Improving Macro-organizational Communication in Organization - Essay Example

Improving macro-organizational communication in organization Introduction Any organized human activity, which is done in-group, will be most times constituted into structure called organization. So, Organization is a ‘structure’ with a ‘collage’ of workers doing their allocated work under the supervision of a leader, for the benefit of the organization as well as them. This team of workers like the five different fingers in one’s hand will be different from one another having different characters, attitudes, education, background etc, etc…and the unison of these different humans under a single organization to reach a target is, and will always be a difficult proposition. But, in an organization, these workers will normally be apportioned or “structurized” into departments for better arrangement and streamlining of work. These different departments can only boost an organization by working in unison, and thereby actualizing the opportunities on offer, so they could reach their targets and the estimated profits. So, ‘working in unison’ is the key, and the ‘key’ which opens up the minds of the workers working in the department, and aid ‘unison’, is communication. That is, communication between organization’s different departments or etc will only help the workers to work as a team and help them in coordinating and concluding the given work successfully. So, this paper will analyze how to improve the macro communication in an organization using Electronics, with Harley Davidson as a guide. Providing a perfect and barrier free working environment Providing a perfect and barrier environment to the workers will develop communication in an effective manner. For that the management should initiate new methods and if those methods are based on technology, it will surely provide optimum results. With many organizations diversifying physically with units and sister concerns being established at different places, there has to be seamless communication for the effective functioning of the organization. Same way, if an organization also concentrates on the sale or supply side of its products and services, communication need to be established between the manufacturing unit and the sale or supply side. In these situations, where physical distances could be the barrier, technology and the technological products will only break that barrier and will help to maintain the communications, thereby benefiting the organization in many ways. Among the many technological products, the electronic ones could be bring in immense benefits and we can see this by analyzing how Harley Davison used the electronic equipment of RFID to maintain macro communication. Harley Davison and RFID Radio frequency identification or RFID for short is the electronic technology that uses radio waves to automatically identify objects. Objects identification in the sense, anything solid could be fitted with the microchip and using an antenna (the chip and the antenna together are called an RFID tag) that object can be tracked from sitting in a place and the needed communication can also be done in the same way. Motorcycle manufacturer, Harley Davidson can tracks its bikes through the supply chain using RFID. And by using RFID Harley Davidson is seeing many advantages The uniqueness of RFID tags means that a product, in this case bikes can be individually tracked in the whole jigsaw of supply chain. Also, at any part of the chain, bikes could be stolen or they could be damaged, in total there could be any form of product loss. This can be easily combated using RFID because it can easily track the bikes throughout and importantly provides opportunities for checks at various stages, which can be communicated to the relevant sections or persons. And, this is also where RFID holds an advantage over Barcodes, whose use could be available only at certain points in the supply chain like in showrooms and retailers. Also, RFID tags apart from containing unique identity will also have the serial number of the object. This feature gives the option of “tracing back” of the products. That is, this tracing back using the serial numbers is helping Harley Davidson to manage the quality deficiencies and the resulting recall campaigns, and also contributes to post-sale tracking and profiling of consumers. The other advantage is, the microchip of the RFID attached to bikes could not spoiled, ripped off or could even fall-off like the Bar codes. Many companies in the world including well-known American companies like Wal-Mart, Paramount farms, Club cars etc are using RFID technology to improve their communications. In the case of Harley Davidson, RFID can streamline communication on its supply chain management and steer it to success. RFID technology being an expensive one should be implemented, where it is needed the most. And while introducing it in a phased manner, the sector where it should be implemented first is the assembly line. That is, Harley Davidson should implement an RFID-enabled automated tracking system on the assembly line. In the assembly line, RFID tags should be tagged to each engine that is manufactured in the unit and this enables all the identification of the engines unit model and serial number. This implementation of RFID tags will cut down any errors, the errors here would lead to the break down of the whole structure. “RFID helped Harley-Davidson improve efficiency and eliminate errors by implementing automated tracking on the assembly line “ (Wisconsin Technology Network).Also, to produce quality engines, which are the main component of Harley Davidson bikes, the company is needed to track the location and status of the engines that is being manufactured. This tracking will collect information of the manufactured engines and communicate through signals to judge its quality issues, back to specific units and components. And when this information is communicated to the manufacturing unit, it will provide the best opportunities for the engineers to correct the engines in subsequent clearings. Harley Davidson can also put RFID tags on motorcycle frames. And this attaching can track each frame through various stages of assembly. And the stage where implementation of RFID can also be done is the service stations. That is, Stationary RFID readers can be installed at each station, and they read unit tags and ensure the appropriate instructions are displayed on the PCs matching the required operations. This implementation of RFID technology as form of macro communication will help the company achieve macro benefits. That is, apart from helping in the communication of problems it can also reduce assembly errors, increase manufacturing efficiency, improve designs based on feedback from tracking quality issues etc. Effective Communication of business leaders One of the ways, the business leaders would maintain communication, is by getting involved in all the processes that will take place in the organization. The role of the founder should not be limited to just starting and funding an organization, he had to become the integral part of the organization. His / hers ‘touch’ both mental wise and physical wise should be found in all aspects of an organization. That is, he/she should not block all forms of communication because apart from having a negative connotation on the subordinates, it would also be a sure recipe for the failure of the company. The role of the leader is to motivate his/ her subordinates through his/ her action and spoken words. So, if the leader involves himself/herself and ‘pushes’ the workers towards the target through effective communication, the organization can push the competition away. “Good management consists in showing average people how to do the work of superior people” (Rockefeller) Another communication approach, a leader could practice and which could be a considered a good leadership skill is providing a communicable physical environment for his workers. For that, the best option the leader will have is going for an open-office layout. That is, cubicles should be preferred instead of offices with doors because, in an office set up where team work will have prominent place, face to face interaction would bring in more ideas, than one calling other into a closed room and having a closed discussion. Also minimization of the use of status symbols such as private offices, special dining rooms for executives, and personal parking spaces should also be curbed down. This is one of the important needs because it will give even the lower staff, the feeling that all are treated equal, irrespective of the salary, experience etc. So, instead of special rooms, many conference rooms and attached kitchens should be setup to encourage people and importantly aid them to communicate comfortably. This environment will make the workers stay, at office, an enjoyable experience at the same time encouraging experience. “…a firm understands its environment and fashions a response to that environment at the macro level” (Boyacigiller, Goodman, Phillips) Another communicative technique a leader could adopt is using one’s anger as a weapon of mass change. That is, to get angry is human trait, but leader should get angry only when the situation demands it. Always getting upset and showing one’s anger on others will only result in degradation of respect, one have for their leader. So, one have to subdue his/her anger, when it will not work, and use it as form of communication when it will work, on the workers. For example, the practice of Ken Olsen, founder of Digital Equipment Corporation and described by Fortune magazine in 1986 as the most successful entrepreneur in the history of American business, also bordered on similar lines. That is, when the company was doing well; he often had emotional outbursts reflecting his concern that people were getting complacent. When the company was in difficulty, however, he never punished anyone or displayed anger; instead, he became the strong and supportive father figure, pointing out to both the external world and the employees that things were not as bad as they seemed that the company had great strengths that would ensure future success (Schein, 2004, p.255). So, use of technologies and other personalized techniques will surely help in the establishment of an effective macro communicative structure which will bring unison and co-ordination in the organizations, leading to optimum productivity and profits Reference: Boyacigiller. N.A., Goodman. R. A. and Phillips. M.E. Crossing Cultures: Insights from Master Teachers. Routledge. 2003 Rockefeller, John D. Church Champions Update, Mar 13, 2001 Schein, E. H. (2004). Organizational Culture and Leadership, 3rd. ed. Jossey-Bass Wisconsin Technology Network. Upgrading your business with RFID. Retrieved December 8, 2007 from http://wistechnology.com/article.php?id=946#Scene_1 . Read More