workplace relationships, 387 organizational culture, 389 organizational networks, 390 organizational climate, 392
 defensive climate, 392
supportive climate, 392 |
professional peers, 396 mixed-status relationships, 400
upward communication, 400
downward communication, 402
You can watch brief, illustrative videos of these terms and test your understanding of the concepts by clicking on the VideoCentral features in the chapter. |
The Nature of Workplace Relationships
- Our workplace relationships are shaped by many forces. Two of the most powerful are organizational culture and organizational networks. Most workers learn their organization’s culture—communication norms, artifacts, and values—during new employee socialization and from interacting with members of various networks.
- Organizational networks are the principal source of workplace information for most employees. Information in networks is exchanged through face-to-face encounters, memos, phone, and e-mail. Virtual networks also exist, particularly for workers who telecommute from home.
- When members of networks share common beliefs and personal values, they sometimes form workplace cliques. Cliques can provide useful insider information to new employees. Cliques can also be disruptive, particularly when they encourage unethical employee behavior.
- The overall emotional tone of your organization, known as the organizational climate, can be rigid and cold in a defensive climate, open and warm in a supportive climate, or, in most cases, somewhere in between.
- While technology in the workplace connects workers in a relational fashion, it also creates opportunities for cyberslacking. It is important to remember that anything you do on a company computer is considered company property.
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- Our closest workplace relationships are with our professional peers. Friendships between peers evolve from frequent interaction and common interests. The same is true for virtual peers.
- We maintain peer relationships through positivity, openness, assurances, and the ability to relate to our coworkers as humans, not just colleagues.
Mixed-Status Relationships
- The primary interpersonal dynamic in mixed-status relationships is power. The difference in power between workers and managers makes forming friendships across status lines challenging.
- Much of upward communication is designed to gain influence. Although people use different tactics, the most effective is advocacy, designing a message that is specifically tailored to the viewpoints of your superior.
- When engaging in downward communication, it’s important to communicate in positive, empathic, respectful, and open ways.
Challenges to Workplace Relationships
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Workplace bullying can occur in a variety of ways, including cyberbullying. Such bullying targets physical and psychological health.
- Even though romances in the workplace are common, they offer some positives and challenges. If you become involved in such a relationship, it is important to always maintain professional communication with your partner at work.
- Although many people think sexual harassment is on the wane, incidences have actually increased over the past decade.
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