Organizational Behavior

Eleven

Communicating with Purpose

Communication is a critical part of organizational life. In this chapter, we provide an overview of communication within organizations and describe the four basic steps of the communication process from both a conventional and a sustainable perspective.

Jos de Wit is one of about 10,000 employees who work for Eastman Chemical Company, a company with about $5 billion in annual sales that produces a wide range of materials, chemicals, and fibers while seeking to deliver innovative technology-based solutions and maintaining its commitment to sustainability and safety.

When I framed the decision in terms of having a responsibility to educate and improve the world, everyone was persuaded.

One day, de Wit heard from Hydration Technology Innovations (HTI), a small organization that uses raw materials from Eastman to produce what it calls a HydroPack. A HydroPack is a paper-thin 4 × 6 inch dry pouch that has powdered nutrients and electrolytes sealed within it. When you place the HydroPack in water, even dirty water such as you might find in a mud puddle, the water soaks through the walls of the bag by a process of forward osmosis that serves to filter ...