Exam 21: Critical Theory of Communication in Organizations

Codetermination represents the collaborative constructions of self, other, and the world.

The ________ model regards language as the principal medium to create and sustain reality.

Systematically distorted communication is an open and deliberate process that involves employee participation in decision making.

Deetz envisions at least six classes of stakeholders with multiple needs and desires.

Corporate decision processes that invite open dialogue among all stakeholders are called:

Imagine that Hirokawa and Deetz work in a communication program that's suffering from overcrowded classes. How would they go about discussing/solving the problem? Whose approach would you prefer?

To what extent is Deetz' stakeholder democracy an extension of Pearce and Cronen's coordinated management of meaning? What do the two approaches to conflict have in common? Are there any important differences between them?

Is Deetz' contribution to communication studies truly a theory, or is it a political perspective (or, to use Griffin's phrases, an "approach to corporate decision making," a "reform agenda," "a positive alternative to managerialism," or a "critique")? Or is this distinction worth pursuing?

Unfortunately, the conduit model of communication has been largely discredited in organizations and in everyday life.

The ________ is a collaborative view of communication based in stakeholder conflict.

Through the process of consent, most employees are richly rewarded for their loyalty.

Deetz' analysis of strategy, consent, involvement, and participation provides the core of his critique of managerialism.

Explain two of Deetz' four different ways a corporate decision is made. Be sure to compare how they are similar where they are divergent.

Which of the following is NOT one of the four different ways corporate decisions can be made?

Discuss Deetz' claims that nature did not create corporations-we did.

In the context of the four corporate practices for decision making, ________ refers to stakeholders' free expression of ideas that may, or may not, affect managerial decisions.

Encroachment of modern corporations into every area of life outside the workplace is called ________.

If involvement does not lead to participation, it can create worker cynicism.

Deetz is convinced that meaningful democratic participation in corporate decision making:

Deetz has developed a critical theory of communication aimed at ensuring the financial health of corporations while increasing the representation of diverse human interests.