Manage Effective Workplace Relationships - Essay Example

LEAD AND MANAGE EFFECTIVE WORKPLACE RELATIONSHIPS Student’s Name Institution Date Abstract Over the course of time, organisations have been seen to take in new trends even in the Communications department. Just like other business activity, positive practices require a good leadership system and values for the organisation to realize its full capacity. Introduction Communication department in an organization is divided into two. Firstly, we have the internal communications department which facilitates communication within the departments. The communications department may produce written materials like newsletters or periodicals for employees. It may provide information to employees about organizational changes, or provide advice on how to introduce this information. The external communications department is more concerned about public perception of the organization. This is why the communications department works just like a public relations firm. The external communications department plans and documents content for the public and stakeholders to read through newsletters, prepares speeches or press releases. The communications department may also work as a marketing arm by developing advertisements to help reach the company’s marketing goals and strategies. Because of this, the marketing and communications department will more often than not have a tight knit relationship as they need each other to portray the best image for the organization. Factors that affect organisational capacity Organizational Capacity refers to the capabilities and capacity of an organization measured in terms of human resources, financial standing, assets and the communication management body. (Svensson & Hambrick, 2016). There are various variables that contribute to either boosting the organization’s capacity or stunting it. One of these variables is leadership and strategic planning. A good leadership system is the backbone of any organisation. A good leadership system will empower employees to better themselves, ensure resources are efficiently employed and manage risks among others. All these factors together help in attaining the organizational objectives which boosts the organizational capacity greatly. The vice versa limits an organization’s capacity. Another key variable is human resource management. Human resources management has a direct impact on the functioning of an organization. Simply because this department is in charge of recruiting able individuals who will be responsible for steering the organization towards its objectives (Bourgeois & Cousins, 2014). This means that having an incapable workforce will probably limit an organization from realising its full capacity. Recruiting and training is not the only way that a Communications department may contribute to an organization’s capacity. Often, organizations usually partner or form alliances with other organizations or suppliers in providing certain products and services. There are two types of departments within organizations; departments between two organisations within the same sector and cross sector departments. Irrespective of the type of department there are a number of characteristics that are unique to departments. A department can be collaborative in situations where efforts needs to be blended, there is a strategic coalition which involves shared decision making capabilities among organizations or integration which in most cases involves mergers (Jiang, 2014). So what reasons are there that would prompt an organisation to enter into a department agreement with another organisation? Organizations would opt to partner, outsource or form an alliance for reasons such as dealing in projects that are risky in nature, to gain a competitive advantage over other competitors in the market, entering into a new market, limiting scale of operation, cultural considerations among other reasons. All these reasons provide new or more opportunities to existing organisations and therefore increasing an organization’s capacity. Advantages and disadvantages of departments, outsourcing and alliances There are certain advantages and disadvantages that come with this mode of operation. One of its major advantage is its cost efficiency. Organisations frequently split costs when they venture into business as partners. This spreads the risk of loss leaving more funds available for developing the organisation (Roja & Nastaste, 2013). Another key advantage is possibilities of new market entries. Through availability of funds or significant departments and alliances, organisations get a foot-in into new markets. This opens up organisations to new possibilities and capabilities. Overall, this mode of operation fosters longevity due to the fact that the organisation is exposed to newer opportunities and this in turn rejuvenates its capacity. Departments do have shortcomings of their own. For one, organisations risk losing their strategic decision making capabilities mostly if the organisation they are partnering with is larger than theirs. Regardless of this, it generally slows down the decision making process. This is because decisions have to be run through many parties from both organisations in order to be implemented (Jiang, 2014). There is also the risk of the department not working out simply because each organisation has its own interests that they feel needs to be met. Finally, different organisations have different cultures. Departments offer a platform for these cultures to blend. On some situations however it is not as smooth as expected making the department quite challenging to operate. Leadership competencies that are needed for optimal alternative delivery oversight for organisational learning activities Organizational Learning is an organizational process of analysing both internal and external factors in an organisation and using this knowledge to inform future decisions (Namgyoo & Jinju, 2015). According to Peter Senge there are five disciplines or competencies that facilitate Organizational Learning. These are Personal Mastery, Mental Models, Shared Vision, Team Learning and Systems Thinking. Peter Senge maintains that these five disciplines are essential in facilitating constant learning within an organization (Fillion & Ekionea, 2015). It therefore follows that leaders in an organization need to bear each of these fundamentals in order to foster organizational learning. Personal mastery, in line with Peter Senge’s research, is the formulation of personal visions bearing the current situation in mind. It is a clear identification of the current state one is in and formulating where one wants to be. He maintains that this will motivate the individual to work towards their objective. It therefore follows that a leader aiming to foster organizational learning in an organization needs to bear personal mastery in order to lead his or her junior in the desired direction. Mental models are representations of an individual’s means of thinking. Mental Models involve formulation hypothetical scenarios and analysing how individuals think and perceive those scenarios (Fillion & Ekionea, 2015).Peter Senge maintains that a good leader needs to be reflective. Reflecting upon organizational conditions and constantly inquiring on that which you do not understand exposes you to more knowledge which in turn informs your organizational decisions and objectives. Another key advantage of this discipline is the fact that it helps leaders preempt and avoid any challenges before they occur. The third of these disciplines is a shared vision. Studies show that individuals tend to be committed and attached to their work if they feel that they share the same goals and objectives as their employer as opposed to simply being a means to an end. In order for a leader to foster organizational learning they would have to be democratic in the formulation of organisational goals and objectives. By involving them in this process, not only will they share this vision but they will also realise their value and purpose in attaining this goal. This results in employees who are motivated and constantly willing to learn and adapt to changes as long as the organisational goals are met. The next discipline is team learning. Through team involvement and participation it is possible that one may learn a lot from other employees or colleagues. Peter Senge maintains that there is a power in dialogue and discussion highlighting that multiple minds are greater than one (Fillion & Ekionea, 2015). He further maintains that by taking part in dialogue, one is being part of another’s story and this goes a long way in sharing visions and missions. It is therefore key that a good leader is a team player in order to facilitate these results. The final discipline is what is known as Systems Thinking. Systems thinking is a line of thought that aims to show how the success of the unitary parts of a system rely on each other in order for the whole system to be successful (Peter Stroh, 2014). To put it into perspective, a leader would have to know the value and worth of various departments and learn how the success of each affect the success of the whole organisation. Therefore a leader aiming to foster organizational learning has to be disciplined and patient to let the system play its role in realising the organizational objectives. Implementation plan for the elements that require oversight in departments and alliances Different challenges arise in an organization that are as a result of poor communication. However, for these challenges to be overcome, there needs to be a plan or guidelines that govern these departments in ensuring that the most is made out of them. The first aspect is clarity. It is key that the objective of the department is detailed out and both organisations are aware of this goal. Next, it is key that the roles, capabilities and benefits of each organisation are carefully outlined. This is key in ensuring neither of the parties steps over the other’s operational boundaries. Next foster a communication channel that clearly details out protocol and procedures to take when certain messaging needs to be passed. This ensures fluidity and complete transparency between the two organisations (Man, 2014). Owing to the fact that both organisations are coming in with respective factors such as stakeholders, it is necessary that a system is created for managing them. Finally, continuous evaluation. This involves constant analysis and comparison of the organisation’s current state and comparing it to the initial set objective of the department and realigning the organisation to this objective as much as possible. In situations that the set objective is proving to be unattainable then both parties will come together to formulate other realisable ones. Recommendations Departments, just like any other business practice has a number of guidelines that if followed, could yield a good result. The first practice would be to put more focus on the means of acquiring an objective as opposed to formulation of an objective (Porcaro & Carrier, 2014). In terms of departments, this would be a formulation of the model and means of operation as opposed to the objectives. This is because, formulation of objectives is the first part and arguably the easy part. Attaining the objectives is the challenge. Unfortunately many organisations spend most of their union carrying out the former. The next element would be to build on your differences and weaknesses as opposed to avoiding them. Generally, partners are faced with many differences. Among them include cultures, markets and even finances. This means that decisions that would have easily been made by one organisation have to go through all these considerations for them to be implemented. It is advisable than instead of viewing these differences as challenges, you view them as opportunities. For example, different markets would be viewed as a new market for an ambitious investor. Finally, formulation of key evaluation tools is critical. Evaluation tools are very important to the organisation. In the case of a department, this not only affects the evaluation of the department goals, but also the evaluation of the department. This would show how far the organisation has deviated to the original set plans or plans of the department. It also plays a huge role in enabling organisations mitigate challenges before they occur. It also fosters a great communication platform which the partners would update each other on various opportunities and challenges, thereby strengthening their department (Rowe & Falci, 2013). All these tools not only apply, to communications but to other organisational practice because in essence these elements are having a good planning system, an effective and efficient execution and finally a resourceful evaluation platform. Reference List Bourgeois, I. & Cousins, J. 2014, Organizational Capacity to Do and Use Evaluation, Routledge, New York. Fillion, G., Koffi, V. & Ekionea, J. 2015, Peter Senge's learning organization: A critical view and the addition of some new concepts to actualize theory and practice, Wiley, Atlanta. Jiang, W. 2014, Business departments and Organizational Performance: The Role of Resources and Capabilities, Cambridge, London. Man, A. 2014, Alliances: An Executive Guide to Designing Successful Strategic departments, Springer, Chicago. Namgyoo., P., Kira, C., & Jinju, L. 2015, The Hierarchy Myopia of Organizational Learning, Springer, New York. Peter Stroh, D. 2014, Systems Thinking for Social Change, Routledge, New York. Porcaro, D. & Carrier, C. 2014, Ten Guiding Principles for Designing Online Modules That Involve International Collaborations, Springer, Michigan. Roja, A. I., & Nastase, M. 2013, Leveraging Organizational Capabilities through Collaboration and Collaborative Competitive Advantage, John Wiley & Sons, New York. Svensson, P. G. & Hambrick, M. 2016, Pick and choose our battles – Understanding organizational capacity in a sport for development and peace organization. Routledge, New York. Read More