Organizational Communication: Zi-Learns Case
Organizational Communication: Zi-Learns Case
1. Introduction
Communication is an essential defining element within an organization. Individuals need communication in order to keep the activities of the organization going. This case presents an organization, which is running into problems, due to breakdown in communication within the company. Zi-learns is internet Start-up Company that offers training services to healthcare practitioners. Zi-learns has two categories of employees; in-house employees and the virtual executives. The in-house employees operate in the organization’s central office, in Front Range City. These employees are responsible for handling the operational activities of the business. The virtue executives operate in remote locations where they are in close contact with the client. The organization is experiencing difficulties following the breakdown in communication between the two groups. The virtual executive rarely visits the main office, and when they do, they keep minimal contact with the in-house employees. Employees have responded by antagonizing the virtual executives.
Several theories can apply to Zi-learns’ case. One of these theories is the hierarchical systems. This theory relates the organization structure with the quality of organizational communication. The theory suggests that Zi-learn communication problems originate from the hierarchical nature of the organization system. The second theory that has been applied to the case is the willingness to communicate among the firm’s employees. This theory attribute Z-learns’ problem to low levels of willingness to communicate within the organization. The paper has also applied organizational orientation and trait theory. These theories evaluate the personal traits of employees. The theory suggests that Zi-learns problem may be caused by traits such as ambivalence, authoritarianism and Machiavellianism.
The analysis of Zi-learn problems has led to the formulation of several recommendations. The first recommendation entails improving the willingness to communicate among the firm’s employees. This can be achieved by address the factors that are hindering willingness to communication among its employees. The second recommendation entails fostering a culture of collaboration and problem solving. This leads to the creation of favorable interpersonal relationships among employees thus enhancing communication. This paper also recommends the adoption of a horizontal organizational culture. This would enhance communication between management employees and low level employees. The final recommendation entails identifying the communication barriers that affects Zi-learns and address these barriers.
2. Summary of the Case
Zi-Learn is an internet startup company that organizes online learning programs for healthcare providers. Zi-learn develop interactive learning programs and deliver them through online platforms. The organization has 120 employees. One hundred of these employees work in the organization’s main office located in Front Range City. The in-house executives were in charge of the day to day operation in the firm’s main office. These in-house executives include; a finance executive; the chief knowledge officer and the chief human relations officer. The virtual executives work in remote locations, and their primary role was to maintain close relationships with the existing and potential clients. The firm has a total of five virtual executives, all working in out of state locations.
The virtual executives were doing an excellent job of providing a link between the organization and clients who are on the ground. However, the organization has been experiencing problems due to ineffective communication between the virtual executives and in-house employees. The virtual executives are hardly in contact with the in-house employees at Front Range City. The virtual executives visit the main office ones or twice a month, which is not frequent enough to enable effective interaction between them and the in-house employees. The virtue executives felt that it was not obligatory for them to be physically present in the main office. They instead opted to use technology to communicate with in-house employees. On the other hand, the in-house employees were unhappy about the approach taken by the virtue executives. The in-house employees thought that the virtual executives were taken the technological approach too far.
Suzanne tried to develop a communication plan that would enhance communication between the virtual executives and in-house employees. The plan proposed use of regular email updates, one on one phone conversations and conference calls. However, the in-house employees still felt that they needed the virtual executives to be physically present in the main office. Employees began to question the value and legitimacy of the virtual executives due to lack of physical presence. The employees antagonized the virtual executives. The antagonistic relationship was visible during Greg presentation, when the employees hammered Greg, a virtual executive with questions during his presentation. These incidents exerted additional strain to the sour relationship between the virtual executives and in-house employees. Neither the employees nor the virtual executives demonstrated the obligation to work with each other cooperatively.
The communication program has begun to affect the performance of the organization. Max, the training coordinator, noted that the level of employee satisfaction and productivity was dropping. The conflict between the in-house employees and virtual executives was affecting employee satisfaction thus, taking a tool on the productivity of the organization. Max noted that most employees were reporting late for work, taking longer lunch breaks and leaving work early. The conflict was also affecting the level of organization commitment. Max reports that employees were searching for work in other places. Max also confesses that he had also considered moving out of the company. Max also noted an increased in organizational conflicts. There were increased cases of infighting between and among employees. The problem with the virtual executive was getting out of control.
3. The Theories
Hierarchical Organization System
Hierarchical system refers to a structure where entities within an organization are placed under a single entity (Anderson & Brown, 2010). This system of organization is also referred to as a vertical organization system. In this system, subordinate employees are used to executing orders from people at the top managerial positions. Power is highly centralized at the helm of the organization. A hierarchical system is visible in Zi-Lean’s case. The in-house employees are expected to operate under the in-house executive and virtual executive (Baker, 2002). The executives appear to have power over most of the decisions made within the company. The in-house employees are getting frustrated because they are made to implement decisions that they do not participate in making. They complain that the virtue executives are hardly present in the organization.
The organization structure can affect communication with the organization (Baker, 2002). Communication tends to follow the structure of the organization. Hierarchical structures tend to follow a chain of command in terms of power. Communication also seems to follow the same chain. Communication often takes one dimensional view in the work place. This means that information only move from the top of the organization downwards. Downward communication is extremely essential in a hierarchical organization because employees are highly depended on directives from their superiors in order to operate (Baker, 2002).
This means that in order for hierarchical organizations to operate seamlessly, the communication hierarchy needs to be highly effective. However, communication chain in Zi-learns is not effective. The virtual executives rarely meet with the in-house employees. They only issue directive through technological platforms. This has created a feeling of breakdown of power within the organization (Baker, 2002). The in-house employees feel lost because they do not receive direct communication from their leaders. Some employees claim that they do not know their leaders. The employees feel that they are not adequately informed about of what happens in the organization.
Upwards communication is also extremely essential in hierarchical organizations (Anderson & Brown, 2010). Upward communication ensures that the concerns of the lowest level employees are able to reach the top management employees. Bottom-up communication is, however, least developed in most hierarchical organizations. Top employees have substantial power over their subordinates and this limits open communication between the different levels of employees. Zi-learns has also failed in terms of promoting upward communications (Baker, 2002). There are no structures for facilitating direct communication between in-house employees and the virtual executive. The employees do not have a forum where they can interact and discuss issues with the virtual executives. Consequently, the employees feel that they are not sufficiently involved in the activities of the business. Suppression of communication generates a barrier to organizational development
Communication Traits
- Willingness to Communicate
Human being exhibit variable behaviors when it comes to communication (Baghaei, 2012). These behaviors have a massive impact on communication with the organizational setting. One of the aspects of human behaviors that have a significant effect on organizational communication is the willingness to communicate. Willingness to communicate refers to an individual’s tendency to communicate when given a choice (Baghaei, 2012). Individual with low willingness to communicate would rather not communicate with others when given the choice. Many factors may affect an individual’s willingness to communicate. Examples of these factors include; low self esteem, fear, extroversion and language barrier. Willingness to communicate influences the frequency and quantity of communication within an organization (Baghaei, 2012). In an organization with low willingness to communicate, communication only takes place when it is unavoidable. Zi-learn appear to suffer from low willingness to communicate. The virtue executives are not keen to enhance their communication with the in-house employees. One of the virtues executives responded negatively to Catherine’s plan for enhancing communication within the company.
Organization Orientations
Organization orientation refers to an employees’ inclination towards work. It refers to how employees interpret their roles within an organization (Goodboy & McCroskey, 2008). Organization orientation is primarily concerned with issues such as employee motivation, conflict resolution, job satisfaction and many others. The theory of organization orientation identifies three main organizational orientations. These include; ambivalent, indifferent and upward mobile.
-
Upward mobiles
Upward mobiles are individuals who view work as a central part of the lives. These people are extremely committed to the careers. Upward mobile individuals always seek to advance within the firms’ hierarchy (Goodboy & McCroskey, 2008). They are usually self motivated and have strong faith in the procedure of the firm. Upward mobile individuals are extremely strict in terms of adhering to the company’s procedures. These individuals often demonstrate a high level job satisfaction and organizational commitment (McCroskey, Richmond & Johnson, 2004). They always like to identify with the organization that employs them. They have the ability to take initiatives and are always keen to work towards the realization of the firm’s goals. Upward mobile individuals hold the belief that success comes from oneself and do not look for approval from others.
-
Ambivalent
Ambivalent individuals tend to be extremely critical of their jobs (McCroskey, Richmond & Johnson, 2004). They often find mistakes in their jobs and organizations. Ambivalent individuals are highly unpredictable as they have low levels of organizational commitment. They keep moving from one firm to another in search of a perfect job because they are rarely satisfied with their jobs. Ambivalent individual find difficulties in fitting into their organizations (McCroskey, Richmond & Johnson, 2004). These individuals do not like rules and do not respond well to authority. They also fail to fit into the roles that are assigned by the organizations. They rarely see themselves as part of the organization and; therefore, they do not coexist well with other members of the firm. These individuals are extremely difficult to communicate with as they like to criticize the organization.
-
Indifferent
Indifferent refers to a category of employees who are found between the ambivalent and upward mobiles (Goodboy & McCroskey, 2008). The indifferent do not view their jobs as a central element in their lives, but view the jobs as a way of earning a living. They usually separate their lives from work and view their jobs as means of facilitating their livelihoods. They are relatively committed to their jobs because the jobs help them to earn a living (McCroskey, Richmond & Johnson, 2004). They are mainly interested with the compensation they get from the organization and remain neutral on organizational matter. They interpret work strictly from an economic perspective. They focus on doing the job they were assigned to do and can hardly go beyond the officially assigned duties.
Organization orientation theory applies to Zi-Learn case. The in-house employees of the firm are frustrated with their jobs because the virtual executives do not interact with them as much as the in house employees would like. The fact that they value the approval of the virtual executive places them in the category of the ambivalent. These employees became easily frustrated with the situation in the firm. Productivity dropped, and some of the employees began to look for jobs elsewhere. This is an indication that they had extremely low level of organization commitment. The virtual executives also exhibit characteristics of indifferent. These executives have secluded themselves from the rest of the organization. They only show up in the organization main office only when it is extremely necessary. These orientations have hindered communication within this organization.
Personality Types
Personality can also affect organizational communication. Personality refers to traits that are associated with a given individual. Personality is strongly associated with human communication behavior (McCroskey, Richmond & Johnson, 2004). Authoritarianism and Machiavellianism are some of the general traits that influence organizational communication.
-
Authoritarianism
Authoritarianism is a management style that entails strict control of employees by the firm’s top management (Wacker, 2009). The senior management team coerces their subordinates into performing what is expected of them. These types of leaders exert close supervision of employees. Decision making in an authoritarian system is highly controlled by a few individuals. Power is concentrated at the top, and the management teams act as the sole decision makers. Subordinate employees are hardly involved in the decision making process. However, they are expected to implement these decisions to the letter. The individuals that make up the top management team are assertive and require their subordinate to implement orders exactly as they are issued (Wacker, 2009). The authoritarian leaders are strict, least humorous and suspicious of others. Zi-Lean demonstrates some element of authoritarianism. There is little communication between subordinate employees and the virtue executives. Since the virtual executives are close to the clients, they make most of the decisions concerning the firm’s products. These decisions are made with little involvement of the subordinate employees, and the executive expect the same employee to implement these decisions.
-
Machiavellianism
Machiavellianism is a trait whereby an individual possessing this trait strategically manipulates other peoples for his personal interest (McCroskey, Richmond & Johnson, 2004). Individuals with high Mach tend to have an enhanced ability to manipulate other people. Mach individuals have little emotional involvement with other people making it easy for them to take advantage of other people. They have difficulties maintaining personal relationships. High Mach individuals are skillful thus, making it difficult to note their deceptive work. It is hard to judge them because people can hardly tell whether they are telling the truth or not. They tend to externalize their failures (McCroskey, Richmond & Johnson, 2004). This means that they attribute their failures to other people and external forces rather than acknowledging that they may also be the origin of their failures. They have a high desire for success but are rarely satisfied with the jobs. This character trait affects organizational communications. High Mach individuals communicate with the primary purpose of controlling, manipulating and deceiving.
4. Practice and Recommendation
Willingness to Communicate
There ought to be enhanced willingness to communicate between the virtue executives and the in-house employees. The firm can enhance willingness to communicate among these two parties by determining the reasons that have resulted to the low willingness to communicate (Baghaei, 2012). Factors that may be examined include; attitude, anxiety, interpersonal attraction, motivation, language and many others (Baghaei, 2012). If the underlying factor is identified and addressed, then the willingness to communicate between the two parties will be enhanced.
The Nature of Organizational Communication
Creating a team based organizational culture is the most viable strategy for enhancing organizational communication (Glaser & Glaser, 1998). Personal relationships are significant determinants of the effectiveness of communication. Organizations that foster positive interpersonal relationships between employees are most likely to enjoy effective communication. In Zi-Learn case, the in-house employees and the virtual executives do not share a thriving interpersonal relationship. There appears to be a rift between the two organizational groups which is making communication within the company extremely difficult (Glaser & Glaser, 1998).
Zi-Learn need to focus on building a collaborative environment that can address conflicts and solve problems cooperatively. The organization should encourage its members to raise issues they deem to be problematic and have them resolved cooperatively by all stakeholders of the firm. The organization needs to develop a culture that embraces decision making and problem solving skills (Glaser & Glaser, 1998). This culture can be created through the development of training programs that focus on the issue of conflict resolution. The organization may also invest in activities that are directed towards team building and enhancement of leadership skills. Enhancing conflict resolution will have a positive impact on organizational communication.
Formal Communication Flow and Impact
Zi-Learns should also focus on creating horizontal organization structures rather than relying of hierarchical structure (Lunenburg, 2010). Horizontal structure focuses on allocating responsibilities according to task. This structure takes power away from the top of the organization and distributes it to the periphery of the organization. Redistribution of power creates an environment where employees can communicate with each other at the same level (Lunenburg, 2010). It fosters corporations since the duties and responsibilities of every worker are clearly spelt out. This structure will also help to short circuit the exiting chain of communication in order to encourage upward movement of information. Employees are low levels should be free to skip the middle level employees and communicate with top level employees.
Promoting employee empowerment and corporate democracy is the way to go for the organization (Wacker, 2009). Employee empowerment is a concept where employees are given the power to participate in the company’s decision making process. Corporate democracy is a concept that involves having the employee determines the direction of the organization. The two concepts of empowerment and corporate democracy are founded on the idea that employees are rational beings and pursue actions that are of benefit to the firm when they are trusted to do so (Wacker, 2009). Senior management employees use implicit ways rather explicit ways to motivate employees to work towards the organizational goals. These implicit motivational factors include; sense of belonging, security, achievement and appreciation.
Barriers to Effective Communication
There are common barriers that hinder effective communication with an organizational setting. The process barrier is one of these barriers to effective communication (Lunenburg, 2010). Communication is a process that involves encoding, sending, reception and decoding of information. Communication may become ineffective when there is a breakdown in one of these steps. For instance, if the recipient of the information is not able to decode the message, he may end up misunderstanding the information. Zi-learn can overcome process barrier by designing official ways of communication (Lunenburg, 2010). Works may be required to communicate through memos, email or charts which are easy to understand.
Physical barrier can also be a significant hindrance to effective communication (Lunenburg, 2010). Physical barriers range from geographical distance, physical interruption, noise, visitors to unclear connection lines. Zi-Line has particular been affected by the problem of distance. The virtual executive, who operate from remote locations, are experiences challenges in communicating with the in-house employees due to the geographical separation. Physical barrier can be addressed through the use of technology (Lunenburg, 2010). There are various communication technologies that enable individuals to communicate effectively from different physical locations. Examples of these technologies include; teleconferencing, videoconferencing, charts, emails and many others.
Cultural and personal traits are also significant barriers to communication. Culture refers to a collection of beliefs, values and practices that influence an individual’s perspective of reality (Lunenburg, 2010). Culture influences the communication process by influencing our perceptions through values, stereotypes and prejudices. Personal trait can also influence the communication process by affecting an individual’s interpersonal relationships (Lunenburg, 2010). Personal attributes such as ego, self concept and interpersonal trust are a significant determinant of communication success. Zi-Learn can overcome cultural and personal barrier by promoting diversity awareness among employees (Lunenburg, 2010). Diversity awareness enables employees to recognize and appreciate their cultural and personal difference, and how these differences affect their relationships with others. Intercultural and interpersonal understanding will enhance organizational tolerance.
5. Visualization
Hierarchical System
In this system, organization power is concentrated at the top of the organization. Decisions are made by the top management team, which consist of the CEO and other directors. The CEO has the final say on all key decisions that are made in the organization. One the CEO and the directors have made a certain decision concerning the company; this decision is communicated down the chain of command. The directors communicate the decision to the middle management team, who pass the message to the subordinate employees. The downward flow of information follows the chain of command. There is minimal contact between the low level employees and the senior management team of the organization.
Upward flow of information is extremely minimal in a hierarchical organizational system. When employees at the lowest level need to communicate with the top management employees, they have to follow the chain of command. This means that they have to pass their message to the middle management team, which consists of the supervisors, who will pass the message to the relevant director. The director will then raise the issue in the board where it is deliberated upon by the other directors and the CEO. This chain of command makes communication between the top and bottom level employees extremely challenging. Lateral/ horizontal organizational structures seek to enhance communication by short circuiting the flow of information. The horizontal structures empower the low level employees to communicate directly to the senior most employees and vice versa.
Personality Types
These are individuals who value their jobs and are committed to achieving success in their careers. The upward mobiles have high respect for authority and are committed to organization’s course. These characteristics make communication with upward mobile employees easy. On the right side of the charts, are the ambivalent individuals. The ambivalent employees are the exact opposites of the upwards mobiles. The ambivalent employee dislike authority, have low organizational commitment and low job satisfaction. These characteristics make communication with the ambivalent employees extremely difficult.
Horizontal Communication
Horizontal communication usually takes place among employees of the same rank. Horizontal communication is allows employees to share experiences and information. Horizontal communication is usually relatively open since the communicating parties are at the same level. In organizations with lateral or horizontal organizational culture, horizontal communication is usually possible among all employees. This is because all employees have been empowered and, therefore, none of the employees is above the others.
Machiavellianism
High mach individuals are highly deceptive, demonstrate low emotional involvement and focus on the end (McGuire & Hutchings, 2006). These characteristics make communication with high mach individuals extremely difficult. The high mach individual experience difficulties in maintain personal relationships because they are always in aggressive competition with colleagues. Organizations where high mach individuals are dominant are likely to experience communication difficulties. On the left side of the map, is the low mach individual. Low mach individuals are least deceptive, empathetic and focus on the means as well as the end (McGuire & Hutchings, 2006). This characteristic makes communication with low mach individuals relatively easy. Low mach individual relate well with other people because they emphasized on teamwork rather competition.
Conclusion
Zi-Learn is an internet start-up organization that offers training programs to healthcare professional. The organization is experience communication problems between two groups of employees. On one hand are the virtual executive, who operate from remote locations. These executives rarely visit the company main office in Front Range City. When the virtue executives show up in the office, they treat other employees with high handedness. On the other side of the organization are the in-house employees. These employees are angered the conduct of the virtual executive. They begin to question the authority of these executives. This results in serious conflict within the organization. The communication problem in the organization is being reflected in diminishing productivity, high employee turnover, low organization commitment and high incident of conflicts among employees.
Several theories have been applied in this case. One of these theories is the hierarchical system. This theory attributes the communication problem in Zi-learns to the hierarchical nature of the organization communication system. This is a system whereby communication follows a chain of command before reaching the intended target. Organization orientation theory has also been applied to the case. Organization orientation theory identifies three orientation for employees; upward mobile, indifferent and ambivalent.
This theory attributes the problem in Zi-learns to domination of the organization by ambivalent employees. These employees are always dissatisfied with their jobs and spend most of their time criticizing the organization. Personality type theory has also been applied to the case. This theory has attributed Zi-learn problem to two main leadership traits; authoritarianism and Machiavellianism.
This paper recommended several actions for dealing with Zi-learns’ communication problem. The first action plan is to promote willingness to communicate. Willingness to communicate is a significant determinant of effective communications and, therefore, the organization should seek to develop it. This paper also recommended the building a collaborative environment that can address conflicts and solve problems cooperatively. The analysis had revealed that conflict between in-house and virtual executive is partly responsible for the breakdown in communication within Zi-learns.
The paper also recommended the creation of vertical organization structures. This would help bridge the communication barrier between the top management employees and subordinate employees. Lateral organization structure empowers employees to communicate directly to their leaders. The final recommendation entailed identifying barriers to communication and addressing them. A number of barriers were identified include; physical, personal, cultural and process barriers.
Reference
Is this your assignment or some part of it?
We can do it for you! Click to Order!
