Discussion 7 Leadership and Organizatinal

Part 1: Post a Response

Managers spend 1/3 of their time communicating up and down the organizational hierarchy. Communication is the transfer and understanding of information from one person to another. The communication model comprises of several parts.

We want to examine the Communication Pathway or medium in which communication is delivered. The Communication Pathway is the pathway messages are sent, including:

face-to-face meetings,

electronic mail and online discussions,

written letters or memorandums, and

telephone or voice-mail, among others.

While some people may be better at using certain mediums over others, certain mediums can be better suited for the specific message being conveyed.

For this week’s discussion, suppose you are a manager who needs to communicate several messages to employees of the company.

Messages

1. The CEO abruptly resigns after the news media reported, the CEO embezzles millions of dollars

2. A plan to relocate the company

3. The death of an employee

4. The reassignment of one division to a new location

For each of the messages above:

List the medium (telephone, email, text, face-to-face meeting, etc.) you would use to communicate the message.

Explain why you choose that medium over the other possible mediums.

Then, look at the messages from a general sense and explain how your choices affect trust and credibility among the employees.

**Please give the example**

Part 2: Respond to a Peer

Read a post by one of your peers and respond, making sure to extend the conversation by asking questions, offering rich ideas, or sharing personal connections.

Post 1

I think that if a business is trying to convey a message to their employees, it is best if they use the most appropriate medium to get the message across. Sometimes it can be challenging in situations to determine which medium is the most appropriate. The first example in where a CEO abruptly resigns after news media reported that the CEO embezzled millions of dollars I think should be conveyed to the employees via written communication. I think that a written letter of memorandum is most effective because it can reach all employees swiftly. It would be very challenging to get the message to employees face to face quickly enough. There will be office gossip and this would help ensure that all employees are receiving the exact same message at the exact same time so there is less confusion. A plan to relocate the company should be done the same way. I think that face to face is always preferred but I do not think that this is always possible. For the death of an employee, I think that there should be a face to face meeting with those who worked with the employee the closest. There could be an email sent to those who did not work of know the employee but to let them know what was going on and that grief counseling is available upon request. I think that the reassignment of one devision to a new location should be either in face of through a memo. Face is preferred. I do not think that any of these situations leaving a voice mail is appropriate. I voice mail is not personable and is almost never appropriate in my opinion in delivering information that is this important to employees. I think that simple messages do not require as much personal touch and the message needs to be tailored to the audience.

Post 2

This is an interesting discussion because each of these situations have occurred during my career in one way or another.  The way employees are notified of critical information shows them how the company values them and where they fall in importance to the corporation.  Employees hate to be the last to know information, especially if it involves their jobs or the company’s reputation. That creates distrust.  When you can’t trust the company that you work for to give you important information in a respectful and timely manner, it leads to disloyalty and low morale. 

We had a serious situation with my company 2 weeks ago that was being widely reported on the news and for the most part, we heard it first from our customers and online.  Since we deal directly with customer’s and our outside employees wear a uniform with the company logo, not having a company line for dealing with inquiries was very annoying. Leadership kept saying tell them “business as usual” but they didn’t have any more information than we did.  We didn’t get an email from corporate regarding the news story until a week later.  At that point, we had already figured out what we were going to say to the public on our own and started implementing it.

The CEO abruptly resigns after the news media reported, the CEO embezzles millions of dollars

This message should be sent as an email so that it can reach as many employees as possible.  When news like this spreads through hearsay or only on the news there is the possibility of misinformation and fear of the future. The whole company including stakeholders, need to be notified at the same time.  It is necessary for the company to get out in front and give the factual information and direction about what should be conveyed to the public.

 A plan to relocate the company

The plan to relocate the company should be conveyed either face to face or by online web conference calls depending on the size of the company and severity of the move.  If the move is just across town, the news may not be as devastating as a move to another state.

  The death of an employee

This is especially sensitive information that should be handled with respect for the deceased employee and sensitivity to the work family that may be hearing of the death for the first time.  This type of message should be made face to face to the immediate team members that worked with the employee and by email to the company with the information and condolences to the employee’s family and friends.

The reassignment of one division to a new location

This has happened to me twice in the same company within the last 5 years.  This news should be conveyed face to face to the department that is being moved with as much information as possible on an ongoing basis, even when the move is in the planning stages.  Updates can be made by email to get information out quickly. The rest of the company can be notified by email when the move is within 30 days.  The affected employees should have the right to be able to make the best decisions for themselves and their families in a timely manner.