Why control function and emotional expression is important in organizational communication

Why control function and emotional expression is important in organizational communication

In our previous discussion, we got to know the essence of the informational and motivational functions in an organizational setting. I already disclosed that there are four functions of organizational communication of which two have already been discussed, we will look at the remaining two in this article.

Why control function and emotional expression is important in organizational communication by quikcounsel.com

The aim is for you to know how communication affects organizational functions and why communication should effectively be used in the right way and at the right time. Some organizations have collapsed today as a result of poor communication between management and the employees as well. As a professional, you need to know this. I always encourage students especially to master the art of communication and know how communication is used in organizations. Every profession you find yourself in has a group of people, structure, and common goal which qualifies it to be an organization, hence you must know the functions of organizational communication. Now let us consider that right away.

What we discussed previously was the informational and motivational functions, this time around, we will look at the emotional expression function and control function. For those who are new to these terms, I know you are asking what role emotional expression plays in an organization since professional conduct has nothing to do with emotions. Well, I used to be you but by the end of this article, you will appreciate all the four organizational communication functions.

Now, let us begin with the control function. This is the communication function that talks about rules and processes employees must follow in an organization. Every organization has its rules and regulations which others refer to as a code of conduct. And every member of the organization should abide by those. Why control? Control is used here because without these laid down principles and rules of conduct, some people may probably act waywardly in an organization and so when the rules are set, it indirectly controls the conduct of the employees. 

You may want to argue that how is this control function different from the informational function since rules of conduct and other principles are all information provided to employees. Well, you may have a point but I don’t think updates about changes in the organization or appraisal for hardworking employees have any control effect on you in the organization, right? But consider information that states that employees are no longer reporting to work at 7 o’clock am but rather 6 o’clock am, do you just receive such information and not do anything? Of course, no! You are forced to report to work at exactly 6 o’clock and that is the control function of this communication within the organization. Can you guess of other examples? Yeah, so what I need you to know is that any communication that outlines certain criteria of behavior accepted within an organization is the control function of organizational communication.

Using this function separately will instill some discipline in employees. There is a time for everything and so when you tend to mix the time of informational communication with control communication, you might be deviating as a leader of an organization since your subjects may misinterpret the nature of whatever communication you release to them. Basically, and ideally, use the control function separately.

One other function which is the last one I will discuss with my readers is the emotional expression function and to me, it is the most underrated organizational function. Employees are not giving their all, are not happy, and are not working up to expectations because of this function some organizations seem to be undermined. This communicational function is the one that allows employees or members to express themselves, air their grievances, and interact with others.

Organizations are not authoritarian firms, members must be able to voice out their problems, their suggestions, and their grievances to the management. Employees should feel a sense of belonging to a family, they should be seen as important players in the organization and that is achievable with the emotional expression function.

From my experience in my undergraduate days as a strategic communicator practitioner, one thing I have learned is that, if the people within an association or group cannot express themselves freely, there is no way they can approach the management if something goes waywardly. Look, leaders of organizations must take this from me; employees are not laborers and there should not be anything like laborers in this 21^st century. Make them feel that they are part of the process. Give them the chance to express themselves emotionally at certain times. Sometimes it is out of this communication that an employee can freely bring out a problem he or she has with the management and the necessary amendments be done right away.

I must say that the emotional expression function is the most important of them all because if people cannot express themselves freely because they are underpinned, how would they be happy to follow rules from the control function, receive updates from the informational function, and also be happy for others who are praised through the motivational function of organizational communication. At the end of the day, it all falls back to using all four functions for the effective growth of an organization. Communication is an important aspect in every organization that should be well looked at. Employees need to know and management within organizations also have to know.

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