Organizational Communication

Five years before I waved hello to the earth (1989), a degree program was born.

A degree program that I never imagined myself would be in to. A degree program that never existed in my knowable realm when I was in high school.

Then one March 2006 day, I went to UP Manila’s Office of the University Registrar and settled my DPWS (degree program with available slot) status. One program attracted me to choose it as my first choice:

BA Organizational Communication

Organizational Communication: From A Student’s Perspective
Now, I am a senior student in this degree program. Perhaps, if you have not heard about Organizational Communication, you can just say, maybe it is about Mass Communication or anything about Communication.

But, sorry. Let us correct that. Fret not, no textbook definitions here.

Basically, BA Organizational Communication is concerned with both the internal and external communication processes happening to the organization (any organization for that matter), to minimize or resolve conflict.

Do you always experience the problem, MISCOMMUNICATION? Oh yes, we always do. Which is why Organizational Communication is here. And Organizational Communication practitioners are molded to spread enlightenment in organizations.

How Organizational Communication Works
You see, Organizational Communication plays a vital role in the organization. It aims for consistency of message, richness of the channel/medium used to convey the message, and success of a particular communication tool. Though, the framework of Organizational Communication is a whole lot complex than that of my previous statement, you can somehow get the picture by those three steps. Still hard to digest? Let me give you an example:

Miscommunication

Image from this site.

In this cartoon, a typical miscommunication is shown. With proper Organizational Communication processes, the Analyst could have designed it exactly the same as how the customer explained it. Why? Because communication competency should not be neglected as a vital part of the work. If only the Project Leader is an Organizational Communication practitioner, these questions could have been asked or pondered about:
1. What does the customer exactly want? Need?
2. How do I craft the message to the Analyst?
3. What medium or channel or communication tool should I use to communicate this to the Analyst?
4. What approach should I employ in communicating the need or opportunity to the Analyst?
5. What approach should I employ in communicating questions, clarifications, suggestions to the customer?
6. What are the appropriate and rich messages that I should communicate to the customer? to the Analyst?
7. How do I measure the consistencies of the message? Did I understand what the customer wanted? Did the Analyst understand what the customer wanted through my explanation?
Perhaps, if these questions were asked and acted upon, the miscommunication could have been minimized.

How about this one?

Miscommunication

Similar, but not the same. Similar, but different perspectives.

Image from this site.

That is how Organizational Communication comes into play. It seeks to bridge that gap. It seeks to resolve that conflict.

Organizational Communication: A Call To Order
You may ask: “Is Organizational Communication only for resolving these miscommunications happening in the organization?”
I beg to disagree. Organizational Communication does not only resolve these problems, but prevents it from happening. It serves to maintain clear messages that flow through the organization’s communication lines. It aims for a sustainable strategy on how to maintain that order.

From image #1, for example, the Project Leader is replaced by an Organizational Communication practitioner. Since this kind of problem is existing in the organization, the new Organizational Communication Project Leader solved it by getting the correct message across and ensuring that both parties understood it. So, how would it be sustainable? The new Organizational Communication Project Leader could have devised a communication plan as to how client reports are to be explained to the Analyst and how the Project Leader should pitch ideas to the customer.

See how important you are in an organization if you are an Organizational Communication practitioner?

Now, let me take you to the degree program per se.

Organizational Communication: The COMMUNICATION course in the University of the Philippines Manila
Generally, BA Organizational Communication is a 4-year degree, under the Department of Arts and Communication of the College of Arts and Sciences. Let us go over the units:

Source: The UP Manila Organizational Communication Website

Major courses
Organizational Communication 101 – Introduction to Organizational Communication
Organizational Communication 104 – Interpersonal Communication
Organizational Communication 140 – Introduction to Organizational Communication Theories
Organizational Communication 107 – Intercultural Communication
Linguistics 100 – Introduction to the Study of Language
Organizational Communication 142 -  Communication Processes and Organizational Structures
Speech Communication 137 – Group Discussion and Conference Leadership
Organizational Communication 109.1 – Technical Writing I
Organizational Communication 145 – Psycholinguistics
Organizational Communication 105 – Dynamics of Public Relations
Organizational Communication 155 – Statistics
Speech Communication 183 – Audio-Visual Communication
Organizational Communication 143 – Managerial Communication
Organizational Communication 109.2 – Technical Writing II
Organizational Communication 180 – Practicum (Summer)
Organizational Communication 152 – Communication Trends and Styles
Speech Communication 133 – Argumentation and Debate
Organizational Communication 199 – Organizational Communication Research
Organizational Communication 153 – Communication Strategies
Speech Communication 136 – Forms of Public Address
Organizational Communication 200 – Thesis

Cognates
Developmental Studies 126 – Philippine Constitution
Developmental Studies 128 – Human Resources
Anthropology 185 – Culture

Electives
Any 100-level non-scientific course
Examples are PhilArts 126, PolSci 185, Psych 101, etc.

Need-to-know prerequisites
Communication II – For Organizational Communication 101
Communication III – For Speech Communication 133 and 137
Math 11 – For Organizational Communication 155
Organizational Communication 101 – For ALL major courses
Linguistics 100 – For Organizational Communication 145
Organizational Communication 109.1 – For Organizational Communication 109.2
90 units course work – Organizational Communication 180
Organizational Communication 155 and Organizational Communication
109.2 – For Organizational Communication 199
Organizational Communication 199 – For Organizational Communication 200

Career Path
Organizational Communication graduates can work in various arms of an organization. Some of which are:
1. Corporate Communications (or Corporate Affairs)
2. Public Relations
3. Advertising (be an Account Executive or a Copywriter)
4. Publishing
5. Marketing
6. Communication Research
7. Strategic Planning
8. Human Resources
9. Sales
10. Broadcasting
11. Management Consultant

One of the many successful Organizational Communication practitioners is Ms. Ingrid Cudia, who now has her own SEO firm, Sieg Web Solutions. If you want to be as successful as Ms. Ingrid, then Organizational Communication is the way to go.

Questions?
You can always ask us, UP Manila Organizational Communication Students, for more stories about our experiences. On a very significant note, you may notice that Organizational Communication has lesser load compared to Scientific degree programs. Why? Because each major subject entails a gigantic pile of theoretical and practical works that will surely hone you to be the most effective communicators of the generation. Organizational Communication majors are known to always have legworks such as interviews, case studies, communication plan formulations, PR plan formulations, and many more. This set of experiences expose the students to the corporate world, as well as to the big people in the industry.

Last words
You must not underestimate Organizational Communication, because, you may be an expert with numbers, but if you cannot make your audience understand what you are talking about, then there is a high possibility that your work is wasted (literally). So, if you want to contribute to corporate enlightenment, or any of that matter, the University of the Philippines Manila’s BA Organizational Communication is the perfect course for you!