Assignements Organizational/Communication Climate
Matching the Columns
1.
Supportiveness
A. Leads to higher production and better
performance
2.
Openness
B. Endangers trust
3.
Establish
trust C.
Leads to a better exchange of
information
4.
Participative
Decision-Making
D. Refers to candid disclosure of both
positive and negative information
5.
Emphasis on Higher
Goals E.
By sharing your concerns and standing
by your working teams
6.
Taking credit for others’
successes F. Includes
employees identifying and
solving problems that affect them
Answers:
1.) C
2.) D
3.) E
4.) F
5.) A
6.) B
Multiple Choice
1.
Both organizational and communication climate___________.
a. Have very little impact on how hard employees work.
b. Influence how employees handle important
organizational information.
c. Includes sharing only positive information.
d. Only effects the way people communicate with each other.
2.
A supportive communication climate______________.
a. Includes empathy and equality
b. Is manipulative
c. Encourages gossip
d. means questioning other people’s motives
3.
Building trust means_________.
a. consistency and congruity
b. reliability and integrity
c. Sharing credit for successes
d. All of the above
4.
Openness________.
a. Encourages top down communication only
b. Encourages you to show your feelings but not discuss them
c. Solicits and accepts criticism
d. Does not encourage sharing negative information
True/False
1.
_______ Emphasis on high performance goals only stresses employees and makes
them
less productive.
2.
_______ It is important to present your own position as opinion and not a demand
for
your own way.
3.
________Allowing employees to establish their own methods of doing jobs creates
a
sense of ownership in their work.
4.
________Manager/leaders automatically require the employee’s trust because of
their
position in the organization.
5.
_______ It is always important to know “who did it” when something goes
wrong.
6.
_______ Say what you mean and mean what you say in order to be trusted by your
employees.
Answers:
1.) F
2.) T
3.) T
4.) F
5.) F
6.) T
Summary
Information
will flow much more freely in an organization where there is a positive communication
climate, but may not flow at all, especially when it is most needed, if there is a
negative communication climate. A supportive communication
climate allows for a better exchange of information and a more positive work environment.
An
organization’s climate can be equated to the weather—it is the atmosphere that
people feel within the organization itself. It
is an integral part of organizational culture. More
specifically, organizational climate is the atmosphere of supportiveness or
defensiveness people feel within the organization and the feelings they have about sending
and receiving messages.
To build a supportive communication
climate you need to send messages that acknowledge effort, creativity, and teamwork,
engage people in the decision making process, and establish trust, which is maintained
through consistency, congruity, reliability, and integrity.
It is not enough to be a nice manager and create a nice environment in which to communicate and work. You must also communicate a sense of challenge to your employees by placing importance on high quality and establishing high performance goals.
Test
Answers:
1.) T
2.) F – both positive and negative information
3.) F – Higher productivity and better performance
4.) T
5.) T
6.) F – need to fix problem, not blame
7.) T
8.) T
9.) T
10. F – showing and not discussing feelings is counter productive.
Becker,
B. (1988). The Art of Communicating.
Boman,
Lee G. and Deal, Terrence E. (1997) 2nd edition, Reframing Organizations: Artistry,
Choice and Leadership, Jossey-Bass.
Fortini-Campbell,
L., May, M., Kangas, M., and Bailey, P.
Verderber,
K.S. and Verderber, R. 1977. InterAct: Using
Interpersonal Communication Skills,
Communication climate: the atmosphere that people feel within the organization itself. It is the supportiveness or defensiveness people feel within the organization and the feelings they have about sending and receiving messages.
Participative decision-making: Employees identify and sole problems that affect them and their working conditions. Managers assist employees in setting standards and goals for the work they do.
Congruity: refers to how well a leader’s behavior matches what he/she says. To create and maintain trust in the environment, your actions must match your words.
Integrity: is the ability to keep promises and commitments that promote the well being of the organization and all of its stakeholders both internal and external.
Both organizational and communication climate influence how employees handle important organizational information. A positive climate fosters employee motivation, commitment, and productivity.
The leaders must trust in their subordinates in order to expect subordinates to trust in them. When leaders trust their subordinates by giving them more and greater information and responsibilities, they often gain additional respect for their insight into the subordinate’s skills. This growing reservoir of trust can be drawn upon to achieve other important organizational goals.
3.
Aren’t expressions of feelings and doubts signs
of weakness, particularly in the workplace?
Expressing feelings and doubts is part of the negative information that managers/leaders need to hear and respond to if the organization is to have a climate of honesty, trust and openness. Organizations are not perfect and always need feedback from the employees.