Running head: FUNCTIONS OF COMMUNICATION
Functions of Communication
Heather Jennings
BOM 3303.01 Organizational Behavior and Theory
Functions of Communication
Communication is the transmission of ideas and information from one person to another (or from one person to a group of people) through verbal, nonverbal and written messages. These messages are useless if they are not understood. Organizations cannot exist without communication and good communication is essential for successful performance within the organization. According to Robbins & Judge (2008), “communication serves four major functions within a group or organization: control, motivation, emotional expression and information” (p. 158).
Control
“Communication acts to control member behavior in several ways” (p. 159). Organizations have policies and procedures that employees are required to follow. At the onset of employment at a state hospital, new employees are given copies of the hospital’s policies and procedures and are required to review over them (they are tested on them as well). This written form of communication performs a control function because the policies and procedures act to control the hospital employees’ behavior. One example is when an employee has a grievance. According to the hospital policies and procedures, the employee is to report their grievance to their immediate supervisor. If the employee feels that the actions by the immediate supervisor to resolve the grievance are inadequate, then the employee can go to the supervisor’s manager. The employee must take the grievance to each level of the chain of command; they cannot skip their immediate supervisor or anyone else up the chain of command.
Another example is the state hospital’s emergency notification procedure. The procedure controls how hospital employees notify other employees of emergencies from inclement weather to an armed intruder.
Without communication, organizations would be unable to control...