Com 530 Organizational Behavior

Organizational Behavior and Communication

COM/530

February 10, 2014

Brent Smith

Organizational Behavior and Communication

The American Red Cross has a strong vision and mission statement that shares the company’s core values and goals. These values and goals act as a foundation of guidelines for the group to adhere to and follow. The mission of the American Red Cross is to “prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors” (American Red Cross, 2014). There are times when an organization does not adhere to the values and goals they have published. The misalignment between espoused values and enacted values will affect the understanding of the American Red Cross. The purpose of this paper is to explain the culture of the American Red Cross, noting whether the company’s espoused values align with its enacted values. The paper will show to what extent communication in an organization determines an organization’s culture. The paper will explain the role communication plays in perception and organizational culture and will identify the role of conflict in group communication (University of Phoenix, 2014).

The American Red Cross is one of the nation’s top humanitarian organizations. The American Red Cross focuses on helping other in needs thought the United States and all other countries. The organization is dependent upon donations of time, blood, and money from the public in order to continue lifesaving services and programs (American Red Cross, 2014). Clara Barton established the American Red Cross in 1881 in Dansville, New York. Today, Washington D.C. is home of the American Red Cross headquarters, with a nationwide network of over 700 chapters (Peerbolte, 17-18, 2011).

Organizational culture “refers to a system of shared meaning held by members that distinguish the organization from other organizations” (Robbins & Judge, 2011, 520). The organizational culture of the...