEY SHOULD ALWAYS BE FOLLOWED BY A COMMA.During the first series of field-performance tests last year at our Colorado proving ground, the new motor failed to meet our expectations.

5. INTERJECTIONIndeed, I will be glad to send you further information.Yes, I will make sure your request is approved.

6. SEPARATING ITEMS IN A SERIESRandom House, Irwin, Doubleday and Dell are publishing companies.MAY OMIT THE LAST COMMA UNLESS IT IS CONFUSING.E.G., IS DOUBLEDAY AND DELL ONE OR SEPARATE.

7. ADJECTIVES MODIFYING A NOUNHe is a conscientious, honest, reliable worker.

8. CONJUNCTIVE ADVERBS(however, nevertheless, consequently, for example, on the other hand) Your idea is good; however, your format is poor.

9. QUOTATION MARKSAlthough he called his presentation “adequate,” the audience thought it was superb.Although we left late (at 7:30 p.m.), we arrived in time for the keynote address.

“I have finished the project,” he said.“Have you finished the project?” I asked. (omit the comma)

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10. NUMBERS AND NAMES

Commas are used to separate distinct items.e.g., Walter James, 4119 Mill Road, Dayton, Ohio 45401DateA date can be written with or without a comma following the year if the date is in the month-day-year format.e.g., October 28, 1997, was the date the project began.October 28, 1997 was the date the project began.

If the date is in the day-month-year format, do not set off the date with commas.e.g., The date was 28 October 1997 when the project began.

Students, let’s make this an unforgettable course! We can make it happen with your interest and dedication to our learning environment. I’m 100% on board to support your educational and professional growth and development.

Cheers!

Dr. Irene Matz

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