Organizational Communication and theory

Organizational Communication is a course that I have not gotten to teach as often as I like but I do have a class this semester and as we continue into the semester I am reminded why I enjoy this class.

At Coker, we spend time in this class on organizational theories, case histories and practical applications and currently we have been exploring some of the historical theories that set up the study of organizations. I am not sure the students enjoy learning of Weber's observations of bureaucracy or Fayol's and Taylor's prescriptions for making big organizations more effective as much as I enjoy talking about those things. So, one of my challenges is to find ways of making the old stuff relevant. One analogy we used today was the hierarchical nature of a sports team like soccer. There is a strict vertical hierarchy, there are special jobs and each member of the organization is expected to do his/her job. There may be some horizontal communication among the teammates but the bottom-up communication is not a high priority. When it comes to practice, everyone is expected to conform to the norms and there is not much latitude for individual preference. But, if you are not on a soccer team, a baseball team or a basketball team or volleyball team, or football team that might not be a great analogy. We did work to explain it in depth.
The real point here is trying to connect the classroom conversation to the real world the students will be entering to become communication specialists and communication experts.

A couple of weeks ago I ran across an article in the online version of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL called "The End of Management" by an author named Alan Murray. Murray adapted this article from some of the information in his new book, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO MANAGEMENT - cc 2010 HarperCollins Publishers.
Murray is referring to many of the ideas, observations and theories that we are discussing in class and I have put a discussion board assignment up hoping this helps those in the class get a good sense that what is in the books does totally relate to what is in the office or the production line or the project space.

i am hoping the students do enjoy reading this article and referring it to some of the theories because there are very significant implications for the massive changes we are experiencing in our work worlds.

Lots of students out for Day of Service

(Photo shows several of the students heading back to campus after a hot afternoon inside the old Thornwell Elementary School, which is to become the new center of the Community Action Agency.)

Began the day with a quick blog about the day of service that was scheduled by Coker Staff for the students and other volunteers from Coker. I know there were a few people involved in the planning and Darlene Small and Jason Umfress shouldered a big part of the effort to make this day happen. Thanks to them and all the others who helped.

A friend of mine writing on FACEBOOK commented that it is a great to remember 9-11 but it would probably be even greater to use this memory as an opportunity day to make something better. I appreciate those from my first-year class who let me be involved as we helped begin to make it look like the Community Action Agency might be able to reclaim the old Thornwell Elementary School into a full-service Community Action Agency office and headquarters.

Day of Service including Coker Students

On NPR there was this echo of a bell ringing -- noting the time the first plane hit the Twin Towers nine years ago. As the van turned the corner, the eyes spotted a group of students waiting to board a bus -- heading out to a community service project in the Hartsville area. When 9-11 happened, many of the Coker students heading out for today's "Day of Service" projects were nine and eight years old. But their memories hold the images and much of who they are and what they believe were shaped by those horrible hours nine years ago.

Dean Umfress and Dean Small came up with the idea of using both the First-Year experience classes and other Coker student volunteers to become part of the "Day of Service" that has been called as a reminder of the 9-11 experience. Right at 200 students are participating in today's projects, which were a major logistical feat.

Today's community service, in memory of the 9-11 events, is just one way Coker is working to be a highly visible member of Hartsville, SC -- one of South Carolina's 'College Towns.'

Former Coker player signs to play in Ireland

Mason Ambler, a leading player for the Coker College Cobras as a dominant center on the basketball team, has signed to play more basketball in Europe. What follows is an article from Ireland announcing his signing:


Moycullan sign American ambler
Tuesday, 7 September 2010 15:54

Moycullen Basketball Club have completed the signing of Mason Ambler ahead of their second Nivea For Men's SuperLeague campaign.

A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Ambler will replace Nathaniel Fritsch who has signed to play in Portugal after a productive year for the Galway club.

Ambler joins Moycullen with serious pedigree, having been named on the first team all conference of the Carolina Conference after averaging 17.7 points and 8.4 rebounds per game for Coker College.

'Mason has a great knowledge of the game and brings a lot of attributes to the court but also give us some bulk inside which is one area we really needed help with,' said Moycullen head coach Enda Byrt.

Moycullen were often mismatched for size last season but they will hope that Ambler, who stands at six foot six inches, and was described as 'country strong' by former teammates and coaches, will help neutralise that problem.

However, the Coker College Cobras' former captain and star player is expected to bring much more than size to Moycullen.

'Mason showed great leadership skills during his time in Coker,' added Byrt. 'He worked for three years before entering college so has a maturity beyond most graduates. He should be a fantastic court leader for our team that really progressed last year and learned from all the ups and downs we had.

'We have everyone returning and we're lucky enough to have a couple of players who were big underage stars for Moycullen coming back to the game in Kevin McDonald and Kieran O'Connor who should be great additions to the squad.'

Cobras open Men's Soccer with win over FMU

The Coker College Men's soccer team opened the 2010 season with a 1-0 win over the Patriots of Francis Marion University on Thursday. Rommel Fondin had the winning goal on a penalty kick in the first half. The story from Coker Sports Information is on this link.

Job Blog -- In case you missed Kat's comment

A couple of days ago we discussed the difficult of finding jobs in today's economy and the idea that those who read this blog -- especially Coker College grads -- can begin to use this Blog as a JOB BLOG. The first official comment back to the blog comes from Kat Friedmann and her incisive comments bare so additional view. Here they are:

Kat Friedmann said...

Hey there! Long time no see/talk! I stumbled upon this post on facebook, and my thoughts exactly. I've started to look for jobs even though I still have one semester left of grad school, but I thought the earlier I started the better. I'm actually trying to go a little bit of a different route and get creative with the job searching. Instead of pushing a resume that I'm pretty sure no one wants to read, I'm pushing a website I created that has real proof of what I can do. You can check it out at www.hirekatpr.com. I'm also trying to get my linkedin up to speed and I am joining other networks that could help in a different way such as www.prstarbase.com. I recently read in a book, "What Color is your Parachute?", that joining "job clubs" or these online networks is one of the most effective ways of finding a job, so I hope this works out!

Puffer back ...
Kat has been in grad school in Boston. She was captain of the Coker Women's soccer team when she was here and her college life included activities from sports to creative writing to student government to --- you can almost name it. She is one of those people who will be a major find for the person who puts her on the team.

What, who, where, why. is Coker College

When is the fifth W of the inverted pyramid style of constructing a news story and the When of Coker College is NOW!. This is already an exciting semester in the classroom and the feeling of student engagement is strong in classes all over campus.

Always, I am trying to get students to use specific examples. So, in today's Organizational Communication class we were lucky enough to have a professional corporate communicator who works as a writer/editor/strategist for Sonoco, a multi-billion dollar global packaging company. As she discussed the kinds of communications that she creates the students were getting a first-hand, up-close view of the real world tools, challenges, rewards and frustrations. There were a lot of dots from theory and background that students will now be able to connect using some of the specific examples that Mary Ruth Austin shared with them in today's class.

As we walked out the door following class, there was evidence of a great deal of activity as the annual ACTIVITY Fair was taking place with organizations from both on and off campus showing students the kinds of opportunities available in this one-of-a-kind campus and this cosmopolitan smaller host city of Hartsville, SC.

So, what about those other four Ws of Coker College? One of the new ways we are describing our Coker College opportunity was distributed by Kyle Saverance, our new director of marketing and communications. This is the short version:

Coker College readies undergraduates for personal and professional success through a distinctive four-year program that emphasizes a practical application of the liberal arts as well as hands-on and discussion-based learning within and beyond the classroom. Coker is ranked among the “Best Colleges” in the South by U.S. News & World Report as well as The Princeton Review. Located in Hartsville, S.C., Coker is within two hours of the cultural, financial and recreational resources of Charlotte, Columbia, Charleston and Myrtle Beach.