Gap Analysis: Global Communciations

Gap Analysis: Global Communications

Global Communications is a telecommunications company with a highly competitive field that is searching for increased profits and a greater piece of the market. In order to attain these things Global Communications has to overcome a few things that have been hurdles for the company because of recent events. The company needs to evaluate their current communications plan and put a new global communications plan into place while figuring out how to implement the plan into their corporate structure. Relationships within their organization and with their union will need to be a top priority as they have been harmed by decisions that have been made without everyone being informed of the future plan. "Effective communication is vital to all organizations because it coordinates employees, fulfills employee needs, supports knowledge management, and improves decision making" (McShane, 2005).

Situation Analysis

Issue and Opportunity Identification

Global Communications has the potential to be a world leader in the communications industry but before they can attain greatness they must overcome some shortcomings that they have experienced recently. The simulation displayed many communication breakdowns between Global Communications' executive management, shareholders and their union. There were also breakdowns in the way that executive management handled the fallout of the decisions that they had made in regards to moving jobs overseas and laying off some of the current workforce. The shareholders had a passive approach to the company's day-to-day activities and thus were caught off guard when the new plan was put into place and the union and other people started asking the hard questions and eventually initiated legal ramifications to the way things were handled. The overall outcome that was desired was for increased profits and a larger part of the market share in the communications industry. Global Communications lacked the innovative mindset to create a niche for themselves and they lacked the corporate organization to adhere to a set plan of activities to attain a great portion of the market.

In order to remedy the shortcomings of the Global Communications structure, all the individuals involved with the company must develop a better communication plan and use more active listening, face-to-face communication and make sure that all parties are involved in decisions that effect them. "Effective interpersonal communication depends on the sender's ability to get the message across and the receiver's performance as an active listener" (McShane, 2005). The union was excluded from the corporate initiative plan to change the structure of the company and layoff employees to gain a great profit margin. This in itself might have been the greatest mistake by the management team of Global Communications. The result of this mistake might cost the company thousands of dollars in legal fees and perhaps even worse, bad press. I believe that the egos of executive management got in the way of communication with the union, "egos can cause political battles, turf wars, and pursuit of power, credit, and resources. Egos influence how people treat each other as well as our receptiveness to being influenced by others" (McShane, 2005).

Though there are problems at Global Communications there is also the potential for light at the end of the tunnel. If the company, its employees, and the union decide that they are willing to work together, communicate effectively and strive for a better company it can be achieved.

Stakeholder Perspectives/Ethical Dilemmas

There are primarily three direct stakeholder groups in Global Communications. Executive management comprises the major group in the scenario because they had the most to do with the overall outcomes that developed and the decisions that were made. The executives took the approach of informing only their direct team as to the plan that they were developing and eventually took to the board of directors. This decision was made because of two primary reasons; the first was to fast track a board decision in their favor and the second was because they didn't consider the union an important enough part of their company. The main dilemma in this situation was that ultimately it was probably against the company's and union's agreement to not inform one another of decisions that were going to be made. In deciding not to speak to the union before they went to the board, the management team made an unethical decision and thus is facing legal action because of their choices.

The union employees are the stakeholder group that is most highly impacted by the decisions that the management team made and the lack of communication that took place. They are loyal employees and are fair and compromising but yet are not looked at as being true "employees" of Global Communications. The actions that Global Communications took precipitated a law suit by the union to try to attain justification and reimbursement for lost jobs that are impending. Legally they have the right to sue but there are also ethical dilemmas underlying in their decision to take further action. They are suing the company they work for and many good people might be affected by the law suit. In addition, they could affect more union jobs if the ruling goes against them because Global Communications might send more jobs overseas in spite of the union.

Lastly, the shareholders are the stakeholder group that has the most potential to make a difference. Ethically I believe they are entitled to do more and to step in where they can because without them there wouldn't be a company much less all of these issues. They have the money, the power, and until not a passive, silent voice. They need to speak up and be connected to the company that they have invested so heavily in and make sure that decisions that are made will be the best for everyone, not just themselves.

End-State Vision

Looking to the future of Global Communications there are clearly end state goals that they need work towards making a reality. The most important goal should be for a unified communication plan for both internal and external employees. Having a clear and concise communications plan will enable Global Communications to grow as a company and work more efficiently and effectively to attain the market share that they desire. "Communication supports work coordination, employee well-being, knowledge management, and decision making. The communication process involves forming, encoding, and transmitting the intended message to a receiver, who then