PMGT5872 · People and Communications
Organisational Communication & Culture
Week 7 zooms out from the individual to the organisation: the purposes of organisational communication, organisational culture through Schein's three levels, the difference between supportive and dysfunctional cultures, and organisational structures — mechanistic versus organic, and functional, matrix and projectised — with their communication and project-manager-authority implications. Understanding structure and culture helps you explain why communication flows the way it does in the projects you analyse.
What this chapter covers
- 01Purpose of organisational communication: inform on roles/tasks and create community
- 02Four purposes (Dwyer): control, motivate, balance needs and goals, manage knowledge
- 03Balancing organisational goals (efficiency, profit, control) with individual goals (development, security)
- 04Schein's three levels of culture: artefacts, espoused values, basic underlying assumptions
- 05Supportive vs dysfunctional culture; three steps to build culture (identify, promote, facilitate standards)
- 06Mechanistic vs organic structures and when each fits
- 07Functional, matrix (weak/balanced/strong) and projectised structures
- 08How structure sets the project manager's authority, budget control and resource access
Applied: reading structure and culture to explain a communication problem
- +2(a) This is a functional (or weak-matrix) structure: staff report to functional managers, so the project manager has little authority, limited budget control and poor resource availability — exactly the release and priority problems described.
- +2(b) Recommend moving toward a stronger matrix or projectised structure, where the project manager gains balanced-to-full authority, budget control and resource loyalty. The trade-off (dual reporting in a matrix) should be named, but it directly addresses the resourcing and decision-speed problems.
- +2(c) The culture gap is a Schein mismatch: the poster is an espoused value (open door), but the basic underlying assumption — the unconscious, real rule — is that raising problems is unsafe. Because assumptions, not slogans, drive behaviour, the fix is to change what leaders actually reward, not to publish another value statement.
Key terms
- Schein's three levels of culture
- Artefacts (visible structures and behaviour), espoused values (stated strategies and goals), and basic underlying assumptions (unconscious, taken-for-granted beliefs that really drive behaviour).
- Mechanistic structure
- A rigid, hierarchical, top-down structure with authority by position; best when goals are stable and tasks are simple and predictable.
- Organic structure
- A fluid, flat structure with decisions made at many levels and authority by expertise; best when tasks are uncertain and the environment is complex.
- Matrix structure
- A structure combining functional and project lines with dual reporting; comes in weak, balanced and strong forms that give the project manager increasing authority.
- Projectised structure
- A structure organised by project, where the project manager holds full authority and controls resources, and teams are temporary.
- Espoused values vs basic assumptions
- The Schein distinction between what an organisation says it believes (espoused values, e.g. an "open door") and the unconscious assumptions that actually govern behaviour.
Organisational Communication & Culture FAQ
How does organisational structure affect a project manager's authority?
Authority rises across a spectrum: in a functional structure the project manager has little authority, no budget control and poor access to resources, because staff answer to functional managers. It increases through weak, balanced and strong matrix forms (which add dual reporting) to a projectised structure, where the project manager has full authority, budget control and resource loyalty. Diagnosing the structure tells you immediately how much leverage the project manager really has.
What are Schein's three levels of culture?
Artefacts are the visible layer — structures, processes, dress, stories. Espoused values are the consciously stated strategies, goals and slogans. Basic underlying assumptions are the unconscious, taken-for-granted beliefs that actually drive behaviour. The practical insight is that when espoused values (a poster saying "we welcome bad news") contradict the underlying assumptions (people who raise problems get punished), the assumptions win — so changing culture means changing what is really rewarded.
What is the difference between a mechanistic and an organic structure?
A mechanistic structure is rigid and hierarchical, with top-down decisions and authority by position; it works well when goals are stable and tasks are simple and repeatable. An organic structure is fluid and flat, with decisions distributed and authority based on expertise; it works well when tasks are uncertain and the environment is complex and changing. Many projects need a blend, matching the structure to the stability of the work.
Can AI help me analyse organisational communication and culture?
Yes. Sia can quiz you on mapping a structure to project-manager authority, explain Schein's three levels with fresh examples, and help you diagnose a culture or structure problem in a scenario for your analysis. It explains the method and checks your reasoning; it does not write your assignment, and academic-integrity rules apply.
Exam move
Learn to name a structure (functional, matrix weak/balanced/strong, projectised) and immediately read off the project manager's authority, budget control and resource access — that mapping is high-value. For culture, drill Schein's three levels and always test whether espoused values match basic assumptions, since that gap explains most dysfunctional cultures. Use these lenses to explain communication flows in the project you analyse. Confirm assessment requirements on Canvas.
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