Information systems of an organization many social scientists

The research found the more cohesive the group the more communication was directed to obtain agreement. In other studies some subjects in the group were given different information from the main group and hence had the initial tendency to suggest a different solution. The more homogeneous or cohesive the group the more communication was directed at the deviant to obtain a change in his solution towards that of group agreement.

From this and other research Fastener has drawn up some theories to cover group pressures in communication:
(1) Pressure toward agreement is caused by:

(a) social reality-:-when actual information is low, group pressures can be strong, the 'loner' having fewer concrete facts with owlish to disagree or argue:

(b) group locomotion-the need to progress, as a group, towards a common goal. This factor is often apparent with political parties on approaching and election when old enmities are temporarily forgotten.

(2) The resulting quantity of communication to create agreement:

(a) increases the greater the discrepancy is thought to be;

(b) increases the greater the perceived importance of the discrepancy;

(c) increases the greater the group cohesiveness;

(d) increases toward the deviants;

(e) increases when a reduction in the difference of opinion is expected

(f) -decreases towards persons thought to be outside the group or not wanted in the group.

(3) The amount of change in opinions:

(a) increases with the pressure for agreement-the more the pressure the more the change;

(b) increases with group cohesiveness;

(c) decreases when the recipient knows of other groups holding his present beliefs, giving him an anchor in an agreement or even a 'new home' if the pressure becomes unbearable.

(4) The tendency to reject members:

(a) increases with the perceived discrepancy;
(b) increases with group cohesiveness;
(c) increases with the relevance of the issue.

In the examination of the information systems of an organization many social scientists attempt first to identify social groupings. From the research reviewed it appears realistic for some purposes to view a business organization as a collection of small social groups of overlapping membership rather than to view it as a set of individuals linked by lines of authority and responsibility. The analysis of information generation and flow throughout the organization can be aimed by considering groups as the main units of which the organization is comprised and by consideration of individual behavior as an expression in part of group processes.

The manager of today needs to choose his methods

Various approaches have been made to improve organizational communication which, although often quite different, is widely applied in industry. Few, however, have been subjected to rigorous examination, for their adoption or rejection seems often dependent on the subjective judgments of the top management involved. The results of a study indicate that although all the firms communicated with a certain degree of effectiveness, the communication differences between the "firms were quite markedly comparing the firms; the degree to which organizational factors were responsible for good or bad communication could be calculated. The practical implications of this analysis are discussed in detail below.