Communication and Power

The most important concept to the critical theorist is that of power. Power can be shaped and communicated in many different ways within an organization, and the way power functions in organizations affect how people behave within the organization. The critical approaches seek to examine the ways power functions in an organization, business, team or group, whose efforts and investments are served by those power structures, and who is disadvantaged and/or silenced by the way power operates. Who has a voice, and which voices are silenced or remain silent?

In this Assignment, you will apply the concept of power to a government, regime, business or group.

You can pick between the government, regime, business or group.

Consider the elements of power outlined in your course text. (Chapter 6 attached) Identify and research a government, regime, business or group and apply the elements of power to that organization.

Reference for text:

Miller, K. (2015). Organizational communication: Approaches and processes (7th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.

2-page paper, apply the elements of power to your selected government or regime.

In your paper, answer the following questions:

• How was/is power distributed within the organization?

• Identify an example of concertive control in the group.
• Discuss the ethical implications of that concertive control. How might those issues be addressed using a critical approach to organizations?