Communication function of management - General concept. Classification. Role

Do you know what surprise awaits some English learners? They go and go to a language school, learn and learn grammar and vocabulary, improve their pronunciation, learn to understand speech by ear...

And then - bam! They go abroad and... can’t do the simplest things. They don't know what to answer to 'For here or to go?'; don’t know how to ask “Is it busy here?”

Why? Because they forgot about communication functions.

So, what are communicative functions in English and what is their place in language learning? Why do you need to know ten ways to say “thank you” and how much the good old will

? Is it possible to learn English using phrasebooks, and how will this “phrasebook-style” turn out in practice?

Term and its definition

The term “culture” itself comes from the Latin colere and arose about 2000 years ago. At first, this word meant tillage and all kinds of agricultural work. The concepts of “agriculture”, “horticultural culture”, “agricultural culture” and others still echo the past.

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In the first century BC, Cicero first used this term in relation to a person, denoting with it the upbringing, education and values ​​of a citizen and an individual. Since then, this cultural concept has begun to develop in a new direction.

Since upbringing and education are unthinkable without separating the human world from the environment, very soon culture began to mean this circle of special values ​​and activities that transform a simple person into a reasonable person, and over time into a privileged person - having access to knowledge, books, theater or science.

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Over time, the term acquired new meanings. With the development of science, the word “culture” began to be referred to various time milestones - “the culture of ancient Rome.” It was used to highlight certain social groups - “hippie culture” or areas of life - “urban culture”.

In everyday life, this cultural term began to designate a certain hypothetically ideal moral character of a person as a synonym for “good manners.”

Today, there are about 1000 definitions of the concept “culture”, more or less overlapping with each other.

Functions of culture

Based on the above, we can conclude that culture plays a vital role in the life of each individual society and all humanity as a whole. It is a unique means of collecting, storing and transmitting all human experience to future generations.

The cognitive, adaptive, educational, normative, entertaining, symbolic and communicative functions of culture are studied by cultural science. All these functions follow from each other or serve as the basis for one another.

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One thing is indisputable: culture is the basis, the foundation of humanity, and accumulates all the experience and knowledge ever gained into a system that regulates the life of society at all its levels.

Any individual exists in a certain cultural space. A person is inseparable from culture and throughout life they interact, changing and complementing each other.

Initially, a child's attitudes, values, views and interests are formed under the influence of the environment in which he is placed and in which he is forced to function. A person grows, and over time, on the basis of formed ideas, he, in turn, changes and shapes the environment in which new future individuals grow.

The implementation of this interaction is impossible without the communicative function of culture.

Communication functions

Since the time of Aristotle, thinkers have noted that the process of communication can manifest itself in different ways. Its essence depends on internal and external environmental conditions, declared and true goals of the parties, the number of participants, strategies and means of execution, etc. The functions of communication should be determined taking into account the influence of numerous factors on it. In the real process of transmitting messages, even in one communicative act, several functions are sometimes combined. Moreover, one or two of them are decisive, basic. We can also talk about the functions of this communication in general, that is, about what its role is in the life and activities of society and people.

As a rule, communication functions are isolated only for the purposes of applied scientific or research analysis. For example, this is necessary for consulting activities. An interaction model can be built by determining which functions are primary and which are secondary.

Communication as the only productive type of interaction

The emergence and existence of any society is impossible without communication. The Dictionary of Cultural Concepts defines communication as a process of interaction, the main purpose of which is the transfer of information.

Within the framework of one article it is impossible to cover the entirety, types and features of all types of communications possible in society. Therefore, let's take a closer look at some of them.

According to the method of transmitting information, communication can be divided into verbal and non-verbal. The “culture-person” system uses both types of communication to implement one of its most important functions - the first includes all types of languages ​​ever created by man, the second - gestures, facial expressions, body movements, timbre of voice and other paraverbal means.

The communicative function of culture involves interpersonal interaction between people. It so happens that a person is strong precisely in society - alone he is not able to cope with any difficult problem.

In most cases, without communication, a person falls out of society, does not feel like a full-fledged individual, and long-term isolation, as a rule, leads to moral degradation. Only through communication do people become members of society, and then, in turn, by communicating and interacting, they create and develop this very society. In this way, the communicative function of culture is realized.

Analysis of the stages of the communication process. Barriers

The implementation of the communicative function by the manager is a continuous chain of sequential, but at the same time, “overlapping” individual communication processes. Regardless of the content of communication, its goals, degree of complexity and nature, they all have a similar structure and principles of organization.

The general concept of the communicative process abstracts from its basic properties and places emphasis on its formal organization. It, in turn, includes two aspects - structural and technological.

The communication process consists of seven main structural components:

• Sender - the person (or group of persons) who is the source of the message for the exchange of messages;
• Message - the actual information that will be transmitted to the recipient;
• Recipient - the addressee (person or group) for whom the message is intended;
• Communication channel - a medium (or system of mediums) through which a message is transmitted;
• “Noise” is a combination of external (from the environment) and internal interference that distorts information intended for communication;
• Feedback - information from the recipient to the sender that is used to indicate the degree of understanding of the message;
• Correction - Changes made by the sender to the original information to make it understandable to the recipient.

The communication process goes through four main phases as it develops:

• the emergence of intention, design and formulation of an idea, information about which the sender then conveys the message;
• Constructing an idea - coding and choosing a method (channel) for its transmission;
• the transmission itself, that is, the communicative act itself;
• Decoding (understanding the meaning) of a message by the recipient.

The main components and phases of the communication process have a stable sequence. Thanks to feedback and correction, it becomes closed - circular.

The “ring principle” is important both organizationally and psychologically. This ensures the efficiency of all communications. It provides control over its effectiveness and the possibility of repeating the “ring”, that is, the entire communication cycle in case of ineffectiveness of its first implementation.

The substantive characteristics of individual components and stages of the communication process are most clearly manifested in the requirements of “good communication” (in the principles and rules for implementing the communicative function), as well as in their typical errors and “barriers” to communication. The difficulties and sources of errors (“barriers”) of communication are as diverse as the psyche itself. At the same time, among them the most typical and repetitive ones stand out. Overcoming them is an integral part of the communicative function of a leader.

Perception-interpretation error (caused by perception). People perceive the same situations differently and emphasize what they think is their main feature. They are usually convinced that their individual opinion is correct. For example, one study in psychology concludes that “the biggest mistake we all make is thinking that the world is really what it seems to us.” But it “seems” different to everyone. Depending on experience, area of ​​specialization, interests, etc. the same information is perceived and interpreted with very large differences or is not understood at all, and is even actively rejected.

Dispositional errors are caused by differences in the social, professional and life attitudes of people participating in a communication exchange. For example, if a leader has a history of persistent negative perceptions of a member of the organization, it will be extremely difficult to overcome, even if the subordinate provides truly important and necessary information. The information will either be rejected, misunderstood, or at least viewed with increased suspicion.

Status errors are possible due to large differences in the organizational status of communicators. It is well known how difficult it is for a “great leader” to understand the needs of a “simple worker.” In general, the greater the difference in status, the greater the likelihood of this type of error.

Sematic barriers arise due to the fact that natural language terms have the property of polysemy, i.e. multiple meanings and the presence of several semantic connotations. Consequently, they allow for the possibility of ambiguous understanding between the speaker and the listener, which is reinforced by differences in their attitudes, goals and status, and also depends on the overall context of communication. Each person's personal context is different, leading to semantic differences and errors. They can influence not only different understandings of individual words (concepts, terms), but also entire statements. For example, if a manager says, “Take care of it as soon as you have free time,” then the question arises as to how he understands “free time” and how the subordinate interprets it. In general, all of the above types of errors can be summarized by the well-known aphorism: “The idea expressed is a lie.” To paraphrase, we can say that an idea expressed and received is a lie twice. In this context, the psychology of communication has formulated the rule: “The truth is not in the mouth of the speaker, but in the ears of the listener.”

Although verbal means are the most important in communication of all types, non-verbal means (gestures, facial expressions, intonation, manner of communication, pantomime, etc.) play a significant role. They are still more polysemantic than verbal ones. This causes differences in interpretation and leads to communication errors. Because verbal and nonverbal cues are typically used together, misinterpretation of nonverbal cues can lead to errors in understanding verbal messages.

Ineffective feedback is also one of the sources of communication errors, which, like another error, namely the inability to listen, will be discussed in more detail below.

Poorly worded message. The “vagueness” of instructions, their ambiguity, the presence of vague terms in them, the poverty of lexical means, the use of words in a figurative sense, repetition, the use of jargon and “home cooking”, simply ambiguity - all these are direct, very common and fairly obvious causes of communication errors.

The story of the Tower of Babel

As we have already found out, the communicative function of culture is that it ensures communication between people in the process of any activity. First of all, the need for such interaction arises during joint work.

A very clear example of the communicative function of culture is the biblical story of the Tower of Babel.

After the flood, the sons of Noah and their wives had many children, and then grandchildren. There were a lot of people, and they all spoke the same language. And then they decided to erect a huge tower as tall as God and thereby “make a name for themselves rather than be scattered throughout the whole earth.”

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People set to work with enthusiasm - some of them made bricks, others kneaded clay, others carried materials to the foot of the tower. The building grew before our eyes. God did not like their ambitions and plans, and so he came down from heaven and confused the languages ​​of all people.

The next morning they woke up and could not understand each other - brothers and sisters, parents and children spoke different languages. Construction slowed down greatly and then stopped altogether. People scattered all over the earth and founded their own cities and countries.

If we ignore the religious and moral component of the biblical parable, this story is very valuable from a cultural point of view. It clearly shows that the communicative function of culture ensures effective interaction between people, without which it is impossible to achieve common goals.

Communication and Communication: Similarities and Differences

How is communication different from communication? Both processes are forms of interaction between people necessary for building interpersonal, business relationships .

However, there are a number of differences that do not allow the concepts to be combined into one common process:

Communication process

We have already found out that the communicative function of culture is to ensure unhindered communication between individual individuals, as well as between society and the individual.

People use all kinds of languages ​​to communicate. This includes not only natural, historically formed adverbs, but also all kinds of artificial languages ​​- codes, mathematical and physical formulas, signs and symbols.

All artificial languages ​​can be divided into two large groups. The first includes those created to replace natural language, and the most striking example is Esperanto, composed of words of Latin and Greek origin. This also includes Morse code and all kinds of gesture systems.

The second group includes languages ​​created to solve various problems. This primarily includes the language of mathematics and physics, computer coding language and various algorithms.

The communication process can be divided into three parts:

• information coding;
• transfer of information;
• decoding the message.

At all three stages, information may be lost or distorted. Why is this happening? It is quite obvious that the communicative function of culture is implemented unevenly throughout the globe.

Different natural conditions, historical background, and cultural processes form completely different human societies. Each of them develops a completely individual language, which is almost impossible to translate into other languages ​​without losing any part of the information.

This is facilitated by the presence of so-called linguistic lacunae - the absence in the lexical system of one language of a concept to designate any phenomenon or object.

This is quite easily illustrated by the Russian word “ruka”, for which there is no suitable definition in English, where the hand itself is divided into two components - hand (arm from the hand to the elbow) and arm (arm from the elbow and above).

It would seem that such a simple word can hardly create significant problems in communication, but foreign language learners will easily prove the opposite to you. How do you hold your baby? On hands. Should I use hand or arm for this?

And if difficulties arise in such simple cases, then what about more complex gaps, when not only a word, but an entire phenomenon or concept is absent in the recipient or source language?

Such linguistic dilemmas cause great damage to the communicative function of a culture, but at the same time give rise to interesting phenomena such as code switching. We'll talk about this further.

Phrasebook-style

We've sorted out the connection between functions and structures. Now another question for filling. Maybe then, well, this vocabulary and grammar, as well as listening, reading, writing and what else is included in teaching English? Since they themselves are not very helpful in surviving in the language jungle, then what good are they? Maybe then it’s enough to just focus on functions and learn everyday phrasebook-style phrases?

I’ll answer the question very soon, but I’ll start with the background. I once had an idea to conduct an experiment: every time I go to a new country, I will buy a phrase book and try to use phrases from there already in the area. It’s very good that I started my experiment with a thought experiment. I just imagined how all this would happen.

So I go, say, to Hungary and buy a Russian-Hungarian phrasebook. On the left is a phrase in Russian, on the right is a phrase in Hungarian, in the middle is the pronunciation, probably in Russian letters.

Walking around Budapest, I suddenly want to go to the library and catch a local on the street to ask how to get there.

Even if I can quickly find the right phrase... Or okay, I can prepare and find the right phrase in advance! In any case, most likely, I will pronounce it in such a way that no native speaker will understand his native language in such a monstrous performance. But it can only be monstrous when you don’t know or take into account your native pronunciation at all. How can I know it if I have a style phrasebook and pronunciation in Russian letters?

Okay, let’s say I pronounced the phrase more or less clearly (or the speaker couldn’t bear it and just looked at how the phrase looked in printed form). What happens next? Then the carrier will answer my question “How to get to the library?” and... I won't understand ANYTHING. Well, how can I understand if I haven’t studied the language for a day, haven’t listened to audio, haven’t studied vocabulary? No way.

That is, even if I get smart and somehow SAY the right phrase, I won’t UNDERSTAND what they will answer me. And if by some miracle I still understand (maybe the host will explain it with gestures or dance to me about it) and I have a new or clarifying question, where should I look for it? All over the phrasebook? Nooo, this is no longer communication, but a complete profanation.

So my little thought experiment saved me from a big epic fail. And so it will be with everyone who learns only functional phrases in the style of a phrasebook))

Code switching in linguistic culture

What is code switching? This is a concept that appeared at the intersection of linguistics and cultural studies. It became widespread among immigrants. This is a spontaneous switching from one language to another and back.

There is internal (insertion of one word) and external (insertion of a phrase or sentence) switching. Almost always, a similar phenomenon occurs at the site of a linguistic lacuna.

Let's consider the effect of code switching using the example of Russian Germans. In German there is a rather capacious word Termin, meaning a certain appointed time, a meeting. This includes an appointment with a doctor or hairdresser, or a planned meeting with friends. There is definitely no exact equivalent of this word in the Russian language, so most immigrants, after just a few months of living in Germany, stop looking for a Russian word suitable for each specific case, replacing it with a German one.

Communicative culture: concept, features, structure, functions

The effect of code switching is inextricably linked to the communicative culture of the speaker. What does this phenomenon mean? Let us consider the concept, features, structure and functions of communicative culture in more detail.

Communication culture is a set of knowledge and personal skills that ensure friendly communication with other individuals. Its structure is made up of basic communication skills - general literacy, accessibility of speech for the interlocutor, adequacy of the use of words and expressions, appropriateness of the chosen tone of the conversation, control over the psycho-emotional state.

Communicative culture is a connecting link, a component of all types of cultures. Without it, effective interaction is simply impossible. The child begins to comprehend communicative culture literally from birth - with songs and nursery rhymes, with the first poems and ditties, copying and tracing the tone, phrases and reactions of people close to him.

A person in the “communicative culture - individual” system is both a recipient and a donor. The formation of a communicative culture of an individual involves:

• development of a number of psychological and mental properties;
• mastery of means of communication;
• formation of social attitudes;
• development of communication skills.

Thus, we can conclude that the main function of communicative culture includes the formation of human thinking and the search for the most effective ways to interact with other people. Developing effective communication skills will allow you to feel confident in any company and in any conditions, as well as learn to influence the development of the situation in your own interests.

Relationship between communicative functions and constructions

Interestingly, there is no clear linear relationship between constructs and functions/tasks. The same task can be performed in different language means. For example, there are many different ways to make an invitation:

• Let's go to the cinema
• How about going to the cinema?
• What about going to the cinema?
• Do you feel like going to the cinema?
• Would you like to go to the cinema?
• Want to go to the cinema?

…and others.

You can also say thank you in different ways:

• Thank you / Thanks / Many thanks / Thanks a million / Thank you so much
• I can't thank you enough
• I appreciate it
• Couldn't have done it without you

Why know 10 ways to say “thank you”?

Sometimes students say about this, they say, why do I need 10 different ways to say “thank you,” if in general one is enough? To this I usually answer that yes, indeed, one or two formulations are enough for self-expression.

But in order to understand others, you need to at least know (at least vaguely and approximately) all those other “useless” formulations. We didn't come here just to express ourselves, did we? And also to understand others and interact with them. And then one day they tell you something that is not obvious:

I appreciate it

... and you don’t give a damn, because “why do I need 10 ways to say thank you?” Accordingly, you also don’t know how to answer this. The conversation is over. Moreover, you can inadvertently acquire a reputation as a boor, as in the example above. Because it is customary to respond to gratitude in some way:

I appreciate it.

My pleasure.

One function - several designs

On this optimistic note, let's continue the conversation about the discrepancy between functions and designs. So, for example, when learning the verb should

, it is said to be used for advice. Such as:

• You should stay in a hotel.

But for advice there are other stable clichés and constructions:

• If I were you, I'd stay in a hotel
• Why don't you stay in a hotel?
• You're better off staying in a hotel.

One function (to give advice) has several ways of expression.

One design - several functions

The discrepancy also works in the opposite direction. Let's take for example will

. One of its functions is to make a prediction for the future:

• If it's sunny tomorrow, we'll have a picnic in the garden.

But besides this, will

performs a number of other functions. For example, you can use it to make a threat:

• (If you're late again,) I'll fire you.

And offer help:

• Hold on a second, I'll open the door for you

And promise:

• You can trust me. I won't tell anyone.

With this example, the opposite happened: one grammatical construction (will) - several functions.

So, no matter how much you would like to simplify your life, there is no such thing that one design corresponds to one function, and one function can be expressed in one single way. Most often, the linguistic reality will look something like this:

• one function - several constructions, several ways of expression
• one design - multiple functions, multiple uses

The role of the communicative function in artistic culture

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The main task of art, like language, is the preservation and transmission to subsequent generations of certain knowledge, skills and all kinds of information. Regardless of whether an artist, actor, musician or other cultural figure plans to convey certain information to other people or considers it only as a way of self-expression - art bears the imprint of the personality of the creator and the spirit of the time, and therefore is essentially a means communications.

What is the communicative function of culture and art? The whole point of the latter’s existence is to accumulate and transmit spiritual experience to other people. This means that art in itself is a unique means of communication not only between individuals, but also between different generations.

Being, however, a rather unique means of communication, art has its own specific features:

• Blurring boundaries. The communicative capabilities of any language are limited by the society of people who understand it. Art erases the boundaries between people, being a universal and accessible means of communication for everyone.
• Specificity of the task. If the goal of any verbal communication is to convey the maximum possible reliable information, then the task of art is to fill people with its ideological content and educate them spiritually.
• Uniqueness. If information encoded in one language can still be recoded into another, then a work of art is unique in nature - its value lies not only in content, but also in form. Thus, the magic of dance cannot be conveyed through painting, and the depth of painting cannot be expressed in any way through theatrical performances.

What other functions of communication are there?

We have identified three basic functions, but many experts note that this is a somewhat simplified version and in fact there are many more functions, and their characteristics are more detailed:

• Contact
  . Establishing how ready people are to transmit and perceive information.
• Incentive
  . Encouraging the interlocutor to communicate.
• Coordination
  . Comes into force if it is necessary to agree on certain actions.
• Emotive
  . Intentionally arousing certain emotions in a partner.
• Impacting
  . Changes under the influence of the interlocutor’s personal attitudes and opinions.

Sports and communication: points of interaction

Sport plays one of the main roles in the life of society. Without it, the formation of a healthy society is impossible. Moreover, here we are talking not only about the physical, but also about the spiritual health of the nation.

How does sport influence spirituality, and what does it have to do with the process of communication?

Physical culture is a social phenomenon that is closely connected with all aspects of the life of a modern person - politics, economics, education and others.

Sport can change and shape a person’s body, while simultaneously changing his self-esteem, mood, and idea of ​​his own capabilities. These changes cannot but affect other areas of human activity.

The communicative function of physical culture is the formation of business and personal contacts between people, their communication and rapprochement through joint sports activities. In addition, physical education is one of the most important areas of international communication, a striking example of which is the Olympic Games.

Diversity of communication

So, this process is observed not only in human society. Communication is also characteristic of animals (the language of bees, capercaillie mating, mating dances of birds) and of mechanisms, that is, objects created by man (sewage, pipelines, telephone and telegraph signals, transport). Communications of a special kind can be observed even in inanimate nature. For example, it is carried out between some plants.

In particular, the African acacia, releasing special enzyme compounds into the surrounding space, informs other acacias about the invasion of a giraffe, which eats tree shoots. The leaves of trees that have received this information quickly acquire qualities that, from the animal’s point of view, are characteristic of inedible food. The process described above is characterized by the basic functions of communication and its characteristics. This means that it can be characterized by the term that interests us.

We briefly described the concept, role, and functions of communication. The material presented above reveals the main aspects of this topic.

Points of intersection of cultural functions

Culture performs many different functions in the life of society, which are studied by cultural studies. Like most sciences, cultural studies does not stand aside, but is in close interaction with other areas of humanities. In addition to cultural studies, for example, the sign and communicative function of culture is studied by linguistics.

To comprehend any cultural heritage, a person needs to master a certain sign system. Language as a means of interpersonal interaction is the object of study of linguistics.

Linguistic scientists study language from the point of view of its nature, functions, historical development, and internal structure. In turn, cultural scientists, based on the research of linguists, build their theories about the influence of language on the development of culture and society.

Communication models

To date, many communication models have accumulated in educational and specialized literature. Most of them were described by researchers in the 20th century. However, Aristotle proposed the first model known to us. Based on it, one can determine the tasks, functions of communication and its meaning. In his works “Rhetoric” and “Poetics”, the thinker presented the following model: “speaker-speech-listener”. He pointed out that this classical model is universal, as it fully reflects the act of communication in both written and oral forms.

However, in the first half of the 20th century, when mass media such as cinema, radio, and television began to develop, the classical model was slightly modified. In the 21st century, due to the development of computer technology, economic integration and political globalization, this model requires an even more in-depth interpretation. Once again, researchers are faced with the task of determining the main functions of mass communication.

Accumulation and augmentation of information as the starting point of the function of culture

As we have already found out above, one of the most important functions of culture is the accumulation and transmission of experience, knowledge and information to future generations. Without knowledge of your past, without awareness of mistakes and their adequate assessment, it is impossible to form a full-fledged personality that is able to adequately predict the future.

To convey this experience, sign systems were invented - languages, codes, art. People used all the ways available to them to preserve knowledge about the past for children. In this way, the information and communication function of culture is realized.

Until the last moment, the means of storing this data were the natural individual and collective memory of the people, speech, material means - books, photographs, albums. Currently, an increasing part of collective culture is stored on electronic media.

Source

What is communicative communication?

Communication as a communicative process is an interaction between people that provides information exchange .

It consists of five sequential components, each of which performs a specific function:

1. Source of information . This is a subject of interaction who has information and is ready to share it.
2. Transmitter . It converts the broadcast data into signals transmitted over a communication channel (usually speech - oral or written).
3. Link. The path along which information reaches from the subject to the object (personal contact, letter, message, newspaper article, etc.).
4. Receiver . It decodes signals and translates them into messages (vision, hearing, thinking).
5. Recipient . The individual to whom the message is intended.

Thus, communicative communication is possible only if there are certain means of building interaction and the willingness of the parties to participate in the process of sending and receiving information.