How Effective Communication Skills Affects the Growth of an Organization

Executive Summary

Paul J. Meyer once said, "Communication - the human connection - is the key to personal and career success." This statement couldn't be truer, but without them, there would be uncertainty and perplexity. A large mutual fund company is facing issues with interdepartmental communication between the Internet Development Department and the Communications/Customer Service Department (CCS). These problems are adversely affecting the company's customer service and also causing tension within the organization. Trent McGuire's communications department has failed to clearly communicate with the internet services department because of the closed communication system of the organization; therefore, he should work with the top management to create an open system of communication through the implementation of weekly meetings, the use of customer satisfaction surveys, and the sharing of duties.

Key Stakeholders

The key stakeholders, in this case, are Trent McGuire and his CCS Department, the Internet Development Department, the customers, the top management, and the mutual fund company. Trent McGuire is the Manager of the CCS Division, and his representatives are expected to answer customer questions and resolve any problems regarding the Web site (Zaremba, 2010, p.129). To be able to give the appropriate solutions to their customers, the CCS representatives need to be constantly updated and consulted by the Internet Development Department about new features and the functioning of the Web site. However, due to the lack of communication between the two teams, the CCS Department has not been able to provide its best service to the customers. The grumblings between departments have seeped out to the organization as a whole, which could affect the top management as well (Zaremba, 2010, p. 129).

Statement of the Problem

The root cause of the problems faced by the mutual fund company is the closed system of communication that exists within the organization. The involvement of the top management is imperative, especially when there is a lack of interdepartmental communication. The organizational culture of the company should be such that employees can approach the higher authorities to discuss the issues they are facing. The top management should also be able to cultivate members as individuals and create group cohesion (Zaremba, 2010, p. 183).

Short-term problems such as handling an inharmonious work environment and getting control of a grapevine can only be done by finding long-term solutions – creating a great culture within the company and working on improving the communication system that employees follow. The top management and the employees should work in tandem to produce solutions and to increase the number of different solutions to organizational problems (Zaremba, 2010, p. 183).

Causes of the Problem

Abundant occurrences have taken place that has created and increased the communication gap between the two Departments. Many times, account access features would not be functional, and the CCS Representatives would find out about them from customers instead of the Internet Development Department (Zaremba, 2010, p.129). On several other occasions, the Internet Development Department would update new products or marketing text on the Web site and not notify the CCS team (Zaremba, 2010, p.129). Due to the lack of information, the CCS Representatives would be left speechless when calls would come in referencing certain information from the site.

Currently, the company's shareowners have access to their account information online and the ability to view products and offerings on the Web site (Zaremba, 2010, p.129). However, with the launch of these features, CCS was not asked to test the application or provide any feedback before the application was made available for public use (Zaremba, 2010, p.129). Such issues have made the company reactive to customer response rather than proactive (Zaremba, 2010, p.129). The word about the quarrels between the Departments has spread throughout the organization. Not only are people talking about how the two teams are at odds, but they are also sharing comical anecdotes about their tensions. If this wasn't enough, the spoof names for the departments are "Hatfields and the McGuires." Even with so much going on in the organization, this information is far beyond sight from the top management.

Suggestions

In light of these events and to avoid this situation from getting bigger, I believe that in order to facilitate effective communication between the Internet Development Department and CCS, Trent McGuire could help the teams could set up weekly meetings to discuss any kind of issues and updates. According to system theorists, an organization is a composite of interdependent units that must work cooperatively in order to effectively survive (Zaremba, 2010, p.62). This could help them exchange feedback on important topics and also keep everyone on the same page in terms of new developments and updates.

Communicating with the customers is as important as communication that takes place within a company. An organization cannot live or thrive without interacting with both its internal and external environment (Zaremba, 2010, p.62). Therefore, the CCS team could also consider incorporating customer satisfaction surveys via phone or email after attending to their queries. This could help the CCS Representatives understand the quality of their work and whether they're being able to address all the inquiries. Having knowledge about the customer's thoughts could not only help the CCS Team approach the Internet Development Department in case of any problems but also help improve their work.

Systems theory regards principles of classical and human resources theory – "questions of job duty, a chain of command, a span of control and decision making (classical principles) are equal in importance to questions of attitude, morale, behavior, role and responsibility" (Zaremba, 2010, p.62). Showing gratitude can go a long way. Having members from both teams understand and appreciate each other's work could create a friendly environment and boost morale. Thus, Trent McGuire could also consider having a CSS team member work with the Internet Development Department for a day and vice versa. This would allow the Department members to understand the other's point of view and the daily challenges faced by them. However, before implementing any of the above, Trent McGuire should consult the top management authorities.

Recommendation

While these suggestions have the potential to solve the communication problems faced by the Internet Development department and the CCS department, the recommended solution would be for Trent McGuire to involve the top management in this situation. It's only after the top management is involved that these suggestions could be implemented by Trent McGuire. An organization is a system that functions within a subsystem and is dependent on the quality of its subsystems (Zaremba, 2010, pg. 62). The problems faced by the company go beyond communication. Informing the top management of the company could help improve organizational culture. Some theorists, identified as functionalists, consider organizational culture to be a function of communicative messages generated typically by the management (Zaremba, 2010, pg. 67).

The structure set by the top management followed by interdepartmental communication and employee behavior and attitudes become prerequisites for the survival of an organization. Not only could the top management help the Departments come up with appropriate strategies to tackle getting communication problems, but they also got control of the grapevine, making fun of the two Departments. Having a grapevine could affect any department's work and further increase tension between the departments. It is the top management's responsibility to look after the company and make sure that everyone is working towards individual and collective growth.

Thus, it is up to the highest levels of authority to make sure employees follow the core values and beliefs the company is built on. The top management should make sure that the employees adhere to the rules (may they be about behavior, job duties, or decision-making) made by the management and that company runs on an open system of communication.

References

1. Zaremba, A. (2010). Organizational communication (3rd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.
2. Communication – the human connection – is the key to personal and career success. – Paul J. Meyer. (2018). Retrieved from https://institutesuccess.com/library/communication-the-human-connection-is-the-key-to-personal-and-career-success-paul-j-meyer-2/

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