After spending some time
thinking about a vehicle in which to convey on how my employer, , communicates and accepts information, I thought that the
more traditional structure of how to communicate my plan and how to execute it would
be appropriate.
is a traditional
organization that would appreciate such a formal presentation. As with many instances in business, COMPANY
would require that I prepare a structured proposal that would mirror business
problems previously encountered and addressed.
Therefore, my first efforts would be to identify the current system, if
it existed, and then analyze it. The
next step would be to evaluate that system to see if it worked, and if it was
effective. As in most cases, the
requirement of what benefit would it bring the company would be at a pivotal
point. The questions surrounding, “is
this a beneficial thing” or “how does this mitigate risk”, would also have to
be addressed (Blackard, 1999).
Understanding that there would
be a wide variety of perspectives in this project, stakeholders would include
the company attorney interested in litigation risk, the engineer who’s interest
would be in a logical, data driven process, the human resources leader who was
interested in the employee relations impact, the chief financial officer who
wants to see the financial return, and the chief executive officer who wants to
see the strategic benefit of such an effort (Blackard,
1999). Keeping this in mind I would
include the following steps:
¨
Review of
current Policy/Procedure: Often just
readdressing what has been put in place can bring about improvement. By looking at what has been established
already often presents the opportunity for simple improvements versus complete
re-creation of processes might be available.
¨
Process Mapping
of Current Process: By graphically
presenting any process often brings opportunity to look at it from a completely
different perspective. At times defects
in many processes can be identified this way and it allows problems to be addressed
quicker and easier.
¨
Employee/Management
Survey of Current Systems: Since buy-in of all stakeholders will be necessary,
a baseline listing of problems and insights is highly required. This approach would allow the identification
of issues from many perspectives and not just a management point of view (LaBrosse, 2007).
¨
Review of
individual case outcomes: In order to complete the data compilation of the
current system, a review of cases to learn challenges in the past will also aid
in the improvement of the process. Such
anecdotal information is also helpful in presenting the case for improvement.
¨
Research of
best practices: In my experience, the benefit of learning from other’s mistakes
can be very helpful in presenting a case for change. Also, the ability to point to the successes of
other organizations and research by experts in the field brings additional
creditability (LaBrosse, 2007).
¨
Compilation of
information/report: After the above has been compiled, a concise, direct and
logical presentation of the information and recommendations should be
created. In order to fulfill the needs
of multiple persoonalities such a report should
include both executive summaries and complete compilation of available data.
Also
important is a sense of what timeline and the resources required would be
included in order to determine if it’s within the organization’s current
capacities to address this issue.
Without such a segment, the argument is empty and buy-in is
delayed. This step in closing the deal
makes the most sense and creates a natural progression of the improvement.
Given the structured approach
and application of some basic project management methodologies, I this approach
would be successful with the organization in which I serve. The challenge I see would be in the actual implementation
to include the necessary documentation, employee training, and success
measures. In my past experience there
also seems to be an insurgence of claims resulting when an organization opens
such a new line of communication. This
step can often be somewhat painful as issues that have been buried for sometime
rebound with a vengeance.
At the very least I feel that
the review of such a process does send a powerful message to all of the
importance of effective communications to include conflict resolution. Although adherence to new processes and
procedures can be difficult, this does provide an opportunity for organizations
to look at themselves and ask some difficult questions concerning how team
members treat each other.
References
Blackard, K., (1999). How to make
the most of the employment ADR process. Dispute
Resolution Journal, 54(2), 71-77.
Retrieved December 27, 2007, from ABI/INFORM
Global database. (Document ID: 41946635).
Fleeger, M. E., (1993). Assessing
organizational culture: A planning strategy. Nursing
Management, 24(2), 39. Retrieved December 27, 2007, from ABI/INFORM
Global database. (Document ID: 1236015).
LaBrosse, M., (2007). Project Management: Best Practices for the
Public Sector. Public
Manager, 36(2), 25-27.
Retrieved December 27, 2007, from ABI/INFORM
Global database. (Document ID: 1315972821).