21st Century Communications

Communications in the 21st Century is vastly different from communications just 20 or 30 years ago. The advent of computer technology has added many different forms of communications. Twenty years ago, the Internet was just launching and email was in its infancy. Ten years later, email was the first choice of communications medium and today, it is taking a back seat to texting, blogging, and many new and emerging media.

Just yesterday, I was talking to a colleague at work about how vastly different our work habits are today than when we joined the ranks of working professionals many years ago. We remember when all our work was done on paper:  we used large spreadsheets to develop work plans; we calculated inventory levels with the aid of an adding machine; we even had to sit in one spot to talk on the telephone. Today, our productivity is considerably greater because of computer technologies. We can work in virtual teams and use technology to communicate and produce with team members spread all over the continent or even the globe.

What will tomorrow bring as the fields of communications and  technology continue to emerge? We live in a fascinating time, and it will be enlightening and a lot of fun to see how far we go in the field. 

Conflict Resolution Paper

Look under Vanessa's Papers to the right to see a paper I wrote for my Managing Conflicts through Communications Class. 

Class Assignment: Delivering Bad News

Delivering Bad News to a Problem Employee

Case Study

“You are a department manager in a mid-sized company that provides technology support services.  You have ten employees who are required to maintain a high level of technical expertise and deliver excellent customer service.  One of your employees, who has been with the company for two years, is performing at a substandard level and you have received numerous complaints from customers and coworkers.  In addition, this employee has displayed confrontational behavior which has created a hostile environment.  You must now meet with this employee and deliver an ultimatum regarding the need for immediate improvement or dismissal.”

My Response to the Employee

Before meeting with this employee, I would review all the facts. I keep an employee log and whenever I see behavior that is inconsistent with the goals and objectives of the company, I make note of it. When other employees or clients tell me something good or bad about an employee, I make note of that in the employee log. In this instance, I would review my log and check for consistencies among all the reports. I would also review the complaints themselves. When I receive a complaint from clients, it is always in writing.

I would schedule a time to meet with the employee privately in a conference room, not in my office. When s/he arrives, I would close the door to ensure privacy and invite the person to sit either next to me or at the head of the table. I want to ensure the employee feels comfortable.

I would open the conversation with the usual how is it going, etc. I would particularly ask the employee’s impression of how things are going on the job. The intent of my strategy is collaboration, hoping for a win-win solution to the problem. “Collaboration calls for understanding the other as well as one’s own position and respecting one another” (Cahn & Abigail, 2007, p. 87). After hearing the employee’s perspective, I would then discuss my perspective.

I would show the employee the written complaints about him/her from customers. I would also show the employee the notations made in his/her employee log. I would advise the employee that whatever tactics s/he is using on the job is not working and that s/he needs to engage other strategies that will be more productive. I would explain how important customer service is to the organization and also explain how the employee’s actions have resulted in a hostile environment.

Assuming the employee begins to berate other employees, I would simply tell him/her that my goal for this meeting is to help him/her to improve in his/her performance. I would explain that if the performance does not improve, it will lead to dismissal. 

I would then lead the employee through the steps of outlining his/her plan for improvement. We would set specific target dates for each of these steps. This employee may need to attend an anger management, customer service, or communicating in the workplace seminar.  I would task the employee with identifying and signing up for the seminar. I may also suggest the employee go through a mentoring process and would make suggestions for possible mentors. I would offer to set that up (since I would need to get the mentor’s approval). We would set a date for a follow up meeting that is no more than three months out. I would explain to the employee that I should not receive any more complaints about him/her during this time period.

My hope is that this collaborative strategy and these tactics would lead to improved performance. We would seal the deal with a written contract that specifically outlines the steps the employee plans to take to improve his/her performance along with the agreed-upon timelines. If the performance does improve, then our next meeting will be a positive one. If not, the employee will be terminated.

References

Cahn, D.D. and Abigail, R.A. (2007). Managing conflict through communication. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

IMA Ethics Statement

It appears the IMA Ethics Statement is not working.  I get a 404 error every time I click on the link in the class.  I posted a paper I wrote for one of my classes to the right.  It will provide some information about the statement.

Media Technologies: The Internet

To continue my previous posting about televisions, another media technology used by the San Antonio Water System (SAWS) is the Internet. The SAWS website provided the same information about the drought, tips on how to conserve water, special plants that required very little water, and much more that made getting through the summer a little easier.  I learned a lot about the aquifer that provides water to San Antonio’s large population. For example, I learned where the recharge zones are, which protected species live within the aquifer, how much water it holds and much more. As a result of this public relations campaign, I was able to reduce my water consumption without killing my lawn completely. I have a very favorable view of the San Antonio Water System as a result.

The Internet is home to a multiplicity of media technologies. It is no longer strictly used for company or personal websites, although these still exist. Social media has taken over the Internet in recent years. Fred Cavazza (2010) provides an excellent overview of all the social media technologies, outlets and tools available in his chart, Social Media Landscape. This chart “illustrates the richness and diversity of social media.”  

The San Antonio Water System has captured a number of the media outlets through their Internet site. The site itself describes the products and services offered by the company as well as advice on a variety of subjects. It also provides educational materials about water usage. Consumers can pay their bills through the site, read the minutes from the SAWS Board meetings, even find out how to drop off unwanted or unused medications (so they don’t corrupt the water supply). Prospective employees can look at jobs that are available, and teachers can download instructional materials to teach students about water.

The Internet has changed drastically in a short period of time. Originally, it was a forum for people or organizations to share content with other people and consumers. Today it is interactive and has many tools.

Sources

Cavazza, F. (2010). Social media landscape.  Retrieved September 20, 2010, from http://www.fredcavazza.net/2008/06/09/social-media-landscape/

San Antonio Water System (2010). Conservation. Retrieved September 20, 2010, from http://www.saws.org/conservation/

Media Technologies: Television

An old stand by media technology is television. Last summer, San Antonio was in an extreme drought. The local water company, San Antonio Water System (SAWS), produced regular television commercials about the importance of conserving water. The television commercials provided information about what stage of restrictions we were in. SAWS regularly provided public service information through the local news channels to inform us which day of the week we could water our lawns and the hours during which we could water.

While television continues to be a mainstay media technology, the industry is quickly transforming. In the old days, viewers had to watch news and shows on the schedule provided by the networks.  When recording devices were introduced, viewers could record their shows and watch them whenever they wanted. They were no longer subjected to network schedules.  In addition, viewers could fast forward through the commercials. They no longer had to endure the 60-90 seconds worth of advertising.  Nowadays, however, viewers can even choose their own “content delivery systems” (Murphy, 2008). Individuals can watch television on their regular TV set, on their computer or laptop, and even on their cellular telephone. These “new media technologies have shifted this balance by offering greater flexibility  and control to the viewer, and the television industry as a whole is struggling to adjust to and address these changes” (Murphy, 2009).

Some television networks have found a way to engage viewers in a new level as a result of these technologies.  For example, American Idol now allows viewers to text their votes. Television news stations conduct viewer polls by proposing a question over the newscast and asking viewers to log on to their website to vote. By doing these types of things, networks are ensuring their Internet sites receive traffic. While on the site, a viewer may see an advertisement for a product or service and click on that site as well, generating advertising dollars for the network in the process. 

While the television industry is in transformation, the technology itself will not go away any time soon. Networks are getting smarter about how to integrate the new media technologies with the old. Television sets are becoming multi-use tools, allowing viewers to download films and games right onto their TV set.

Sources

Murphy, C. (2008). The television will be revolutionized. Velvet Light Trap, (62), pp. 82-84. Retrieved September 21, 2010, from ProQuest database.

Media Technologies: Flickr

Flickr is an “online photo management and sharing application” (Flickr, 2010). “According to Nielsen/NetRatings, Flickr is currently the fastest-growing photo sharing site on the web, and the 5th most popular overall” (McGee, 2010). Since the terms of service strictly prohibit using the service for commercial uses, businesses must get indirect marketing exposure through Flickr. McGee offers several tips for doing this. First is to use the company’s web address as the screen name for all photos. Then create a profile and describe who you are and what the business does.  McGee warns to keep it low key, however. Then the user can upload photos related to the business. “A general contractor, for example, would upload photos of homes or commercial buildings you’ve built. A winery would upload photos of grape harvest, the winemaking process, and even your tasting room and close-ups of your wine bottles (McGee, 2010).  McGee provides several other tips on how to use Flickr.

Flickr has recently added a video feature. They require videos to be 90 seconds maximum and must be created by the person posting the video. So downloading a video from YouTube and posting onto Flickr is prohibited.

Businesses should pay attention to what gets posted on Flickr. McGee warns that product users may post photos that could portray the product or service in a negative light. Of course, they may also post positive images of the product too. Businesses need to stay abreast of all the possible uses of Flickr as well as other social media. Consumers are quickly shifting the Internet paradigm to one that is called “grassroots or citizen journalism” (Hearn, Foth, and Gray, 2009). The old “word of mouth” advertising has a whole new meaning with sites like Flickr, Twitter, and others, as product users are wielding more influence on other consumers than ever before.

Sources

Flickr. (2010). About Flickr.  Yahoo, Inc. Retrieved September 22, 2010, from http://www.flickr.com/about/

Hearn, G., Foth, M., and Gray, H. (2009). Applications and implementation of new media in corporate communications: An action research approach.  Corporate Communications, 14(1), pp. 49-61. Retrieved September 21, 2010, from ProQuest database.

McGee, M. (2010). How to market on Flickr. Small Business Search Marketing. Retrieved September 20, 2010, from http://www.smallbusinesssem.com/articles/marketing-on-flickr/

Media Technologies: Twitter

Twitter is a real time social media outlet that people use to comment on just about anything under the sun. It is fast becoming a great tool to use for marketing businesses. “It can be used to quickly share information with people interested in your company, gather real-time market intelligence and feedback, and build relationships with customers, partners and other people who care about your business” (Twitter.com, 2010).  Snyder (2010) confirms that “social media is about relationships,” and Twitter is one way to start and maintain those relationships. Because Twitter is real time, businesses need to track the tweets. Unsatisfied customers can tweet to millions of people with a simple click of a button. Following comments posted on Twitter can help a business improve products, find new uses for their products, and solve customer complaints that they may never have known about otherwise.  Twitter can help to make or break a company.  

I heard someone say that Twitter only allows 140 characters, so tweets must be kept brief.  Comm and Burge (2010) said, “Twitter gives you 140 characters because that's all that can fit through SMS systems. If mobile phone companies could handle messages of 200 characters, then that's probably how long our tweets would be.” So we could potentially tweet more than 140 characters. One way is to post partial, sequential tweets. However, the intent is to keep postings brief.  Comm and Burge say these partial tweets really don’t work.  They state that twitter followers “expect to be able to read and absorb it [tweets] in one bite. These are content snacks, not three-course meals with coffee.”  There are other avenues for posting dissertations.  

Twitter is one source that allows individuals to “become more visible and influential on industry structures and media content” (Wasson, 2009). Technological media used to allow industry to select information to share with customers, social media outlets like Twitter now allow individuals and consumers in particular to influence industry. What once was a one-way communication forum, it is now two-way and businesses need to pay attention to the tweets about their products and services.

Sources:

Comm, J. and Burge, K. (2010). Tweet etiquette. Retrieved September 25, 2010, from http://www.businessknowhow.com/internet/twitter-etiquette.htm

Snyder, T. (2010). Twitter followers for your business: From zero to hero. Social Media Today. Retrieved September 20, 2010, from http://www.socialmediatoday.com/tomsnyder/183405/twitter-followers-your-business-zero-hero

Twitter.com. (2010). Twitter for Business.  Retrieved September 20, 2010, from www.twitter.com/about.

Wasson, H. (2009). Convergence culture: Where old and new media collide. Film Quarterly, 62(4), pp. 84-85. Retrieved September 21, 2010, from ProQuest database. 

Scenario Planning

I've been reading a little bit today on scenario planning which is a tool to help forecast possible futures in the strategic planning process.  I've included a link to the right that explains the process very simply as well as another link to a related blog.  Scenario planning, at its core, is about looking out into the future to possible scenarios that could take place for the company. Usually, there are four extremes that are selected and the real future lies somewhere in between these four extremes. 

Scenario planning can be used in the most basic sense, however.  We need to use this process in business continuity and disaster planning to dream beyond our wildest imaginations to possible worst case scenarios.  For example, had our government dared to dream outside what we consider reality, would we have envisioned 9-11 before it happened?  We never even considered the possibility.  Had BP ever dreamed that the Gulf disaster could happen?  I doubt it.  Given these recent events, perhaps scenario planning to the outermost extremes has a place in many business environments -- from the most positive possible to the worst possible. 

Food for thought for today.

Blog Updates -- Strategic Planning

I've added a section on links to websites that I find interesting in my profession of strategic planning.  The first link is to some pretty basic strategic planning 101. This next week, I'll be attending a two-day seminar on strategic thinking for leadership development. I was actually hoping for something more in-depth on strategic planning, but this is a good start. 

I have learned some interesting things about strategic planning over my 18 years as a strategic planner. We started out using the SWOT test which outlines the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats to an organization. Today we are using environmental scanning to "scan the periphery" of an organization to see what is happening in the STEEP environment.  STEEP stands for social, technological, environmental, economic, and political realms. These are factors that may seem unrelated today to an organization's business, but over time could have significant impact on how an organization does business. 

I'm actually looking for cutting edge theory about the strategic planning process. I suspect there is so much more out there that I do not know yet and I am searching for the latest and greatest.

My Resume

For kicks, I also published my resume. Feel free to take a look. Click on the link to the right.

Wind Energy Research

For my first attempt at blogging, I posted a paper I wrote for my Environmental Science class here at Ashford University. I had never really studied environmental science before and discovered that I am a firm believer in the development of wind and other forms of renewable energy. To access the paper, click on the link to the right.