Week 3 Assignment - Case Study

“You are a department manager in a mid-sized company that provides technology support services.  You have ten employees who are required to maintain a high level of technical expertise and deliver excellent customer service.  One of your employees, who has been with the company for two years, is performing at a substandard level and you have received numerous complaints from customers and coworkers.  In addition, this employee has displayed confrontational behavior which has created a hostile environment.  You must now meet with this employee and deliver an ultimatum regarding the need for immediate improvement or dismissal.”

1.  Explain how you would approach this employee.

The method of approach is probably one of the most important factors with handling the situation.  One thing I wouldn’t want to happen is for the troubled employee to feel like he/she is being targeted.  This is going to be difficult due to the fact that the employee performance has been subpar according to the company standards.  In approaching the employee, I would take the appropriate actions:

            a.  Schedule a time and place to meet with the employee – to prevent the employee from feeling like he/she is being put on the spot, preparation is key and a big step to preparing is finding the right place, away from everyone else, and as subtle as possible.

            b.  Organize the pertinent information – because the employee has received various complaints from others along with the fact that he/she has become confrontational, its important to get all the facts prior to meeting with him/her.  I wouldn’t want to approach the employee just by rumor.

            c.  Establish the right atmosphere – because the goal of this meeting is to deliver an ultimatum regarding the need for immediate improvement or dismissal, I want to make sure that I meet with the employee in a setting that doesn’t make him/her already feel terminated. 

            d.  Conduct the session – being a good manager, I would have an ear to my department and know my people.  I feel that is what makes a good leader.  I would open the session by asking about how he/she was doing, and how his/her family (if any) is.  These questions may identify the problem immediately.

2.  Anticipate the employee’s response.

This is where having an appropriate counseling approach is vital during the meeting.  Even if I introduce the session in a calm, positive manner, the employee may still have feelings of betrayal, anger, shock, disbelief, ect.  If he/she is already exhibiting confrontational behavior, the type of approach I may use will be direct.  The following are examples of counseling approach the Air Force teaches in leadership training.

            a. Non-Directive – this method encourages two-way communication and can be used when the employee is cooperative.  As stated earlier, I would open the session by asking how everything was going which would allow him/her to communicate back to me.  With this method, the response for what’s triggering the behavior may come out in a stress-free setting.  It could be a family issue, or it could be frustration that in 2 years, he/she has not progressed the way expected.

            b. Directive – This approach is the “I talk, you listen” approach.  This means that the ultimatum is leaning heavy on the outcome of dismissal.  It also means that the employee is uncooperative with me and may even be confrontational.  He/she may have responded with “get off my back” or “everyone’s out to get me” or “after 2 years of hard work, this is the thanks I get.”

3.  Analyze which conflict resolution techniques you would use.

I think it’s important that a leader empowers his/her subordinates.  Many times, people are frustrated with their jobs because they don’t see their role in the bigger picture.  They don’t feel important to the organization.  One of the things I would do with the employee after finding out what the issue is would be to remind him/her their value with the company; ask him/her if they know the company mission plan and explain how they fit in it.  Additionally, I would see if the problem actually lies with other employees and also have a company meeting to discuss any issues; kind of like a “clear the air” session to let everybody say what they feel.  I’ve learned that often, people don’t really need anything except for the opportunity to vent to upper leadership.

COM480 - Week 2 Assignment

Media Technologies

 Being able to effectively communicate, whether in the professional or personal environment has changed significantly over the years.  The days of writing a letter with an important message and having it delivered to the intended party are long gone; in fact these days, information is able to get to the recipient in nearly the blink of an eye.  The change is due to technological advances in our society.  It’s the reason why we’ll never miss the big game.  It’s the reason why precious family photos will never be lost.  It’s the reason why we can almost go an entire week without having cash on us and still be able to pay for everything.  It’s technology, and when used to communicate, our overall capabilities have been enhanced.  We’ll discuss four different enhancements in particular: email, social networking, blogging, and text messaging.  To do this we’ll examine communication as a dinner table with each element being a particular course.  Ultimately, readers will be able to determine the positive impact each course has on our communication capabilities.

            Email:  This is probably the most common type of media technology because of the fact that it is used in and outside the home as well as in the workplace. Many people have their own personal email address and nearly every company has an email account.  Additionally, employees of various companies are given a company email address in order to accomplish official business.  The problem with email in the workplace is that it became “forced incorporated” before many people understood what its overall purpose was (Knox, 2006).  Email has officially substituted for making personal contact with people.  In fact with email, people can get a message to others in a different country instantly.  The fact is email is often the primary method of communication.  In the military, many of our duties went “electronic.”  From training to evaluations, almost everything is done by email.  There are rarely any documents signed by hand anymore; everything is accomplished digitally and then emailed.  Social networking requires having an email address in order to set up an account.  Most smartphones require setting up an account in order to have access to all the phone’s features.  For example, in order to do anything on the iPhone other than make calls and send text messages, one has to have an email address in order to access the iTunes store or iCloud.  In order to have a Netflix account, one has to use their email address to not only create an account but also log in to watch movies.  So what does email bring to the table?  Email is like the major side dish, like potatoes, or macaroni and cheese.  It’s not the main course; however, the meal wouldn’t be complete without it.

            Social Networking:  Facebook, Twitter, etc.  Social networking is one of the most popular media technologies available today.  It’s not uncommon to find someone with a twitter account; at least 3 out of five people have the Facebook app on their cell phone.  Their uses are mainly to maintain some type of contact with other Facebook/twitter friends.  They help connect each user to the rest of the world.  For example, many news and sports networks have ways to connect to their audience through Facebook and twitter.  At times, on ESPN broadcasts, various athletes will “tweet” about whatever the particular topic is.  Many companies use social networking for advertising; in fact twitter gets 90% of its revenue from U.S. advertisers (Copeland, 2012).  Additionally, social networking is prominent in the business community.  LinkedIn is the world’s largest business related social network.  Its main use is professional networking and within the past 10 years, over 2 million companies have LinkedIn company pages.  Furthermore, all fortune 500 executives are registered LinkedIn members.  There are also over 300,000 domains that have a LinkedIn share button, and it has been reported that over 15 percent of site views are from mobile phone apps (LinkedIn).  So what does social networking bring to the table?  Because of the multiple functions of social networking, it almost functions as the casserole that has all the meat, vegetables, and rice.  Ultimately, social networking has so many features to it and it even involves two other features discussed in this paper; email and blogging.

            Blog: People are always looking for information on the internet and blogs often contained the information we’re looking for.  Like social networking, many corporations are putting their money into blogs for advertising.  Blogs have the ability to allow companies to advertise with various other internet partners.  For example, ESPN blogs may contain advertisements for tickets or even apparel.  The big thing about blogs is that they are eye catching and attention grabbing.  Blogs capture the elements of balance, color, small details, clarity and emphasis, remarkability, and functionality (Martin, 2011).  Each of these elements allows viewers of the blog to be attracted to what the blog is actually talking about.  What does blogging bring to the table?  Blogs are like the table décor that makes the entire meal look attractive but still has important uses necessary for the meal (dinner napkins, crystal drink glasses, plates, etc.)

            Text Messaging:  Texting has become nearly automatic for almost everyone who carries a cell phone.  Texting introduces the convenience of getting a quick message to the receiver without spending time sending an email or making a phone call.  What does text messaging bring to the table?  Text messaging is like the convenient kitchen table that everyone eats at for breakfast.  For the on-the-go family that rarely eats in the dining room, the kitchen table still creates an environment for communication; however with more convenience. 

References

Copeland, D. (2012, Februrary 1). Twitter, LinkedIn Will See Slower Revenue Growth. Retrieved Februrary 16, 2012, from Social Networking Watch: http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/all_social_networking_statistics/

Knox, J. (2006, January 23). Email in the Workplace: Employees Perceive Email Differently than Employers. Retrieved Februrary 16, 2012, from Orange: a student journal of technical communication: http://orange.eserver.org/issues/5-1/knox.html

(n.d.). Retrieved Februrary 16, 2012, from LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/

Copeland, D. (2012, Februrary 1). Twitter, LinkedIn Will See Slower Revenue Growth. Retrieved Februrary 16, 2012, from Social Networking Watch: http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/all_social_networking_statistics/

Martin, M. (2011, June 26). 7 Elements to Make Your Blog Look Great. Retrieved Februrary 10, 2012, from Pro Blog Design: http://www.problogdesign.com/design/7-elements-to-make-your-blog-look-great/

Is the saying "preaching to the choir" actually an accurate statement?

This common saying is normally used in conversations to make it known to one party that the topic of discussion is meant for a different audience other than the currently addressed.  For example; two very clean and well-groomed people may have a conversation about how to have good personal hygiene and one may say to the other "your preaching to the choir."  This example is saying that because neither person demonstrates poor hygiene, the message about how to have good personal hygiene is not intended for either person in the discussion.

This phrase originates from the church.  A common thought is that the preacher is speaking to the people in the congregation, and the message is not directed towards the choir, ushers, deacons, or anyone else actually serving in the church.  This statement is actually highly hypocritical; the message being preached in the church is not only for the congregation but even for the choir, and everyone else for that matter.  The bible teaches that everyone has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God as stated in Romans 3:23.  This means that no one is perfect; therefore, everyone, including the ministers are the intended audience.

The next time you hear someone say "you preaching to the choir" you should take a minute and challenge their use of that statement.

Jerry Riddle