ASFECTS G? €QMMUWCATEGN EN A RELIGIOUS CONGEEGATEON 7595!: for His Degree of M. S liaCLlaM‘ S”??? ’JNLE‘EJ z“??? .3ter M. aetitia £952 Ems \ . UNWERSHY M‘CH‘EAN ENC N {ECOLOGY .WCH, 48823 LIBRARY Michigan State University Laetitia, Sigter H, i flammmxta (yF CLMHWJHiCifLiOFILHW a Mufi. lWfiR Mnfiu ISSUED TO l aefl fitid, ffiifltkn“ M, (wavectfixxnf (mumnunjxnnticw1 in allkwli Mufin lfifié? Mafia ,‘ . . . INLkhf v. ‘ .. . ,.‘S}‘f’)\15_.v\' , .1" ...' ‘, '- ”K A b- '1' l "‘( ' --L..~._l. . L!‘- i“ V .V (1‘12: f (a, . n. w - ' ' ~_.-l ' _ 3“ .~~-'. -1. . ‘ _7 d‘ ‘, pl “quRENL~'lF'“}+ . , n a. li‘fi \. PLACE IN RETURN BOX to remove this checkout from your record. To AVOID FINES return on or before date due. MAY BE RECALLED with earlier due date if requested. DATE DUE DATE DUE DATE DUE 6/01 cJCIRCIDateDuopes-sz ASPECTS OF COMMUNICATION IN A RELIGIOUS CONGREGATION BY Sister M. Laetitia A PROBLEM Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Department of Institution Administration 1962 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION ......................... 1 THE FELICIAN CONGREGATION ORGANIZATION ...... . 2 The American and Foreign Provinces . . . ....... 2 The Felician Way of Life . . . . . . . . . . . ...... 4 Administration and Decision Making ........... 7 COMMUNICATION . . . ..................... 9 The Social System and Communication .......... 9 Power and authority relationship .......... 10 Group and individual relationships ......... 11 The Communication Process ............... 11 The source ..................... 12 The message .................... 12 The channels .................... 13 The receiver .................... 14 Language and Communication ............... 15 Words and meaning ................. 15 Words and impact .................. l6 INTERPRETATION ....................... 19 BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ; . .. 22 ii INTRODUCTION The stress point in interpersonal relations is frequently traced to the lowest management level of an organization. In a religious organization, such as the Congregation of Felician Sisters, leaders and managers are appointed and vested with authority to demand obedience from their subordinates. Appointed managers do not always possess the skill of effective cormnunication and subordinates are sometimes confused about what they are expected to do and why they are doing it. Problems in communication stem from differences in feeling between the source and receiver of information. Messages which are not understood cannot implement desired action. Doubt and questions plague both superiors and subordinates who are not aware of the significance of language and meaning in the communication process. This paper will discuss communication concepts as associated with communication process for consideration by local superiors of the Pittsburgh Province of Felician Sisters. Seeking the indications of Divine will in everything . . . the Sisters were convinced that they may not refuse any help or service asked of them in God's name. 1 --Mother Mary Magdalene 2nd Superior-General THE FELICIAN CONGREGATION ORGANIZATION The Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Felix of Cantalice, better known as Felician Sisters, was founded in 1855 by Mother Mary Angela Truszkowska in Warsaw, Poland as a community professing the Rule of the Third Order Regular of Saint Francis of Assisi. . In a short time Mother Angela was joined by many young women who followed her example performing works of charity in a Spirit of self-sacrifice. In 1858 she was made superior of the institute which in time spread to parts of Poland, the United States, Canada and Brazil. Today the Congregation numbers over 4:, 600 members. The American and Foreign Provinces In their Warsaw convent the sisters conducted an orphanage, a school for poor girls, a home for the aged and a forty-bed hospital. Elsewhere in the city they developed social work centers among peasants in rural areas, managed an asylum for wayward women and a conval- escent home for poor sick women. During the Insurrection of 1863, the institutions belonging to the Felician Sisters were converted into provisional hospitals for both friends and enemies. The uprising failed 1Mother Mary Magdalene, "Memoir of the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Felix. " Krakow, Poland: 1912, p. 7. Translated from Polish by Sister Mary Aloysius, 1959. and the Russians issued an order for the sisters to disband. They were forced to remove their religious garb although they continued to lead a community life underground and performed numerous works of mercy as laywomen. Emperor Francis Joseph, in September 1865, granted the Congregation permission to establish a motherhouse in Cracow, Poland. The sisters entered the educational field a year later and taught in elementary, intermediate and vocational schools. The numerous activities of the province continued without interruption until the end of World War II. In the aftermath of this war the Communist government gradually forced the Congregation to withdraw its members from the schools in Poland. The character of the sisters' work changed completely so that they now perform charitable and social acts in parishes and rural districts. .At' present there are approximately 900 members in the Polish provinces. The Felician community spread to America in 1874 when five sisters camepto Polonia, Wisconsin at the request of Father Joseph Dabrowski to teach in a parochial school. There in 1877 the sisters founded a motherhouse as well as an orphanage and a home for the aged with a small hospital in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Five years later the motherhouse was transferred to amore centralized location in Detroit, Michigan. . From 1882 to 1953 six additional American provinces were established with motherhouses in Buffalo, New York (1900), Chicago, Illinois (1910), Lodi, New Jersey (1913), Coraopolis, Pennsylvania (1920), Enfield, Connecticut (1932), and Ponca City, Oklahoma (1953). Today the American provinces have sisters stationed in 31 states and the order conducts 306 establishments in the United States. Though the members of the Congregation continue to serve Americans of Polish descent, they also extend aid to other national and racial groups. Sisters from the Buffalo province began missionary work among the Polish immigrants who had settled in Toronto, Canada, in 1937. Their first project was a day nursery for the care of preschool children, lunch service and after school supervision for children of working parents. There are no parochial schools, as such, in Canada. The school system consists of three types: government non-sectarian, government sectarian and the private schools. In the second type are included the so-called "Catholic Separate Schools. " At first the American sisters were unable to hold teaching positions in any school because of Canadian statutes. In 1950 native Canadian sisters began to teach in the Catholic Separate Schools with a government salary. Two years later the Felicians were accepted as teachers under the same conditions as the native Canadians, and by 1956 there were seventeen members of the Congregation on the staff of six separate schools. At present sisters continue social programs in the form of material aid for the needy, acquainting the refugees with Canadian law, and extending moral help whenever it is requested. In November 1950, three Felician Sisters landed in Niteroi, Brazil to launch the Congregation's first South American mission. Dictated by A the pressing needs of a given locality the sisters visit the sick and poor and conduct diversified activities: a hospice, a general retreat house, an elementary school, a kindergarten, a school for aspirants to the Congregation, a center for catechetical instructions and private English language classes. They also carry on missionary work in Rio de Janeiro, Araruama and Sao Paulo. The Felician Way of Life The Congregation is an organization of religious women. .It has a definite formal structure, a communication system, and a specific authority system with social roles and status defined and recognized by every member. The attitudes, habits and spiritual life of each sister are influenced and established early in religious life through training in an atmosphere permeated by the ideals and spirit of the community. According to the Constitution, the spirit of the Congregation is one of "seraphic Love of God and neighbor. " This spirit finds expression in the Congregation's works of mercy. From the earliest times the policy for accepting new members consisted in the examination of the candidate by the Mistress of Novices and two Council members. This examination plays a dominant role in determining whether the applicant is suitable for life in the Congregation. The Provincial-Superior examines the findings of the Councilors and the Mistress; she interviews the candidate and makes the decision to accept or reject her application. In the United States the applicant must present a diploma of graduation from a secondary school; in other countries she needs only supply an elementary school certificate. On admission each young woman must furnish the necessary documents of morality and good health, as well as suitable wearing apparel required by the Constitution. The initial religious training includes six to twelve months of postulancy during which time the young women are introduced to the first phase of the Felician way of life by the Mistress of Novices. An organ- ized program of prayer, work, study and recreation occupies the postulant's time. In the environment of spiritual and intellectual growth, the postulants are prepared for their life in the community. The investi- ture, wherein the postulants are clothed in the brown Franciscan habit, white veil and a white Franciscan cord, is preceded by the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. During the same ceremony the postulants are given a religious name, they are handed a copy of the Rule of Saint Francis, and they are provided with the Franciscan Chaplet of the Seven Joys of our Lady. The new sisters, known by their religious name, enter the novitiate to begin the second stage of the Felician life. Throughout the canonical year, as this period of self-improvement is known, the novices are withdrawn from worldlyvdistractions and spend their time studying the religious life, the Franciscan Rule and the spirit of the Congregation. The third aspect begins with the profession of temporary vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and the exchange of the white veil for a black one. The newly professed sisters remain in the novitiate for an additional year in order to strengthen their interior life and to pursue secular studies. Teaching sisters study toward a degree in the various teaching fields, and nursing sisters are trained for hospital service. When the young sisters are prepared for their fields of labor, they are sent to one of the several mission homes where, in community life with others, they put to good use the intellectual, manual and spiritual learn- ings which they have acquired. The annual professed members, as they are known in the Congre- gation, renew their temporary vows each year for six consecutive years. Any "annual" sister who manifests a lack of fitness for the religious life is dismissed during the three years following the first profession. She is also free to leave the Congregation at the termination of temporary vows. The two-month interim prior to the date of the final profession of vows is spent by the sisters in the seclusion of the second novitiate under the guidance of the Mistress of Novices. The solemn occasion of final profession is ushered in by a public Act of Renunciation in which the sisters surrender to God all material possessions present or future. They dedicate themselves as members of the Congregation for life. The ceremony of perpetual vows takes place during the Sacrifice of Holy Mass when, as the priest holds the Host, which the individual sister is to receive as Holy Communion, she pledges herself eternally to Christ. Each sister then receives a steel ring bearing the inscription "My Jesus and my All"--token of her total consecration. Incorporated into the Congregation as a perpetual member, she constitutes a part of the whole from which even death cannot separate her. Administration and Decision Making General administration of the Congregation for unity of aim, spirit and observance is vested in the Superior-General who is aided by her four councilors all of whom reside in the Generalate in Rome, Italy. The core of this administration is decision making as related to prob- lems of organization, direction and control of all members of the com- munity. In provincial matters the individual provinces are governed by a Provincial-Superior and her four councilors who are stationed in the motherhouse of the province. The Provincial-Superior chooses the administrators or superiors on the basis of educational and/or pro- fessional competency to manage the local institutions. Other sisters are assigned by the Provincial-Superior to staff the local establishments according to needs. The role of the local superior is equivalent to the function of a manager in a business enterprise. . Local administrators or Superiors are members of a management group with a triple allegiance: 1) they are subordinate to Provincial-Superiors; 2) they are identified with other local Superiors; and 3) they constitute the authority figure for their subordinates. The Constitution of the Congregation empowers the Superiors to administer the material goods of the Province, house or institution. This administration includes both the ordinary and extraordinary acts as defined by the Constitution. Ordinary acts are concerned with the normal affairs and daily needs of an institution and its members. Extraordinary acts deal with problems which occur infrequently and for which per- mission of a higher Superior is required. Members of the Congregation willingly obey all verbal or written orders, suggestions, admonitions and instructions of the Superiors. Members are free to discuss attitudes and opinions on personal or edu- cational problems with their immediate Superior. The authoritative position of the Superior determines her effectiveness in improving situations within her jurisdiction. The complex hierarchical organization of the Congregation coupled with the geographical distribution of its institutions presents problems of communication at every level of management. The Superior-General uses the written media to transmit information which affects all mem- bers or which has a long range significance. The Provincial-Superior may use either written or oral communication to inform the members of her Province. Local Superiors communicate orally with the subordi- nates of their institution. A subordinate reports to the local Superior orally. Both the local Superior and her subordinates report in writing to the Provincial or the General Superior. Doubts and questions plague both Superiors and subordinates who are not aware of the significance of language and meaning in the communication process. COMMUNICATION Communication is as fundamental to the practice of management as the concept of interaction is central to the understanding of communi- cation. Management concerns itself with the functions and activities by which a business communicates objectives, directions and orders; coordinates activities; motivates and shapes the behavior of employees; and communicates information. Communication is interaction--usually a two way process which is the sum total of information transmitted downward by management and the needs, desires, attitudes and feelings transmitted upward by employees (25). The Social System and Communication Man depends on the products of coordinate effort for comfort and existence. Though man is individually responsible for attaining his own destiny, he is by nature a social being with a need for group life. Speech furnishes the means for man to exchange thoughts and ideas with others. Communication, then, supplies the universal need of man's association with other human beings. Further evidence of man's aptitude for social life is found in the development of intellectual, moral and even physical powers through social communication. The common elements in all societies are the plurality of persons, the stability of bond, community of aim for the common good, cooperation of effort and authority. In order that any society may function well, its members must act the way they have to act to remain members of the society or of a special class * within it. 10 Power and authority relationship Power is a social necessity and not an individual right. Groups of men cannot come together in sustained unity of purpose without a leader and a guide. No man, however, can possess an absolute power over any man, for all members of the human race have essentially the same dignity and the same right. In American industry the use of the word authority connotes power. Authority has the power to give, to control or to deny the request or desires of people who are subject to it (42). Most executives believe that their authority gives them the power to demand, to praise or blame, to indulge, to protect, to deprive or to discipline the subordinate with- out trying to discover what kind of person he really is and how his potentialities could be developed. Real authority, however, evolves from competency which in turn is gained through experience. Authority in this sense is the coordinating force that guides group effort toward a common objective. Industry in our civilization is organized along authoritative lines. Such functions of authority as planning, organizing, coordinating and controlling lead to the determination of work that must be performed by human beings in an organization. Authority recognizes the need of good relationships with workers whose services are required if the organization is to operate productively. Policies and procedures of authority often set the pattern for existing relationships. If these are based on the evaluation of people as to what it can do to, or for, or with people in order to achieve its purpose, some progress in laying a foundation for common understanding is established. However, in a structure where management sets up policies and procedures, whereby management has power to demand and the workers are under obligation to comply, the possibility of coopera- tion is doubtful because the policies and procedures are in essence dictatorial. 11 Group and individual relationships Group loyalties and group influence are important, for these have the ability to develop social behavior in an organization. Social behavior is the customary, traditional or routine way of doing things. The patterns of behavior are understood and recognized responses to rational or basic needs, although these routine patterns of behavior vary with different localities. Individuals have a need to be accepted within their group. Social acceptance may be granted either by approval or through personal status of the individual. Social approval does not necessarily modify an individual's rank or his influence with the group to which he belongs, but approval does give a person, whose actions are socially approved, a feeling of belongingness. Social disapproval of an individual may be limited to a certain range of sanctions, or if disapproval is very severe, the person may be ostracized, isolated, or even lose all status with his social group (1). On the other hand, personal status is not dependent on social approval but it depends on the assets that a person has and on the means of influence which he commands. An individual may have high status because he is rich or intelligent or witty or even because an individual is feared by others. The person who seeks social acceptance by approval will be motivated to conform to such norms or rules of behavior which bring with it social approval; but the individual who seeks social acceptance through personal status, will depend on ambition to reach his goal. The Communication Proc es 3 Communication may be defined as the social, purposive and Sym- bolic process of conveying mental or emotional concepts of any kind from one person to another or others. Communication is social because it envolves two or more persons; it is purposive because the communi- cator knows what he wants to accomplish through the communication; and 12 it is symbolic because some symbols are needed to express ideas and feelings. Ideas and emotions are fundamental factors in communication but ideas and feelings must be specifically designed to accomplish their purpose. The ideas must be the result of clear thinking processes, if they are to be accepted by those who receive the communication. The source Communication must have a source or a beginning. The source in a business enterprise has a duty of transmitting information to all parts of the organization. The effectiveness of the source is dependent on ability to think clearly and persistently on the specific problem that he desires to transmit. Thoughts and feelings are expressed through symbols; therefore, the source should be skillful in speaking, writing, reading and listening. Speech is necessary for oral communication while written communication presupposes a knowledge of symbols and their meanings. Spoken communication requires a listener; and written communication, a reader. Besides possessing the skills mentioned above, the source must be aware of the purpose that he wishes to accomp- lish through communication. This awareness helps the source to determine what to say and how to say it, in order to achieve the goal he sets for himself through communication. The mes sage The ideas and feelings of the source are expressed in language symbols. Clear thinking is essential to the presentation of concepts, because the language symbols used in communication are only as effective as the ideas they represent. The source employs language to communi- cate formulated thoughts to a receiver; the receiver, in turn, develops his own ideas which may be approximately like those of the source. 13 The degree of resemblance between the formulated thoughts transmitted by the source, and the resulting concepts developed by the receiver of the transmitted message, depends on how effectively both participants in the communication process, have made use of language symbols. In preparing a speech or a written message certain factors are considered important. The immediate purpose of any communication is to stimulate thinking in the listener or reader, but a more distant motive of the source is what the source hopes to get as a result of his communi— cation. The source, then, must plan the content of the message with the purpose he wishes to achieve in mind and he must develop and arrange his ideas to that purpose. To do this, he should strive for easy and effective expression bearing in mind the nature of language and the principles governing the use of language. The audience that receives the transmitted message responds to it in various ways depending on how the message effects them as individuals or as a group (54). The channels The source decides which channel is best for transmitting a Specific problem. . Channels of communication are medias of presenting infor- mation so that it can be seen, heard, read, touched, smelled and in some instances even tasted. The two most convenient methods of communi- cation are the spoken and the written word. Oral communication takes place in a face to face encounter, it is fast, personal, more satisfactory as it provides an opportunity for the exchange of ideas and clarification of questionable details of the topic of conversation. Oral communication is never the only media of communication used in an organization. The written media is employed by management to transmit information which concerns many people, or such information which is complex or that which has a long term significance. Various forms of written communication require skill to design so that all who receive the 14 information will have equal opportunity to interpret the message as it is transmitted. Although the written word is less personal than the spoken word, the written word has become an essential part of the communication system in an organization. The receiver The person, who is to act on the transmitted message, is the receiver. The source and receiver in any communication situation are interdependent. The ability to listen effectively is as important in oral communication, as reading is essential to the understanding of a written message. Reading and listening are alike in one fundamental way for in both processes we receive word symbols representing someone else‘s message and we are expected to extract from them the meaning intended by the source of the information. In order that the receiver might understand the transmitted information he must have a vocabulary equal to that used by the speaker or the writer, otherwise he will lose some of the meaning through failure to understand the entire message (4). The meaning of the word may be defined as the objects, actions, experi- ences, concepts, sensations, and attitudes which the word calls to mind. Because all of these depend on the associations and experiences of each individual as garnered throughout his life, no two people ever associate the same meaning with a word and often the differences in the meaning attached to the same or similar words are hard to explain. Effective communication will do something to the one who receives the message. . It may change his attitude toward an existing situation; it may increase his knowledge of a subject; it may convince him that the use of this information will benefit him materially through increased wages; and it may even entertain him. Communication is a two way process with alternating responsibili- ties. In an organizational situation management communications are 15 transmitted downward and the receiver or employees listen, while the source or management transmits information. Similar channels are then used by employees, who thus become the sources that transmit their attitudes, needs or other information to management, and manage- ment becomes the receiver who listens to the messages transmitted by its employees (5). , Languag e and C ommunic ation Language can be defined as a set of verbal and nonuverbal symbols which are used in almost uniform ways by people to communicate with each other. Verbal symbols are words as they are used in oral or written communications, but the non-verbal elements are not the same for both oral and written communications. The non-verbal elements of oral communications are the sound qualities of the voice such as, pitch, volume, stress and other devices producing auditory sensations which account for variation in the meaning of words as we hear them. In written communications the non-verbal elements are the visual impressions such as punctuation, capitalization, sentence structure and any other device that may clarify or vary the meaning of a word or a group of words. The human voice may respond in many ways to rein- force the communication of ideas and feelings, or it may fail to respond for many different reasons. In written communication the all important ingredient is the expression of thought in clear, well organized writing. Words and meaning Words are the basic symbols of verbal language but it is important to remember that words are arbitrary symbols. Words are symbols, because they are used to represent objects, ideas, concepts and feelings; and words are arbitrary, because there is no relationship between the 16 word and the thing for which it stands. A word means something only because people have agreed that it shall be used to represent a certain thing. Therefore, it would be wrong to maintain that a certain word means a very Specific thing to every man. On the contrary, the mean- ing of a word is determined by the person using the word. The meanings of words are of great importance as each individual learns a new word by demonstration and association. Through repeated demonstrations we learn to associate the word with the object, idea, concept, feeling or action. As our experiences in life expose us to a variety of learning situations, we increase our word knowledge. But, because our associations differ from the associations of all other human beings, we often discover that the meaning we attach to a word may be quite different from the meaning others have for the same word. Since we acquire our stock of communication symbols largely through association, we tend to think in terms of the symbols which we have learned. As long as these symbols are thoughts we refer to them as ideas; when we speak, the verbal symbols become language. The reader or listener in a communication situation receives the language symbols as visual or auditory stimuli and he in turn, is stimulated to produce his own ideas and feelings based on his associations. Because abstract words suggest different meanings to different people, individuals often talk to each other without any real communication taking place. The meaning of abstract words may be made clear by demonstration or defining the meaning of the word and it is the wise communicator who defines what he means and illustrates, using easily understood examples. Words and impact Referential or connotative terms determine whether employer messages convey meanings which are clear and forceful or obscure and twisted. By a referential word is understood a description of the thing 17 or idea that the word representsnmthe object, concept, action or sensa- tion to which the word refers. The connotative meaning directs atten- tion to the attitude or emotion which the use of a word in a message arouses in the listener or reader. The implied approval or disapproval of the thing or concept as applied to a word is defined as the connotative meaning of the word. Many words have the power to arouse emotional and imaginative responses in the listener because these words affect his senses pleasantly or unpleasantly. The Opinion Research Corporation (49) recently examined com— munication impact of commonly used management terms. The sixty-one words tested in this study represented the most frequently used manage- ment expressions and alternate terms selected from issues of fifty employee publications appearing from April through July 1959. Personal interviews were also conducted in which 488 hourly paid, non- supervisory workers of industrial and utility companies participated. The in-context test of word pairs was employed to demonstrate how differences in word power affect communication effectiveness. , Since the words tested in the research study were selected from articles on wages and benefits, company-union relations, company finances and economics, the worker interpretations differed completely from the sense of the word as it was used by management. The word power criteria were based on three separate and measur- able factors--familiarity, rational meaning and emotional impact of words. Familiarity was determined by the degree to which a worker recognized a word or a management term, whether he could define the meaning of the word, or if he recognized the word from hearing or reading without a clear sense of meaning. Rational meaning of a manage- ment word or expression was deduced if a worker was able to define the word correctly, or when he gave a nearly correct definition of the word. The emotional impact was measured by the choice of the descrip- tive adjective which a worker used to express his feelings about a word. 18 Highlights from the findings of this study are that: (1) Frequently used terms such as productivity, depreciation and revenues were com- pletely alien to the average worker in industry. (2) Familiar words which workers sometimes claim to understand were not always defined correctly--familiarity was often attributed to previous hearing of the word or seeing the word in print without a clear sense of its meaning. (3) Technical terms were often associated with the correct meaning if a worker was exposed to it through personal experience. Words such as sales tax, social security and union shop were the technical terms which most workers interpreted correctly. (4) The emotional impact of the management terms did not depend on the familiarity of the word to the worker, but rather on the degree of emotional reaction to the use of a management term. The researchers concluded that the executive who communicates with employees must decide what word or terms he should use to convey what he has to say. He should choose words that carry proper meaning and define all terms which require explanation to make the meaning clear to those for whom the message is intended. A good executive would back up an unfamiliar word with a careful description which would contain the same idea that he wants to put across. Since emotional impact of words often affects the communication powers as much as the rational meaning of a word influences the effectiveness of communication, management must use objective criteria to make a deliberate word choice to convey his messages. Temptation to manipulate people by the choice of words is great, but the integrity of an executive is dependent on his character as an individual--not on his knowledge of the emotional power of words . INTERPRETATION In any society people require laws and principles of conduct in order to live together in harmony with mutual respect and understand- ing. The notion of the person is at the centre of all human problems. The human person is a paradox of a being, in a state of tension between the two principles of his composition, between himself and his Maker. The structure of our institutions with its level of managers, the ideas of individual authority and responsibility, the size in population and the physical extent are factors which exert pressures on behavior. People differ in the extent that they are subject to respond a certain way to stimuli, in the variety of ways in which they are motivated and in the separate sizes and powers in their physical makeup. We need to learn more about ourselves if we are to understand the system of desires and memories which in disguised form, exercise a dominating influence upon the personality of others. Our perceptions of others are reflected in our actions towards others. This is the reason we often fail to accept people as they are, and instead we try to change them to what we would like them to be. We must understand others and be understood by others if we want to work toward a solution of our common problems. The stress point in most organizations begins with the supervisory staff as individuals and as a group. Supervisors and subordinates carry around images of themselves and a set of expectations about others. Supervisors have the power to modify the behavior of their subordinates, but subordinates have a right to justice and to an opportunity of express- ing their needs or opinions on matters affecting their work, security and safety. 19 20 The supervisor has loyalties to both his subordinates and manage- ment; he must be accepted by management and be respected by the workers; and he can never take sides with either the management or the work group without losing some effectiveness. Supervision takes planning and thinking--it should also include an awareness of group processes and recognition of personal and situational pressures which simmer under a surface of good manners. A person's behavior can be predicted only when we possess a com— plete knowledge of his perception and the structuring of his world. This is impossible, for man is a mystery which refuses to be degraded into a problem. He is truly the master for he exists in, by and for himself, and he alone can measure his acts. No created person can penetrate the interior of another. There will always be tensions in a human environment. Duty and responsibility which are overstated become servitude, and the right of freedom can turn freedom into selfishness and license. We have rights as human beings, and the purpose of society should be to make possible the living of a full and happy life for all human beings. Power to make any change rests with those who have established order but to do this they must first be convinced that the present order fails in ability to meet demands of new life. Customs which have the force of law dictate the character of basic relationships among religious. Institutions differ in internal organi- zation but the social processes are similar, varying in degree not in kind. The religious organization is composed of people with a unique constitution, ritual and symbols; the congregation members operate through a distinctive communication and behavior framework. Religious institutions resist change and often continue for a long time after the function for which they were established ceases to exist. Group organi- zation brings both gains and losses for the individual. Membership in 21 a religious organization provides greater strength and companionship for life. These gains far outweigh the loss of freedom, restricted action and limited opportunity for initiative or self-expression to which members must adjust and conform. Results of the processes involved in social interaction, in addition to total cultural patterns to which the individual was born and which are present in the immediate environ- ment, result in a personality capable of identifying itself with other individuals in a religious institution. A social character capable of behavioral conformity, attention and obedience is a requisite in a tradi- tion directed institution such as a religious community which comprises a social order that is unchanging and relations which have endured for centuries. All organizations are created to get work done and effective com- munication is essential to reach that objective. It is a misconception of the superior to claim that he knows problems of his subordinate when this is not actually so. A major barrier to communication is the evalu- ative tendency of both parties in the communicative process. The failure on the part of one individual to understand the other as he himself would wish to be understood, is at the root of all our communication problems. Supervision at all levels requires understanding, tolerance, patience and flexibility. Adults do not change their habits and attitudes of a lifetime. The process of shaping individuals through experiences did not occur in a moment, and we cannot expect a sudden transition just because we would like to see things changed for the better. A sensible approach to change is the process of aiding others in the de- velopment of abilities and capabilities with the supervisor learning things through experience, observation and thoughtful listening. 10. 11. 12. 13. BIBLIOGRAPHY . Adler, A. Understanding Human Nature. New York: Fawcett Publi- cations Inc. , 1961. . Babcock, C. Comments on Human Interrelations. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. (Sept. 1951), 33:871. . Barnard, C. The Functions of an Executive. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, Bulletin issued by General Services Adminis- tration, U. 5. Gov't. Printing Office, Washington, D. C. . Berlo, D. K. The Process of Communication. New York: Holt, Rinehart 8i Winston Inc. , 1960. . Bird, D. E. Have You Tried Listening? Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 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