Case study 7-1 explains the implementation of a performance management communication plan for Accounting Inc. In the implementation of the system, they first developed core competencies to be used to evaluate workers regardless of their level or function. Workers received individualized e-mail messages asking them to define the core competencies and how they affected their job. Posters and frequently asked questions were given out detailing the relationship between the core competencies and the organization’s strategic priorities. The focus will be on evaluation of the Accounting, Inc.'s communication plan determining the questions that it has been able to effectively answer and those that it has failed to counter.
Evaluation
The Accounting, Inc’s communication plan succeeds in answering four very critical questions that a communication plan should answer. The first question it answers so well is; what is your message? The message is the focus of a communication plan or strategy ( Aguinis, 2013). E verything else that is developed in the communication plan depends on the message conveyed. The message in Accounting, Inc. is the implementation of a new management system that will be used to evaluate employees. The message is very clear and concise and defines the intention of the plan in a way that can be easily understood.
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The second question that a good communication plan should answer is who the target audience is. This is the group of people who are targeted by the message. Knowing the target audience is very important because of two reasons. First, it enables the conveyor to dictate how they intend to send the message, what form they use and how to develop it. The target audience In Accounting, Inc’s communication plans are the employees working for the company ( Austin & Pinkleton, 2015) .
It is also important to answer a question on what information the audience needs. When an audience is given too much information at once, they may be confused. Also, when they are given insufficient information, they are likely to miss the meaning of the message. The communication content in a message can be developed using the knowledge of the audience. If the audience has a background of technical information, one would want to add some aspects of technical skills in the message so that the message can appear more appealing to the audience. If the audience targeted is internal, the focus should only be on the necessary information so as to debunk any rumor or confusion. The audience, in this case, has been asked to define what core competencies mean to them and how it affects their respective jobs. The posters and the frequently asked questions have been used to detail how the core competencies impact the strategic priorities of the company. Also, information displayed is on how the performance scores would be related to monetary rewards.
Another vital information that has been answered in the Accounting, Inc. is on how the message will be delivered. The purpose of any communication plan is to reach to as many people as possible. Here, it is also important to study the demographic information of the audience to formulate the best way to deliver the message. The first mode of communication that the company employed was on the use of electronic mail (e-mail). The employees got an e-mail asking them about the key competencies required and how they affect their roles. Frequently asked questions sheets were also given out, and finally, posters were pinned detailing how the important competencies were associated with the organization's strategic priorities. The communication via the poster and through the frequently asked question gave information about how the performance system worked; benefits employees could earn how performance feedback was used etc. The other question that is amicably answered is on outlining the task to be completed in a specific period. There is also a provision of the plan's execution time. The employees are required to identify the core competencies affecting the various jobs in a specific period before giving back feedback.
However, the answers provided failed to tackle some key questions in regards to what a good communication plan should answer. The first question that has not been effectively answered is on how to gauge the feedback from the respondents. The respondents, in this case, are the employees who are supposed to give vital information about the core competencies that affect their jobs. The Accounting, Inc. has not stated in its communication plan how it will gauge the answers given by the respondents in determining what is right or what is wrong. Also, it lacks to answer how the Accounting, Inc. will gauge the success of the communication strategy. There are no measurements that can determine the success of the communication plan. The only way to improve a communication plan is to build from the success and the failures of the initial plan. If the employees in the Accounting, Inc., for example, do not respond properly, the company could think of using a different and a more effective way of communicating to its employees as asserted by Fearn-Banks (2016) .
To conclude, a good communication plan should know its message, its target audience, the information needed by the audience, how it intends to deliver its message and finally how it gauges the success of the communication plan. The Accounting, Inc. has tried to address most of the questions a good communication plan should address except on how to gauge the feedback and how to determine the success of the whole process.
References
Aguinis, H. (2013). Performance management (Vol. 2). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Austin, E. W., & Pinkleton, B. E. (2015). Strategic public relations management: Planning and managing effective communication campaigns (Vol. 10). Routledge.
Fearn-Banks, K. (2016). Crisis communications: A casebook approach . Routledge.
