preview

Organizational Theory and Communication Theory

Decent Essays

When a company newly hires an employee, there is a certain degree of expectation from both the employee and employer. These expectations are either discussed during meetings or simply implied. The intercommunication between supervisor and subordinate depends on the company’s management style. According to Renis Likert, “the system 4 management theory contains management styles that range from low concern for workers to high concern for workers” (Enfante, Rancer & Avtgis, 2010, p. 305). Whether or not supervisors discuss matters with an employee, under Likert’s theory, depends on how concerned a supervisor is for their workers. Low concern for workers yields a management style that Likert calls exploitive-authoritative type management. Under this unfavorable management, supervisors will “regularly use threats and fear to motivate workers” (Enfante, Rancer & Avtgis, 2010, p. 305). Communication under this management is usually downward, or from superior to subordinate with little upward communication. Likert suggests that this keeps supervisors and subordinates “psychologically distant from one another” (Enfante, Rancer & Avtgis, 2010, p. 305). A second type of management is called benevolent-authoritative type. This system is almost identical to the first system, with the exception that there is “some level of reward” for the subordinate (Enfante, Rancer & Avtgis, 2010, p. 305). There is also slight upward communication under this system, but it is still very minimal and

Get Access