We are in a turbulent time with rapid change in the institutions and organizations with which we are most familiar. Fundamentals of Organizational Communication: Knowledge, Sensitivity, Skills, Values was written to help readers experience twenty-first-century organizational challenges within the context of learning about communication and organizations.
The ninth edition of this book presents the concepts of organizational communication within a unique competency-based approach that incorporates personal knowledge, inter- personal sensitivity, communication skills, and ethical values. It blends theory, practice, and analysis with an emphasis on knowledge, sensitivity, skills, and values.
Why a competency-based approach? The answer is simple: organizing material by competency components is academically relevant, individually practical, and important to organizations. Favorable responses to earlier editions from both students and faculty support the competency-based mix of theory and application. In addition, studies in the United States of America and internationally describe both human and techno- logical communication as the keys to excellence in the twenty-first century. Numerous employer surveys have found that accurately processing large volumes of information within organizations, although necessary, is not sufficient for excellence; employers need individuals who take personal responsibility for building relationships that con- tribute to trust, quality communication, innovation, and change.