Global Communications Gap Analysis

GAP ANALYSIS: GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS

Gap Analysis: Global Communications

MBA/500

Instructor:

University of Phoenix

September 24th, 2007

Gap Analysis: Global Communications

As organizations strive to become leaders in a globalize industry, senior management leadership teams must demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively and carefully listen to the responses generated within the organization and external mediums when communicating reorganization strategies and changes. "Effective communication is vital for all organizations because it coordinates employees, fulfills employee needs, supports knowledge management, and improves decision making." (McShane & Von Glinew, 2004, p.324).

Situation Analysis

Issue and Opportunity Identification

Global Communications is undergoing tremendous economic pressure due to high competition from local, long-distance and international markets.

GC management team faces the challenge to develop an effective strategic plan that will allow the organization to realize globalization growth while implementing cost-cutting measures that will improve profitability. Global Communications plans to realize its globalization strategy by implementing many approaches such as introducing new services, primarily to small business and consumer customers in local and long-distance markets across the country. Additionally they intend to implement cost-cutting measures such as massive lay-offs and relocation of employees, and reducing labor cost by outsourcing in India and Ireland.

Global Communications has concentrated all its efforts on its strategic plan and has disregarded the worker's union disadvantage at this approach. Global Communications has not identified the union and employees as team players and has not taken into account their loyalty and most importantly their needs. Consequently, Global Communications has chosen a distributive approach of negotiation, which has created a conflict with the Union. "Distributive approach creates win-lose situations and can lead to conflict" Kinicki & Kreitner, 2003, p. 504.

On the other hand, Global Communications could benefit from assuming an integrative approach of negotiation as this would allow the union representatives to provide and share other alternatives. Global Communications can develop intelligence on potential solutions by understanding and taking into consideration the alternatives The Union will offer to the negotiation process. Global Communications should use integrative tactics of negotiations. As stated in the Organizational Behavior, 6th Edition by Kreitner & Kinicki, 2003, p. "Integrative negotiation calls for a progressive win-win strategy". Global Communications, by giving the opportunity to the Union to be part of the strategic planning team, can benefit greatly while addressing other stakeholders needs.

Global Communications also faces the challenge of deciding whether to communicate its intentions to relocate call centers, outsource staff in India and Ireland, and conduct lay-offs to its employees and the Union that represents them. GC decided to keep the strategic plan confidential and excluded employees and the Union resulting in a Business Ethical Dilemma. After studying business ethical dilemmas in week two of my MBA class "Foundation of Problem Based Learning" I learned about the different ethical dilemmas that can arise during business negotiations. It was not ethical for Global Communications to exclude the Union from their business plan; as such, the plan would tremendously affect the Union and its represented employees.

I have identified two approaches Global Communications can use in order to effectively address the ethical dilemma. The first relates to deciding to consult the worker's union about the lay-off campaign and cost-cutting strategic plans. "As companies strive to satisfy the expectations of all the stakeholders, situations arise where the benefit of one stakeholder group can lead to a detriment for another. Situations such as these prompt the inevitable question: Is one stakeholder more important than the other?" (University of Phoenix, Business Ethics Simulation - Keeping Information Confidential: The Concept). Global Communications can benefit by approaching this dilemma from an Ethical perspective. They can strive to satisfy the expectation of all stakeholders should they decide to consult the Union and communicate the plan. This would not affect their main goal but it will ultimately allow them to analyze different approaches to the issues while identifying and addressing all stakeholders' concerns. The second approach identifies the need to obtain feedback from stakeholders during strategic planning. Unlike consulting its employees directly, as this would cause major chaos among them, Global Communications could approach its employees indirectly in order to gain constructive feedback. As suggested previously in my course reading material, "Management needs to devise alternative methods for obtaining employees feedback. Some companies use anonymous E-mail addresses or suggestion boxes to obtain this feedback". (Kinicki & Kreitner, 2003, p. 540).

Maria Antez, Vice President of the worker's Union, learned about the new plan, however not directly communicated by Global Communications but from the grapevines.

This caused distrust and edge between GC leadership team and the Union as Maria felt excluded from such important plans. Maria realizes that the leadership team violated the Union's trust by not communicating the plan to the Worker's Union.

Additionally, Maria felt personally betrayed by Global Communications confidentiality approach. It was clear that Maria's ego was provoked when at the Union Headquarters meeting she stated to the GC Executive Vice President of Human Resources and Public Relations as followed, "Joel, when the Board got wind of it, fireworks went off. And all fingers were pointing at me for not knowing about it. You really made me look bad; I would not have expected this from you". Such distrust has placed Maria in an uneven position as being the vice president of the worker's union. The union's superiors have questioned Maria's credibility and her ability to perform her duties effectively as she represents liaison between