Managing Communication, Knowledge and Information - Essay Example

Oftentimes, when attempting to analyze or understand the communication process, organizational theory and the means through which an organization canreach out to its respective stakeholders and engage them with a particular understanding is an inseparable aspect of understanding the way in which communication can be maximized within the group setting. With respect to the case in question, it is abundantly clear that many communication issues, as well as organizational failures, help to ensure that this particular entity will not achieve a degree of overall success. As a function of highlighting these areas, the following analysis will engage the reader with a discussion and understanding of the following questions: and edification of the existing processes can vacation the given case study, a comparison of the different medication processes with an explanation of how the voluntary organization could improve the appropriate communication strategy, and identification of recommended improvements, and a recommendation of methodology by which this organization can gain a further level of access to systems of information and knowledge in the future. Firstly, after examination of the existing process of communication within the case study, it is very clear that the organizational structure that is been represented lends itself to the difficulties that have been denoted. In essence, the small organization itself is predicated upon political ideology and action within the population. However, the level and extent of action that the stakeholders are able to engage is necessarily limited. Ultimately, the individual that is responsible for integrating this change, and directly engaging with stakeholders within the community is ultimately the leader; requiring all volunteers within the organization to merely shuffle paperwork and engage in a laborious and otherwise non-interesting tasks (Dennis et al, 2008). The root effect of all this is one in which the overall interest in the organization and its mission is diminished as the stakeholders find themselves ensconce within and monotonous routine that has little if any bearing to the original reason/rationale for which they sought to volunteer for the organization in the first place. An alternate communication strategy that could of course been engaged as a means of maximizing the level of positive communication that existed within the organization would be with respect to increase in the amount of interpersonal communication place. Ultimately, from the case that was described, the stakeholders became increasingly detached from the goal and vision that they had assumed they would be taking part in. However, if the reader were able to engage in a further level of interpersonal communication as a means of maximizing the level of engagement that was evidenced, the utility of all stakeholders would be improved. Even though it is clear and apparent that the leader is most certainly dedicated to the mission and quite obviously a workaholic, the overall level of work that this leader is able to pour into the organization is not as effective as they might assume; lending itself to a situation in which they are performing more work than is necessary due to the fact that they are not engaging, on an interpersonal level, the energies, focus, conditions, and drive of the stakeholders that make up the backbone and skeleton of this organization (Goldreich et al., 2012). The level of communication engagement is an absolute necessity if organization in question is to experience a level of sustained growth and stakeholder buy in. Of all of the levels of importance that communication plays within this particular case, it is the issue of increasing stakeholder “buy in” that portends that the greatest benefit for the organization as a whole. The underlying reason for this is quite obvious. As the past is indicated, individuals that had previously been quite excited to leverage their own creative energies and personal assets as a means of focusing upon the issues that this particular organization set out to the fact, they were soon disheartened by the fact that they found themselves encompassed by a litany of mundane tasks that did not appear to aid or facilitate the same factors that they believed they would be engaging upon when they first sign up for this particular opportunity. An alternative approach that can most certainly be utilized with regards to the communication strategy employed within the organization is with respect to a type of directional communication (Appan et al, 2012). Ultimately, directional communication is one that helps to create a definitive vision and promotes the development of values, beliefs, and actions, in tandem with the stakeholders so that engagement with the process is effected to a higher degree. Such an approach could not only help to engage the stakeholders within the organization in question, it could ultimately eliminate many of the reasons that have led to the decrease in more row that has been witnessed over the course of time represented within the case study. A further level of communications engagement that could be effected is with regards to what is known as communication networks. Ultimately, the case study revealed the fact that different individuals within the organization were tasked with different roles. Not surprisingly, this is a core aspect of how each and every organization is able to function. With some people being responsible for keeping the books, some people being responsible for publications, and still others being responsible for keeping track of core business compliments of organizational preparedness, each individual that has volunteered is ultimately a type of “called in the wheel” of this particular machine. However, even though a level of frustration and dissatisfaction has been caused as a result of individuals finding themselves prematurely laden with specific tasks that do not have a clear level of impacts upon the organizational goals themselves, seeking to communicate the overall importance of these jobs and engender a type of importance with respect to their ultimate impacts would be a successful way of engaging these stakeholders and promoting the importance of their respective roles. From an analysis of each of these different communication strategies that has thus far been discussed, it is clear and apparent that the organization that has been described failed on many counts. Ultimately, as a result of the fact that stakeholders feel uninvolved in the occurrences of the vision or mission of the organization, they drive to support it with their efforts has decreased precipitously; from the time in which they first chose to join the organization. Tangentially, the amount of work that the leader finds it necessary to perform as a function of covering for the lost moral that is the result of a failed communication strategy/structure, causes the divisions that have thus far been analyzed to worsen. Further, in order to improve upon this situation, some core changes must be implemented. The first change that must be engaged is one that will require the leader to read interpret the way in which this particular organization functions. Ultimately, the core strength that it has is with regards to the fact that it has the potential to engage diverse stakeholders and encourage them to take part in a vision or mission that otherwise captures their imagination. Yet, once these individuals integrate with the organization to find themselves slotted into a brainless job that merely requires a repetitive level of work, the more owl and interest that they previously had begins to wane. As such, without diminishing the necessity of accomplishing “boring work” the leader must find a way in which this boring work can be juxtaposed alongside interesting aspects that will continue to engage the productive energies, imagination, and interest of those individuals who are participating with the organization. Furthermore, it must also be realized that effective communication plan would also be inclusive of impressing upon the leader that all of the interaction and engagement with the community and societal stakeholders need not falls squarely upon their shoulders. As such, volunteers, at least in some capacity, could be utilized to take some of this burden from the leader; providing a situation in which further level of engagement would be allowed and the overall amount of work that would find itself piling up on the leader would be reduced. Finally, in a situation in which this particular student would find themselves having the opportunity to work as a volunteer at such an organization, one personal plan that might be engaged with respect to promoting a further degree of communication skills is contingent upon the development of new ideas and new approaches. Ultimately, from the case that has been provided, it is clear that almost all of the stakeholders are relatively young college aged individuals that began to integrate with a particular organization/job due to the fact that they believed it could provide them many associated benefits; both in terms of experience and in terms of the fact that the organization promised to engage upon core issues that they were tangentially interested in. However, upon arriving and finding themselves slotted into and uninteresting and rather menial role, the level of communication of these stakeholders were able to promote was limited. Rather than voicing their concerns and seeking to offer alternative ways in which they might promote the interests of the organization, these individuals were merely content to settle into the unhappy roles that they found laid out for them without seeking to engage fellow stakeholders or the leader with improving upon the situation (Xiaojun & Venkatesh, 2013). Although it is of course possible that if the leader were told of the frustrations and misery that the stakeholders experienced, he/she might be inclined to merely tell them that they were free to leave if they felt in such a manner. However, it is equally possible, if not more possible, at such a leader might seek to improve upon the situation of his/her stakeholders as a means of improving upon the integrity and overall level of engagement of the organization was able to promote to the societal stakeholders. In such a manner, an active and engaged group of volunteers, committed to making the organization a better place, could easily have a powerful impact with respect to the way in which the leader continue to define the manner through which the organization function. From the information that has been included within this particular response, it is clear and apparent that this particular organization faces a severe crisis with regards to its level of communication and the manner through which the organization distributes work and vision. Naturally, communication can impact greatly upon the level of stakeholder buy in; however, this factor in and of itself is not enough to change the dynamics of the way in which the organization behaves (Ngwenyama & Lee, 2007). In order for this to take place, it will be necessary for the manager/leader to reengage the personnel assets that they have and seek to distribute the work in such a manner that the mundane tasks of day-to-day business do not take up all of the time that these stakeholders and that the agency. Finally, as is so often the case with regards to theoretical approaches, one particular communications theory is not appropriate towards addressing all of the issues that have been represented within this particular case. Instead, a joint approach that leverages communications theories and seeks to engage in the organizational distribution of work will be the most effective in helping to salvage the potential of this particular entity. Although it is easy to blame the manager/leader with respect to the fact that they had failed to include the respective stakeholders in the mission and vision of the agency to an appropriate degree, it must also be understood that a convenient balance between those issues that must be handled by a professional and those that could be handled by a volunteer must be struck. However, even with that being said, it is also necessary to understand that levels of communication although not sufficient towards changing an organization single-handedly. As such, a review and analysis of management and leadership, in tandem with a new level of communication, will be required in order for the organization to once again find it operating at its maximum potential and engaging as many stakeholders as possible. 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Xiaojun, Z, & Venkatesh, V 2013, EXPLAINING EMPLOYEE JOB PERFORMANCE: THE ROLE OF ONLINE AND OFFLINE WORKPLACE COMMUNICATION NETWORKS, MIS Quarterly, 37, 3, pp. 695-A3, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 27 January 2014. Read More