COM4807 ASSIGNMENT 4 EXAMINATION PORTFOLIO

COM4807 ASSIGNMENT 4 ANSWERS Assignment 04 EXAMINATION PORTFOLIO The following assignment constitutes your examination portfolio, making its submission compulsory. No extensions will be granted. 4.1 Critically discuss how interactive communication technologies have changed organisational communication with reference to the paradigmatic shifts from ‘monologue to dialogue’ and ‘top-down communication to bottom-up communication’. Provide examples from an organisation of your choice to substantiate your discussion. [30] 4.2 Read the following case study about changing the culture at the Halewood plant of Jaguar in the 1990s, and then answer the questions that follow. The case of Jaguar/Halewood (as described by Addy 2013): The Halewood Plant, which was built in 1963, was, from the start, a production facility for many Ford models, including the Ford Escort. Jaguar, which is part of the Ford-owned Premier Automobile Group, took over the operational responsibility for Halewood in 1998, and Escort production was phased out during the summer of 2000. Moving from the principles used to manufacture the Ford Escort to those adopted for the production of the Jaguar X-400 demanded both a physical and a cultural revolution at Halewood. The fundamental process change undertaken to produce the Jaguar X-400 entailed the creation of a supply chain that was capable of supporting lean manufacturing processes. Currently, the processes involved are grounded in just-in-time principles to ensure that the right quantities of production materials are received where and when they are required. Minimum inventory levels and short lead times are key factors in the process, together with reduced handling, improved quality and quick response to change. The lean management of the manufacturing process introduced in Halewood requires collecting the required components from the suppliers, which are delivered (as they are needed) to the point on the assembly line where they are fitted, as part of the disciplined low-cost process. The step-by-step methodology employed for Jaguar/Halewood change management is discussed below in terms of culture and communication. Culture “The predominant culture was that of lack of respect – downward/upward and laterally – and it was characterized by what one operator said (we were asked to leave our brain outside the gate)”. Organisational culture is a system of shared values and beliefs about what aspects of an organisation are important, what behaviours are appropriate, what feelings are experienced, and what relationships are entered into, both internally and externally. Values and cultures need to be unique to the organisation, as well as to be widely shared, and reflected in daily practice, apart from also being relevant to the organisation’s purpose and strategy. Culture, as the life of the organisation, results from the amalgamation of beliefs, ideology, language, ritual and myth. In addition, culture is a work that is developed by a given group, as it learns to cope with its problems of external adaptation and internal integration. Having worked well enough to be considered valid, the culture is, consequently, taught to new members, as the correct way of perceiving, thinking and feeling in relation to any problems encountered. The following paragraph is based on Schein’s definition, as exemplified, by Jaguar/Halewood, in the group dynamic approach and in the open system schools’ approach, respectively, in terms of the politic of its workforce. In expediting the cultural change required for Jaguar/Halewood to achieve success, they consulted Senn Delaney Leadership, a leading consulting firm specialising in the development of relationships and attitudes, and with extensive experience of unionised work environments and industrial relations issues. The firm took the Jaguar/Halewood workforce through a specially designed workshop to inculcate the “Halewood Difference” culture. The acculturation process covered training in accountability and responsibility, open communication, adaptability, mutual respect and teamwork, as well as quality and customer focus. The dynamic school theory was applied in the Jaguar/Halewood workforce’s cultural training. The training was taken in turns, so that group dynamics might be experienced. The 16 individuals, selected from across all of the Halewood sectors, were trained in groups. The open system school also played a role in the exercise, as the participants in the training were able to interact with the facilitators, including Hudson, thereby contributing to the shaping of the culture involved. Rather than adopting a single best culture, the implemented approach is mixed. Human resource policy is critical to the above, as it serves to reflect and to reinforce the organisational values and culture concerned. A link must be present between the strongly shared values and the high level of commitment exhibited. Where strongly shared values can be demonstrated, people are more likely to be satisfied, to display relatively high levels of organisational commitment, to exhibit lower quit rates than before, to display enhanced levels of customer satisfaction, and to express lower levels of dissent with, or dissatisfaction over, the operative levels of pay. Halewood has achieved much in the above regard, including developing a positive culture among its employees since the transition was made, which has culminated in them winning many accolades, including the JD Power European Plant Gold Award for Quality. Communication “The strategy pursued was that of evolving the communication strategy around a figurehead, someone dedicated, approachable and accountable for the changes taking place in the plant”. The communication challenges that featured prominently in the takeover of Jaguar/Halewood required fixing as an element of change management, for two immediate reasons, one of which was that communication plays an important role in every human endeavour. Secondly, sound business communication is necessary for the progression of business activities. The communication at Jaguar/Halewood involves various stakeholders, including the customers, the employees and the media, who are required to exchange important information with one another on an ongoing basis. The communication strategy adopted by Jaguar/Halewood evolved around Hudson, which devised various communication strategies, including a regular quarterly communication session with the entire workforce, at which they would be informed about the data, the quality metrics, the competitors, the areas improved and the areas requiring improvement. Immediate and continuous efforts were expected to be made in those areas to bridge the communication gap. Hudson’s communication strategy yielded results, as the “communication process trickled down and was adopted by all levels of the organization involving various categories of employees in daily, weekly, or monthly sessions”. The communications instruments that Hudson used in Jaguar/Halewood over the years included, primarily, oral communication, which was, palpably, the form of communication that was most used among the workforce at Jaguar/Halewood, towards achieving the “three pillar strategy”. Whether employed in presenting important data to colleagues, or in leading a boardroom meeting, such skills were vital to possess. The management and workforce at Jaguar/Halewood consistently used oral communication to inform their colleagues and/or subordinates of decisions taken, and they provided the relevant information on an ongoing basis, usually in the form of face-to-face communication. Colleagues and/or subordinates at the receiving end took great care to ensure that they clearly understood what was being said, so that they could take the necessary action in response. Through their implementation of Hudson’s communication strategy, the workforce cultivated both the listening and the speaking skills that they required to fulfil their roles within the workplace and beyond. Secondly, a newsletter called Vision was initiated to augment the implementation of the oral communication strategy. The newsletter, which was very well designed and printed on glossy paper, was periodically distributed to the employees. Featuring past, present and upcoming challenges and events, the articles contained in the newsletter were topped by catchy and inspiring headlines that made the workforce read them with excitement and with hope for their future at Jaguar/Halewood. In addition, other forms of written communication were used by Jaguar/Halewood to distribute documents and other important materials to the stakeholders involved. Methods of business communication that have come largely to augment verbal communication include, above all, the fast form of written communication, which is the e-mail. Furthermore, modern communication tools, like videoconferencing and multiple-way telephone calls, which facilitate the simultaneous conduct of communication among several individuals, are also used for business communication. Apart from a few glitches that can occur from time to time, the methods of communication used have helped organisations to enhance their speedy business communication. Thirdly, after the workforce of Jaguar/Halewood had been strengthened by the publication of the joint newsletter and by the conclusion of the “Gateway Agreement”, the communication drive was redirected towards delivering customer satisfaction and quality. Jaguar/Halewood management under Hudson did what was right in its communication change approach by ensuring that the workforce was knowledgeable about the internal communication strategies, before extending them to the external communication. Invariably, the workforce mastered the principle of effective internal communication skills, which facilitated the delivery of a quality product, along with a deep-placed sense of customer satisfaction. Fourthly, although the commonly used methods of communication at Jaguar/Halewood tended to be in oral and/or written form, when it came to the shop floor, utilising the power of nonverbal communication effectively was necessary for delivering customer satisfaction. The exhibiting of a warm smile, as well as positive gestures and several other reinforcing body movements, conveyed positive messages to the customers and among the employees themselves. Training sessions and meetings were other forms of communication platforms that were used effectively in implementing the change management of Jaguar/Halewood. One human resources manager at Jaguar/Halewood, during an apprehensive workshop that was aimed at improving the performance of the workforce, commented “it helped release collective distrust, opened people’s eyes on their role and their function in pursuit of a common goal”. You can read more about changing the culture at Jaguar on the Business Case Studies (2019)* website. *Business Case Studies. 2019. Changing the culture at Jaguar: A Jaguar case study [online]. Available from: In the above case study, little is said about the role of symbols in the change of organisational culture at Jaguar/Halewood. Write an academic essay in which you outline the following to the managers of Jaguar/Halewood: 4.2.1 The different ways in which the cultural tradition forming part of the study of organisational communication could have been used to offer a baseline study of the communication environment at Jaguar/Halewood, as it prepared for change. Make specific mention of organisational symbolism in your discussion. [16] 4.2.2 Why an interpretivist perspective of the study of the communication and the culture at Jaguar/Halewood, both before and after the change, would have been beneficial, and what it would have entailed. [14] 4.3 Organisational change is inevitable due to the interdependent nature of the organisation and its environments. It is thus expected that organisations changed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Organisational managers and leaders are constantly expected to change and adapt their approaches and styles of leadership to accommodate change. Especially in circumstances such as these, leaders are expected to follow transformational approaches to leadership where they lead by personal example and have rhetorical capability for establishing a vision (ShockleyZalabak 2015). Leaders are now, more than even, required to serve and to be authentic, ethical and responsible (Botha 2020:353). Keeping the above in mind, argue for a leadership approach or style change because of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in an organisation of your choice. Base your argument on the following: 1. A critical theoretical discussion of the differences between management and leadership. 2. A critical theoretical discussion of at least five leadership approaches, theories or styles. 3. A brief explanation of the impact of Covid-19 on the managerial and leadership communication in the organisation you have chosen. 4. A theoretically founded argument for a different leadership approach or style in the organisation you have chosen. You have to explain why the leadership approach or style has to change, to which approach or style it should change and why. Also keep in mind that there is usually more than one leadership approach or style evident in an organisation and that these approaches and styles overlap. [30] Technical care (please refer to CMNHONE/2023) [10] TOTAL: 100 markS