The overarching purpose of this study is to examine the communication implications of a self-proclaimed consensual organization (IT) within a classical organizational environment. The literature review of relevant theory and research covers both hierarchical and consensual organizations viewed via the classical, human relations, and system perspectives. The researcher compares organizational theory to practice by using communication to describe a consensual organization. The analyses of the research questions show that the IT organization, although a self-proclaimed consensual organization, does not obtain as many consensual qualities as the organization perceives. Organizational theorists have positioned bureaucracies and consensual organizations at opposite ends of the task-relational continuum. However, the findings from this thesis study suggest that consensual organizations should be positioned much closer to the task-oriented bureaucracies. / Graduation date: 1997