Case study – Communication

UNIVERSITY OF THE PEOPLE

BUS 5113 Organizational Theory and Behavior
Term 4, 2019-2020

Assignment 4

Analyze business communication case and apply communication techniques and concept that will identify lapses

in the communication channels and making recommendations to improve them.

Introduction

Communication is a process.

It is commonly defined as “the exchange of thoughts, ideas, feelings, information, opinions, and knowledge”.!

It also involves mutuality of understanding.

In communications, a channel is the means of passing information from a sender to a recipient. Determining the

foremost appropriate channel, or medium, is critical to the effectiveness of communication as it includes the

involvement of both the internal and external stakeholders of the organization. Effective Communication helps

with planning, implementing, controlling, educating, motivating, leading, organizing and socializing in an

organization. Managers must efficiently communicate to their team members and subordinates about the plans or

tasks to achieve the department and ultimately the organizational goals.

Communication channels can either formal or informal and include both oral means such as telephone calls and

presentations, and written modes such as reports, memos, and email.

Case study – Communication

Solution

Identification of issues

I. Supervisors and employees were facing low quality of mail sortation resulting in mis-sorted, mis-

delivered, and mis-sequenced mail

II. Delivery was being delayed and mail returns were unacceptably high.

III. Machine performance was substandard and overtime usage and maintenance cost was high.

IV. Management staff did not participate nor did the employee were aware about the implementation

plan.

V. Employee performance was not being addressed for fear of union shop intervention. Customer

complaints continue to rise.

1. The communication issues in the case:

Ineffective and substandard communication specific to no clear and limited instructions between

leadership and the management. This affected the line of communication between the management

team and the supervisors and supervisors and the ground team members. So clearly what was

decided by the leadership (focusing only on profit) was not fully and correctly implemented by the

employee due to a lack of communication thus resulting into a low quality of work which was

creating a bad image for the company.

2. Communication channel bypassed

 Face to face communication: This is often the most effective channel to use for complex or

emotionally charged messages, because it allows for interaction between leadership and recipients

to clarify ambiguity. A speaker can evaluate whether an audience has received his message as

intended and ask or answer follow-up questions. This was clearly missing here.
Case study – Communication
 Electronic Communication: the use of effective communication devices, and channels was

missing in this case study. The leader should have adopted the use of electronic mails to provide

clear guidance to the management team on the implementation plan.

 Written communication: was bypassed. Employees on joining the company in receiving an

employee handbook would have help the employees in knowing what to except thus can be guided

to inform their supervisors when things are going south.

3. How would you implement such an improvement plan?

Revisited the company strategic plan and create a communication plan to align with it. To develop

this communication strategy, the management must link their communication plan to their strategic

plan through the several channels-written, electronic etc. as well as through the mission and vison

statement, its strategic goals and objective and the corporate brand. Senior management must

understand the communication flowing, hear the subordinates, seek input from all stakeholders,

expect, address and provides feedbacks, maintain consistency and also to plan strategically to have

the breakthrough goal of 98%. In achieving this goal, training is important while clear and

measurable target is set. Of course, job roles must be clear. At each level, there should be a

transparent communication and updates on the daily tasks. This would help everyone to be aware of

what is going on and thus becoming motivated to be part of it.

4. Effective Program Implementation

The company need to have a staff retreat and outline the revised strategic plan along with the

communication plan. At this retreat, all employees should be allowed to voice their grievances while

making recommendations which the leadership must commit to take on board to enhance its

communication strategy.

Training must be provided for the staff and a mechanism such as the Intranets can be used to store all of

their information for employees to be able to reference to.

Case study – Communication
At each level in the organization, there must in participatory and feedback mechanism face to face such

as weekly meetings and through the use of electronic communication such as the use of emails.

And there must be monthly written report submitted for analysis from the bottom going up.

CONCLUSION

The ultimate objective is to ensure that there is a free flow of communication between the leadership and

the employees and the effective implementation of a communication plan align with strategic plan can

aid in improving communication in this organization by adopting the appropriate communication channel

when it necessary to do so.

Reference:

1. Robbins, S. P. (2001). Organizational behavior, 9th ed. Upper Saddle, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

2. Boni, F. (2016). The utopia of communication: The myth of communication as a positive value. In Bait

M., Brambilla M., & Crestani V. (Eds.), Utopian Discourses Across Cultures: Scenarios in Effective

Communication to Citizens and Corporations (pp. 27-42). Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang AG.

3. Retrieved Lægaard Jørgen (2006). Organizational theories, 1st ed, Mille Bindslev & Ventus Publishing

ApS & bookboon.com.