Organizational Communication: Balancing Creativity and Constraint

by 0, H.L. Goodall, Jr., Angela Trethewey

Organizational Communication covers the core theories and skills that organizational communication students need, sharing the very best of current scholarship, particularly as it relates to rapidly evolving topics like diversity, economics, and technology. Throughout, the book asks students to put what they’re learning into practice, always considering both the enabling and constraining aspects of communication. Striking this balance between creativity and constraint helps people achieve their professional and personal goals. Perhaps the most notable addition to the new edition is a new co-author. Marianne LeGreco, from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. LaGreco is an Associate Professor in their Department of Communication Studies. Her expertise in organizational policy, community organizing, and the intersections of health and organizing add a new and exciting dimension to the text.

Genres: Communication, Grad School, Leadership, Textbooks

810 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Tommy Kiedis · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent one-volume "technical" text on organizational communication.

I have used Organizational Communication: Balancing Creativity and Constraint as a supplementary text for my course, The Leader As A Vision Caster And Communicator. While I am all for "tips and tricks" that one can find in most popular communication books, I appreciate Eisenberg, et al for their focus on the theory behind the communication.

As the title suggests, Eisenberg, Goodall, and Trethewey examine communication as the tension that exists between creativity and constraint. The authors define communication as:

the moment-to-moment working out of the tensions between the need to maintain order (constraint) and the needs to provide change (creativity). As such, communication is the material manifestation of a. institutional constraints, b. creative potential, c. contexts of interpretation. (p. 401).

This book is a college textbook. It is theory and theory applied. While not overly technical, many of my students did not want to wade through the theory. They felt the book was carrying extra weight in their communication backpack. Their frustrations aside, I like this text. It is the kind of reading that helps improve not only organizational communication, but everyday communication as well.

My favorite chapters:

Chapter 2: Defining Organizational Communication. The authors evaluate communication as information transfer, transactional process, or strategic control. The book specifically addresses creativity and constraint here and chapter 8 as well.

Chapter 3: Three Early Perspectives on Organizations and Communication. Here the authors address why theory matters and give us three approaches to organizational communication: Classical Management, Human Relations, and Human Resources (addressing Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, McGregor's Theory Y Management, and Likert's Principle of Supportive Relationships.

Chapter 4: The Systems Perspective on Organizations and Communication. Systems are explained and theories such as Senge's Learning Organization are addressed.

Chapter 5: Addresses organizational culture.

Chapter 8: Teams and Networks.

Chapter 9: Communicating Leadership: The authors address leadership styles (trait, situational, transformational, discursive) and how to lead while communicating with employees (emphasizing openness, supportiveness, motivation, and empowerment).

Chapter 10: Organizational Alignment: Managing the Total Enterprise. The portions to which I want to return include: Positioning the Organization, "Helping Colleges and Universities Do What They Do Best," and Organizational Learning.

The authors provide some fifty pages of resources and indexing making it easy to use. Organizational Communication will not be your everyday text, but it is a great reference text.

[Kathy Albright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

[Brady · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes, it might not be the most exciting book out there, but it provides a great overview of the field. My favorite chapters were the ones on identity and difference and organizational leadership.

[Georgia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easily digestable, and it helped me to understand a realm of communication study that I hadn't had much interaction with in my education. Definitely wish that there was a bit more theory, as I enjoyed the telling of concepts like the Hawthorne Studies and how they were applied to modern ideas and metaphors for how we devise our workplaces and common work week. Bonus points for Foucault showing up :)

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to understand, good all around book for graduate level studies. Might be too much for undergrads. Wish there was more theory though.

[Shianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I typically don't add textbooks because I rarely ever read them cover to cover. This one I did. It was informative while also interesting. Basically the best textbook I have had to read. :)

[Carrie Lange]

Dreadful book. Thank goodness my course didn't require me to read all of it...