The Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM) theory proposes that individuals make sense of their social worlds through communication and that meaning is created and negotiated in interaction. It focuses on how people coordinate their actions and interpretations to construct shared meanings, shaping their understanding of reality.
The purpose of CMM is to provide a theoretical framework for understanding communication processes and their role in shaping social realities. It seeks to explain how individuals interpret and respond to messages, as well as how communication patterns influence relationships, organizations, and societies.
Principal Concepts
Coordination: The process by which individuals align their behaviors and interpretations with others to create shared meaning.
Management: The deliberate efforts people make to influence or control the meanings that emerge in communication.
Meaning: The understanding or interpretation that individuals attribute to messages, which is negotiated and co-created in interaction.
Theoretical Foundations of Coordinated Management of Meaning
CMM draws from various disciplines, including communication theory, social psychology, and sociology:
Symbolic Interactionism: This perspective emphasizes the role of symbols and interactions in shaping individual identities and social realities.
Social Constructionism: CMM aligns with social constructionist approaches, which argue that reality is socially constructed through communication and interaction.
Methods and Techniques in Coordinated Management of Meaning
CMM offers several analytical tools and techniques for studying communication processes:
Dramatistic Analysis: A method for analyzing communication events using Kenneth Burke’s dramatistic pentad (act, scene, agent, agency, purpose) to uncover underlying motives and meanings.
Narrative Analysis: Examining the stories people tell to understand how they construct and negotiate their identities and relationships.
Meta-communication: Reflecting on and discussing communication patterns and processes to improve understanding and collaboration.
Applications of Coordinated Management of Meaning
CMM has broad applications across interpersonal, organizational, and societal contexts:
Interpersonal Communication: Understanding how individuals negotiate meanings and manage relationships through communication.
Organizational Communication: Analyzing communication patterns within organizations to improve collaboration, decision-making, and conflict resolution.
Conflict Resolution: Using CMM principles to identify and address underlying communication issues in conflicts and disputes.
Industries Influenced by Coordinated Management of Meaning
Healthcare: CMM principles can enhance patient-provider communication, leading to better health outcomes and patient satisfaction.
Education: Applying CMM in educational settings can improve teacher-student interactions and promote collaborative learning environments.
Media and Entertainment: Media producers can use CMM insights to create content that resonates with diverse audiences and fosters meaningful engagement.
Advantages of Coordinated Management of Meaning
Holistic Understanding: CMM offers a comprehensive framework for analyzing communication processes at multiple levels, from individual interactions to societal discourses.
Practical Application: The principles of CMM can be applied in various contexts to improve communication effectiveness and relational dynamics.
Empowerment: By understanding how communication shapes social reality, individuals and groups can become more aware of their role in constructing meaning and influencing outcomes.
Challenges and Considerations in Coordinated Management of Meaning
Despite its strengths, CMM presents some challenges:
Complexity: Analyzing communication through the lens of CMM can be complex, requiring a deep understanding of social and cultural dynamics.
Interpretive Subjectivity: Interpretations of communication events may vary based on individuals’ perspectives and experiences, leading to subjective analyses.
Ethical Considerations: CMM raises ethical questions about power dynamics, manipulation, and the responsibility of communicators in shaping meaning.
Integration with Broader Communication Strategies
To maximize its effectiveness, CMM should be integrated with broader communication strategies:
Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Engaging with scholars and practitioners from diverse disciplines can enrich CMM research and applications.
Training and Development: Providing communication training based on CMM principles can enhance interpersonal skills and relational competence.
Cultural Sensitivity: Recognizing and respecting cultural differences in communication patterns and meanings is essential when applying CMM in diverse contexts.
Future Directions in Coordinated Management of Meaning
As communication continues to evolve in a digital age, CMM research and practice are likely to focus on:
Digital Communication: Exploring how new technologies shape communication patterns and meanings in virtual environments.
Globalization: Examining how cultural differences and globalization impact communication processes and social realities.
Applied Research: Conducting more applied research to address practical challenges in areas such as conflict resolution, organizational change, and intercultural communication.
Conclusion
The Coordinated Management of Meaning offers valuable insights into the complex dynamics of human communication and the construction of social reality. By understanding how meaning is negotiated and co-created through interaction, individuals and organizations can improve their communication effectiveness, build stronger relationships, and navigate social complexities more skillfully. As communication continues to play a central role in shaping our personal and professional lives, the principles of CMM will remain essential for understanding and navigating the complexities of human interaction.
Related Framework
Description
When to Apply
Helical Model of Communication
– The Helical Model of Communication proposes that communication is an iterative process where individuals’ understanding deepens and broadens over time through interaction and feedback.
– Apply the Helical Model of Communication in situations where complex ideas need to be conveyed gradually, allowing for continuous feedback and clarification to ensure mutual understanding and alignment between communicators.
Shannon-Weaver Model
– The Shannon-Weaver Model describes communication as a linear process comprising sender, message, channel, receiver, and noise, emphasizing the transmission of information from sender to receiver.
– Compare and contrast the Helical Model of Communication with the Shannon-Weaver Model to highlight the iterative nature of communication and the importance of feedback in refining understanding and fostering dialogue between communicators.
Transactional Model of Communication
– The Transactional Model of Communication views communication as a dynamic process where both sender and receiver simultaneously act as message encoders and decoders, exchanging feedback and adjusting their messages based on mutual understanding.
– Integrate the Helical Model of Communication with the Transactional Model of Communication to emphasize the continuous exchange of information, meaning-making, and shared understanding between communicators as they interact over time.
Grice’s Maxims
– Grice’s Maxims are principles that govern effective communication, including the maxims of quantity, quality, relevance, and manner, guiding speakers to be informative, truthful, relevant, and clear in their communication.
– Apply Grice’s Maxims alongside the Helical Model of Communication to encourage communicators to adhere to principles of clarity, relevance, and truthfulness while engaging in iterative communication to deepen understanding and build rapport.
Feedback Loop
– A Feedback Loop is a mechanism in communication that allows receivers to provide responses, comments, or reactions to messages, facilitating two-way communication and ensuring mutual understanding.
– Implement Feedback Loops within the context of the Helical Model of Communication to enable continuous dialogue, clarification, and adjustment of messages based on receivers’ responses, fostering effective communication and shared understanding.
Nonverbal Communication
– Nonverbal Communication encompasses gestures, body language, facial expressions, and other cues used to convey messages without words, often complementing or contradicting verbal communication.
– Incorporate Nonverbal Communication into the Helical Model of Communication to recognize and interpret subtle cues and signals that contribute to the overall meaning and understanding of messages exchanged between communicators over time.
Constructive Communication
– Constructive Communication involves exchanging information in a manner that promotes mutual respect, understanding, and problem-solving, focusing on clarity, empathy, active listening, and positive reinforcement.
– Embrace Constructive Communication within the framework of the Helical Model of Communication to foster an environment of openness, trust, and collaboration, where communicators engage in meaningful dialogue to explore ideas, resolve conflicts, and build relationships.
Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM)
– Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM) is a communication theory that explores how individuals co-create meaning through interaction, interpreting messages based on shared social norms, roles, and cultural contexts.
– Integrate Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM) with the Helical Model of Communication to emphasize the role of shared understanding, social norms, and cultural contexts in shaping communication dynamics and evolving meaning over time through interaction.
Narrative Paradigm
– The Narrative Paradigm suggests that humans are storytellers by nature and that communication is fundamentally narrative-based, with individuals constructing and interpreting stories to make sense of their experiences and beliefs.
– Apply the Narrative Paradigm alongside the Helical Model of Communication to recognize the power of storytelling in shaping perceptions, beliefs, and shared understanding over time, as individuals engage in iterative communication to exchange narratives.
Social Identity Theory
– Social Identity Theory posits that individuals’ self-concept and social identity are shaped by group memberships, with communication playing a crucial role in reinforcing group norms, values, and collective identities.
– Utilize Social Identity Theory within the framework of the Helical Model of Communication to explore how group dynamics, identities, and affiliations influence communication patterns, interactions, and the co-creation of meaning over time.
The Aristotle model of communication is a linear model with a focus on public speaking. The Aristotle model of communication was developed by Greek philosopher and orator Aristotle, who proposed the linear model to demonstrate the importance of the speaker and their audience during communication.
The linear model of communication is a relatively simplistic model envisaging a process in which a sender encodes and transmits a message that is received and decoded by a recipient. The linear model of communication suggests communication moves in one direction only. The sender transmits a message to the receiver, but the receiver does not transmit a response or provide feedback to the sender.
Berlo’s SMCR model was created by American communication theorist David Berlo in 1960, who expanded the Shannon-Weaver model of communication into clear and distinct parts. Berlo’s SMCR model is a one-way or linear communication framework based on the Shannon-Weaver communication model.
The helical model of communication is a framework inspired by the three-dimensional spring-like curve of a helix. It argues communication is cyclical, continuous, non-repetitive, accumulative, and influenced by time and experience.
The Lasswell communication model is a linear framework for explaining the communication process through segmentation. Lasswell proposed media propaganda performs three social functions: surveillance, correlation, and transmission. Lasswell believed the media could impact what viewers believed about the information presented.
Modus tollens is a deductive argument form and a rule of inference used to make conclusions of arguments and sets of arguments. Modus tollens argues that if P is true then Q is also true. However, P is false. Therefore Q is also false. Modus tollens as an inference rule dates back to late antiquity where it was taught as part of Aristotelian logic. The first person to describe the rule in detail was Theophrastus, successor to Aristotle in the Peripatetic school.
The five canons of rhetoric were first organized by Roman philosopher Cicero in his treatise De Inventione in around 84 BC. Some 150 years later, Roman rhetorician Quintilian explored each of the five canons in more depth as part of his 12-volume textbook entitled Institutio Oratoria. The work helped the five canons become a major component of rhetorical education well into the medieval period. The five canons of rhetoric comprise a system for understanding powerful and effective communication.
A communication strategy framework clarifies how businesses should communicate with their employees, investors, customers, and suppliers. Some of the key elements of an effective communication strategy move around purpose, background, objectives, target audience, messaging, and approach.
Noise is any factor that interferes with or impedes effective communication between a sender and receiver. When noise disrupts the communication process or prevents the transmission of information, it is said to be communication noise.
The 7Cs of communication is a set of guiding principles on effective communication skills in business, moving around seven principles for effective business communication: clear, concise, concrete, correct, complete, coherent, and courteous.
The transactional model of communication describes communication as a two-way, interactive process within social, relational, and cultural contexts. The transactional model of communication is best exemplified by two models. Barnlund’s model describes communication as a complex, multi-layered process where the feedback from the sender becomes the message for the receiver. Dance’s helical model is another example, which suggests communication is continuous, dynamic, evolutionary, and non-linear.
Horizontal communication, often referred to as lateral communication, is communication that occurs between people at the same organizational level. In this context, communication describes any information that is transmitted between individuals, teams, departments, divisions, or units.
Communication apprehension is a measure of the degree of anxiety someone feels in response to real (or anticipated) communication with another person or people.
Closed-loop communication is a simple but effective technique used to avoid misunderstandings during the communication process. Here, the person receiving information repeats it back to the sender to ensure they have understood the message correctly.
Grapevine communication describes informal, unstructured, workplace dialogue between employees and superiors. It was first described in the early 1800s after someone observed that the appearance of telegraph wires strung between transmission poles resembled a grapevine.
The ASE model posits that human behavior can be predicted if one studies the intention behind the behavior. It was created by health communication expert Hein de Vries in 1988.
The ASE model believes intention and behavior are determined by cognitive variables such as attitude, social influence, and self-efficacy. The model also believes that intention predicts behavior such that one’s attitude toward a behavior is influenced by the consequences of that behavior.
Three cognitive variables are the primary determinants of whether the intention to perform a new behavior was sustained: attitude, social influence, and self-efficacy. Various external variables also influence these factors.
Integrated marketing communication (IMC) is an approach used by businesses to coordinate and brand their communication strategies. Integrated marketing communication takes separate marketing functions and combines them into one, interconnected approach with a core brand message that is consistent across various channels. These encompass owned, earned, and paid media. Integrated marketing communication has been used to great effect by companies such as Snapchat, Snickers, and Domino’s.
Social penetration theory was developed by fellow psychologists Dalmas Taylor and Irwin Altman in their 1973 article Social Penetration: The Development of Interpersonal Relationships. Social penetration theory (SPT) posits that as a relationship develops, shallow and non-intimate communication evolves and becomes deeper and more intimate.
The hypodermic needle theory was first proposed by communication theorist Harold Lasswell in his 1927 book Propaganda Technique in the World War. The hypodermic needle theory is a communication model suggesting media messages are inserted into the brains of passive audiences.
The 7-38-55 rule was created by University of California psychology professor Albert Mehrabian and mentioned in his book Silent Messages. The 7-38-55 rule describes the multi-faceted way in which people communicate emotions, claiming that 7% of communication occurred via spoken word, 38% through tone of voice, and the remaining 55% through body language.
Active listening is the process of listening attentively while someone speaks and displaying understanding through verbal and non-verbal techniques. Active listening is a fundamental part of good communication, fostering a positive connection and building trust between individuals.
Gennaro is the creator of FourWeekMBA, which reached about four million business people, comprising C-level executives, investors, analysts, product managers, and aspiring digital entrepreneurs in 2022 alone | He is also Director of Sales for a high-tech scaleup in the AI Industry | In 2012, Gennaro earned an International MBA with emphasis on Corporate Finance and Business Strategy.
