 The term organizational communication could reasonably bring to mind a variety of different things. Writing or giving a presentation for your job, to companies sharing information, or even advertising and marketing efforts. While these are all important activities, our discussion of organizational communication will focus more on the theoretical and practical application of communication practices among the people who make up an organization. Let's take a moment to clarify that distinction for the purposes of our discussion. In this video we will define organizational communication as it relates to our study of the topic. In our examination we will define organizational communication as interactions among a stable system of individuals who, through a hierarchy of ranks and divisions of labor, work together to achieve common goals. That can be quite a mouthful. Let's take a look at some of the constituent parts of that definition. First, organizational communication involves a stable system of individuals. This indicates that there is in fact a system or framework in which these individuals are operating. As we will learn, this system involves inputs, through-puts, and outputs, and both influences and is influenced by internal and external environmental factors. Additionally, there is a degree of stability and consistency to that system. Next, organizational communication operates through a hierarchy of ranks. Organizations will vary in the relative flatness of hierarchy, but there is an observable pecking order that affects communication within the system. A division of labor is also characteristic of organizations. Not only do groups benefit from the availability of more hands to which they can distribute the workload, a division of labor can also enhance the organizational effectiveness through specialization of tasks and allowing individuals to focus on those things that they do best. An organization is also defined by the identification and pursuit of a common goal. Without such an objective, you simply have a collection of people vaguely moving in the same direction. Organizations have a clear purpose and vision, and organizational communication is an important tool in helping them reach that goal. Hopefully this helps to clarify and frame our discussion of organizational communication moving forward. Feel free to refer back to this video if you need a reminder that organizational communication involves interactions among a stable system of individuals who, through a hierarchy of ranks and divisions of labor, work together to achieve common goals.