Abstract
The given case study involves Mark Chen, the supervisor of an online company that sells staff over the internet. The company has experienced problems with its communication where employees take too long to respond to emails and fail to prioritize different tasks correctly. The method to analyze the case involved an analysis of the problem and creating a communication system created by focusing on the managerial functions of planning, organization, directing, and controlling. The findings showed that a communication system based on these managerial functions would be effective in improving communication throughout the organization. The plan involved having clear policies regarding the use of emails and communication and having emails and tasks be categorized according to their priority, urgency, and value. Organizing involved identifying the appropriate individuals that would implement the communication system. Directing was critical as it would guide employees to using the communication system and thus improve the communication process. Controlling involved setting standards of communication, monitoring whether the employees achieved those standards, and having a corrective procedure. Planning and organizing have a biblical application as the Bible focuses on counting one’s costs through having a proper plan before undertaking any venture and being orderly and organized in one’s activities. Directing and controlling have a Biblical application as it would involve the manager being an example in the way they handle communication and providing good counsel to the employees.
Table of Contents
Title Page 1
Abstract 2
Table of Contents 3
1 Case: A Problem in Communication 4
2 Case Solutions: A Problem in Communication 4
2.1 Plan 4
2.2 Organize 5
2.3 Direct 6
2.4 Control 7
3 Conclusion 8
References 10
Case: A Problem in Communication
Communication can be described as a process where information is shared between two groups or individuals to create a common understanding. Proper communication within an organization is important to gain a competitive advantage. Without proper communication, an organization will fall behind in innovation, inefficiency, quality, and its ability to respond to customers. For the given case, Mark Chen who supervises support staff for an online company has observed a troubling communication pattern among his staff. Email requests go unheeded and subordinates can only comply with his requests after he visits them. The organization thus needs a communication system that ensures that the staff will provide a response to requests within 24 hours and will have a way to prioritize different tasks. The management functions of planning, organizing, directing, and controlling can be applied to create an effective communication system that categorizes tasks according to different priorities, ensures timely response, and is also based on biblical principles.
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Case Solutions: A Problem in Communication
Plan
Planning is the first managerial function that involves setting a future course of action. It involves setting a goal and objective and an action plan that should be followed. When setting up the communication system, the management has to determine how it will function, when it will be implemented, and the individual responsible. In the Bible, Jesus advocates for planning when he states in Luke 14:28 (New International Version(NIV)) that “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?”. This indicates that before undertaking any venture, one should analyze all the requirements required to realize the goal. The planning phase thus involves identifying the goals and key actions required for the communication system.
The communication system will thus have several goals and an action plan that should be followed. The goals of the communication system are to ensure that employees can prioritize tasks and to respond to emails within 24 hours. The first step that should be undertaken will involve setting clear organizational communication policies when using the email. Some of the policies that can be implemented involve replying to emails within 24 hours and restricting the use of chain mail such as CC and BCC unless necessary. This step will also involve having all emails have a clear expectation regarding the reply timeline and expectation. Doing this will facilitate clear communication that enhances the communication process (Ben-Lun, 2017). The next step will involve ensuring that all emails have a priority classification such as high importance, moderate importance, and low importance. The tasks engaged by employees should also have a priority classification based on their business value such as high-value, medium-value, and low-value tasks (Paczkowski & Kuruzovich, 2016). Such a categorization ensures that employees will be aware of the priorities of all emails and different tasks.
Organize
The second managerial function that will be applied to improve the communication process is organizing. Organizing is a process where one has to determine the distribution of resources and thus organize employees according to the given plan. The specific activities can be grouped logically and they can be assigned to different individuals with specific positions (Madanat & Khasawneh, 2018). Such a process of organizing follows the Biblical perspective through the creation where God described the creation of the universe in an organized and orderly manner (Johnson & Falconer, 2019). This shows that every company should strive to maintain a high level of organization through its business activities.
Organizing will be applied to ensure the realization of the communication system and improve communication throughout the organization. The creation of the company’s email and communication policies will be done by the human resource and communications department. The group of individuals should foresee the creation of a communication system that meets the needs of every employee. The management will also have to delegate the work to different employees to ensure that the categorization of emails is accomplished. A proper organization is thus critical as it ensures that the initial plan is completed.
Direct
The third managerial function that will be applied in the communication system is directing and leading. Directing involves going beyond the simple management of tasks. It involves motivating, supervising, communicating, and leading employees towards accomplishing a specific task. Supervision will involve watching and directing the work of employees. The motivation of employees involves stimulating, encouraging, and stimulating employees to create a zeal for their work (Gregory, 2020). The Bible advocates the need for directing and providing counseling to employees in Proverbs 11:14 (NIV) which states that “Where there is no counsel, the people fall, but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” The verse shows that employees can thrive when they are counseled towards a specific path.
Directing will be applied to the communication system where the management should guide and lead employees at an interpersonal level. The management should encourage, inspire, and motivate employees towards following the guidelines in the communication system. The manager can emphasize how responding to emails within 24 hours and proper prioritization of tasks can result in higher productivity for employees. Additionally, the manager should supervise how employees supervise their tasks and provide guidance and recommendations on how they can prioritize their tasks better. Leading and directing employees this way will make employees believe in their leader. Employees will voluntarily follow the directions of the manager because of how they have been inspired and how they believe in them (Ewing, Men, & O’Neil, 2019). The directing function is thus critical as it will ensure a successful implementation of the communication system.
Control
Control is the fourth managerial function that will be applied to improve the communication system. Controlling involves measurement of the accomplishments against specific standards and correcting them in case there is a deviation. Control ensures that everything will function according to the given standards. Realizing control will be achieved through steps such as establishing a standard performance, measuring the actual performance, comparing the actual performance, and applying a corrective action (Sobhanallahi, Gharaei, & Pilbala, 2016). The manager can apply the principle of control in communication by not showing a domineering rule but by being an example to other employees. This is advocated in 1 Peter 5:3 (NIV) which states that “Not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.” Doing this will ensure that their communication practices are applied as a standard performance and a comparison to the actual performance.
The communication system will be controlled through the standard performance of replying to emails within 24 hours and prioritization of tasks. The standard performance will be established through the use of company policies. The measurement of the actual performance will be undertaken by determining the actual time it takes for employees to reply to emails and whether they feel to be overloaded by tasks. A survey can be filled by the employees every two weeks after the launch of the communication system to note whether the communication system has achieved its goals. This will then be compared to the expected standards and any deviations identified. The corrective action that will be applied will involve the employees undertake training that should be used to improve their ability to prioritize tasks better and thus enable them to reply to different tasks. Guidance will also be provided by the management on how to improve their communication.
Conclusion
Planning, organization, directing, and controlling are management functions that can be applied to create and implement a communication system that is based on biblical principles, ensures a timely response, and categorizes different tasks according to priorities. It was identified in the case study that the management at the internet company has experienced problems with its communication. A plan was identified as the first managerial function which involved establishing clear policies regarding the use of emails and communication and having emails and tasks be categorized according to their priority, urgency, and value. Organizing involved assigning the different tasks to different employees. Directing involved having the management inspire, supervise, and motivate employees towards improving their communication. Controlling involved setting standards of communication, monitoring whether the employees achieved those standards, and having a corrective procedure. All these managerial functions were based on the principles of the Bible that advocate for proper planning, order, providing good counsel, and being a good example to others.
References
Ben-Nun, L. (2017). Communication Pattern of the Great Leader Moses. BN Publication House. Israel . https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Liubov_Ben-Noun_nun/publication/312024264_COMMUNICATION_PATTERN_OF_THE_GREAT_LEADER_MOSES/links/586a273a08ae8fce4917deba/COMMUNICATION-PATTERN-OF-THE-GREAT-LEADER-MOSES.pdf
Ewing, M., Men, L. R., & O’Neil, J. (2019). Using social media to engage employees: Insights from internal communication managers. International Journal of Strategic Communication , 13 (2), 110-132. https://doi.org/10.1080/1553118X.2019.1575830
Gregory, T. (2020). Christian Leaders as Agents of Change: A Biblical Perspective with Practical Implications. In Modern Metaphors of Christian Leadership (pp. 21-40). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-36580-6_2
Johnson, C., & Falconer, R. (2019). Creation order theodicy: the argument for the coexistence of gratuitous evil and the sovereignty of God. Conspectus: The Journal of the South African Theological Seminary , 27 (1), 50-70. https://journals.co.za/content/journal/10520/EJC-15da4b3532?crawler=true&mimetype=application/pdf
Madanat, H. G., & Khasawneh, A. S. (2018). Level of Effectiveness of Human Resource Management Practices and Its Impact On Employees'satisfaction in The Banking Sector of Jordan. Journal of Organizational Culture, Communications, and Conflict , 22 (1), 1-19. https://www.abacademies.org/articles/Level-of-effectiveness-of-human-resource-management-practices-1939-4691-22-1-115.pdf
Paczkowski, W. F., & Kuruzovich, J. (2016). Checking email in the bathroom: monitoring email responsiveness behavior in the workplace. American Journal of Management , 16 (2). https://www.articlegateway.com/index.php/AJM/article/view/1878
Sobhanallahi, M. A., Gharaei, A., & Pilbala, M. (2016, January). Provide a practical approach for measuring the performance rate of organizational strategies. In 2016 12th International Conference on Industrial Engineering (ICIE) (pp. 115-124). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/INDUSENG.2016.7519357
