The four flows and you! Examining the four flows of communication in higher education organizations

While personal connection to course material is a vital component of student learning, it can be difficult for students to critically examine the various systems in which they are embedded. This single-class activity invites students to critically examine their university through the lens of the four flows of communication from the Communicative Constitution of Organizations (CCO). Through this exercise, students will not only be able to identify examples of membership negotiation, self-structuring, activity coordination, and institutional positioning within an organization that they interact with regularly, but they will also reflect on the impact that these flows have on their experience as organizational members.Courses This activity is well-suited to small group or organizational communication courses, or organizational communication units within introduction to communication or communication theory courses.Objectives Upon completion, students should be able to: (1) articulate and differentiate between CCO’s four flows, (2) analyze how the flows operate in organizations where students have membership, and (3) analyze and evaluate how the flows influence organizational members. Through this group-oriented, low-stakes activity, students critically examine the functioning of an organization in which they hold membership.