As a building principal, I am in a perpetual state of building relationships. Each day I cope with the uncertain outcome of daily conversations with a variety of stakeholders. Reading the chapter on uncertainty reduction theory (URT), I recognized many approaches I use when meeting a new person. Charles Berger’s URT addresses cognitive rather than behavioral uncertainty reduction. Behavioral reduction regards questions related to how to act when first meeting someone. Cognitive reduction has to do with ways to gather information when you first meet someone. Berger developed 8 axioms, key variables to grow relationships. Additionally, he generated twenty-eight theorems based on the outcomes of combined axioms. Both the axioms and the 28 extensions provide the background for Berger’s work “A Plan-Based Theory of Strategic Communication”. This plan seeks to help guide one through the process of using communication to reduce uncertainty. …show more content…
They are goal-driven. Because of this, Berger suggests strategies, message plans, that can be used to help us deal with the uncertainty. Plan complexity, seeking information (passive, active, or through interactions), and hedging are all strategies. These are all strategies I have used, most often, due to the spontaneity of many of my conversations, I use the interactive strategy. Often, I will use humor in an attempt to hedge. I have found a smile to be extremely helpful in reducing uncertainty when engaging in that first conversation. None of Berger’s theory surprised me. Reading the Afifi’s critique of Berger, the idea that we are more motivated reduce anxiety rather than uncertainty during first time encounters. I may be missing something, but I think anxiety and uncertain y go hand in
Successful organizations develop both, short and long term goals focus on operational and financial strategies. This process needs constant evaluation in order to identify opportunities for growth. The goal of every healthcare facility should be to become a leader in the industry, attract high-quality staff and health experts, and establish cutting-edge services for the community. By reviewing current operational realities while working a market research enables the organization to develop strategy solutions to address environmental concerns.
Effective communication is vital to the smooth running of a business and various methods of communication are used within a business environment to achieve this. Each form has various benefits to communicate effectively to their designated target audience. When communication is carried out properly it means the sender and receiver both correctly obtain the same information. Each
Community Access Imaging (CAI) is a free clinic operating in conjunction with Quinnipiac University, the Seedlings Foundation and community health care partners. This clinic provides highly supervised, specialized diagnostic imaging exams to uninsured individuals of the surrounding communities. The clinic is currently funded for three years. Annual clinical
"Total Quality Management (TQM) is a participative management style that stresses total staff commitment to "customer" satisfaction (Eskimo, 2001)." Quicken Loans utilizes TQM along with the other management styles to provide the high quality of service to their clients. Quicken Loans expresses Total Quality Management in their ISMs. The ISMs Are: Obsessed with finding a better way, Responding with a sense of urgency is the ante to play and Every client. Every time. No exceptions. No excuses (Quicken Loans, 2008). These three ISMs express the care of their clients and illustrate the things that need to be done to ensure that TQM is still effective and efficient within the organization. Quicken Loans focuses on creating a lifelong relationship with
Communication is a very intricate part of a successful strategic plan. Collaboration with the board, executive leaders, management team all the way to front-line staff must be informed what the strategic plan is and how it relates to the mission and vision. The mission, vision, values, goals and objectives of the organization must be organizational-wide dissemination. In order to have an effective and efficient strategic plan one must first select a strategic leader to help decide what their mission and vision will be. “Strategic leadership involves creating a vision and strategy that helps the organization succeed at its mission in both the short and the long term” (Spath, Abraham, 2014).
Uncertainty reduction theory is “the point of view that uncertainty motivates communication and that certainty reduces the motivation to communicate” (Wood, definition). This theory was first developed by Charles Berger. He believed that when people are to meet for the first time they have a high level of uncertainty and the only way for them to reduce it is to communicate with one another. “They don’t know what each other likes, thinks and believes; how each other responds to certain reactions, and they’re unsure what each other expects or wants from interacting” (Wood,184). There are three prior conditions that are meant to help individuals want to reduce uncertainty.
Strategic planning can dictate the success of any organization if properly planned as well as the failure of an organization if not implemented as planned. Strategic planning is all about making choices. It is a process designed to support leaders in being intentional about their goals and methods. Simply stated, strategic planning is a management tool, and like any management tool, it is used for one purpose only—to help an organization do a better job. This portion of the strategic plan will explain why an
The interpretative view of organizational communication developed from a humanistic approach to organizational behavior. The approach views organizations as cultural centers that develop over time. Consequently, the cultural setting of an organization determines the relationship between the management and the employees as well as between the employees. The interpretive organizational communication approach centers on the nature of communication between human beings in their natural environments. Moreover, the approach seeks to establish communication between persons whose incentive to communicate develops from the desire to accomplish the goals that describe the organization.
A major issue for the U.S. Army to execute strategic communication is that the functional areas delegated the task to execute the U.S. Army’s strategic communication program all have different primary missions. This organizational structure tends to produce strategic communications that are not integrated into a broad organizational objective, there leading to the potential of contradicting messages. Public affairs and civil affairs have the functional mission centered on delivering messages that “inform”. The mission of Army public affairs is to inform internal and external publics, and fulfill the Army’s obligation to keep the American people and the Army informed as established in Title 10, United States Code
The strategic planning process begins by reviewing the organizations mission, vision and values. Clarifying the mission, vision, and goals at the beginning strategic planning process can help align fragmented entities (2 p. 293). The mission statement identifies the organizations reason for existing and how it is unique in comparison to other organizations (A p. 294). It is a short, concise and clear statement that serves as a rallying point for the organization (4 p. 752). The mission provides clues about the types of services that can be expected from the organization (A). Failing to check new projects against the mission can cause an organization to get into trouble (A p. 294).
Charles Berger, a communication theorist coined the term Uncertainty Reduction Theory in 1975. This theory discusses that when people meet one of their first concerns is to reduce uncertainty about the other person and the situation. Berger uses eight axioms, verbal communication, nonverbal warmth, information seeking, self-disclosure, reciprocity, similarity, liking, and shared networks to discuss the connection between these axioms and reducing uncertainty (Griffin, E., Ledbetter, A., & Sparks G, 2015). Berger and Calabrese’s (1975) Uncertainty Reduction Theory has basic assumptions that when “strangers meet, their primary concern is one of uncertainty reduction or increasing predictability about the behavior of both themselves and others in the interaction” (p. 100).
Uncertainty reduction theory could be applied to long-term relationships as well as initial encounter (Berger, 1979). Berger presented that uncertainty may happen on two different levels: behavioral and cognitive. He stated that reducing uncertainty in behavior increases the predicting ability of how a person will act when he/she is facing a situation. In the mean time, cognitive uncertainty affects the ability to explain the main rational reasons for that certain action.
General Motors could have saved by implementing a few of the TQM standards that Toyota applies. By keeping up with technology, General Motors can obtain a higher customer base, faster productivity with less defective rate (Dyadem, 2008). Employees of General Motors had problems selling products that they knew had flaws or defects, and customers did not want to purchase products that were not up to the highest standard possible (Dyadem, 2008). GM understands the importance of addressing quality planning through a global
Business communication needs to become interpersonal again. No matter how we believe our human forms came into existence, we were built to need personal contact and function best with face-to-face communication. As children, we desired comfort from touch, a hug from our mothers. As teenagers, we held hands with our boyfriend or girlfriend. As adults in the workforce, we still need to feel that connection and comfort with our families and the people we work with. As Susan RoAne (2008), owner of a speaking, consulting, and coaching business, discusses one way we feel this connection is through getting to know and building trust by communicating in-person. Through this interpersonal interaction, we not only feel more comfortable around
It is the difference between the desired level of sales & projected level of sales.