Effective communication is paramount in every organization. This is mainly because it enables smooth running of activities within an organization. Moreover, channels of communication utilized should be appropriate and timely. This paper gives a case study of communication breakdown between Chief slaughter and his officers. The former rages at his officers in a labor meeting after an argument. Later on, he realizes his mistake and feels remorseful. He then decides to appease his officers by purchasing safety hats. Unfortunately, he encounters more problems with his disgruntled cops after making an audacious demand of everyone to wear the hats. Clearly, there was a communication barrier between the two parties. This paper will try to explore the problem and suggest possible solutions (Hess & Orthmann, 2012, p. 25).
According to this case study, there was a breakdown in communication. The Chief slaughter made bad comments out of rage. This must have left his officers in a frenzy too, even though they did not convey. Understandably, the chief slaughter realized his mistakes; however, his next move was outrageous. To begin with, he should have apologized for his comments. This way, union officers would have understood him. Secondly, even though he had his officers’ needs at heart, he should have consulted them before purchasing the hats. Moreover, his channel of communication was quite hash, considering his earlier comments (Hess & Orthmann, 2012, p. 25).
Communication channels are instrumental in every organization. Whenever one intends to communicate, it is necessary to consider his/her audience. This helps in deciding appropriate channels of communication. There are three main communication channels namely, unofficial, formal and informal. Organizations usually utilize formal communication channel, which the chief slaughter used to transmit his supposedly good news. Considering their previous meeting, using a memo for was harsh. In essence, use of informal or unofficial channel of communication should have drawn better response (Conflict Research Consortium, 2008, p. 1).
To make matters worse, his timing was awful. He had just made bad comments out of rage in a labor meeting, before making an audacious order for officers to wear the hats. As much as he had power and authority to make such drastic changes, the chief slaughter should have reached a consensus with his officers over his previous comments before making such moves. It is clear that he had good intentions in interest of safety of his officer albeit it came at a wrong time (Clark, 2004, p. 1).
Unions and administrations encounter several problems, especially those pertaining to communication. These problems are inherent and may sometimes go unnoticed. This makes small issues into big ones, thereby stopping a smooth flow of activities. For instance, some administrators usually assume that they know what unions require and hence move to provide them without consulting. As much as administrators formulate policies and supervise tasks, they should make an effort to understand unions. This involves use of informal or unofficial communication in order to understand their problems better. Persons who head unions sometimes deter upward communication and hence prevent employee concerns from reaching their manager. This complicates matters as it builds a barrier to effective communication between unions and their administrators (Tutorials Point, 2011, p. 1).
Effective communication is essential for any organization to conduct its activities smoothly. The chief slaughter should have used informal communication channels to understand union officers’ needs before channeling it through a memo. In fact, he addressed the wrong problem without solving one at hand. For instance, he could have written an informal letter to the union, apologizing for his previous comments. He could then suggest use of safety hats and get a response before purchasing. This way, a memo would work after everyone is informed (Bickham, 2010, p. 1).
Reference List
Bickham, I. (2010). Formal Communication in Organizations. people-communicating.com. Web.
Clark, D.R. (2004). Communication and Leadership. nwlink.com. Web.
Conflict Research Consortium. (2008). Cross-Cultural Communication Strategies. colorado.edu. Web.
Hess, K.M., & Orthmann, C.H. (2012). Management and supervision in law enforcement (6th ed.). Clifton Park, NY: Delmar/Cengage Learning.
Tutorials Point. (2011). Communication Channels. tutorialspoint.com. Web.