No Comm Plan

 I will do my best to articulate my definition of organizational communication through this short essay and personal reflection. Connecting dots from my experiences as a Recon Marine about organizational communication comes from various theoretical threads of communication and forms the backbone of successful teams and businesses out there today.

Organizational communication engages my curiosity, and I've found that systems theory is one of the more relevant and insightful frameworks for understanding how to digest organizational communication. As a recon communicator, I found that I was taught to follow a set of steps and build a skillset to problem solve in high-risk environments and that all came from the workings of organizational communication.  

For example; if communication was lost during a mission with our chain of command, we were unable to proceed. Brief before stepping out for the mission we all knew that it was a must to initiate the no-comm plan with no questions asked. Restoring communication became the top priority in such cases. The longer we remained without communication, the more critical the mission turned. Here is a second example; in nighttime patrols and missions, effective communication is crucial for successful outcomes. Every one of my teammates and I have to use night vision goggles, they provide each of us with a green luminescence, showcasing a glimpse into the hidden wonders of the night that would otherwise go unseen. If these devices were to fail, we would lose one of our ways of communicating and moving through the land of the Taliban. Therefore, we followed a standard operating procedure to help our teammate get their night vision goggles working. In case of a breakdown, we usually had a backup to replace the broken night vision goggles.

These example emphasizes that in high-risk environments of special operations units and teams, following a structured reality is crucial for quick decision-making and mission success. It's not about discussing hierarchies, but rather about applying a a set of systems that ensures our survival through effective communication. For me, organizational communication is about the interdependence of various components that need each other to function effectively. Without these systems, the organization or team would be greatly impacted as you’ve seen in my personal experiences.

Learn more by clicking here about organizational communication and system theory.