Chapter 11- Becoming more mindful

According to our text in chapter eleven a mindful approach to organizational communication enables us to understand, talk "as a mental and relational activity that is both purposeful and strategic. I find this to be very true. We already know that it takes two active listeners and participators in order to be mindful. So when we encounter a communication situation in an organization we should have reached some sort of achievement at the end of a conversation. If nothing can be taken out of the few minutes that you were speaking, then we know that it was a waste of time according to American style of work. Americans work schedules are extremely busy compared to other nations, which is why we want to make the most of time and always be efficient/ mindful in communication.

Chapter 10

In one section of chapter ten we learn about organizational alignment and competitive strategy. Every organization, small or big, must have some alignment and strategy. With out some sort of strategy a business is almost guaranteed to not be successful. Having no business strategy is almost the same as walking in aimlessly in the dark. Companies need to compete is what drives every company. Knowing that your product is perceived as a better predict than your competitor, even if all the ingredients are the same, can be the difference from a thriving company to a foreclosing organization. How a company markets its self is up to that particular company. Every organization is different form others. 

Chapter 9- Trait Leadership

Trait theory was one of the first ways of describing how a leader is choosen. It is described as being focused entirely on individual’s physical and social attributes. This was derived from earlier powerful forms of leaders in the early 18th century. In my eyes, this is a superficial way to choose someone to lead! Just because someone seems physically fit for a role, does not necessarily mean that they are the best for the job. One example of how America was caught in the trait theory is through the Presidential election of Nixon and Kennedy. Those who herd the big debate between the two on the radio thought Nixon had the best political stand. Those who watched on TV thought Kennedy did the best based on how he was perceived on television. This brings me back to the point that because someone fits the 'traditional’ physical model of a leader does not always mean they are the best. Lets look at one of the most obvious examples today. Ever since the begging of our democracy our leaders have been 'white males'. America broke out of the trait theory in 2008 when Barrack Oboma was choosen as our 44th President. Being the first 'black male' male president proves that our nation has evolved as humans to think outside of the 'norm'. From reading this chapter I realize the limitation that the trait theory obtains

Web Lecture-Dialogic Democracy and Organization

In the web lecture we are informed of different types of possible democracies. These types of democracies include procedural, competitive, participatory, deliberative, and dialogic democracy. Of all these different ways of governing an organization I would say that the dialogic democracy method is the best way to organize an organization. Dialogic democracy benefits the entire organization because it takes active listening and speaking to move forward from one point to another. Organizations who can do get many people actively involved will make people more aware of there surrounds and as a result a better out put by everyone. The only negative to this style of democracy is that it is time consuming. Although this may be true, if time is what a company needs on order to be the most productive, then I would say that it was time well spent compared to a waste of time. 

Chapter 8- Teams

Good communication in teams is vital to its success most of the time. Teams can be found in all organizations, education, and simply through life. Teams with in organizations are defined as groups of employees with representation from a variety of functional areas within the organization to maximize the cross-functional exchange of information. We can see examples of this compared to departments in an organization. Each department has some assortment of teams; whether it’s sales, marketing, or even managing. Teams are vital because it allows for many different points of views and can lead to ground breaking discoveries that could have never happened if it was not for the 'team'. Some different types of teams include virtual, quality improvement, work teams, and also project teams. They all have a purpose and end up serving the whole organization, not only certain departments. 

Chapter 7- Communicating Multiple Identities

In this section we are reminded that as communicators we use symbols and communication to construct our own and others identities. There are many differences between all types of people, and these differences are important to know about when communicating. Allen give us three tools to help us communicate better in groups and on an individual bases. The first is to be mindful when communicating. We have to be aware of what comes out of our mouth so that relationships are not destroyed. The next step is to be proactive. And lastly we should fill our communication toolbox. Doing these three steps will better communication between humans. Knowing how to keep someone engaged, not responding ignorantly, and having a vast vocabulary and modes of communication are ways to improve new relationships that come in our lives.

Chapter 7- Frame 1: Gender Differences at Work

Not many people can disagree that men and women definitely have different ways of communication. In chapter seven we find out some of the ways that men and women converse while at work. According to Tannen of "You just don’t understand: Men and women conversations", Men seek status when engaging and women seek connections when speaking. This may be true, considering how men grow up from being boys; everything is a competition then. But to believe that it the only way men converse is not so in my opinion. Men can also have different motives to speaking with another person, especially in the work place. There are endless opportunities to build relationships in work rather than trying to prove status.