Literature Review: Analyzing Delivery of Bad News in Organizations

This report presents a structured literature review analyzing the delivery of bad news (DBN) in organizations, emphasizing its importance for leaders in fostering a positive employment relationship. It uses Robert J. Bies' framework to explore the preparation, delivery, and transition phases of DBN, highlighting the significance of managing expectations, using disclaimers, and building coalitions. The review underscores the impact of timing, medium, face management, and truth-telling on employee reactions. Furthermore, it identifies and justifies a qualitative methodology, specifically grounded theory, for researching DBN, detailing data collection techniques like semi-structured interviews and target population sampling. The report references key academic sources to support its arguments and methodological choices, aiming to provide actionable insights for managers.

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Project 1: Literature review analysis
Module Title: Business Research Methods
Introduction
The aim of this ‘template structure’ for project 1 is to ensure you address all aspects
to the project – and keep you on track to meeting the marking criteria for this module.
Please make sure you address all sub-sections and comments in terms of what we
are looking for in your answers.
Style of writing
 Tip 1: literature reviews should be written in past tense and the third person.
For example, ‘the literature shows that….’; ‘this is important because….’ Etc.
 Tip 2: think like a detective and use the evidence to build a case around
the question posed above (i.e. identify and explain specific studies identified
in the book chapter). Better quality answers will use referencing to strengthen
each and every point made (just like in a detective case, the stronger
argument is evidenced and not the personal opinion of the officer).
 Tip 3: Do not just write everything you have read about in this book chapter
(descriptiveness). We are testing your ability to identify appropriate sources
and use it to build a case around the need for research on DBN in the
workplace/organisation during this pandemic (analytical skills). Consider what
you think are the key points a manager should know, and use this to plan your
literature analysis – what would you take away from this article as a future
manager?
 Tip 4: Use the PEE (point, evidence and explain) model to frame your
points. Make a point, provide evidence (identify specific studies that back your
point up with references) then EXPLAIN why it is relevant – students often
miss the latter (analysis) part.
 Reference list: Harvard referencing style throughout. You should be referring
to specific studies/pieces of evidence referred to in this article to back up your
argument. This includes in text referencing and a reference list at the end.
Please use the recommended readings for the research methodology aspect
(Bryman and Bell; Saunders) rather than online texts – there is a reason we
have selected these texts (better quality/stronger evidence).

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1. Using the article below, please write a structured review around why
leaders of organisations should consider ‘how’ they deliver bad news, and
the ways this can be delivered ‘better’ as part of a more positive
employment relationship between management and employees.
 This should reiterate the main argument to this review (Employment
relationship and Delivery of bad news DBN) in terms of
management activity underpinning ‘better’ delivery of bad news
including the reasons why an organisation leader should take this
seriously.
 It should include an academic definition of delivery of bad news
(referenced).
 It should fully reference all points (not just the end of the paragraph)
using Harvard referencing, and page numbers if paraphrasing
Key reading
The Delivery of Bad News in Organizations: A Framework for Analysis
by Robert J. Bies (Georgetown University) [Also available on WebLearn].
(Approx. 1000 words).
The delivery of bad news is at the center of many organizational strategies. Despite the sort
of organizational approaches concerning the transport of terrible information, there may be
no integrative framework that courses its study. Based on a literature overview of experts
who deliver awful information as part of their occupations, this text offers a framework that
conceptualizes the transport of bad information as a technique regarding a ramification of
activities in three exceptional, however interrelated, phases like preparation, shipping, and
transition (Burton, Obel and Håkonsson, 2020). The badness of any final results is, in
element, a function of expectancies. The importance of expectancies is determined in how
managers say no to finances requests, a common form of horrific information for managers to
deliver. Since saying no left them open as a goal for blame, some managers focused their
efforts on minimizing the quantity of subordinate requests. These efforts involved calibrating
the expectancies of subordinates about useful resource availability previous to any request. A
comparable calibration manner is valuable to realistic activity previews. In the sensible job
preview, employers offer activity applicants with statistics on the high quality and negative
factors of the process. For instance, applicant expectancies can be calibrated in phrases of
past due hours and strain related to the activity in order that, while those conditions rise up,
the candidates will now not view the state of affairs.
Disclaimers are regularly part of blame management approach. For instance, in a two-period
negotiation simulation, tested the effects of the strategy of disclaimers whilst speaking a

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hazard or a bluff on perceptions of the threatener and on negotiation results. They determined
that those who used threats were perceived as greater effective, however were perceived as
much less cooperative and obtained agreements that had been less integrative, than folks that
did no longer use threats. But whilst a disclaimer followed the danger, the disclaimer
lessened the negativity of critiques of the negotiation partner. Specifically, managers would
from time to time provide motives before any horrific news might arise. These disclaimers
targeted on ability mitigating occasions within the state of affairs (e.G., severe time
constraints, incapability of provider to deliver), as a consequence mitigating some blame for
the bad news. However, a key concern of managers was the overuse of disclaimers.
Coalition constructing in the face of horrific news is much like an difficulty-selling
technique. Indeed, some of the examples recognized through Dutton and Ashford concerned
factors of horrific news that could threaten an employer’s identification (Busagara and et.al.,
2020). The crucial aspects of the problem-selling procedure, inclusive of who is the issue
vendor, issue packaging (content framing, presentation, appeals, bundling), and the selling
process (breadth of involvement, desire of channel, formal as opposed to casual procedures).
When a disaster of a few different shape of terrible news begins to emerge, coalition
constructing, as part of problem promoting, could be a important activity in problem
reputation and analysis, a good way to shape organizational decision making and movement.
The shipping phase refers to all of the activities occurring at some point of the real
conversation of awful news. It entails the “who, what, wherein, and why” of the verbal
exchange process. Delivery involves each verbal and nonverbal behaviors. A review of the
literature identified five extraordinary horrific information control activities in the delivery
section. These activities had been timing of the delivery, medium of shipping, face control
and self-presentation, account giving, and reality telling and data disclosure (Cound, 2020).
Media richness theory, specially, gives insights into how misunderstandings and escalations
would possibly arise within the delivery of terrible news depending at the medium chosen for
shipping. Media richness is a feature of a variety of things consisting of (a) the medium’s
ability for instant remarks and (b) the variety of cues to be had. In the context of turning in
horrific news, a medium, which includes face-to-face communication, is lots richer than
media consisting of e mail, texting, or cellphone calls and, as a result, less probably to create
misunderstanding due to the immediately comments and availability of social cues. It's been
found proof to aid this line of reasoning. Shapiro et al. Studied activity applicant reactions to
the bad news of rejection. They observed the perception of sincerity was higher whilst the
bad information became brought verbally (in man or woman or over the cellphone) than in

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writing. Research on the delivery of terrible information by docs emphasizes the significance
of face-to face transport, which is not unexpected given the every so often extreme concern
be counted of these conversations. In a assessment of recommendations for clinical
practitioners, it has located that a face-to-face shipping in a private area become important for
communicating horrific news. Other studies of doctors observed the identical significance of
face-to-face conversation in delivering horrific information.
Providing the possibility for voice. To create a feel of equity before any bad news, managers
regularly offer the possibility for “voice” to permit recipients to offer facts about their overall
performance before a selection is made (Dranove and Burns, 2021). Creating the possibility
for voice can influence people’s reactions to awful information. It has been observed that a
voice manner is considered as fairer than no voice in situations regarding task recruitment
and budget selection making, even if the outcome includes awful news. This locating is
steady with different conditions related to horrific information including performance
appraisal and warfare control. Indeed, researchers have constantly observed a sturdy
fundamental impact for voice tactics on human beings’s reactions to negative outcomes.

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2a Identify and justify a qualitative methodology for researching the delivery of
bad news.
 You should define what a qualitative research methodology is using
recommended academic references.
 You should explain how your review in Part 1 can help you approach
the topic in terms of methodology (justify this approach using your
reading in section 1).
 You should explain the philosophical (ontological/epistemological)
underpinnings of this methodology.
 References to the research methods sections of the recommended
books will be essential (Bryman and Bell, Saunders textbooks and
others).
(Approx 150 words)
Qualitative studies is defined as a marketplace studies approach that focuses on acquiring
facts through open-ended and conversational communique. The most regularly used
qualitative studies methods are one-on-one interviews, cognizance agencies, ethnographic
research, case take a look at research, file maintaining, and qualitative commentary. Six
common types of qualitative studies are phenomenological, ethnographic, grounded idea,
historical, case look at, and action research (Iveroth and Hallencreutz, 2020). Grounded
concept is a qualitative technique that permits you to observe a selected phenomenon or
process and find out new theories which might be primarily based on the gathering and
analysis of real international information. The procedure of data series, facts analysis, and
theory improvement appear in an iterative process. Grounded principle has in addition
importance because: It provides explicit, sequential hints for carrying out qualitative studies.
It offers particular techniques for dealing with the analytic stages of inquiry. It gives methods
to streamline and integrate records collection and analysis.

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2b You should then set out the specific qualitative data collection
techniques (for example semi structured interviewing, unstructured
interviewing, focus groups, diary studies etc.) you would use for this study
 Please define your qualitative data technique using the
recommended readings.
 Please justify your choice of qualitative research technique. This
could either be drawn from your review of the literature in section 1,
or the advantages of these qualitative research techniques gleaned
from the recommended readings (or ideally a combination).
 References to the research methods sections of the recommended
books will be essential (Bryman and Bell, Saunders textbooks and
others) to identify and explain your qualitative research methods
technique.
(Approx 150 words)
The semi-dependent interview layout encourages -way conversation. Both the interviewer
and the candidate can ask questions, which allows for a complete discussion of pertinent
subjects.
Because of the conversational tone, the candidate might also sense more cozy increasing on
strategies and reports on the way to highlight the traits that lead them to a terrific suit for the
placement (Park and Kim, 2020). While organizations may also use target population
evaluation to make money, frequently governments and lecturers use it to offer the equal
kinds of records but for the gain of the public. It ranked those communities to offer
lawmakers with the records they needed to determine which areas had the greatest want for
loans. No count the venture, target population evaluation allows lawmakers and academics
walking social programs to allocate aid to the regions that need it most, which facilitates
provide the most advantage to the most people with limited price range and resources.

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2c You should consider an appropriate target population and your sample
(who would be included in your sample).
 References to the research methods sections of the recommended
books will be essential (Bryman and Bell, Saunders textbooks and
others) to help identify and explain your sampling approach.
(Approx 100 words)
Given that the goal population represents the whole populace for which any given examine
intends to look at, it's far essential to define this institution, additionally called the theoretical
populace. Target population analysis is a statistical and logical breakdown of the important
factors that outline the goal populace of an advertising and marketing campaign, educational
study or government carrier. The target populace is the organization of folks who are the
meant target or recipient of a central authority initiative, non-public carrier or business
product (Skinner and Ravich, 2020). By reading the people for whom these services and
products are intended, policymakers and organisation managers can determine how
satisfactory to market their product, layout their initiative or implement their application.
Target population analysis, when it applies to marketing a services or products, is clearly a
elaborate manner of pronouncing: Find and know your target audience. When companies
marketplace a product, that product is generally not attractive to every segment of society.

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2d Explain potential access and ethical issues that you would consider if
embarking on this qualitative research study.
 References to the research methods sections of the recommended
books will be essential (Bryman and Bell, Saunders textbooks and
others) to identify and explain your access and ethics
considerations.
 Please use the Harvard referencing system for all points.
(Approx 100 words)
Two ethical problems in qualitative research encompass confidentiality, and the position of
the researcher as a statistics series tool. This goes past getting knowledgeable consent from
studies individuals. A undertaking population wishes to be cozy giving us personal details or
discussing debatable information, and, very importantly, we want to appreciate
confidentiality round this. We want to ensure that we provide a task population with
confidentiality in any respect degrees of our research (Verhoest and et.al., 2021). This is going
past getting knowledgeable consent from research members. One would possibly need to
hide identities of those giving controversial information, or in a few times locate diplomatic
ways to release research findings.

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Reference list
Burton, R.M., Obel, B. and Håkonsson, D.D., 2020. Organizational design. Cambridge
University Press.
Busagara, T. and et.al., 2020. Customer information sharing and new service
development: is there a link?. The Bottom Line.
Cound, D.M., 2020. A leader’s journey to quality. CRC Press.
Dranove, D. and Burns, L.R., 2021. Big Med: Megaproviders and the High Cost of
Health Care in America. University of Chicago Press.
Iveroth, E. and Hallencreutz, J., 2020. Leadership and digital change: The
digitalization paradox. Routledge.
Park, C.H. and Kim, K., 2020. E-government as an anti-corruption tool: Panel data
analysis across countries. International Review of Administrative
Sciences, 86(4), pp.691-707.
Skinner, C. and Ravich, G., 2020. The COVID Crisis: Effects On The Financial
Services Industry. Effects On The Financial Services Industry-FS Club.
Verhoest, K. and et.al., 2021. How does organizational task matter for the reputation of
public agencies?. Regulation & Governance.