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Organizational Communication for Survival, 5th edition

Published by Pearson (June 26, 2012) © 2013

  • Virginia Peck Richmond University of Alabama - Birmingham
  • James C. McCroskey University of Alabama, Birmingham
  • Larry Powell

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A “handbook” for communicating in the work environment

Assuming a unique perspective for an organizational communication text, this book focuses students on how to communicate with managers and peers to survive, thrive and prosper in organizational environments.

This “survival guide for employees” centers on understanding how and why managers communicate the way they do and how employees can adapt their own communication skills to be more effective in the organizational environment. Students who master the study guide objectives in this book will be better prepared to function in real organizational situations. This text provides clear and concise guidelines, along with a foundation of theory and scholarship, to help students become more effective communicators in today's workforce.

Learning Goals
Upon completingthis book, readers will be able to:

  • Communicate effectively with managers and peers
  • Understand how and why managers communicate the way they do
  • Differentiate between good and poor communication skills
  • Communication and management perspectives are combined to provide a well-rounded view of organizational communication.
  • The book examines how to and how not to communicate with management throughout each chapter, providing students with skills they can use regardless of their career choices.
  • The outcome of effective communication is explored, illustrating its importance in any organizational environment.
  • Good and poor communication skills are described and students are shown how to differentiate between the two.
  • The importance of nonverbal behaviors is covered.
  • The book explores the types of positive perceptions that employees should strive to establish with their supervisors.

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  • Research has been updated throughout the book to reflect changes in the current study of organizational communication since the last edition.
  • New research is included on the barriers to communication in organizations.
  • The discussion in chapter 6 on personality traits includes new information about negative traits of members of an organization.
  • An expanded discussion of Theory X and Theory Y appears in Chapter 9.
  • New material on organizational culture has been added.
  • New information on organizational change has been incorporated into chapter 12.
  • Extensive discussions are included on management styles and leadership approaches.
  • New coverage on the “Peter Principle” provides insight on working in a hierarchal organization.

In This Section:

  1. Brief Table of Contents

  2. Full Table of Contents

1) Brief Table of Contents

  • Chapter 1: The Nature of Organizations
  • Chapter 2: The Nature of Communication in Organizations
  • Chapter 3: Nonverbal Behavior and Communication
  • Chapter 4: Administration, Supervision, and Communication
  • Chapter 5: Barriers to Effective Communication
  • Chapter 6: Personality, Temperament, and Communication Traits
  • Chapter 7: Organizational Orientations and Communication Traits
  • Chapter 8: Perceptions of People in Organizations
  • Chapter 9: Approaches to Management
  • Chapter 10: Power and Status
  • Chapter 11: Organizational Culture
  • Chapter 12: Communication and Change
  • Chapter 13: Disagreement, Conflict, and Groupthink
  • Chapter 14: Effective Supervisory and Subordinate Relationships
  • Chapter 15: Discrimination and Pseudodiscrimination
  • Chapter 16: When All Else Fails...Get Out

2. Full Table of Contents

  • Chapter 1: The Nature of Organizations
    • Types of Organizations
    • Common Characteristics of Organizations
    • Organizational Environments
    • Preliminary Principles for Peons
    • Viewing Organizations
  • Chapter 2: The Nature of Communication in Organizations
    • Myths and Misconceptions about Communication in Organizations
    • Organizational Communication Defined
    • Components of Communication
    • Functions of Communication in Organizations
    • Organizational Communication Networks
    • Formal Communication Flow and Impact
  • Chapter 3: Nonverbal Behavior and Communication
    • Significance of Nonverbal Communication in Organizations
    • Functions of Nonverbal Messages
    • Categories of Nonverbal Messages
    • Immediacy and Organizational Communication
  • Chapter 4: Administration, Supervision, and Communication
    • Supervisors’ Duties: Subordinates’ Views
    • Why Aren’t Managers Doing Their Jobs?
    • To Supervise or to Administer? That Is the Question
    • What Kind of Manager Do You Have?
  • Chapter 5: Barriers to Effective Communication
    • Climate Control
    • Status
    • Communication Overload
    • Defensiveness
  • Chapter 6: Personality, Temperament, and Communication Traits
    • Personality and Temperament
    • Temperament/Personality and Communication
    • Communication Traits
    • Sociocommunicative Orientations and Styles
  • Chapter 7: Organizational Orientations and Communication Traits
    • Organizational Orientations
    • Personality Types
    • Organizational Orientations and Temperament
    • Organizational Orientations, Temperament, and Communication Traits
    • Organizational Orientations, Temperament, and Organizational Outcomes
  • Chapter 8: Perceptions of People in Organizations
    • Source Credibility
    • Interpersonal Attractiveness
    • Homophily
  • Chapter 9: Approaches to Management
    • Early Orientations
    • Leadership Approaches
    • The Ideal Leader?
    • Management Communication Styles and Decision Making
    • Decision Making and Communication
    • Why Managers Select One MCS over Another
    • Identifying the MCS
  • Chapter 10: Power and Status
    • Nature of Status
    • Status Symbols
    • Communication and Status
    • Power
    • From the Peon’s Perspective
  • Chapter 11: Organizational Culture
    • Defining Culture
    • Culture and Communication
    • Cultural Technology
    • Organizations and Cultures
    • Ethnocentrism
  • Chapter 12: Communication and Change
    • Why People Resist Change in Organizations
    • Informal Communication Network Roles
    • Innovativeness: The Willingness to Adopt
    • Introducing Change
    • Six Conditions Necessary for Successful Change
  • Chapter 13: Disagreement, Conflict, and Groupthink
    • Disagreement and Conflict
    • Tolerance for Disagreement
    • Conflict Prevention
    • Conflict Management
    • Groupthink: Too Much Agreement for the Good of the Organization
  • Chapter 14: Effective Supervisory and Subordinate Relationships
    • Why Some Do Not Survive: 10 Common Communication Mistakes
    • How to Survive: Common Communication Strategies for Survival
  • Chapter 15: Discrimination and Pseudodiscrimination
    • The Need for Discrimination
    • The Evils of Discrimination
    • Making Evaluations Work (For You)
    • Staying Out of Trouble: The Peon Perspective
    • Dealing with Pseudodiscrimination and Diversity
  • Chapter 16: When All Else Fails...Get Out
    • Reasons for Leaving
    • On-the-Job Legal Issues
    • Filing a Complaint
    • Job Hunting
    • The Process of Separation
    • The Exit Interview
    • The Transition to a New Job

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