The Case
Human capital management is the greatest investment in every organization. Without human resources, an organization will cease to exist (Boon et al., 2019). I work at XYZ suppliers as an intern. The firm deals with the distribution of electronics in Iowa and comprises a team of 26 employees. These are individuals from different cultural backgrounds. We have Mexicans, Americans, Japanese, Africans, among other tribes. People of mixed races fill up the entire organization. I work as an assistant adviser of the human resource team. With differences in cultural beliefs, there have been several communication breakdowns. During breaks, most employees group in terms of their nationality and use their language for communication. At some point, those who do not understand the language feel offended since they think that they are the topic of discussion. This has created a cold war among the working staff. Exchange of words is rare.
The communication breakdown has led to poor performance due to its extension to work hours. How can they work without communication? Communication is the engine for every organizational goal to be achieved. Creativity and innovation require the exchange of ideas (Boon et al., 2019). Several tasks in the organization are lagging since decisions are not made on time. Furthermore, there have been employee conflicts. Management has received more than five cases in the past three months. This is a big issue and has the potential to ruin the firm’s returns. Thus, it is critical to understand how employees function under different communication levels.
Approach
To analyze the communication breakdown at XYZ, I had to employ a combination of strategies. The first and most critical was observation. Each day, I would observe how different employees interacted during work hours and breaks. I took notes on how they expressed themselves whenever faced with challenges that needed team effort. the most important observation time was during group meetings. Recording and observation were my primary methods for data collection. The next vital data collection tool was interviewing. I conducted informal interviews during breaks. To get more information, I extended to cover even events outside the organization’s premises. For example, when going home, I would gather information from one or two employees. I had to make most seem like discussions to avoid suspicion.
The observation method helped me identify the sub-groups that existed within the organization. It also helped me gather information on how individuals reacted and treated each other. Furthermore, I was able to observe the employee-customer interactions. Most individuals lacked the motivation to work. Therefore, they provided low-quality services to the consumers. Customer relations are of great essence for any organization (Pak & Kim, 2016). Thus, it is vital to note how the internal factors within the firm affect it. With the informal interviews, I was able to identify information such as; the source of conflicts, why employees failed to use the firm’s official language, and other personal opinions regarding the communication problem.
Discussion
The communication breakdown case is a big problem for the organization. it has brought numerous adverse effects on performance. During breaks, the Mexicans would group in one location and discuss issues. The same applies to the other groups. As a result, there are several divisions in the work environment. This is not how a crew with similar objectives works. Diversity is not embraced. Thus, creativity levels are low. Every group feels superior to the others leading to conflicts. What is even more worrying is that the groups do not comprise individuals from the same department. This has also affected workmanship as it is rare for most to exchange ideas during work. Unity begins from the way individuals interact within and outside the work environment (Fu et al., 2018). In this case, the bond among employees is weak. However, it is only strong among those from similar cultural backgrounds sharing a common language. This is not healthy for the organization as it has slowed down the information-sharing process.
This case involves all the organization’s stakeholders: the owner, the managers, employees, and customers. The owner is suffering losses due to low sales. On the other hand, employees are lowly motivated leading to low customer service. This has given the managers a hard time as they have to explain to the owner why the firm is going down. At the same time, managers are trying to find solutions to increase sales and withstand the market competition.
The competitive nature of the technology market requires one to possess an added advantage (Den Hartog et al., 2012). This happens when the communication process is perfectly managed. There is a great need to focus on all forms of communication. In this case, horizontal communication is adversely affected. Horizontal communication entails interactions between people occupying the same level in the work environment. In this case, the employees. There is no free flow of information as most prefer to interact with individuals based on cultural background. The case has created cultural discrimination leading to the notion that some cultures are inferior. With such a belief, it is difficult for all employees to focus on work. They provide very little concentration to the clients. Such forms of treatment have made the firm lose more than 20% of its potential consumers. On the organization’s social media site, there are several comments from clients complaining about the low customer levels of care services. They are not impressed with the way the employees handle their phone call requests, attend to them, and interact. They hardly get adequate time to understand facts about the products purchased. Customer satisfaction is below the required standards.
This case is related to the organizational culture. Our culture defines most ethical frameworks to operate within. It includes the embracement of diversity. There is a strong belief that individual differences enhance innovativeness. Thus, the more diversity, the greater the chances of success. With the rising levels of globalization, it is difficult to find a place with individuals from a particular cultural background. This also applies to my teammates. We are from different regions. During recruitment, there is a template provided to all employees and interns to fill. The template contains the rules and regulations of the organization. one has to read and agree on certain conditions. For example, there is a section that states that one should abide by all the rules of the organization. One specific rule is that all employees must maintain the standard communication language (English). The firm operates in a region where English speakers exceed 80%. When in the work environment, it is our culture to abide by this rule. However, the case undermines its importance.
Communication breakdown concerns my team and the entire company. How will we operate in an atmosphere without the free flow of information? Every process is slowed down, especially decision-making. When information is shared on time, managers get a chance to mitigate risks before they grow. This case corresponds to several subjects in HR1 and HR2. For instance, general management. Under general management, firms should consider the well-being of all organizational departments. This is made possible through the establishment of a good communication platform. Under general management, communication is the key ingredient to success. Upward, downward, and horizontal communication should be encouraged to facilitate the decision-making process. The more the information obtained, the higher the chances of succeeding since data-driven decisions are generated on time. The experience obtained from this internship case relates to most of the things I have learned. As employees, we get subjected to diverse work environments which will either positively or negatively motivate us. One needs to study different environments to understand the best ways to find motivation and manage human capital. Nevertheless, understanding the concept of diversity in human resource management is critical to solving most of the challenges that employees encounter. The world has changed, and diversity dominates all fields.
Case Review
There are several points from this case. To understand them, it is vital to have a relevant organogram to identify how different stakeholders are affected.
In this chart, numerous observations relate to organizational communication. The first one is the flow of information among the departments. My department has to link the employees to the management team and business owner. Time management is of the essence in this organization. when employees communicate on time, information will reach management fast. Thus, creating room for fast decision-making. The case undermines time efficiency. Information processing is slow. Thus, the decision-making efficiency is at its lowest. Furthermore, it is important to note the effects of not sharing relevant information when delivering services to the consumers. There are delays in rendering services and this creates a bad reputation for the organization. My time and that of the team got wasted. We spent a lot of time working on projects which should have taken very few hours to complete.
Teamwork and collaboration
Teamwork and collaboration are related to this case in many ways. For them to exist, communication is fundamental. Individuals need to exchange ideas on how to improve the work environment, facilitate workmanship, and solve problems. In this case, the level of teamwork is very low. There is no unity and this kills collaboration. Thus, achieving personal and organizational goals is challenging. The motivation staff has some identified strategies. First, accommodating diversity is vital. It makes the employees feel like part of the team. Each employee will appreciate others the way they are. This adds to the work input and output. Motivated employees are often dedicated. Nevertheless, rewarding employees for keeping up good Behaviour and appreciating others is motivational. This reward system should not be discriminative. It should cover all employees: managers, supervisors, and junior employees. in most reward systems, seniors receive awards when projects are accomplished while neglecting the efforts of the juniors. This harms their morale to work.
Conclusion and Self Reflection
In human resource management, communication is critical. Employees cannot perform without a form of communication that accommodates all. As globalization continues to expand, the work environment gets dominated by employees from different cultural backgrounds. It is the role of the human resource leaders to ensure that all these employees operate within similar ethical frameworks. Good work relations have to be encouraged for teamwork and collaboration to exist (Pak & Kim, 2016). As managers struggle to improve the work environment, there are several underlying issues that human capital brings to the organization. some bring conflicts, hindering the successful completion of projects. Numerous strategies can be employed to solve the case. For example, management needs to remind the employees about organizational policies. It is a requirement for them to use formal communication. Nevertheless, training sessions should be conducted to educate all about the significance of teamwork, diversity, and collaboration.
The internship experience has revealed several lessons. First, I have gained experience in how the real world operates. Most of the things I did in the classroom environment were converted into real projects. With such, I am aware of the challenges my profession will face in the future. This is a perfect clue and helps me prepare to handle employees’ crises in the future. Communication enhances the decision-making process. as I interacted with my team members, I was able to understand an unlimited number of notions. Most of which helped me understand and identify the underlying organizational challenges facing XYZ. Through interactions, I was able to unveil the hidden potential that employees possess. This can only be put into use if the right motivational strategies are employed. Nevertheless, employees hold different standpoints. What matters most is how they will use these differences as an added advantage for personal and organizational achievements.
References
Boon, C., den Hartog, D. N., & Lepak, D. P. (2019). A Systematic Review of Human Resource Management Systems and Their Measurement. Journal of Management, 45(6), 2498–2537. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206318818718
den Hartog, D. N., Boon, C., Verburg, R. M., & Croon, M. A. (2012). HRM, Communication, Satisfaction, and Perceived Performance. Journal of Management, 39(6), 1637–1665. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206312440118
Fu, N., Flood, P. C., Rousseau, D. M., & Morris, T. (2018). Line Managers as Paradox Navigators in HRM Implementation: Balancing Consistency and Individual Responsiveness. Journal of Management, 46(2), 203–233. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206318785241
Pak, J., & Kim, S. (2016). Team Manager’s Implementation, High-Performance Work Systems Intensity, and Performance: A Multilevel Investigation. Journal of Management, 44(7), 2690–2715. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206316646829
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