Practical Assessment: Business Memo on Internal Communication

This business memo, addressed to the members of Data Solutions, presents a comprehensive analysis of the company's internal communication framework. The memo, written by the CEO, identifies three key issues: ineffective communication of management decisions, a communication gap between employees and supervisors, and a lack of professionalism in written communication, particularly in emails. The memo then proposes a detailed action plan to address these problems. Solutions include implementing a customized intranet for efficient information dissemination, organizing team meetings via video conferencing and circulating minutes, and launching a seven-day soft skills development program focused on refining verbal and written communication skills. The memo emphasizes the critical role of effective communication in organizational success, highlighting the need for all members to adhere to the outlined guidelines and participate in the proposed initiatives. It concludes by providing contact information for queries and feedback and stresses the importance of prompt responses and acknowledgment of the memo's contents.

01 August 2018
Professional Written Communication
Business Memo

To: The members of the organization
From: CEO, Data Solutions
Date: 01 August 2018
Subject: Effective Internal Communication in Business
The process by which messages are received and sent, through spoken words or written words is
known as communication (Newman, 2015).
In the words of John C. Maxwell, “Everyone communicates; few connect”
Therefore, it can be said that communication is a critical concept and must be used efficiently. The
communication audit is the process by which the strengths and weaknesses pertaining to the
organization’s internal and external communication framework are identified, analysed and the
recommendations are made for the concerned issues (Downs & Adrian, 2012). Communication
audit aids in leadership, overall management and creation of an effective work atmosphere
within the organisation (Adair, 2011). Therefore, the general purpose of the exercise is to enhance
the organisation’s operational and management efficiency so as to fulfil the organisation’s overall
objectives. The specific purpose of the communication audit process is to find the loopholes in the
communication framework and fill in the gaps effectively.
It has been noticed that there exists a major problem in the internal communication structure of the
company. The memo has been prepared to address the same and recommend the ways in which the
issues can be sorted, thereby enabling the organisation Data Solutions to have an effective internal
communication framework. On examination, the following three major issues have been identified in
the organisation’s communication framework, which has been described in detail as follows.
Firstly, the employees do not follow the decisions of the management, the reason being the same are
not effectively communicated. The top management of the company formulates the strategies and
overall direction to be followed by the members (Ike, 2017). While, the decisions made at the top
level do not reach to the employees in a timely and effective manner and thus, employees fail to
operate in the same direction as that of the management. As the top level strategies are not clearly
communicated, there has been an overall decline in the annual performance of the entity as compared
to the last year, and also as per the industry norms. According to the researches conducted, it is seen
that effective communication skills lead to a tangible return on investment (Lewis, 2017).
The second key issue that has been identified is that there is a communication gap between the
employees and the supervisors, resulting in a lack of a common set of approaches and thinking. This
has resulted in monthly targets not being achieved by the individual departments. The communication
gap has also resulted in the problems of the employee retainment (Business Victoria, 2018).
The third key issue that has been identified that there is a lack of professionalism in the written
communication, resulting in overall poor communication in the workplace. Emails have a significant
impact at the workplace (Kokemuller, 2018). The attempts to understand such unprofessional emails
leads to consumption of the time and energy. This further leads to the deterioration of the individual
performances and the focus from the core issues and functions seems to be shifted.
Thus, it can be clearly seen that the lack of the proper communication at Data Solutions has severely
affected the performance of the entity. In light of the above problems, an action plan has been devised
by the management of the company, so as to address these problems, providing the solutions in the
best possible manner. The same is being communicated to all the members of the organisation, to take
note of and to apply the same in their operations. While the senior managers are suggested to apply
them at the individual levels as well as the concerned departmental levels. The subordinates and
juniors are suggested to implement them at the individual levels.
For the problem number one, it has been decided by the management to adopt a customised intranet
for the organisation, with the facilities like the creation of the groups, common database, real-time

feedback allowance and more. With the use of the intranet, employees can concentrate on their core
responsibilities instead of sifting through lengthy files and documents in their systems. Therefore, the
intranet would help in increasing the efficiencies of the employees (Bennett, 2014). With the group
creation facility in the intranet, the decisions can be communicated in the real-time among the head
office of the company at the Brisbane and the respective branch offices at Melbourne and Sydney.
Thus, the senior managers are advised to create their respective department groups on the said intranet
facility. Accordingly, the communications regarding the strategic directions, policies, monthly or
annual targets, important announcements or any new set of actions to be followed, regarding the
concerned department should be done on the said feature. The communication through the intranet
would not only be quick, but it would also address a large number of the audiences at once.
For the second issue, that is the presence of the distance in terms of the communication among the
employees and the supervisors, it is suggested that the team meetings must be organised with the aid
of the video conferencing feature which is economic and fast too (Lorette, 2018). It is also suggested
to draft the minutes of the said team meeting via the video conference facility, and the minutes drafted
must be circulated after the completion of the meeting. The minutes would enable the managers and
the employees to have the clarity of the important decisions taken and the issues discussed
(Moustafaev, 2014). In addition, it will enable the managers to have the written record of the
decisions taken for future references.
Regarding the third and the most important issue that has been identified during the communication
audit, i.e. the unprofessionalism in the written communication, especially the emails; the management
has taken certain strategic steps. We have decided to have a "7-day soft skills development
programme” through the aid of the experts in the communication field. It is mandatory for all the
members to attend the same. The top management of the company for the same has approached a
group of professional English communication experts from Sydney. The said professionals will take
the department wise batches and would aim to refine the verbal and the written communication skills
from the scratch.
To bring the above discussion to the end, it can be said that communication is one of the most critical
elements in the overall functioning and the management of the enterprise. It is the blood on which the
all the management and operational activities thrive on. The lack of the proper framework of the same
has cost the entity the Data Solutions, at all the levels, whether individual, departmental or the
industrial levels. For it would not be possible for the entity to sustain in long run with the present
communication scenario.
Therefore, the attempts have been made by the top level management of the entity to revamp the
overall communication scenario of the entity. A guideline is being issued by the top-level
management to be followed by all the departments at the branch offices at Melbourne and Sydney.
The same would also be adopted at the Brisbane head office as well. To repeat in brief the main issues
that have been identified are lack of timely announcements to the employees, lack of clear
communication among the supervisors and the employees and the unprofessional written
communication. The three means suggested are the application of the intranet facility for the internal
communication, holding of meetings through video conferencing along with the preparation and the
circulation of the minutes and the seven-day communication induction programme. It is mandatory
for the members to abide by the guidelines as prescribed. The guidelines would not only benefit the
employees in terms of the organisational performance but will also aid them in the overall
development in the long run.
All the members are required to give their acknowledgment to the memo and contact their respective
department heads for the dates of the induction programme. As mentioned earlier, the induction
programme is required to be attended along with the respective teams, and therefore confirmation of
the dates is necessary. In case of any query, suggestions or the feedback with regards to the issues
identified and the solutions suggested, the members are suggested to contact the communication
managers of the company Ms Monica Oliver at Melbourne and Mr Ross D’Silva at Sydney. The
contact details may be accessed from the company directory.

Awaiting prompt responses.
With best wishes and regards,
CEO, Data Solutions.

References
Adair, J. (2011). Effective Communication (Revised Edition): The Most Important Management Skill
of all. Oxford: Pan Books.
Bennett, E. E. (2014). How an intranet provides opportunities for learning organizational culture:
Implications for virtual HRD. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 16(3), 296-319.
Business Victoria. (2018). Communication skills for managers. Retrieved from:
http://www.business.vic.gov.au/hiring-and-managing-staff/staff-management/
communication-skills-in-the-workplace-for-managers
Downs, C. W., & Adrian, A. D. (2012). Assessing organizational communication: Strategic
communication audits. USA: Guilford Press.
Ike, L. (2017). Strategic Management: Concepts & Practices. UK: Xlibris Corporation.
Kokemuller, N. (2018). The Impact of Email in the Workplace. Retrieved from:
https://work.chron.com/impact-email-workplace-7915.html
Lewis, D. (2017). The Importance of Communication in the Workplace. Retrieved from:
https://trainingindustry.com/articles/leadership/the-importance-of-communication-in-the-
workplace/
Lorette, K. (2018). Benefits of Using Web Conferencing in Business. Retrieved from:
https://smallbusiness.chron.com/benefits-using-conferencing-business-3093.html
Moustafaev, J. (2014). Project scope management: A practical guide to requirements for engineering,
product, construction, IT and enterprise projects. New York: CRC Press. 135.
Newman, A. (2015). Business Communication: In Person, In Print, Online. (10th ed.). Cengage
Learning. 4.