Organizational Communication: A Structural And Functional Analysis

Communication is the life blood of an organisation. The communication system of an organisation is an increasingly powerful determinant of the organisation?s effectiveness, and it may have a limiting effect on the ability of the organisation to grow, to perform efficiently, or to survive. The research approach of communication scientists in the past has seriously under estimated the impact of structure on communication in the organisations. Any breakdown in either can render the communication system inoperative. The intellectual separation of communication from organisation has discouraged the development of oranisational communication as an integrated mode of inquiry. Thus the present investigation was designed to study the ?structure? and ?function? of the communication system of the Andhra Pradesh Agricultural University, Hyderabad. The study made some significant revelations about communication existing in the organisation with interesting implications. It brought to light the ills of hierarchical administrative system in misunderstanding one?s own role and utter disregard of other?s role expectations. Communicative openness-communicative initiative and receptiveness in the other causality is the existing structure. Role conflict and Role ambiguity were found to be quite prevalent in the system. The study has thrown adequate light on how to tackle these communication problems to promote Role Efficacy through uninhibited communicative initiative and unbiased response under the work climate free from ambiguity and conflict in role situations.