What Do McPhee and Other Communicative Constitution of Organization Theorists

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The Answer is McPhee and other theorists who subscribe to the communicative constitution of organization (CCO) perspective argue that organizations are not merely structures or entities that exist independently of communication. Instead, they propose that communication is the very process through which organizations come into being, are sustained, and evolve over time. This perspective is grounded in the idea that it is through communicative acts that the social reality of an organization is constructed.

When McPhee and others say that "any company is what it is because communication brings the organization into existence," they are emphasizing several key points:

1. **Creation through Communication**: Organizations are created through the ongoing process of communication. This includes the initial conversations that lead to the formation of the organization, the development of its goals and strategies, and the negotiation of roles and responsibilities among its members.

2. **Maintenance and Adaptation**: Communication is not only foundational in the creation of an organization but is also critical for its maintenance and adaptation. Through internal and external communication, organizations coordinate activities, manage relationships, make decisions, and respond to changes in their environment.

3. **Constitutive Processes**: The CCO perspective identifies four flows of communication that are constitutive of organizations: membership negotiation, self-structuring, activity coordination, and institutional positioning. These flows are ongoing processes that continuously shape the organization.

- **Membership Negotiation**: This involves communication that defines who is a part of the organization and what their roles are.
- **Self-Structuring**: This refers to communication that shapes the internal structures and hierarchies of the organization.
- **Activity Coordination**: This encompasses the communication necessary to coordinate the various activities and tasks that need to be accomplished.
- **Institutional Positioning**: This involves communication that defines the organization's relationship to its external environment and stakeholders.

4. **Emergent Properties**: The organization is seen as an emergent property of communication, meaning that it arises from the complex interplay of communicative acts rather than existing as a pre-defined, static structure.

5. **Social Construction**: The CCO perspective is rooted in the broader theory of social constructionism, which posits that our understanding of reality is shaped through our interactions and the meanings we co-create through communication.

In summary, McPhee and other CCO theorists view organizations as dynamic processes that are continuously being constituted and reconstituted through communication. They argue that it is through the ongoing exchange of messages, the negotiation of meanings, and the coordination of actions that the very essence of what an organization is—and what it can become—is realized.

What Do McPhee and Other Communicative Constitution of Organization Theorists

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