Impact Of New Media On Internal Communications Media Essay

Impact Of New Media On Internal Communications Media Essay Cornelissen (2008) defines internal communications as communication with employees internally within the organization (pg195) He also went further to state that the emergence of new inventions in technologies like internet blogs and emails has evolved into messages not just been restricted to the confine of the office, but have faded the boundaries between internal and external communications. This translates to the fact that employees can now distribute information about an organization or even a co-employee electronically to outside stakeholders and they can share their views and publish their grievances as well as organise and demand action from the organization. With access to email, blogs and social networking sites for sharing corporate information, many employees become corporate communications professionals themselves. Before the advent of World Wide Web, media communication as means of mass communication was to a large extent one-sided. Newspapers were written by a few people and read by thousands; television programmes (including news and documentaries) were made by a few people and watched by thousands; books were typically written by one person and read by thousands. Internal communications was no different. Employee newsletters were typically developed by a handful of employees and disseminated to the entire workforce. The advent of Web 2.0, which brought with it a clutch of new technologies such as social networking websites, blogs, etc., changed this nature of few-to-many communication. These new technologies allowed everyone to participate in the discussion. Suddenly, communication was not communication at all; it became discussion i.e from one way to two way method of communication. This is a fundamental shift in perspective. In the workplace, the roles and explicit power of the players however have not changed. The employers are still the employers with the power to hire and fire employees; the employees are still employees who are bound by their employment contracts to their employers and are most times to be seen and not heard. Hence it is interesting to examine if there has been a change in the nature of internal communication within the workplace as a result of the advent of the new media. This paper attempts to examine the ways in which each new major technology has changed the nature of internal communications, and concludes with a view towards the future. 2.0 New Media inside the Workplace Holtz (2006) points out that any technology that becomes a commonly used tool on the Internet will find its ways onto Intranets. There is always a lag between the widespread adoptions of the new technology and the adoption of the technology by corporations. Holtz is also of the opinion that this is because business leaders tend to dismiss new technologies with contempt, viewing them as nothing more than diversions for youngsters and computer nerds. (pg22). These business leaders will eventually see a different side to this as the roles between the old and new media is obviously changing, or should I say have changed? Companies used to rely on the intranet and emails to communicate with their employees, so also face to face, but with the emergence and infiltration of new media into peoples lives, communication has taken a totally different form, and it is bound to improve in years to come. According to Henneman 2010, Gartner Inc, a research and advisory firm have predicted that social networking will replace email as the primary form of communication for 20% of business users by 2014. 2.1 Instant Messaging A prime example of this is the use of instant messaging. Initially no corporate use of instant messaging was found to be acceptable. However, as the technology began to be used more and more widely, it began to be adopted by corporations. Today instant messaging is used by a large number of companies to provide customer support, and to facilitate internal communications. Within the corporate network, especially within large corporations, instant messaging represents a non-intrusive method by which two employees can communicate. If two employees speak over the phone, the conversation may not be private because it is conducted in an office cubicle where conversations are easily overhead. Instant messaging on the other hand allows two employees to communicate without making any noise whatsoever, and therefore the conversation can remain private. Instant messaging also allows these two employees to communicate without moving from their cubicle. Isaacs et al (2002) find that social use of instant messaging (IM) has a rather different nature compared to the use of instant messaging in the workplace. They find that whilst social use of IM is short, quick and the users multitask when chatting using IM. Media switching is also very common. However, the use of IM in the workplace is slightly longer, and therefore comparable to other impromptu conversations such as face to face conversations, phone calls, etc. Media switching was also not common. Two main styles of use could be identified, namely working together and coordinating. Working together involved the use of IM For a number of collaborative activities, such as multipurpose discussions. The conversations are rather intense, with threading of the messages. Pairs of employees who work together tend to use IM more frequently, and for working together. The use of IM for coordinating on the other hand is often with the objective of scheduling interactions in other mediums. The conversations here are slow paced, with fewer and longer turns and little threading and multitasking. Cameron and Webster (2004) find that the success of the use of IM depends on whether a critical mass of users has been established. They also find that employees use IM as a replacement for other communication media and also as an additional method for reaching others. Both Cameron and Webster (ibid) and Herbsleb et al (2002) find that IM is used in internal communication where informal communication generally takes place. 2.2 Social Networking Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. Skeels and Grudin (2009) report that the use of social networks websites are increasing in the workplace. They opine that the nature of use of social media in the workplace, the impact of this use on productivity, and the nature of any evolution in enterprise-friendly use are all open questions. Their study finds that the use of social networks often creates tensions which span social groups and the organisations firewall, That is to say, the impact of the use of social networking websites can have an influence not only on the internal communications but also on the image and business of the organisation externally. Furthermore, they find that the use of social networking websites have only weak ties to productivity. 2.3 Blogging and Micro-blogging Ehrlich and Shami (2010) examine the use of micro-blogging in the workplace and find that confidentiality issues separate micro-blogging inside the workplace and outside the workplace. Micro-blogging was however relatively widely used, for the following main purposes: Conversation and help from colleagues internal micro-blogging allowed the employees to have conversations with their colleagues in an environment that was perceived to be familial. As the discussions were kept within the corporate boundaries, they believed that constructive criticism could be voiced, and to seek for help. The sense of belonging to the organisation also gave some employees an obligation to help others and actively search for colleagues who needed help. Real time information sharing and awareness One of the main benefits of internal micro-blogging was that it allowed employees to gain information in real time. It allowed for the free sharing of information as well as ideas. Reputation management The authors of posts in the micro-blogging also attempted to use this activity as a method of reputation management. They published information that was of use to a wide variety of people not only with the desire to help their audience but also with a desire to enhance their reputation as having access to the latest information. Feeling connected micro-blogging helped create a sense of interconnectedness and familiarity, especially amongst mobile workers. This was partly because micro-blogging did not focus solely on work-related topics but also included personal topics. 2.4 Wikis Hilska (n.d.) examines the effects of the implementation of a wiki-based intranet. He finds that wikis have multifarious uses in such a work environment such as writing the minutes of meetings, publication of news and announcements, task management, project management, documentation, for use as home pages for individuals, departments and work groups, etc. Wikis therefore can be said to be used for both internal communication as well as collaborative work. He also finds that there is a lot to be gained from the use of wikis, such as enabling people to participate in internal communication, participate in collaborative projects, share information, seek for information from colleagues, and manage work. Wikis also facilitate easy authorship by all the employees in an organisation. The main disadvantage of using wikis that was identified is that it was difficult to find relevant and up to date information. 3.0 Discussion Fidler (1997) points out that the rise of the new media is but one wave of change amongst many others that have occurred in the past. He points to the changes in communication that can be traced back from the time of recorded history, such as the invention of the telegram message, the invention of the telephone, the printing press, etc. In all of these changes that have been introduced into communication, it can be said that the principle of survival and delayed adoption has held true. The different forms of media, as well as media enterprises will adapt and evolve in response to the changing environment, otherwise they will become extinct. The forms of communication will evolve, such that the older forms of communication will no longer be used. The telegram for example, became quite irrelevant when telephones were invented and widely adopted. As VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology matures and becomes more usable, the migration of users to the Internet may well render the telephone obsolete. The Apple iPhone for example facilitates videoconferencing between users directly using the Internet. This technology is therefore already sufficiently mature and established. What remains is for the adoption of the technology and crossnetwork adoption of common protocols. The main question that arises from the discussion above is, as the nature of communication has changed from a few-to-many style of communication to a discussion in which a large segment of the traditional audience participate in the communication, how has the nature of communication in the workplace changed? Lengel and Daft (1989) make the important point that the selection of medium of communication has an impact on the meaning of the message. This collaborates with other findings discussed above that IM is generally preferred for informal communication. Holtz (2006) also explains that the employee is not just an employee 24/7; he is also a customer, shareholder, etc. Hence internal corporate communication cannot always be distinguished from external corporate communication. Indeed the use of the new media for whistleblowing and activism is very high (Walter, 2009). The author agrees with van Dijk (2006, pg. 240) who states that new media has the effect of organising the entities engaged in the communication or discussion. As the media facilitates both public and private discussions, the choice of medium of communication reflects the desire of the initiator of the communication to have the contents of the conversation be public, or kept private. Furthermore, new media always provides an electronic record of the communication. This facilitates the verification of the message and authorship of the message. This helps to provide structure to the collection of individuals who collectively use the media. Within corporate environments, it can be seen that organisations that have a relatively flat structure generally employ new media to a greater extent than those that have a rigid and bureaucratic structure. The flat structure allows for open communication, and the consequent formation of societal structures with the use of new media. It encourages pa rticipation and interaction by opening a door of opportunity for employees to speak their minds. Rooksby et al (2009) provide an excellent overview of the use of new media in the workplace. They explain that internally new media technologies are often used to locate the person who would know the answer to a question, rather than to find the answer to the question itself. One of the reasons for this could be that as the economy becomes more and more knowledge based, the answers that are sought could be implicit knowledge and not codified. This use of new media for expertise finding represents an opportunity for the people in the organisations to share their expertise. This in turn facilitates organisational learning, knowing and judging peoples competencies, the creation of ad hoc teams to solve time-critical problems, and generally developing social capital. They further explain that information itself is not a scare resource any longer, but time and attention are. Social networking technologies help people deal with information overload by finding the right person, source of help. These technologies help people become connected, and to share and consume information. This in turn leads them to form social connections, satisfying the human need to connect to people in their vicinity. Rooksby et al (2009) state that social capital is difficult to quantify; it is also difficult to identify its exact influence on the productivity of an organisation. However, the formation of social relationships that is facilitated by the social networking technologies helps to build trust, reciprocity, and understanding between the workers in an organisation. This is clearly very important for the success of the organisation. Cornelissen (2008, pg. 194) explains that organisations require employees to cooperate in order to achieve the companys goals. Todays organisations are often large corporations with a large number of employees. These employees are frequently required to perform highly specialised tasks, resulting in efficiency payoffs. These tasks however need to be coordinated, such that together they create value for the organisation. The organisation has to balance its own needs as well as the needs of its employees in order to ensure that they remain motivated and happy. Internal communication therefore serves a number of purposes, such as to fulfil the needs of the employees. Raeth et al (2010) narrate that the cycle of adoption of new media can be described as having three distinct phases, namely the idea phase, the project phase and the use and impact phase. The idea phase is when the idea for the development and deployment of new technology is put forward inside the organisation. This idea phase moves forward when there is support from management, proper justification for the project, funding, etc. When development is initiated, then the adoption of the new technology is said to move to the project phase. Here the actual system is developed and deployed. When it is adopted by the rank and file employees, then the adoption is considered to have moved to the use and impact phase. In this phase, the new systems are used, and the benefits are facilitated by training, communication and advocation. There is also analysis as to whether the systems are successful in achieving the desired goals. Rooksby et al (2009) also highlight that one of the major problems associated with the use of social media is time wasting. The time spent by employees in social networking websites is not always productive, and this could lead to significant wasted time. Furthermore, there are also concerns about the privacy and confidentiality of information that is published on new media technologies, such as blogs and social networking websites. In workplace uses, there is a similar concern about the maintenance of confidentiality of information. Cornelissen (2008, pg. 194) explains that new media technologies have served to blur the boundaries between internal and external communications. This means that the communications that would otherwise have remained within the organisation are sometimes disseminated outside the organisation. 4.0 Conclusion The author contends that new media has indeed changed society, and consequently the nature of internal communications, as described by Popp (2009). As the world has become more and more globalised, this is reflected in the changes in society where people have friends and family all over the world. New media facilitates interaction between these people in far flung geographical areas. Herman and McChesney (2001) rightly state that communication is becoming more important in todays globalised economy. Society is also changing, as it is becoming more open, democratic and activist in nature. New media has certainly been a facilitating factor to this change, but it is important to note that society itself could be said to have been ready for change. Without this, new media alone would not have been able to effect any change. The author opines that in line with these changes in the wider society, a similar change in internal communications (in the delayed adoption fashion) is also already occurring. New organisations tend to have a flat structure, which is more democratic. The use of social media for internal communications allows for the effective communication of employees in far flung geographical locations. A prime example of this is the organisation which supports one of the most well known open source databases in the world, MySQL. The employees in this organisat ion are scattered all over the world, and have to rely on new media for communication. The rise of democracy can be thought to coincide with the rise in organisations with a flat structure. For these reasons, it can be said that the changes inside the workplace mirror the changes in wider society to a large extent, with a delay. The new media does indeed bring a number of benefits to the corporate entity, just as they do to the wider society, such as creating relationships, enabling collaboration and communication, etc. Klopper (2010) also states that internal communications tools create the opportunity for employees to not only ask questions but to answer them, increasing their visibility as an influencer in their niches. He refers to a study done by IBM which looked at over 5000 posts by their employees who use an internal IBM micro-blog called blue twit which though similar to twitter but can only be used internally, it was revealed that employees benefitted as they saw their interaction on bluetwit as family conversation because users could constructively criticise company products. As a result, people were able to use this tool to engage in a two way communication. Hence in conclusion, it has been noted that the new media of the past is the old media of today. Change is inevitable, and it has been seen that internal communications within the workplace often tends to be a reflection of the general nature of communications in the wider society, and has helped companies recognise the fact that they need to keep changing in order to meet up or surpass their competitors and in so doing not lose manpower and company reputation due to absence of employee engagement. Hayes (2010) notes that some organizations probably fail to recognise the need for change until they have little choice but to react to an unforeseen situation. Naslund (2010) believes that social media and communities are as distinctive as the businesses in which they exist.. Undoubtedly building internal communities and introducing social media initiatives can be an effective method in building the brand, exchange opinions, discuss freely and encourage employee engagement and interaction, it is also a new and refined method of identifying with the lively society that have been created within the company, so also an influential means of re-instating the facts that employees make up the framework of the company.

“That’s Not My Job” †Learning Delegation at Cin-Made

â€Å"THAT'S NOT MY JOB† – LEARNING DELEGATION AT CIN-MADE When Robert Frey purchased Cin – Made in 1984, the company was near ruin. The Cincinnati, Ohi-based manufacturer of paper packaging had not altered its product line in 20 years. Labor costs had hit the ceiling, while profits were falling through the floor. A solid quarter of the company's shipments were late and absenteeism was high. Management and workers were at each other's throats. Ten years later, Cin – Made is producing a new assortment of highly differentiated composite cans, and pre-tax profits have increased more than five times. The Cin – Made workforce is both flexible and deeply committed to the success of the company. On-time delivery of products has reached 98 percent, and absenteeism has virtually disappeared. There are even plans to form two spin – off companies to be owned and operated by Cin-Made employees. In fact, at the one day â€Å"Future of the American Workforce† conference held in July 1993, Cin-Made was recognized by President Clinton as one of the best – run companies in the United States. â€Å"How did we achieve this startling turnaround? †    Mused Frey. â€Å"Employee empowerment is one part of the answer. Profit sharing is another. †   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the late spring of 1986, relations between management and labor had reached rock bottom. Having recently suffered a pay cut, employees at Cin- Made came to work each day, performed the duties required of their particular positions, and returned home-nothing more. Frey could see that his company was suffering. â€Å"To survive we needed to stop being worthy adversaries and start being worthy partners,† he realized. Toward this end, Frey decided to call a meeting with the union. He offered to restore worker pay to its previous level by the end of the year. On top of that, he offered  something no one expected: a 15 percent share of Cin-Made's pre-tax profits. † I do not choose to own a company that has an adversarial relationship with its employees. † Frey proclaimed at the meeting. He therefore proposed a new arrangement that would encourage a collaborative employee-management relationship â€Å"Employee participation will play an essential role in management. †   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Managers within the company were among the first people to oppose Frey's new idea of employee involvement. â€Å"My three managers felt they were paid to be worthy adversaries of the unions.    Frey recalled. It's what they'd been trained for. It's what made them good managers. Moreover, they were not used to participation in any form, certainly not in decision making. †    The workers also resisted the idea of extending themselves beyond the written requirements of their jobs. † (Employees) wan ted generous wages and benefits, of course, but they did not want to take responsibility for anything more than doing their own jobs the way they had always done them,† Frey noted. Employees were therefore skeptical of Frey's overtures toward â€Å"employee participation.   Ã‚   â€Å"We thought he was trying to rip us off and shaft us,† explained Ocelia Williams, one of many Cin-Made employees who distrusted Frey's plans. Frey, however, did not give up, and he eventually convinced the union to agree to his terms. † I wouldn't take no for an answer,† he asserted. â€Å"Once I had made my two grand pronouncements, I was determined to press ahead and make them come true. †    But still ahead lay the considerable challenge of convincing employees to take charge   :   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I made people meet with me, then instead   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Of telling them what to do, I asked them. They resisted. † How can we cut the waste on his run ? † I'd   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   say, or â€Å"How are we going to allocate the overtime on this order ? † â€Å"That's not my job,† they'd say. â€Å"But I need your input,† I'd say. â€Å"How in the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   World can we have participative management   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   If you won't participate? â€Å"I don't know,† they'd say. â€Å"Because that's   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   not my job either. That's your job. ?† Gradually, Frey made progress. Managers began sharing more information with employees. Frey was able slowly to expand the responsibilities workers would carry. Managers who were unable to work with employees left, and union relations began to improve. Empowerment began to happen. By 1993, Cin Made employees were taking responsibility for numerous tasks. Williams, for example, used to operate a tin-slitting machine on the company's factory floor. She still runs that same machine, but now is also responsible for ordering almost $ 100,000 in supplies. Williams is just one example of how job roles and duties have been redefined throughout Cin-Made. Joyce Bell, president of the local union, still runs the punch press she always has, but now also serves as Cin- Made's corporate safety director. The company's scheduling team, composed of one manager and five lead workers from various plant areas, is charged with setting hours, designating layoffs, and deciding when temporary help is needed. The hiring review team, staffed by three hourly employees and two managers, is responsible for interviewing applicants and deciding whom to hire. An employee committee performs both short – and long – term planning of labor, materials, equipment, production runs, packing, and delivery. Employees even meet daily in order to set their own production schedules. â€Å"We empower employees to make decisions, not just have input,† Frey remarked. â€Å"I just coach. †   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Under Frey's new management regime, company secrets have virtually disappeared. All Cin-Made employees, from entry-level employees all the way to the top, take part in running the company. In fact, Frey has delegated so much of the company's operations to its workers that he now feels little in the dark. â€Å"I now know very little about what's going on, on a day-to-day basis,† he confessed. At Cin-Made, empowerment and delegation are more than mere buzzwords; they are the way of doing business – good business. â€Å"We, as workers, have a lot of opportunities,† said Williams. â€Å"If we want to take leadership, it's offered to us. † Questions and answers: Q. 1   How were principles of delegation and decentralization incorporated into Cine – Made operations? Answer :- a. The employee participation was made an integral part of the company's management practices. b. Establishing Participative Management c. Centralized hiring process which was independent in itself and managed by esignated managers. Q. 2  Ã‚   What are the sources and uses of power at Cin – Made? Answer : Collaboration, Innovation, Participative management Empowerment through delegation and decentralization Deriving more output through employees' sense of ownership for their actions Improving flexibility of the companies' employees. Giving a free hand to their imagina tion rather than reining it in. Q. 3. What were some of the barriers to delegation and empowerment at Cin –Made? Answer : Our perceptions about work and the way we are part of it need to change. These are the lessons in management that can be learnt from the Cin-Made experience. a. Transparent management policies are the call of the day b. Managers must lead by example rather than simply lecturing and ordering the employees. c. Any status quo achieved or stagnation point reached by way of policies being in place for long term must be challenged and remedied with cautious efforts; that to while taking care of sentimentalities and emotional attachments of old employees of company – all leading to change for the better.

History Of Harlem s The Slums Of New York - 1436 Words

Dahee Choi CST 110 Professor Brenda Parker 10/8/2014 Life in the slums of New York, particularly that of Harlem during the years when racism was still openly practiced in public, has always interested me. I had a chance to go to museum about Gordon Parks. He was the first black photographer. He Proposed a series of pictures about the gang wars that were harassing post-war Harlem. He believed that he could draw attention to the problem then possibly it would be addressed through social programs or government intervention. Parks gained the trust one of particular gang and their leader, Leonard â€Å"Red†, and produced a serious of pictures of them that are artful, emotive, touching, and something shocking. The editors at Life selected twenty-one pictures to reproduce in a graphic, adventurous layout in the magazine, often cropping or increasing details in the pictures. 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Corinth History, Legends, and Cultural Advances

Corinth is the name of an ancient Greek polis (city-state) and nearby isthmus that lent its name to a set of Panhellenic games, a war, and a style of architecture. In works attributed to Homer, you may find Corinth referred to as Ephyre. Corinth in the Middle of Greece That it is called isthmus means it is a neck of land, but the Isthmus of Corinth serves as more of a Hellenic waist separating the upper, mainland part of Greece and the lower Peloponnesian parts. The city of Corinth was a rich, important, cosmopolitan, commercial area, having one harbor that allowed trade with Asia, and another that led to Italy. From the 6th century B.C., the Diolkos, a paved route up to six meters wide designed for a fast passage, led from the Gulf of Corinth on the west to the Saronic Gulf on the east. Corinth is called wealthy because of its commerce, since it is situated on the Isthmus and is master of two harbours, of which the one leads straight to Asia, and the other to Italy; and it makes easy the exchange of merchandise from both countries that are so far distant from each other.Strabo Geography 8.6 Passage From the Mainland to the Peloponnese The land route from Attica into the Peloponnese passed through Corinth. A nine-kilometer section of rocks (the Sceironian rocks) along the land route from Athens made it treacherous—especially when brigands took advantage of the landscape—but there was also a sea route from the Piraeus past Salamis. Corinth in Greek Mythology According to Greek mythology, Sisyphus, a grandfather of Bellerophon—the Greek hero who rode Pegasus the winged horse—founded Corinth. (This may be a story invented by Eumelos, a poet of the Bacchiadae family.) This makes the city not one of the Dorian cities—like those in the Peloponnese—founded by the Heracleidae, but Aeolian). The Corinthians, however, claimed descent from Aletes, who was a descendant of Hercules from the Dorian invasion. Pausanias explains that at the time when the Heracleidae invaded the Peloponnese, Corinth was ruled by descendants of Sisyphus named Doeidas and Hyanthidas, who abdicated in favor of Aletes whose family kept the throne for five generations until the first of the Bacchiads, Bacchis., gained control Theseus, Sinis, and Sisyphus are among the names from mythology associated with Corinth, as the second century A.D. geographer Pausanias says: [2.1.3] In the Corinthian territory is also the place called Cromyon from Cromus the son of Poseidon. Here they say that Phaea was bred; overcoming this sow was one of the traditional achievements of Theseus. Farther on the pine still grew by the shore at the time of my visit, and there was an altar of Melicertes. At this place, they say, the boy was brought ashore by a dolphin; Sisyphus found him lying and gave him burial on the Isthmus, establishing the Isthmian games in his honor....[2.1.4] At the beginning of the Isthmus is the place where the brigand Sinis used to take hold of pine trees and draw them down. All those whom he overcame in fight he used to tie to the trees, and then allow them to swing up again. Thereupon each of the pines used to drag to itself the bound man, and as the bond gave way in neither direction but was stretched equally in both, he was torn in two. This was the way in which Sinis himself was slain by Theseus.Pausanias Description of Greece, translated b y W.H.S. Jones; 1918 Pre-Historic and Legendary Corinth Archaeological finds show that Corinth was inhabited in the Neolithic and early Helladic periods. Australian classicist and archaeologist Thomas James Dunbabin (1911-1955) says the nu-theta (nth) in the name Corinth shows it is a pre-Greek name. The oldest preserved building survives from the 6th century B.C. It is a temple, probably to Apollo. The earliest rulers name is Bakkhis, who may have ruled in the ninth century. Cypselus overthrew Bakkhis successors, the Bacchiads, c.657 B.C., after which Periander became the tyrant. He is credited with having created the Diolkos. In c. 585, an oligarchical council of 80 replaced the last tyrant. Corinth colonized Syracuse and Corcyra at about the same time it got rid of its kings. And the Bacchiadae, a rich and numerous and illustrious family, became tyrants of Corinth, and held their empire for nearly two hundred years, and without disturbance reaped the fruits of the commerce; and when Cypselus overthrew these, he himself became tyrant, and his house endured for three generations....ibid. Pausanias gives another account of this early, confusing, legendary period of Corinthian history: [2.4.4] Aletes himself and his descendants reigned for five generations to Bacchis, the son of Prumnis, and, named after him, the Bacchidae reigned for five more generations to Telestes, the son of Aristodemus. Telestes was killed in hate by Arieus and Perantas, and there were no more kings, but Prytanes (Presidents) taken from the Bacchidae and ruling for one year, until Cypselus, the son of Eetion, became tyrant and expelled the Bacchidae.11 Cypselus was a descendant of Melas, the son of Antasus. Melas from Gonussa above Sicyon joined the Dorians in the expedition against Corinth. When the god expressed disapproval Aletes at first ordered Melas to withdraw to other Greeks, but afterwards, mistaking the oracle, he received him as a settler. Such I found to be the history of the Corinthian kings.Pausanias, op.cit. Classical Corinth In the middle of the sixth century, Corinth allied with Spartan, but later opposed the Spartan King Cleomenes political interventions in Athens. It was aggressive actions of Corinth against Megara that led to the Peloponnesian War. Although Athens and Corinth were at odds during this war, by the time of the Corinthian War (395-386 B.C.), Corinth had joined Argos, Boeotia, and Athens against Sparta. Hellenistic and Roman Era Corinth After the Greeks lost to Philip of Macedonia at Chaeronea, the Greeks signed terms Philip insisted on so he could turn his attention to Persia. They made oaths not to overthrow Philip or his successors, or one another, in exchange for local autonomy and were joined together in a federation that we today call the League of Corinth. Members of the Corinthian League were responsible for levies of troops (for use by Philip) depending on the size of the city. Romans besieged Corinth during the second Macedonian War, but the city continued in Macedonian hands until the Romans decreed it independent and part of the Achaean confederacy after Rome defeated the Macedonians a Cynoscephalae. Rome kept a garrison in Corinths Acrocorinth—the citys high spot and citadel. Corinth failed to treat Rome with the respect it demanded. Strabo describes how Corinth provoked Rome: The Corinthians, when they were subject to Philip, not only sided with him in his quarrel with the Romans, but individually behaved so contemptuously towards the Romans that certain persons ventured to pour down filth upon the Roman ambassadors when passing by their house. For this and other offences, however, they soon paid the penalty, for a considerable army was sent thither.... Roman consul Lucius Mummius destroyed Corinth in 146 B.C., looting it, killing the men, selling the children and women, and burning what remained. [2.1.2] Corinth is no longer inhabited by any of the old Corinthians, but by colonists sent out by the Romans. This change is due to the Achaean League. The Corinthians, being members of it, joined in the war against the Romans, which Critolaus, when appointed general of the Achaeans, brought about by persuading to revolt both the Achaeans and the majority of the Greeks outside the Peloponnesus. When the Romans won the war, they carried out a general disarmament of the Greeks and dismantled the walls of such cities as were fortified. Corinth was laid waste by Mummius, who at that time commanded the Romans in the field, and it is said that it was afterwards refounded by Caesar, who was the author of the present constitution of Rome. Carthage, too, they say, was refounded in his reign.Pausanias; op. cit. By the time of the New Testaments St. Paul (author of Corinthians), Corinth was a booming Roman town, having been made a colony by Julius Caesar in 44 B.C.—Colonia Laus Iulia Corinthiensis. Rome rebuilt the city in Roman fashion, and settled it, mostly with freedmen, who grew prosperous within two generations. In the early 70s A.D., Emperor Vespasian established a second Roman colony at Corinth—Colonia Iulia Flavia Augusta Corinthiensis. It had an amphitheater, a circus, and other characteristic buildings and monuments. After the Roman conquest, the official language of Corinth was Latin until the time of Emperor Hadrian, when it became Greek. Located by the Isthmus, Corinth was responsible for the Isthmian Games, second in importance to the Olympics and held every two years in the spring. Also known as: Ephyra (old name) Examples: The highpoint or citadel of Corinth was called the Acrocorinth. Thucydides 1.13 says Corinth was the first Greek city to build war galleys: The Corinthians are said to have been the first that changed the form of shipping into the nearest to that which is now in use, and at Corinth are reported to have been made the first galleys of all Greece. Sources Corinth Oxford Dictionary of the Classical World. Ed. John Roberts. Oxford University Press, 2007.A Roman Circus in Corinth, by David Gilman Romano; Hesperia: The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens Vol. 74, No. 4 (Oct. - Dec., 2005), pp. 585-611.Greek Diplomatic Tradition and the Corinthian League of Philip of Macedon, by S. Perlman; Historia: Zeitschrift fÃÆ'Â ¼r Alte Geschichte Bd. 34, H. 2 (2nd Qtr., 1985), pp. 153-174.The Corinth That Saint Paul Saw, by Jerome Murphy-OConnor; The Biblical Archaeologist Vol. 47, No. 3 (Sep., 1984), pp. 147-159.The Early History of Corinth, by T. J. Dunbabin; The Journal of Hellenic Studies Vol. 68, (1948), pp. 59-69.A Geographical and Historical Description of Ancient Greece, by John Anthony CramerCorinth (Korinthos). The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature (3 ed.) Edited by M. C. HowatsonCorinth: Late Roman Horizonsmore, by Guy Sanders, from Hesperia 74 (2005), pp.243-297.