ABSTRACT
In any organization, communication is critical to effective management! Communication breakdowns can have draconian effects on public organizations, as in the case of the space shuttle Challenger (Graber, 1992, Tompkins, 1993). Conversely, effective communication can enhance organizational productivity. For example, recent research conducted at a number of leading companies has shown that communication is a pivotal element in promoting continuous improvement and organizational learning (Young and Post, 1993). In its most generic sense, communication involves sending and receiving messages over channels. However, communication implies that messages are understood in the sense that the sender intended. Consequently, communication has two essential elements, one is message transfer, the other message comprehension. As we shall see, both elements are necessary for effective interpersonal and organizational communication (Clampitt, 1991, Hewes, 1994, Tannen, 1994).
