- 06/04/2013
- Posted by: essay
- Category: Free essays
What is the value of reflecting on and evaluating a communication process after a crisis or challenging event?
Analysis of organizational communication after crisis situations can have a profound impact on the functioning of the organization and the quality of its crisis response in future. The lessons learned during the challenging event should be carefully studied, and the necessary changes in the communication process should be done. Moreover, the reflection and evaluation stage is the background for the next step of communications process (Gillis, 2011); the results of emergency research form the changes which improve long-term effectiveness of the organization.
Post-crisis evaluation of communication might be implemented in the form of polls, study of media coverage, audit of internal communications, analysis of phone records and response time, etc. As a result of this analysis, the organization can better fulfill its mission and provide better service for the customers (in my case, create a safe learning environment for teachers and students). Reflection on crisis communication can generate valuable results for emergency preparation activities (Gillis, 2011), help to determine communication problems in the organization, and show attentiveness to the opinion of employees, customers and other involved persons. Overall, improvement of organizational communication cannot be performed without post-crisis reflection.
What should you have done differently with your organizational scenario that might have helped you formulate a better analysis or resolution?
The organizational scenario can be improved in order to achieve better effectiveness and response time; also, scenario can be modified to trace early signs of crisis or challenging events in the school environment. It would be very useful to include rehearsals of crisis situations and written plans of crisis management and communications in this situation (Griese, 2001). I would also recommend to create a crisis action team, and to assign particular positions to the members of this team, so that they could react immediately during challenging moments.
Among other changes to the organizational scenario, I would create a public policy statement and outline the target public groups and key messages to be communicated in emergency situations. Kelsey Unified School District should also have at least one trained spokesperson, who would be able to represent the district in crisis situations; it is also recommended to appoint at least one spokesperson in every school. Finally, analysis of similar case studies and solutions applied in other learning organizations should be included into organizational scenario.
What research methods should you use to collect data to evaluate the effectiveness of your organizational communication analysis?
For analyzing the effectiveness of organization communication, it is reasonable to use both methods of formal and informal analysis. Such formal research methods as public opinion polls (based on random sample of the public), audit of internal communications performed by external organization (professional agency), and analysis of media content to determine coverage of the organization (Schockley-Zalabak, 2008). Informal research methods might include personal interview, focus groups, analysis of e-mail and letter communications, study of internal site of the organization and analysis of messenger communications, study of phone records and logs and consideration of the organization’s annual reports (Keyton, 2010).
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