Dr. Helena Heizmann University of Technology School of Business Management Discipline Group

1. Organisational Dialogue: Theory & Practice Week 3 Evaluating Organisational Communication Cultures Dr. Helena Heizmann University of Technology School of Business Management Discipline Group

2. “Managers would not dream of making a major financial decision without basing it on as much up-to-date information as possible. Nevertheless, some managers often make decisions about people and organisational communication on the basis of an unsystematic collection of hearsay evidence, intuition, personal experiences, and three-year-old attitude surveys.” (Downs 1988, p. 2-3)

3. Need for a proactive approach “Communication problems in the organization are not unlike the progressive development of a headache. If the initial bodily cues are ignored or not monitored, the full throb will hit.” (Professors Howard Greenbaum & Noel White, cited in Downs and Adrian 2004, p. 1))

4. Need to focus on business outcomes

5. How do we study organisational communication cultures? • Anthropological approach • Qualitative, ethnographic research • ‘Thick descriptions’ • Limitation: Purely descriptive, rarely gives recommendations on how to transform/improve culture • Clinical approach • ‘Snapshot’ form of cultural evaluation • Interviews • Focus groups • Quantitative surveys (Competing Values Framework; Organisational Culture Inventory) • Limitation: Can be prescriptive without properly understanding the culture

6. Communication audit • Evaluation of organisational communication practice • Snapshot of a point in time • Range of formats, objectives and scopes • Purpose: • Reveals communication strengths and weaknesses • Uncovers gaps to more effective communication • Provides suggestions for improvement • Auditing can have negative connotations  Alternative terms?

7. Actioning a formal communication audit Step 1: Planning the Audit • Scope? • Purpose? Step 2: The Strategic View • Where does the organisation’s communication culture need to be? (based on strategic intent and context) Step 3: The Operational View • What is the current state of the communication culture? • Matching and finding the “gaps” / Making recommendations

8. Using and analysing strategic statements • Values • Vision • Mission • Objectives Key information sources: • Annual Reports • Websites • Senior leader interviews Implications for ideal communication culture

9. “What should be the communication culture?” Task 1: Lecture Handout The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust aims to be a leading healthcare provider which is responsive to the needs of its patients and the communities it serves. Our Core Values • Compassion We treat everybody as individuals, showing dignity, kindness and compassion. We respond with humanity and kindness to each person’s pain, distress, anxiety or need. We do not wait to be asked. We find time because we care. • Together We strive to improve health and well being. We believe that each member of our team makes a valuable contribution towards delivering excellent patient care. We value professionalism. We talk and listen and we rely on each other. • Safe We earn trust by putting safety first. We make people feel secure and safe in our care. We take pride in the quality of care we provide. We accept praise and criticism in equal measures and when we make a mistake we learn from it. • Right first time We are accountable for our use of public money and take this responsibility seriously. We use our resources wisely for the benefit of the whole community and make sure nobody is excluded of left behind. We know that when we waste resources, we waste opportunities. …

10. Operational View: The auditor’s toolkit • Direct observation • Document analysis • In-depth interviews • Conducting surveys • Focus groups • Social network analysis • Critical incident analysis • …

11. Direct observations • Work spaces (Office design, architecture) • Traffic flow & interactions • Technologies • Meetings • Social gatherings • Body language • Insights into communication culture http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaGO7XlP2EU&feature=related

12. Schein’s iceberg model of culture

13. The case of Enron • Review Enron’s code of ethics • Watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvLZBv8HsO4 • Reflect - Examining the communication practices of Enron traders – how would you describe Enron culture?

14. Communication plays a key role in creating & reinforcing organisational cultures… • Communication is the process through which we collectively create our social worlds (beliefs, identities, relationships) Adapted from Pearce (1989)

15. From Strategic to Operational View

16. Choosing specific communication issue (focal area) • What are objectives and needs of the organisation? • Of all the things that might be mentioned, what are the areas that can yield the biggest improvement for management?

17. Example: Communication across sub-cultures • Organisations tend to develop sub-cultures (hierarchical/geographic/functional) “Learning across cultural boundaries cannot be created or sustained without initial and periodic dialogue” (Schein 1993, p. 51) • Does boundary spanning occur? • Is there knowledge sharing?

18. Example: Bottom-up/Upward Communication • Are the views of employees regularly and systematically obtained? • Is feedback encouraged and rewarded? • Are staff suggestions taken seriously / is feedback acted upon? • Are the channels of upward communication effective?

19. Further examples • Leadership communication/Supervisory Communication • Dialogic? Authentic? Enough face-to-face contact? • Communication around change programs • Is there an adequate flow of information around change issues? • Team communication • What is the communication climate? • Do team members have adequate communication skills or is there a need for training?

20. Your journey starts here… Communication audits should always be conducted in a spirit of open-ended inquiry, thus avoiding predetermined outcomes (…). They should proceed in partnership with the organizational stakeholders, and they should engage the energies of varied constituencies in the search for solutions to communication problems (Hargie and Tourish2009, p. 33)

21. References • Downs, C.W. & Adrian, A.D. 2004, Assessing Organizational Communication. Strategic Communication Audits, Guilford Press, New York. • Hargie, O. & Tourish, D. 2009, Auditing Organizational Communication: A Handbook of Research, Theory and Practice, Routledge, London. • Kvale, S. 1996, Interviews. An Introduction to Qualitative Research Interviewing, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks. • Miller, K. 2012, 'Cultural Approaches', in, Organizational Communication. Approaches and Processes, 6th edn, Cengage Learning, Boston, pp. 81-99. • Tourish, D. & Hargie, O. 2004, 'Communication Audits: Building World Class Communication Systems', in S. Oliver (ed.), Handbook of Corporate Communication and Public Relations, Routledge, London, pp. 131-44.Available from: https://openair.rgu.ac.uk/bitstream/10059/198/1/auditchapter.pdf • Rubin, H.J. & Rubin, I.S. 1995, Qualitative Interviewing. The Art of Hearing Data, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks. • Schein, E. 1992, Organizational Culture and Leadership, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.