Operation Management at Tikanga Maori Consulting - Essay Example

Topic: Organizational Assessment Introduction Organization communication has gained prominence in the recent development in the field of organization theory. According to scholars in the field of organization theory, organizational communication plays a significant role in ensuring the success of any given organization. There are two perspectives relating to the concept of organizational communication including the individual and the organization perspectives (Modaff, DeWine, & Butler, 2011). Communication from the perspective of an individual includes the process of sending messages. However, it is a different scenario for communication from the perspective of the organization whereby communication includes the presentation of ideas. There is need to analyze the concept of organizational communication by making an assessment on a chosen case. This will include the creation of a case and analyze the case. Once the case has been created and analyzed, the paper will highlight an assessment on the case and its analysis. Case creation The following case is based on a personal experience in an organization that was embracing the Maori culture. I worked as a junior employee at Tikanga Maori Consulting, Inc. since its incorporation the company was based on the culture of the Maori community found in New Zealand. The operations of the company were based on values and beliefs of the Maori culture. The founding members of the organization were determined to protect the Maori culture and made every efforts towards making sure that any stakeholders in the company respected the values and customs of the company that were based on the Maori culture. This was evident in the way the company had designed its vision statement. The company‘s vision statement purely focused on Maori norms and values. The company communicated these values in the Maori language in efforts aimed at reinforcing the approach of communicating the organization’s culture to the stakeholders. The company developed over a long period of time and grew into a big organization with approximately over 100 employees. The growth of an organization often represents a difficult situation in terms of managing the number of employees. However, the organization was able to manage its large number of employees because it had also grown to develop its culture. Employees were in unity with the company management because the company had made a point to always communicate to the employees about the different values of the company. The philosophy of the company was based on developing and preserving the Maori culture. The culture of the organization aimed at inspiring success among the Maori. Despite not being a Maori, I pursued the organization culture for the benefit of the company (Gillis, 2011). The organization’s culture proved to be a success over the years because most of the organization’s employees become successful in their careers. Most of the former employees were appointed to senior positions in the government such as ministerial positions, advisory positions, and others were even employed as CEOs of large consulting companies in New Zealand. The company had communicated to both the internal and external environment that it was based on the pursuit of the excellence of the Maori. This attracted most of the graduates who viewed the organization as a success. The organization was associated with improving the value of its employees in terms of performance and career growth. In 2004, New Zealand faced a threat of having demonstrations on the streets. The media reported that workers were protesting against the parliament’s decision to introduce a legislation that would do away with the company’s philosophy of developing and preserving the Maori culture (Modaff, DeWine & Butler, 2011). The parliament was on the verge of enacting a legislation that discouraged the Maori culture in organizations because most members of parliament considered pursuing such cultures colonialism. However, the company management was against the protests and the Deputy CEO communicated to the employees against participating in the protests because it would damage the reputation of the organization and would affect its future business with the government. The employees were adamant and went on to participate in the demonstrations in efforts aimed at protecting their organization’s culture. Analysis In the above scenario, there is an element of organizational communication. This is evident from the perspective of individual communication and organization communication. However, organization communication was more prevalent than individual communication. In terms of organization communication, culture was used in making communication to the various stakeholders in the company on the values that the company supported (Gillis, 2011). The company communication its values through its company mission to ensure that all of its stakeholders respected the culture of the company. The message of the organization’s culture was that it promoted the success of the Maori. Individual communication is evident when the company’s deputy CEO sends a message to all the staff warning them against demonstrating on the streets. Assessing organizational communication The above analysis on the significance of organizational culture points out a direct relationship between organizational communication and organization culture (Miller, 2008). This points out on the main significance of organizational culture as the ability of an individual to use communication in creating and maintaining a culture within the organization. Communication plays an integral role in an organization because it enhances the operations of the organization and also interprets the organization. Thus, a member of any organization has the central role of communicating both the nature and culture of the organization. The study of organizational culture ensures the understanding of organization culture and, the crucial role of its creation and maintenance. This will aid an organization member in coping with issues relating to work and may also aid in the management of the work environment. However, in most cases the study of organizational culture will aid members of an organization in succeeding in the working environment within the organization. Tikanga Maori Consulting, Inc related organizational communication to organizational culture through its Maori culture. As pointed above, an organization culture communicates the values of the organization and as such promotes the culture of the company (Miller, 2008). The company was able to communicate its organizational culture to the various stakeholders especially the government through its mission statement. The mission statement aimed at ensuring that the different stakeholders including the government and the employees respected and preserved the values of the company. It is no doubt that there was a conflict when the government was making efforts at doing away with the Maori culture. This provoked a demonstration because the staff was annoyed at the way the government was not respecting the culture of the organization. The relationship between organization culture and communication is significant in instances where employees or managers want to make changes within the organization. Many studies within organizations have led to the discovery that employees consider communication as an issue. However, many employees have ignored the importance of communication to an organization and have taken the function for granted. Many of the employees have cited communication as the main cause of organizational problems (Gillis, 2011). Despite the many instances of ignoring the role of communication within the organization, understanding an organization culture will ensure that a member of the organization to achieve both personal and professional goals. The study of organizational culture also influences organizational goals. In the above case analysis, Tikanga Maori Consulting, Inc made a point of communicating to the employees during the crisis period. Workers were threatening to demonstrate on the streets but the company was against the idea. The management of the company feared that it would lose business if its employees carried on with demonstrations. The deputy CEO made efforts to communicate to all the employees through the email in order to prevent them from participating in the demonstrations. This is a demonstration of how important organization communication is significant in management (Miller, 2008). The best significance of organizational communication is that it ensures that an organization adopts a culture that will ensure success. In the assessment of the above case, identifying the best culture creates a good company image and attracts customers and new employees. This ensures that an organization creates a competitive advantage and a positive image in their respective industries (Eisenberg, Goodall & Trethwey, 2009). Business organizations are established with aims of facilitating profit maximization, increase in sales and maximizing managerial effectiveness. These can be attained if the firm under siege has a well developed set of values, customs and experiences. This is because these factors act as a spring board in enhancing the achievement of the organization’s objectives. References Eisenberg, E, Goodall, H & Trethwey, A., 2009. Organizational Communication: Balancing Creativity and Constraint. New York: Bedford/St. Martins. Gillis, T., 2011. The IABC Handbook of Organizational Communication: A Guide to Internal Communication, Public Relations, Marketing, and Leadership. New York: John Wiley and Sons. Miller, K., 2008. Organizational communication: approaches and processes. New York: Cengage Learning. Modaff, D, DeWine, S & Butler, J., 2011. Organizational Communication: Foundations, Challenges, and Misunderstandings. New York: Allyn & Bacon, Incorporated. Read More