Communication Theory
Communication theory is the basis of the modern approach to management as all individuals create meanings only in the course of interaction. For this reason, to exchange information effectively and organize processes, people should consider personal and interpersonal peculiarities of actors engaged in the interaction (West & Turner, 2014). Only under these conditions progress can be achieved.
Meaning
The main idea of the discussed theory is that meaning is the core of any communication as it should be created to achieve high levels of understanding. There are six levels of meaning that include content, speech acts, episodes, relationships, life scripts, and cultural patterns. All types are closely interrelated as the higher levels help to interpret and better understand low-level meanings (West & Turner, 2014). Consideration of all these elements helps to create beneficial cooperation and attain positive results.
Invention
The theory was firstly introduced by Pearce and Cronen in their cogitations about how people try to achieve improved understanding and coordination by managing the ways in which they convey meanings (West & Turner, 2014). They offer the metaphor of the theatrical world where people might understand each other better if they have a script. In other situations, there is a need for the achievement of conversational coherence to succeed and play well.
Development
The coordinated management of meaning theory (CMM) that emphasized the increased role of communication became one of the central conceptions because of the growing need to move away from the existed empirical tradition (West & Turner, 2014). For this reason, the utilization of various approaches and combination of philosophical, psychological, and educational perspectives created the basis for the further rise and CMM’s becoming the dominant framework in the field of management.
Theoretical Framework
Another distinctive feature of CMM is its close connection with other significant theories. For instance, regarding the idea of social constructionism states that cooperating people co-construct their own social reality, which is critical for the improved understanding (West & Turner, 2014). That is why interpersonal and social meanings acquire the top priority for CMM as they help to understand the importance of communication better (Griffin, 2014).
Practical Application
Specialists state that CMM is the only practical theory that helps to achieve positive results in managing organizations by improving social interactions and communications between the members of the collective and contributes to the achievement of outlined goals (West & Turner, 2014). For this reason, the scope of its application is extremely broad. The integration of CMM into the functioning of organizations can have a positive impact on their results and future perspectives (Wassernan & Fisher-Yoshida, 2017). At the same time, the adherence to this very model might create the basis for the implementation of other communication theories that will help to understand the existing employees’ needs better and cultivate the positive atmosphere in teams, which is critical regarding the development of firms.
References
Cole, G. (2015). Management: Theory and practice. London, England: Cengage Learning.
Griffin, E. (2014). A first look at communication theory (9th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.
Dainton, M., & Zelley, E. (2018). Applying communication theory for professional life: A practical introduction (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.
Wassernan, I., & Fisher-Yoshida, B. (2017). Communicating possibilities: A brief introduction to the coordinated management of meaning. Chagrin Falls, OH: The Taos Institute Publications.
West, R., & Turner, L. (2014). Introducing communication theory (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.