What is Organizational Communication?

Whether or not you have given it much thought, you are surrounded by organizations in your daily life (e.g., schools, businesses, governments, healthcare systems, non-profits, churches). What’s more, these very organizations are created, maintained, transformed, and, in some cases, destroyed by communication.  An ability to manage interpersonal, group, and organizational communication processes has become critical in a business environment driven by innovation and technology.   

Courses  within this major seek to teach the student to the complexity of communication within organizations.  They  provide a blend of conceptual knowledge, communication skills instruction and experiential instructional opportunities, in a very career-centric environment.

Knowledge

Courses in the organizational curriculum are geared to furnish knowledge in the following domains:

• The Strategic Uses of Communication within Organizations

• Organizational Structure and Process

•  Organizational Socialization and Employee Orientation

• Building Organizational Culture

• Communicating Identity: Person, Team, and Organization

• Building Social Relationships and Social Networks

• Functions of Leadership and Persuasion within Organization

• Teamwork, Collaboration and Building Effective Project Teams

• Power and Control in Organizational Life

• The Uses and Management of Conflict

• Organizational Change and Change-Related Communication

• Harnessing the Power of Communication Technologies

• Communicating in Global and Multicultural Contexts

• Ethical Decision-making and Values in Organizations

• Analyzing, Surveying, and Auditing Organizational Communication

Communication Skills

Unlike some other departments and majors, the concept of skill development is woven into the fabric of all courses in the Organizational Communication curriculum.

We work with student to develop skills in interpersonal communication such as:

•  building relationships, 

•  resolving conflict,

•  managing multi-cultural  relationships, 

•  employment interviewing

•  ethical-decision-making. 

We work with students to develop skills in team communication such as:

• leadership

• team-building

• ability to collaborate in geographically dispersed project teams.

• working in cross-generational project teams

We work with students to develop organizational skills such as:

• planning organizational change,

• managing communication technologies,

• analyzing and auditing the communication processes within organizations. 

• analyzing case studies, problem solving, and generating solutions

• managing corporate image

We work with  students to enhance their level of public speaking skills such as:

• design messages

• adapting messages to the demands of difference audiences

•  managing presentation-support software

• executing an effective public presentation

Experiential Instructional Opportunities

• Students majoring in organizational communication are strongly encouraged to pursue internships by working with the Smith Career Center at Bradley.  An internship provides a bridge between the classroom and the world of corporate communication.
   

• The Department of Communication at Bradley is housed in the Caterpillar Global Communication Center and many Organizational Communication majors have successfully competed for internship with Caterpillar Inc
   

• Student majoring in organizational communication are also encouraged to participate in Bradley's nationally recognized speech team. 

Career-Centric

• Most experts on organizations, management and leadership, assert that effective communications is the foundation for effectiveness in any type of organization.

• Organizational l communication is an excellent track for those pursing careers in corporate communication, training and development, human resources, communication management or organizational consulting.