People in Organizations
Section A-Communication Practices
Benefits of Effective Communication
The value of communication in an organization compares with that of management. Communication allows managers to coordinate various business strategies and stakeholders to have a smooth flow of activities (Bucăţa & Rizescu, 2017, 50). Effective communication creates understanding to solicit the right feedback, for example, proper workflow. Walmart is a case in point whose success results from effective communication. The company enjoys an effective team with a good relationship due to proper communication. Clear messages are products of effective channels that meet audience needs. Walmart’s management ensures that its purpose is clear to all employees to keep them informed about their expectations (Efron, 2017, Par. 18). Proper communication with the employees leads to effective teams that support organizational goals leading to efficiency. Through a clear message of purpose, Walmart has groups that support each other, for example, avoidance to look on juniors for such minor work in disposing off the trash. Effective communication also leads to team efficiency. Employees are more productive when they understand their expectations.
Policies and Procedures that Enhance Communication
Policies and procedures control communication to ensure timely delivery and support of the intended understating while minimizing barriers to communication. Protocols are among policies that enhance communication in organizations. Organizations use protocols to improve communication by reducing barriers related to unexpected channel, or the unqualified person delivering the message (Babatunde, 2015, 85). For example, at Walmart, the company adopts an oral communication protocol, and it has installed technology to support such a process (Mohamed, K., 2015). The use of emails would make communication inefficient because the company has not invested sufficient technology.
Another procedure that enhances communication in organizations is channel selection, for example, newsletters and posters. Communication channels need to align with the message and intended persons to avoid distortion (Babatunde, 2015, 85). Other policies like who should communicate to the media and level of information to provide, on the other hand, enhance communication by ensuring the issuance of the needed message. Following the policies, for example, designated people to create and pass messages enhances communication because such people have the ability, authority, and proper tools to give the message the needed value.
Legislation Relevant to Communication within Organizations
Communication efficiency within organizations also depends on compliance with related legislation. When communication and associated policies and procedures in an organization violate rights and restricts freedom of speech, it becomes inefficient to serve its purpose and, in turn, hurts the business. Legislation on privacy, which includes privacy in electronic communication, is among the relevant legislations to communication within companies. Organizations use privacy legislation to define their rules on the collection, disclosure, and use of information during a conversation, for example, to the media (Moussa, 2015, 2). Walmart, for instance, complies with the California Privacy Rights, which helps it to define data use, for example, avoiding to use personal health information in advertisement externally Walmart, 2020, par. 5). Another closely related relevant legislation to organizational communication is the Data Protection Act 1998, GDPR 2018. The act guides on responsible use and storage of employee and customer data. Organizations use the legislation to control who should access personal information for use in communication, for example, in an advertisement.
Impact of Organizational Structure on Communication Methods
Another factor that determines effective communication in an organization is the organizational structure. Organizational structure impacts communication methods differently due to the defined relationship and distance, including power between members. In tall organizations, for example, verbal communication is less effective because employees are far from the top management. Such mechanistic structures accommodate formal communication methods, for example, written in emails due to power distances (Ahmady, Mehrpour & Nikooravesh, 2016, 458). Apple company is a case example where it adopts online written communication with its tall organizational structure. According to Apple, the communication channel and method allows two-way communication to solicit freedom, depth, speed of information, and feedback (Shaganaa, 2014, Par. 6). The presence of remote offices, on the other hand, makes verbal communication ineffective due to limited ability to explain messages. However, written communication is effective because the managers in remote areas will take it seriously as the only secure and official communication approach.
Impact of New Technologies on Communication Systems and Practices
New communication technologies raise the effectiveness of the organization’s communication systems and practices, although with some burdens due to their extensive autonomy within minimal control. The tech, for example, mobile phones and the internet, support the speed of communication and responses. Even in communication within the same building, it is faster to call as opposed to moving from one office to the other. Another impact is the working environment and organizational structure, where remote working becomes an appropriate alternative. However, such a positive effect has consequences, including isolation and motivation, to maintain consistency in communication. Employees and managers experience loneliness due to limited physical interaction and are likely to have disjointed interactions that before. Another negative impact is needed for control of damages resulting from communication technology. Amazon, for example, had to create rules guiding internal communications through emails (Rey & Ghaffary, 2020, Par. 2). Employees’ communication through emails allowed them to connect easily with each other and criticize the company on employee treatment. New communication technologies, as a result, raise organization communication system effectiveness, although need rules to control negative impacts.
Section B-Teamwork
Benefits of Teamwork to Individuals and Organizations
Collaboration in organizations is one of the most effective ways of attracting employees towards the organization and their work while raising productivity. Teams develop support for one another and an environment that exchanges information and ideas (Ford, n.d, Par 2). Such an environment creates motivation because of perceived and actual support while developing an employee’s skills. Employees develop a sense of belonging as they feel that the team provides a supportive family. Ford, an automobile company, offers a practical example of the development of motivation and skills among employees through teamwork. When Alan Mulally, the former Ford CEO from 2006, joined, the company was experiencing low sales due to stiff completion. However, through the teamwork strategy and the One Ford principle, the company has risen again, the success which it attributes to more skilled and motivated employees (Ford, n.d, Par 1). Organizations like Ford benefits from increased productivity as the workers become more efficient due to increased motivation and skills.
Reasons for Teams Failure in Objectives
Despite the value of teams in employee’s motivation and increased productivity, there are high chances of failure to meet objectives. Lack of understating among team members due to failed communication impacts the development of the team goals. Poor communication, including lack of listening and language barrier, breaks the connection between team members who starts to work independently, leading to failed shared goals. Weak team leadership also blocks the achievement of the shared objectives. Team leaders who tend to be bosses fail the members by blocking their views and participation (Rahbi, Khalid & Khan, 2017, 3). Teams need servant leaders who assume less knowledge to accommodate other members’ views and motivate them to serve group goals. Mulally, in the Ford company, for example, succeeded in achieving creativity because of assigning members responsibility on the team success and ONE Ford principle (Yang, 2014, 81). Such creativity lacked before because organization members did not have the autonomy and responsibility of the team.
Impact of Leadership Styles on Teamwork
Leaders, through their styles of leadership, provide empowerment to the employees to support team effectiveness (Rahbi, Khalid & Khan, 2017, 3). One form of empowerment is the provision of autonomy, where employees can express their ideas. In a democratic leadership style, for example, leaders ask employees about their views leading to team spirit. In General Motors company (2016), for example, team members at the battery assembly plant confess of empowerment through autonomy following Kim Bondy’s democratic leadership style. Members have the freedom to make decisions concerning the department leading to a feeling of support and increased productivity.
Leadership style also affects team members’ motivation leading to efficient teamwork. According to McGregor’s theory Y, employees feel motivated mentally and physically when they meet their needs and expectations which includes, financial, social, and developmental (Lawter, Kopelman & Prottas, 2015, 96). However, the values to show concern and motivation to understand employees’ needs lies in leadership styles. An affiliative leadership style, for example, allows leaders to get personal with team members to attend their needs.
Application and Effectiveness of Teamwork
Organizations use teamwork to rejuvenate and maintain employees’ motivation. The teams provide for motivational factors while ensuring that employees do not miss work essentials. Employee support from the organization is one of the essentials whose absence can lead to dissatisfaction. Herzberg’s motivator-hygiene theory refers to such factors whose deficiency leads to demotivation as hygiene factors (Bevins, 2018, 4). However, teamwork provides for the needed support and other hygiene factors, such as skill development. Teamwork also allows for other intrinsic motivators such as social support and autonomy from the team leader due to the individualized approach (Bevins, 2018, 4). Motivation also plays the role of making teams effective. Team members who feel motivated are likely to provide their ideas and positively comment about those from other people. Through motivation, members develop shared relationships and support for the team goals leading to the effectiveness of teamwork.
Section C- Remote Working
Implications of Remote Working
Technology in communication has supported people to work from remote areas in different ways with positive and negative impacts and additional demands. Organizations are, for example, instructs some of their employees to work from home using internet-enabled computers as a way of maximizing office space and avoiding extra cost (USeem, 2017, Par. 1). Some people are also working virtually from any place as they get contracts to advise or process company information. However, working virtually and from home demands that the organizations and individuals invest in the needed technology, for example, the internet. International Business Machines Corporation is a case point where it has installed green-screened terminals in the employees’ homes to allow them to work from home (USeem, 2017, Par. 1). Another impact of remote working is poor communication, for example, when organizations have remote offices or working globally. There issues with the network when some offices are in poorly covered regions.
Standard Working Practices used by those Working Remotely
Remote working has unique working practices different from the ones which happen in offices or other work stations. Taking the example of a supervisor responsible for a team in a company project to develop software, teleconferencing becomes a common practice. Teleconferencing replaces the regular face to face meetings and briefings in the office, which are unavoidable. A team exists because members meet and discuss a common cause of action, making teleconferencing a common practice in remote working. The supervisor and team members in remote areas also have to update each other, and the company manager regularly. The regular update occurs due to uncertainties on whether work is going on and information on stages of other members to control, for example, speed of working (USeem, 2017, Par. 4). Communication channels and methods also change with more written in the form of emails, especially in virtual working. Face to face and oral communications are minimal because such workers rarely know when their colleagues are free to receive calls, especially when they are married people.
Leadership Styles appropriate for Remote Working
Remote working presents employees with much freedom and multiple challenges because they are far from their leaders. The challenges and freedom need more supportive leaders who can win employees’ loyalty. Servant leadership is among the appropriate styles due to role modeling to make workers committed even without supervision. Workers, for example, online sales and marketing persons, might relax due to unavailable immediate supervision. However, when they take up leadership roles through servant leadership, they develop self-motivation. Democratic leadership style also supports employees in remote places while controlling their activities. Allowing workers to raise issues and suggest options leads to a feeling of support where leaders get an opportunity to provide the needed information and skills (Rahbi, Khalid & Khan, 2017, 5). Concerning theory Y, democratic leadership offers a chance to meet intrinsic and extrinsic workers’ needs, such as feeling part of the organization leading to the motivation without close supervision.
Section D – Support and Monitoring Structures
Human Resource Departments Support and Monitor Strategies
Employee support and monitoring are essential in the workplace to ensure proper workflow and motivation. Support on employees impacts motivation because of meeting their needs, such as skills development. The human resource uses documented procedures and policies to provide support and monitor employees at the same time. The procedures and policies provide for monitoring by comparing employees’ work with the documented right practices. However, the policies and guiding rules allow employee support by suggesting the needed resources, tools, and development to enable workers to follow the rules. Google, for example, has the procedure of raising concern that workers should talk to their managers (Google, n.d). Through the process, the company supports employees by providing them with direct access and contact with their managers. HR departments also support workers through training and skill development (Showkat, Shajan & Pathak, 2019, 75). Workers need to perfect in their work and grow to become competent. Training empowers with the required skills and a platform to consult more on how to improve in their work.
Policies and Procedures to Support and Monitor People in the Workplace
There are different policies and practices through which HR managers use to support and monitor employees. Leadership style matters most in employee support by impacting the need to empower employees. Among the empowerment, practices are mentoring and coaching. Leaders develop a relationship with employees to mentor and coach them towards engagement in their work. They provide them will tactics to approach the job with less energy or mental work alongside other simple processes (Osborne & Hammoud, 2017, 56). They give them hope, for example, of becoming competent and gaining promotion leading to a feeling of support. However, the HR department also organizes training to perfect their skills with promotions (Osborne & Hammoud, 2017, 56). Both skill development and career growth impacts support since they are among employee needs. The departments, on the other hand, monitor employees through work review and appraisals. They well, for example, ask customers or supervisors to rate the work of their employees on given scales. The department also has ways to assess employee output alongside the agreed results.
Impact of Legislation on Employee Relations Management
The business environment has become competitive, leading to organizational changes to raise competitive advantages. Organizations, as a result, have embarked on employee relations management to boost performance. Employee relations management is the process of managing organization interactions with workers to ensure maintained focus on organization purposes (Chaubey, Mishra & Dimri, 2017, 16). Organizations manage employee relationships by providing for their intrinsic and extrinsic needs to make them pay loyalty to company goals and culture. Work health and safety are among the practices employed to manage the relationship with a positive impact on employee satisfaction and performance. Employees who experience safety and protection over their health develops satisfaction and increase work engagement due to the promised security (Chaubey, Mishra & Dimri, 2017, 16). Allowance to participate in trade unions and collective agreements, on the other hand, empowers employees to develop more energy due to the feeling of proper compensation. Additional strategies like maternity and paid leaves foster a sense of company ownership making workers more engaged in their work.
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