THE THEORIES OF COMMUNICATION AND THEIR DIFFERENT ROLES IN THE CORPORATE WORLD

For effective communication to take place, there are theories which must be used. These theories are deployed in such a way that a group of individuals in a corporate world are familiar with signs, symbols, and systems through which people, their customers/clients inclusive, receive and process information in order to bring the desired results.

These theories include actor-network theory, agenda setting theory, cognitive dissonance theory, communication accommodation theory, confirmation bias, cultivation theory, hypodermic needle theory etc.

Actor-Network Theory (ANT) is a theory which explains the fact that both the human and non-human factors are what come together to form a network which influence the shape of an organization.

It is true to say that anything can act as an actor in a network – be it an automated machine, a stamp, a table, a law, a cashier, a security man, a chief executive, a generating set etc. If any of these fails to perform their duties, your bank, for instance, would not serve you well. Can you see how important this theory is to a corporate world? It suggests an indication that every single individual or entity is equally important in an organization.

Another theory of communication is Adaptive Structuration Theory (AST) which views corporate organizations as systems of communication. When different individuals come together as a team, they come from different backgrounds, cultures, views, trainings, temperaments etc. This theory suggests that the accumulation of their differences goes a long way to influence the structure they would come up with in such an organization.

The above theory is the reason for which every organization is unique. The uniqueness does not just happen; the establishment of rules, utilization of resources, achievement of cohesiveness, accomplishment of goals, and adaptation happen as a result of the social and historical or cultural assumptions brought to the table by each member. It means whatever the members of staff of a specific organization inputs is what translates to the output you would enjoy as their client or customer.

Agenda-Setting Theory explains how the mass media determines the focus of public attention by flooding the masses with a specific news. This is done is such a way that a certain news is repeated at short intervals as though there was no other events. The reason for the emphasis is to transfer the agenda of the news outlet to the masses. The more the news is repeated, the more the masses pay attention to it, and the more they believe the story.

This theory of communication plays a prominent role in the corporate world. You must have wondered why some companies always spend so much money to advertise their products in mass, print, and social media. The reason is simple: they want you to pay attention to their products to the point of getting them registered in your memory and choose them whenever you go for shopping. Of course, when you don’t have any other product in mind, it is the one you remember that becomes your choice!

Cognitive Dissonance Theory is used to psychologically challenge an individual into choosing a certain belief, product, or service over another. It is this theory that every preacher, salesperson, or politician uses to appeal to the emotion of their listeners.

What the above theory does is to simply present a product or an idea to an audience and compel them to choose it over another competing idea or product. While doing this, the salesperson or organization uses attractive words or slogans to entice or captivate the potential consumer. When the latter must have made a choice of buying the product, he is fulfilled that he made the right choice of buying it.

Have you found yourself in a situation where you speak and behave exactly the same way the person you’re talking to does? This is what Communication Accommodation Theory explains. You remember when you were a teen and you wanted to speak exactly like your friends, despite the fact that your guardians frowned at it? You were only exhibiting the realities of the Communication Accommodation Theory.

Organizations and individuals which understand this theory find it easy to win the hearts of their clients because the latter would enjoy a sense of belonging which comes along with the theory. Imagine a salesperson who visits a group of young men who are playing football on a field; if such a salesperson wears a suit, he would not achieve his desired result as much as another salesperson who dresses like an athlete. The young men would easily identify with the latter.

Cultivation Theory of communication explains the fact that people who are constantly exposed to the mass media for a long time are more likely to see real life as the one they see on the media. For instance, such people want to talk the way they talk on media; they want to dress the way actors and actresses dress on media; they want to buy what are used and displayed on media; they want to live like those in the media are living.

As a result of the above, organizations make sure their products are regularly used and displayed on the social media. How do they do it? One, they advertise always, making sure their products flood the media for the masses to see. Two, they liaise with media personalities like journalists, actors, comedians etc. to use their products while they are online. They do this by giving them samples free of charge or subsidizing the prices.

In conclusion, it is obvious that communication plays a significant role at influencing the corporate world. Communication theories are always used to achieve this purpose. Among other theories, the following have been discussed above: Actor-Network Theory, Adaptive Structuration Theory, Agenda-Setting Theory, Cognitive Dissonance Theory, Communication Accommodation Theory, Cultivation Theory