30 Dec Discuss the communication

Unit 1 discussion

The purpose of this discussion board is to encourage reading, writing, and interaction with your fellow students. The classroom can be a place where students come together to read content-related items and to discuss what the readings mean. Therefore, you should think of these discussion boards as a place for that interaction.

Below is a question to get you started. The idea is that you will find new ways to respond and react to the reading assignments.

Andrew Fastow, the former chief financial officer (CFO) of Enron who was convicted of wire and securities fraud, explains that the culture of an organization starts with the behavior of the top executives. Employees do not follow empty rhetoric though: Employees imitate the behavior and decision-making processes of top management (Useem, 2016). Based on what you have learned in this unit, do you believe this is an accurate statement? How big of an effect can empty rhetoric have on organizational behavior?

Unit 2 discussion

The Unit II Lesson begins with Sheri Alexander’s (2015) assertion that organizations use strategic planning in two ways: Either an organization treats the strategic plan as formulaic, or the organization considers the strategic plan to be a crucial element of day-to-day operations. In the lesson, employee engagement is described as the key difference between these types of organizational outlooks. In your opinion, what role does communication play in employee engagement?

Unit 3 discussion

Review the following scenario, and then discuss it in terms of both functional and dysfunctional conflict within an organization.

Last year, an organization established a company policy requiring that all employees smile and make eye contact with customers. Since then, employee grievances have continued to escalate. In the last month alone, 10 employees from three different stores have filed grievances. Most of them list customer harassment as a major issue: The customers assume that the employee is flirting with them because the customers are misreading the social cues. Additionally, one employee who had recently suffered the loss of her spouse complained about being reprimanded by a supervisor because she was not smiling at customers “with sufficient enthusiasm.”

The organization wants to maintain an image as a friendly place to shop that cares about its customers, but the organization also wants to be a place where employees can work in a safe environment.

Explain which communication technique (or techniques) you think would be most helpful in creating a solution, and explain why you believe the technique (or techniques) will help.

Unit 4 discussion

When discussing communication, Auditor General Randall L. Exley explains that how a person communicates (i.e., what channels he or she uses) is just as important as the message. He also feels that receiving feedback is often more important than sending a message. Knowing your receivers and establishing a relationship with them is vital (Skidmore-Williams, 2013).

What do you think about Exley’s ideas about communication? Do you agree that it is more about listening than talking? Is audience analysis as important of a concept as he believes it to be? Explain.

Unit 5 discussion

Dove has continued its social media public relations (PR) campaign on beauty and self-esteem. In 2014, Meaghan Ramsey presented “Why Thinking You’re Ugly is Bad for You” at a TED Talks event.

In the TED Talk presentation, Ramsey does not mention Dove. Without focusing on the organization in the speech, why would this be a good PR event for Dove? What does it achieve for the organization? Why do you think Ramsey, who is the Global Director of the Dove Self-Esteem Project, chose this way to communicate with Dove’s customers (and potential customers)? What are the advantages? What are the disadvantages?

Unit 6 discussion

Bill Gates believes that how information flows will make the largest impact on organizational change (Krovi, Chandra, & Rajogopalan, 2003). In your discussion response, indicate how communication could drive change in an organization. Why is it important to manage this change?

Unit 7 discussion

Discuss the communication strategy employed by Tim Cook as mentioned in the Unit VII Lesson. Do not focus on whether or not you agree with the actions taken by Apple and the U.S. government. Instead, focus on how Cook communicated Apple’s decisions. As a leader, do you think his message was effective for the general public, for his employees, and for his key partners? Do you believe he used the correct channels to send the message? In your opinion, is there any way for the message to be more effective? Explain.

Unit 8 discussion

Discuss how the concepts in this course can be applied to real-world situations and increase your chances of career or life success.