Communication and Power The most important concept to the critical theorist is that of power.

Communication and Power

The most important concept to the critical theorist is that of power. Power can be shaped and communicated in many different ways within an organization, and the way power functions in organizations affects how people behave within the organization. The critical approaches seek to examine the ways power functions in an organization, whose efforts and investments are served by those power structures, and who is disadvantaged and/or silenced by the way power operates.

You will apply the concept of power to a government or regime.

Consider the elements of power outlined in Chapter 6 of your course text. View the animation about concertive control, located in this week’s Learning Resources. Identify and research a government or regime and apply the elements of power to that organization.

Write a response and apply the elements of power to your selected government or regime.

In your RESPONSE, answer the following questions:

• How was/is power distributed within the regime?
• How was/is power communicated or managed?
• How was/is power communicated or managed by someone without a prestigious position?
• Identify an example of concertive control in the government or regime.
• Discuss the ethical implications of that concertive control. How might those issues be addressed using a critical approach to organizations?