COM-600 prepares graduate students for leadership by examining how communication shapes culture, conflict, power and teamwork in organizations.
SNHU's catalog says students analyze organizational culture, interpersonal and organizational conflict, roles and socialization, power in personal and professional relationships, and group communication theories.
They apply these to their own relationships and workplaces, and the course takes a systems theory approach that looks at how events, people and ideas interrelate. It is a 3-credit graduate course with no listed prerequisite.
The personal element is what makes it demanding. You are asked to use your own workplace as evidence, which requires honest reflection and careful analysis rather than anecdote.
Course at a Glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| University | Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) |
| Course code | COM-600 |
| Level and credits | Graduate, 3 credits |
| Prerequisite | None listed |
| Subject area | Leadership and organizational communication |
| Typical work | Workplace analyses, reflective papers, discussions, a leadership plan |
What COM-600 Covers
| Area (from SNHU's description) | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Organizational culture | Shared assumptions and how leaders shape them |
| Conflict | Interpersonal and organizational conflict and how to handle it |
| Roles and socialization | How newcomers learn norms and how roles form |
| Power | Sources and use of power in relationships at work and beyond |
| Group communication | Theories of how teams make decisions and function |
| Systems theory | How small and large changes ripple through an organization |
Key Concepts Explained
Culture in Layers
Edgar Schein described culture in three levels: visible artifacts, espoused values and underlying assumptions. Leaders often change artifacts (a new slogan) while assumptions stay the same, which explains why many culture initiatives stall.
Sources of Power
French and Raven identified bases of power: legitimate, reward, coercive, expert and referent (with informational power added later). Leaders who rely on legitimate and coercive power alone tend to get compliance rather than commitment.
Example: A newly promoted team lead insists "I'm the manager now" when the team resists a schedule change. Using a systems view, the student notices that the change also affects another department's handovers. The analysis recommends drawing on expert and referent power, involving the team in redesigning the schedule, and coordinating with the other department.
Conflict Styles
The Thomas-Kilmann model describes five styles: competing, collaborating, compromising, avoiding and accommodating. None is always right; good analysis explains which suits the stakes and relationship.
Leadership as Communication
The course treats leadership as something enacted through communication: setting direction, framing change, handling conflict and building trust. Analyses that show how a leader's words and behavior create or undermine those outcomes are more convincing than lists of leadership traits.
Typical Assignments and How to Approach Them
| Assignment type | What it tests | How to approach it |
|---|---|---|
| Workplace culture analysis | Applying culture theory | Use evidence at each of Schein's levels |
| Conflict case reflection | Conflict theory and self-awareness | Describe the conflict, your style and what you would change |
| Power analysis | Understanding influence | Identify each power base in play and its effects |
| Systems analysis | Systems thinking | Map connections and knock-on effects of a change |
Group Communication and Socialization
Group communication theories explain why teams succeed or struggle. Tuckman's stages (forming, storming, norming, performing, with adjourning added later) describe how groups develop.
Groupthink, described by Irving Janis, explains how pressure for agreement can lead cohesive groups to poor decisions, and leaders can counter it by inviting dissent and assigning someone to test assumptions.
Socialization is how newcomers learn a group's norms and roles. Leaders shape it through onboarding, mentoring and modeling behavior. An analysis of your own workplace might examine how new staff learn "how things really work here" and whether that matches the official message.
Where Students Get Stuck
- Anecdote without theory. Every workplace example needs a concept to explain it.
- Blame-focused reflection. Analyze your own part as well as others'.
- Linear thinking. Systems theory expects you to consider feedback loops and side effects.
- Confidentiality. Anonymize colleagues and employers in written work.
Study Tips for COM-600
- Keep a weekly journal of workplace moments that illustrate course concepts.
- Draw a simple systems map before writing any change analysis.
- Compare two theories on the same example to show depth.
How We Help with COM-600
Send the prompt, rubric, readings and feedback. A communication writer can prepare a custom analysis using a fictional scenario, explain theories, or edit your draft for depth and clarity. See our master's assignment help guide for wider graduate support.
GradeEssays is independent of Southern New Hampshire University. Reflections must use your own experiences, so we help structure and polish them rather than invent them. Submit your own work under SNHU's academic integrity policy. Orders include free revisions within the scope of your original request.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. SNHU lists it as a 3-credit graduate course.
SNHU's current catalog lists none.
It looks at organizations as interconnected wholes, where events, people and ideas affect each other and small changes can have wide effects.
SNHU's description says students use examples from their own relationships and workplaces, so expect reflective application.
Culture, conflict, power and group communication theories; your readings will set the specific ones.
Yes. Many instructors accept past roles, volunteering or team experiences; check with yours. We can help you structure the analysis.