COMMUNICATION
CHALLENGE 3
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THE CHALLENGE
THE CHALLENGE
Our Challenge as frontline managers at American SteelCo., is to improve communication amongst the organization. Communication is key to a full functioning organization. By understanding how to communicate properly in different scenarios, you can reduce conflict and uneasiness within the workplace. Suzy, a new supervisor at SteelCo., has been trying to communicate with Collin, who has been with the company for 12 years, about ways to improve how the company is run. Collin uses too many technical terms for Suzy to understand and isn’t open to suggestions. He often storms out of the office when having a conversation with Suzy and often is silent about the matter. While Suzy is trying to give Collin feedback, he chooses to ignore it. As frontline managers, we will discuss different forms of communication that will help solve this issue.
AN APPLICABLE THEORY
AN APPLICABLE THEORY
Due to the clear volatility between these two employees, they would definitely benefit from having a form of communication that involves just more than just the two of them talking. One might suggest a branch wide meeting; however, if this only persists between the two employees that might not be the best solution. So how do we solve this issue?
First of all, we can establish that written communication is probably the worst form of communication for this instance. A long face to face interaction is definitely required to fix this particular issue. From the sounds of it, Steel Co. has implemented a y-network style communication.
Y-Network Communication: A hierarchical form of communication
where employees report to their superiors who then report to their superior.
This is repeated until information reaches the top of the chain.
If this is in fact the case, it may be best that a meeting is held with a mediator present.
Mediator: Someone who acts as an unbiased member and serves
as a middleman for difficult communication scenarios
The mediator could give advice on the situation and be the middleman for communication. Each employee could express their concerns to the mediator, and then a solution could be made.
RESOLVING THE CHALLENGE
RESOLVING THE CHALLENGE
When communication is difficult between two parties, it's can be hard to achieve anything in an organization. We are confident that the theory above as well as applying the following actions, will resolve these issues.
ACTION 1
The first action we recommend for Susan and Collin is to improve their relationship-building skills with each other. Relationship-building is defined as: “sharing information internally and externally to create and strengthen relationships to advance organizational goals” (Andrade, 2019, para. 9). Implementing relationship-building skills will not only help improve communication between the two, but will also improve the way the company is running. One way to do this is by learning how to listen to each other's ideas. Listening will help Susan and Collin get to know how each other thinks and improve the communication taking place.
ACTION 2
Another action we recommend that Susan and Collin apply is asking the staff, especially technical staff members like Collin, to use more simplified language. While speaking with staff members, it's important to avoid using technical terms that others may not understand. Using technical terms often causes confusion. Instead, focus on using clear and concise language that will be easier for all parties of teh conversation to understand.
ACTION 3
The final action we recommend to improve communication at American Steel Co. is being more open to suggestions. When staff members offer suggestions on how to improve the company, listen to their ideas and give them serious consideration. The most important process of the communication cycle is feedback, listening to others' suggestions will show them that you value their input and are willing to make changes. Additionally, it assures you that your message was received properly and with the right intent.
LESSONS LEARNED
LESSONS LEARNED
Communication is a key skill to have in all aspects of life. In personal relationships, good communication can help strengthen trust and relationship longevity. In professional environments, good communication can improve productivity and company revenue. To improve workplace communication, you must first determine which communication model your organization is using. In this case American Steel Co. is using a Y-Network Communication model. After determining this, you can start emplementing strategies to improve communication such as: cutting unecessary noise, involving mediators, and encouraging feedback. While there are many other solutions, these are just a few that were mentioned throughout the challenge.
COMMENTS
COMMENTS
REFERENCES
REFERENCES
Andrade, M. S. (2019). Organizational behavior in practice. Dubuque, IA: Great River Learning.
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