Companies do not exist in a vacuum. The organization considered has a supplier that is operating with poor working conditions for its employees. To maintain a healthy relationship with the major supplier, it is necessary to develop a suitable communication plan necessary for ensuring that the major supplier improves the working conditions for the employees. The strategy considered will follow a persuasive communication strategy that would be targeted to the management team of the major supplier. The purpose of the plan relates to the development of a collaborative relationship by optimizing external communication and internal communication components that can assist in the effective communication of the message.
External Communication
The major supplier of the organization has an interest in the business, which means that it is necessary to tailor the external communication strategy to influence the major supplier to engage in practices that will improve the working conditions for the employees. To pass the message along to the management team of the major supplier, it would be necessary to choose relevant content (Allen, 2016). In this case, a formal communications plan would be necessary and should contain a message tailored to meet the issue being considered. The first step would involve an understanding of the challenge being encountered, which would require an assessment of the supplier’s mission (Allen, 2016). The mission will define the objective of the formal communication strategy, which involves the promotion of ethical practices necessary for improving the working conditions of the company.
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It is also essential for the organization to use audit as an opportunity for engaging the major supplier directly (Allen, 2016). In this case, it might be essential to ask the managers of the major supplier about how they are feeling and the goals that they find as the most important to them. The message should also contain the standards required for implementing suitable working conditions, which should be backed up by legal information.
Internal Communication
The key components of developing the internal communication plan include the assessment of the communication objectives (Barton, 2014). An effective internal communication plan will assist in communicating a strong external image that the major supplier can follow and implement. The initial step would be to map the current situation in the organization, which should consider the business needs of the organization (Barton, 2014). In this case, the organization should assess its needs regarding its relations with the major supplier, consequently starting a new employee initiative and keep them informed and engaged in the process of influencing change. Since there is a shift in the organizational priorities in terms of maintaining a positive relationship in the market place, through communication, the business need can be achieved by using horizontal communication. Horizontal communication passes the intended message through different departments, which focus on influencing the behavior of the individuals to communicate a strong external image.
Conclusion
The primary objective of the communication strategy is to inform the company’s major supplier to improve the working conditions for its employees, which is vital for improving their safety and health. The communication strategy will embrace both the external and internal communication. When communicating the intended message using the external communication plan, it is essential to draft a message containing the reasons for improving the working conditions for the employees. The target audience for the communication method is the management team of the organization and the message should be passed using formal means. The message should contain information related to the legal elements that the company should follow. The internal communication strategy should also follow the horizontal strategy, which should be passed across different departments.
References
Allen, M. (2016). Strategic communication for sustainable organizations: Theory and practice . Cham; New York: Springer.
Barton, P. (2014). Maximizing Internal Communication: Strategies to Turn Heads, Win Hearts, Engage Employees and Get Results . Cork: BookBaby.
