Mgmt206 Case Study Analysis Essay

MGMT206
MGMT206 Written Assignment: Case Study Analysis
Colleen E. Mills

1. What expectations about communication were revealed by the various employees’ comments?
Comments made my employees about communication varied over the whole company showing mixed expectations. The expectations differed from expecting more information to have been provided, to simply expecting the medium used in communication to have been more personal. There was also a group of employees that were satisfied with the communication and had no further expectations. And another group whose expectations were surpassed by even being communicated too, and in turn thought it as unnecessary or a joke. 2. Why were the various ways that individuals and groups of employees
made sense of the messages regarding the CEO’s departure and he recruitment process?
How can we account for these differences?
Due to the many levels inside the organization, the sense made varied drastically throughout the organization.
For example, Ross (executive team) voiced his expectation to John (HR department) of how the message should have communicated face-to-face with the team members themselves, had the HR department genuinely wanted feedback. Whereas financial secretaries found her expectations satisfied with both the information presented in the email and how the information was communicated with them by the HR department to announce the process of recruitment and their wish for feedback. These two examples clearly highlight the dual capacity communication model in action and how it is the cause for the various ways that different individuals made sense of the communication. The dual capacity model proposes that every organizational medium has the ability to carry two kinds of messages. (Miller, 2009) Where the first part of the message is the informational part and the second part representing the symbolic meaning of the medium, meaning that the medium in which the
message was communicated with, also effects the perception of the informational message sent. This can be seen where two different groups were sent the same informational message with the differing symbolic meaning, where one group (financial secretary amongst secretaries) was satisfied with the communication of the overall message whereas the other group (executive team) weren’t. However it suggests that had the same information been communicated to the executive team, but in a in a more personal way, by phone or face-to-face for example, the overall message would have been also satisfactory to this group and stimulated a more positive and helpful response. This is because the executives value their thoughts on the new CEO more important that others because they will be the ones working in such close contact with the new recruit, this is where the difference lies and can account for the various ways sense was made of the communication about the CEO’s exit and the recruitment process.

3. How might the HR manager have reduced the range of reactions to the request for staff to contribute to the recruitment process?
The HR department may have been too focused on the dissemination of the information as a way of casting a wider net for a chance of more responses whilst remaining efficient time-wise.
This led to such a vast range of reactions and little feedback responses. What should have been put into consideration to reduce the range of differing reactions and increased feedback would have been to evaluate the different levels in the organization and to tailor a communication medium and message that would stimulate a positive and helpful response. To do this, two-way communication is encouraged and more feedback will then be
received.

4. Communication is not merely a process of sending messages. Find TWO examples in the case of the other roles of communication plays in an organization.
For people to work well in an organization being able to work well as a team is very important. Communication such as story telling helps to promote socializing within the organization. By promoting socialization, it encourages a strong culture in the organization. A strong organizational culture then leads to a sense of belonging, and when a person feels that, they are more likely to feel inclined to act more positively for the interest of the organization. When people feel this way, they are more likely to cooperate and are better able to contribute to a common goal or interest.
Amongst the secretaries altering attitude communication can be noted, when the financial secretary noted that is was nice to have been informed rather than to find out the CEO was leaving through local media, unlike at her last job. She also noted that it was nice to have been asked for suggestions as it makes her feel valued. Because her comments were agreed with, this suggests that any comments against this point of view weren’t voiced as they had considered what she had said and it seemed feasible. This is where communication goes beyond simply being a process the organization uses to send an informational message.
The other form of communication is non-verbal communication where elements of communication, that do not involve words or do not involve language, such as gestures and the use of space (Nelson, Quick, Wright, & Adams, 2012, p. 125) are observed.
This can be noted in Ross’s confrontation with John. By Ross giving John a searing look as he strode out of the cafeteria shows him using kinesics and facial and eye behavior to display his feelings on how he made sense of the communication. The same can be noted in the offsite workers in a caravan how they joked and laughed about the email regarding the recruitment process and the wish for feedback. They used paralanguage, where by them laughing displayed their reaction to the sense made of the email. These non-verbal communication signals are not strictly informational messages however they do display information on how they processed and made sense of the email communicated to them.
5. In what ways are uncertainty and ambiguity apparent in the case? What are the effects of uncertainty and ambiguity on the formal and informal communication processes, including the ways both types of communication are interpreted?
Informally through the organizational ‘grapevine’, uncertainty and ambiguity can be initially observed when the CEO formally sends an email to all employees announcing his retirement from the company. As rumors were circulating on the reason for his departure, and the effects it could have on the recent staffing structure he had put in place in the company, which a member of the board member was known to have opposed. The effects of this can be clearly observed with the interaction between the project managers, whose jobs were rumored to be the ones that a board member and CEO clashed heads about. The project managers did not interpret the information in the recruitment email as positively as other staff because it was their job security that has been compromised, and since the email was linked to the member of the board that was known to find their jobs unnecessary, they found it to not to be genuine. Perhaps had the information been conveyed via telephone or face-to-face where there was a more open opportunity for two-way conversation, the interpretation of this information would have been more positive.

Appendix A Stakeholders | Expectations of internal communication | Sense they made of the change-related communication | Communication response | Ross + Executive Team | To have been consulted in person | Felt as if their opinion didn’t matter, due to the generic company wide email. | Anger towards the HR representative. | Offsite Workers | There was no expectation to be consulted on the search for qualities of the new CEO | Confused as to why they were being asked of their opinion as they had never met the CEO nor were they likely to. | The offsite workers had no serious response to the fax. More joking response, not taken seriously | Secretaries | To be informed of major developments in the business that effect them | Satisfied with amount of information given and how it was distributed to employees. | Felt as though the HR team and Board members had shown an interest and valued the thoughts of the employees. | Project Managers | Their expectation is that this email asking for suggestions is merely a formality. However perhaps they expected a secondary email for them to that the rumors concerning their job security could be clarified. | Felt as if not enough information had been provided, and that the communication was not very genuine. Were also thinking that the next CEO would be a puppet of the board as last one was known not to be on the best terms with one of the board members. | Thought it was a pretend effort to find out what staff wanted, and merely a formality. Thoughts about ‘polishing up their CV’s ‘ were stimulated as a result. |

Bibliography
Nelson, D. L., Quick, J. C., Wright, S., & Adams, C. (2012). ORGB 1st Edition. Cengage Learning Australia Pty Limited.
Miller, K. (2009). Organisational Communication: Approaches and Processes (Vol. 5). Boston: Cengage Learning.
Mills, C. (2007). One size doesn not fit all: The consequences of not tailoring change comminication in a complex organization. In T. Zorn & D. Pages (Eds.), Communication and organisations: Case studies in New Zealand and Australia. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press.
Mills, C. (2000). The interfaces of communication, sensemaking and change (Vol. 1). Australian Journal of Communication.
Mills, C. (2002). The hidden dimension of blue-collar sensemaking about workplace communication (Vol. 3). Journal of Business Communication.