ORGL-504: Organizational Communication

Expected Competencies

1. Strategic Communication Analysis
   Demonstrate the ability to identify, evaluate, and discuss key issues affecting communication and leadership within organizations, including how communication impacts effectiveness, culture, and engagement.

2. Theoretical Application
   Apply organizational communication theories—including systems theory, sensemaking, and the influence of technology and globalization—to interpret and improve communication practices.

3. Analytical Skills
   Develop the capacity to critically assess communication patterns and leadership messaging within organizational contexts, using case studies and real-life scenarios to recommend improvements.

4. Self-Development
   Enhance personal communication and leadership effectiveness, particularly within diverse teams and evolving organizational environments.

5. Ethical Critical Thinking
   Integrate ethical reasoning into communication analysis and leadership decision-making, particularly in contexts involving power dynamics, transparency, and dissent.

Achieved Competencies

1. Strategic Issue Identification
   Demonstrated the ability to identify systemic communication breakdowns and barriers impacting organizational effectiveness through a comprehensive communication audit.

2. Theoretical Insight
   Applied theories of organizational communication and sensemaking to real-world phenomena, such as employee silence and communication avoidance in hierarchical settings.

3. Communication Analysis and Evaluation
   Used structured audit tools and qualitative evaluation to assess the quality, consistency, and impact of internal and external communication strategies.

4. Leadership Through Communication
   Strengthened personal leadership capacity by improving communication effectiveness, conflict resolution, and cross-functional collaboration.

5. Ethical Reflection
   Applied critical thinking to ethical issues in communication—especially how fear, hierarchy, and perceived risk shape when and how people speak up within organizations.

Applied Competencies

1. Organizational Communication Audit
   Conducted a full communication audit within my organization to assess communication channels, identify inefficiencies, and recommend improvements. This audit led to streamlined processes, enhanced engagement, better conflict resolution strategies, and clearer alignment between communication practices and strategic goals. The project also improved internal and external communication flows, reinforcing leadership effectiveness and cross-departmental collaboration.

2. Managing Organizational Silence
   In my analysis of Making Sense of Organizational Members’ Silence: A Sensemaking-Resource Model by Bisel and Arterburn (2012), I explored how silence can function as a form of dissent, shaped by sensemaking processes. Factors such as fear of repercussion, perceived supervisor responsibility, timing, and self-doubt were discussed as root causes. I critiqued the study's design and sampling methods and called for more focused research to deepen understanding and support actionable interventions in organizations facing similar issues.

Artifact Inclusions

• Organizational Communication Audit Report
  A detailed, evidence-based audit evaluating communication effectiveness within an organization, including assessment tools, findings, and strategic recommendations.

• Critical Analysis of Organizational Silence
  A scholarly critique of Bisel and Arterburn’s sensemaking-resource model, examining the roots and implications of communication silence within workplace hierarchies and leadership structures.

References

• Bisel, R. S., & Arterburn, E. N. (2012). Making sense of organizational members’ silence: A sensemaking-resource model. Communication Research Reports, 29(3), 217–226.

• Conrad, C., & Poole, M. S. (2012). Strategic organizational communication: In a global economy. West Sussex, UK: Wiley/Blackwell.

• Downs, C. W., Adrian, A. D., & Downs, C. W. (2004). Assessing organizational communication: Strategic communication audits. New York: Guilford Press.

Key Words

Organizational communication, strategic analysis, sensemaking, systems theory, communication audits, ethical leadership, employee silence, communication effectiveness, leadership messaging, cross-functional collaboration, audit insights, organizational dissent, critical thinking in communication.