Report: Improving Communication at Cunningham Enterprise - BUS 201

This report analyzes the communication structure of Cunningham Enterprise, identifying its current horizontal communication system and its limitations, such as ineffective supervisor communication and poor feedback mechanisms. The report outlines the three types of formal communication: downward, upward, and horizontal, and highlights the pitfalls in the existing system, including improper task delegation, departmental conflicts, and a lack of appraisal settings. It then proposes improvements like establishing clear communication lines, selecting appropriate communication media, gathering employee grievances, and implementing a standardized appraisal system. Furthermore, it details the implementation of these improvements through communication planning, emphasizing the importance of analyzing the current situation, setting goals, targeting employees, defining message content, obtaining feedback, and continuously monitoring the system. The report concludes by providing relevant references from journals and online resources.

MANAGING COMMUNICATION, KNOWLEDGE AND
INFORMATION

3.1 EXISTING COMMUNICATION STRUCTURE
There are in general 3 types of
formal communication that an
organization can adopt are:
Downward Communication-
This flows from top to bottom.
Here, information related to
order, rules, policies are
provided by superiors.

Contd.
 Upwards Communication-
This flows from bottom to
top. This is generally done
for encouraging employees
participation by gathering
their feedback and
suggestions.

Contd.
 Horizontal
Communication-
Information here is
exchange between
employees working at the
same level and help in
enhancing coordination
between them.

Contd.
Cunningham Enterprise is currently following Horizontal communication
structure which has though helped it in facilitating coordination of
work between their different departments.
But, the inability of supervisors has caused ineffectiveness in
communication. The policies and obtaining their feedback is seen to
be prominently affecting the organization effectiveness. This inability
has resulted in agitation and frustration among employees which has
affected their overall productivity of organization.

3.2 Improvement in existing Communication system
Current pitfall in existing communication system are-
 Improper delegation of task and policies
 Personal grudges between departments
 Poor feedback system
 Lack of appraisal settings
 No standard reporting system
 Lengthy procedure of communication

CONTD.
➲ Improvements that can be introduced in existing structure are-
 Clear line of communication that distinctly specifies each role in the
organisation must be set.
 A proper media or medium of communication must be selected. At
times more than one medium can be selected to make the
communication effective.
 Employees grievances can be gathered to ensure their satisfaction
towards organization.
 A set medium of communication for appraisal system can be used to
make employees realize their importance within the organization .
 Written & Oral communication can be used to communicate more
complicated messages.

3.3Implementating improvements
An effective integration of organizational communication system can be
achieved through communication planning. Communication planning
by organization should done to accomplish following purposes-
 Staying Focussed
 Discovering Opportunities
 Optimizing challenges
 Monitor the efforts

Contd.
➲ Communication Planning consists of following stepts -
 Cunningham enterprise must critically analysing the present situation
both internally as well as externally.
 State goals and objectives that will give productive results
 Target those employees with whom communication is required to be
enhanced.
 Message content that is required to float within the organization and
medium through which that message will be forwarded to targeted
employees
 Gaining employees feedback in return for a complete and satisfactory
communication.
 Monitoring and reviewing the communication system on a continuous
system to identify areas of improvement.

REFERENCES
Journals
Johnson, A. M. and Lederer, A. L., 2005. The effect of communication frequency and
channel richness on the convergence between chief executive and chief information
officers. Journal of Management Information Systems. 22(2). pp. 227-252.
Cho, J. and Haas, Z. J., 2004. On the throughput enhancement of the downstream
channel in cellular radio networks through multihop relaying. Selected Areas in
Communications, IEEE Journal on. 22(7). pp. 1206-1219.
Lee, I. E. and et.al., 2009. Performance enhancement of outdoor visible-light
communication system using selective combining receiver. IET optoelectronics. 3(1).
pp. 30-39.
Dunbar, N. E., Brooks, C. F. and Kubicka-Miller, T., 2006. Oral communication skills in
higher education: Using a performance-based evaluation rubric to assess communication
skills. Innovative Higher Education. 31(2). pp. 115-128.
Online
Motivating Employees, 2015. [Online]. Available through:
<http://guides.wsj.com/management/managing-your-people/how-to-motivate-
employees/>. [Accessed on 26th september 2015].