Limited flow of information
Introduction
Flow of information within an organisation is one of the key strategies to achieve organisational success. The management of any organisation should ensure that there is smooth flow of information. This ensures that problems within the organisation are solved on time, and it also allows all stakeholders to develop solutions to problems affecting the organization. Research has indicated that good communication skills, when embraced by the management team, are important for success of the organisation (Guffey& Loewy, 2011). Factors affecting information flow in an organisation include: Organisational culture, management culture, and organisational leaders. Proper communication within an organisation is also helpful because it helps new employees to adapt to the environment, as well as helping them disseminate internal information (Guffey& Loewy, 2011). This paper presents the argument that proper flow of information within an organisation is helpful to new employees because it helps them to adapt quickly to the processes of an organisation. Poor flow of information in an organisation affects productivity, innovation, and problem solving (Wu, Huberman, Adamic& Tyler, n. d.).
Problem Identification
Effective communication is directed by organisational managers. They are the ones who plan, organise, and control jobs and responsibility of the organisational workers. Communication is the basis for planning. The managers are required to communicate effectively with team members to facilitate the achievement of organisational goals. In addition, managers should effectively communicate with new employees to help them adapt to the organisational environment and learn the tasks they are supposed to perform. It can be noted that effective internal communication links the management policies and philosophies to the employees. Effective communication may be frustrated by the organisational culture, organisational structure and organisational leadership among other barriers.
Literature Themes
Various researchers have developed a number of themes related to effective communication. One of them is Fritz Heider who came up with the attribution theory of communication. He argued that people behaviours are attributed to internal and external constructs. Emotions and motivation influence the attributions that people make.
Social identity theory addresses the intergroup discrimination. Individuals will most likely identify with a certain personal identity or to a group identity. In group members will view their group mates in a positive way, as opposed to the out group members.
Valve Stream organisation operates under a flat structure, whereby all employees operate on an equal level. The company adapted the structure to eliminate barriers that exist between the management and employees. Despite the fact that the structure has worked for the organizational success, it is reported to have two main weaknesses. The first weakness is hiring of new employees. The second weakness is mentoring new employees and helping them adapt to the organization.
Hiring of new employees is a critical aspect in any organisation because it has an implication on the productivity and performance of the organisation. It is important for an organisation to ensure that it hires skilled and qualified employees to help improve productivity (Chapman, 2009). The process should be conducted using guidelines that should be well outlined. It is important to have a team that conducts the activity of hiring rather than involving all employees. Employees should be selected basing on their qualification and competence (Feldman, 1990). In the case of Valve Stream, one of the most important sources of new employees is through friend referrals. This might limit the organisation’s opportunities of hiring talented employees who have competent skills in given job areas. The management should use all tools present while making decisions on the employees to be hired (Stines and Kleiner 2003). The hiring process should be preceded by proper planning. This helps the organisation in hiring qualified employees with competent skills. It also reduces future expenses of hiring new employees (Sandico&Kleiner, 1999). A proper and thorough job analysis should be conducted before recruitment is done.
Intuitive approaches are used in hiring employees at Valve Company. This is an approach that can be used to predict the future behaviour of an employee and is done by giving tests to the employees. When employees’ abilities are learnt from interviews, they are said to be reliable compared to those that are learnt through tests. According to Lodato, Highhouse& Brooks (2011), tests are not as professionals as compared to interviews. Therefore, the organisation may not get the right employees for the jobs described by carrying out tests. In addition, the approach is less personal and less sufficient as compared to other standardised approaches. Using a standardised approach in selecting employees is good, and the organisation can predict the future behaviour of new employee effectively. The process is also personal, and this enables the employee to get used to the new environment. The organisation can select an employee who will be productive in the future.
Valve Company claims that the hiring process is very important. It looks for people who can perform various duties but have specialised in one area. However, the methods that it uses to hire employees might not be the best to get the appropriate talent. It is the function of the human resource management to recruit and select new employees. The management should communicate the job vacancy and description for interested parties to apply. This communication will help an employee develop attribute towards the job. They will be motivated since they know exactly what to do.
The other problem is that the company does not have a formal mentoring process and orienting new employees in the organisation. This might make the employee feel discriminated. As the social identity theory explains, it is important for an employee to identify himself with a certain group or individual, which will be easy during orientation. In addition, the company does not offer development programs to employees. The company believes that all employees who are high performers have the ability to develop skills by themselves without the need of development programs. However, development programmes are important and they help in motivating employees.
It is the dream of every employee to develop in his or her career. Employees want to learn and gain experience in their area of expertise (Appelbaum, Ayre& Shapiro, 2002). There is no doubt that employees can develop independently. Nevertheless, development programs are known to speed up the learning process making it relevant and efficient. The programs help employees to incorporate their skills with their career goals and aspirations. An employee may have skills to perform a certain duty. However, these employees may not have knowledge of how to put the skills into practice. The programs help the employee in using the skills to perform meaningful and fulfilling job arrangements. In addition, the program helps the employee to develop a career path within the organisation.
Orientation is a process that many organizations have ignored previously irrespective of the fact that it has much importance in new employees’ performance (Lingham, Richley&Rezania, 2006). It is not enough to give them a handbook with information on the guidelines that they are supposed to follow. New employees need to be introduced to the other people working in the organisation. It is also important to educate new employees on the values of the organisation and its history (Robertson & Cooper, 2010). If an employee is left alone and given a handbook, it is likely that he or she will get bored, and productivity will be below par. There is the likelihood that the employee might even leave the organisation within one year. Proper orientation helps the employee to adapt faster in the organisation and learning the job quickly hence increasing his or her productivity faster. This reduces the start up costs (Arthur, 2012). The process also helps the employee reduce the anxiety which is likely to impede his ability to learn the job quickly. In addition, the process helps reduce employee turnover and also develops job expectations that are realistic (Gordon, Weathersby&Bartunek, 1998).
In Valve Company, employees are not formally orientated, and they are also not mentored. They are just given a handbook from which they learn how the company operates. The structure of the organisation does not give a chance for information to be passed on to new employees regarding orientation.
Recommendations
The structure that Valve Company uses has been working because its productivity and services makes it a healthy organization. The company is innovative, and employees’ performance is good. However, as the organisation registers growth, the structure should be changed for future success. Good communication structures, through which flow of information can be enhanced, are necessary. The current structure does not offer an authority where an employee can report. Such an authority is important to ensure that employees can report their issues.
In addition, establishing a hiring department is critical to ensure that only qualified employees are hired. The department should provide information on job specifications for the qualified people to apply. It should conduct the selection process based on the qualifications of an individual. Standardised approaches should be used in the selection process rather than the current intuition process that is based on psychological test.
Once employees have been hired by the organisation, it is important to orient the employees to help them adapt and be productive within a short period. The guidelines on the activities they are supposed to carry out should be well communicated. The organisation should offer employees with career development programs. This will improve their productivity, motivation and innovation for the future.
Conclusion
Effective communication is important in any organisation because it improves the organisational success. The leaders of an organisation should have communication skills that ensure proper flow of information. With proper information available, it is possible for the organisation to select the most qualified personnel for a certain job because the job description is outlined for only qualified people to apply. The selection process should also be done in a professional manner. Career development programmes are important to prepare employees for future innovation. The management of Valve Company should establish a human resource department to address all issues related to employees. Effective communication should be enhanced to ensure that the stakeholders are informed adequately about the activities of the organisation.
Our Service Charter
-
Excellent Quality / 100% Plagiarism-Free
We employ a number of measures to ensure top quality essays. The papers go through a system of quality control prior to delivery. We run plagiarism checks on each paper to ensure that they will be 100% plagiarism-free. So, only clean copies hit customers’ emails. We also never resell the papers completed by our writers. So, once it is checked using a plagiarism checker, the paper will be unique. Speaking of the academic writing standards, we will stick to the assignment brief given by the customer and assign the perfect writer. By saying “the perfect writer” we mean the one having an academic degree in the customer’s study field and positive feedback from other customers. -
Free Revisions
We keep the quality bar of all papers high. But in case you need some extra brilliance to the paper, here’s what to do. First of all, you can choose a top writer. It means that we will assign an expert with a degree in your subject. And secondly, you can rely on our editing services. Our editors will revise your papers, checking whether or not they comply with high standards of academic writing. In addition, editing entails adjusting content if it’s off the topic, adding more sources, refining the language style, and making sure the referencing style is followed. -
Confidentiality / 100% No Disclosure
We make sure that clients’ personal data remains confidential and is not exploited for any purposes beyond those related to our services. We only ask you to provide us with the information that is required to produce the paper according to your writing needs. Please note that the payment info is protected as well. Feel free to refer to the support team for more information about our payment methods. The fact that you used our service is kept secret due to the advanced security standards. So, you can be sure that no one will find out that you got a paper from our writing service. -
Money Back Guarantee
If the writer doesn’t address all the questions on your assignment brief or the delivered paper appears to be off the topic, you can ask for a refund. Or, if it is applicable, you can opt in for free revision within 14-30 days, depending on your paper’s length. The revision or refund request should be sent within 14 days after delivery. The customer gets 100% money-back in case they haven't downloaded the paper. All approved refunds will be returned to the customer’s credit card or Bonus Balance in a form of store credit. Take a note that we will send an extra compensation if the customers goes with a store credit. -
24/7 Customer Support
We have a support team working 24/7 ready to give your issue concerning the order their immediate attention. If you have any questions about the ordering process, communication with the writer, payment options, feel free to join live chat. Be sure to get a fast response. They can also give you the exact price quote, taking into account the timing, desired academic level of the paper, and the number of pages.