Effective Communication Strategies For JKL Industries

Communication Objectives

JKL Industries is based in Australia and excels in selling small trucks, forklifts and spare parts. Their headquarters are situated in Sydney with branches spread in Canberra, Brisbane, etc. They have negotiated to a range of medium and large trucks from an overseas supplier which will keep them in an advantageous position as compared to the competitors. By taking the sales rights opportunity, they will experience major changes. But they lack in approach to communication for common understanding. As a communication consultant, it is necessary to upgrade the communication strategies and procedures. It must be ensured that the strategies are beneficial for the organizational issues.

JKL industries will shift their focus only on the retail sales and service and go out from the market as consumer choice and competitors decrease the profitability. They have made a choice of honing the skills of the existing employees for recruiting within the organization. They have also recognized poor communication inside the organization which resulted in internal conflict. The challenges faced in communication include slow response towards customer needs and poor employee engagement due to ineffectiveness of modern communication techniques.

The draft communication strategy is as follows-

Communication Objectives	Audiences Save Time On Research and Writing Hire a Pro to Write You a 100% Plagiarism-Free Paper. Get My Paper	Methods of communication	Bottom- up consultation
Creating Awareness Effecting a sale Projecting an image	Individual employees Senior management and authorities The working teams	Oral communication by holding meetings and conferences Written communication through mails, memo and notice	Communicating to the top management will help in awareness building, training, participation of the employees and mobilization. This will set up a clear criterion for selection at the employee level of proper actions to offer the strategy.

JKL industries have a history of grievance of the employees over pay and conditions which made them decide for a restructure. To reduce the risk of organizational conflict as a result of poor communication, a letter can be written to the management by addressing the details of the grievance. The management can try to resolve the issue by arranging meeting with the employees and the employees in turn should possess the ability to appeal to the decision made by the management. The purpose of the grievance procedure is to agree to a mutually acceptable solution of the grievance which should result in a meeting at a convenient date for the employers as well as the employees.

Communication strategy

Grievance procedure

Statement of purpose- it refers to the purpose for developing the communication strategy, for instance JKL industries have poor communication strategies which lead to internal conflict in the organization. Current situation- over the past five years, JKL have showcased growth in their sales at a rate of 10% per annum.  They are planning for an organizational change for attaining the goals by developing effective policy framework and communicating ideas both ways for improvement. Organizational objectives- JKL intend to communicate and build support for managing informational flow and facilitate feedback from both ends. Identifying stakeholders- JKL industries excel in manufacturing and selling forklifts and small trucks so their stakeholders include all the internal and external members of the organization such as, the management, employees, and suppliers of the machine parts, dealers and retailers. Messages- the employees will be identified with the messages by individual mail about the organizational objectives. Methods- the proper methods of communication include bulletin for the external stakeholders and meetings for the internal members. Work plan- JKL industries will make an action plan mentioning the activities, budget and allocated resources for implementing the strategy. There will be a proposed time period to measure steps towards the proposed goals. Evaluating success- the strategy will be summed up with the evaluation process which will look into the effectiveness of the strategies for attaining the intended goals. The tools used for evaluation will also be mentioned here.

The grievance procedure for JKL industries will include a letter to the management. The structure of the letter will be as follows- Thomas Williams 24a Brian Road Melbourne 20 September 2017 Gerry Hall 10 Brian Road Melbourne Dear Gerry Hall, I am writing this letter to bring to your notice the issue about pay in the organization that has led to internal conflict. It would be very kind if you can address the issue in a meeting at a convenient time and place. Thank You Yours sincerely Thomas Williams

JKL industries’ internal management has failed to address the issues which led to the given situation of discrimination. There had been a lack of interpersonal skills and cultural sensitivity among the employers and employees which resulted in the given situation. The members of the organization were not aware of the relevant policy and legislative requirements such as code of ethics and anti- discrimination policy which are a part of diversity and business ethics. For the given case, anti- discrimination is relevant and applicable in JKL industries. As the new branch manager, it is essential to resolve the cultural conflict by addressing the characteristics which are resistant to change, hostile environment, passive aggression, avoiding conflict while leaving the issues unresolved and such issues which are apparently solved but agreed to flashing up time and again.   

Audiences

Cultural diversity, ethical values and relationships can be built up by enhancing open- minded and global company culture. To include the non- Christian employee in the celebration of Christmas the manager can make other employees understand the value of ethnicity and make the work environment better. He should teach the employees about the commitment of boosting cultural competency in the organization. It is important to learn about the tradition of several other cultures and their approach to work.  This will help them in seeking for new ideas and perspectives. If an atmosphere is created in JKL where different cultural perspectives are valued then the organization will be able to go further in improving business relationships. The Christian members in the organization should be made to realize that it is a good approach to involve all the colleagues and find proper ways to celebrate different religious celebrations.

The potential problems that can be faced is that the members of the culture which are more in number will outcaste the minorities by not letting them speak out. If one member has any kind of negative stereotypes about other culture, it can lead to a drastic outcome which can end up in a brawl. There might be some members who have got pre- conceived notions in their mind about another culture which will make them ignore the manager’s words.

It will neither be an easy nor a difficult task to confront a group of members who have held grudges are not ready to shift from their decision. There are few things that the manager must keep in mind that is, he should be clear in thinking and speak out exactly what he expects from the team members. He needs to make them understand that they are not behaving properly by ignoring a non- Christian member from celebrating Christmas. This is a crucial situation because a majority of members are on the opposite side of the manager which can lead to the risk of losing his job. But it is the duty and responsibility of the manager to find out the reason of the complaint from a specific member and the underlying issues associated with it.  

First and foremost, the manager must use an assertive style of communication while addressing the issue of discrimination in the organization. If that style fails to reach the target group then he must use his power for an aggressive style of communication. But there should be a standard level of aggression which will not hurt the sentiments of the employees and maintain their trust- worthiness. This communication style had benefitted the manager in a situation when the members had started a protest for introducing bonus twice a year. It is expected that the same style will be helpful in pacifying the employees in the given situation too.   

Methods of Communication

As a new manager in the area it is important to build connections with the internal and external members of the organization. This can be done by increasing the awareness about internal and external networking opportunities. There should not be any loophole in the understanding of the purposes of networking and the relation to an individual, team or organization- based goals. The manager has to understand the advantage of networking for his own benefits as well as for the organization ad act accordingly using his interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence. He should make use of the internal communities or any social media platform by means of which he can discuss and interact with other members about professional issues and share knowledge and perspectives.

There was a situation in which the manager had to increase the sale of the organization so he used networking to deepen the connections with the market, existing contacts and get detailed information about the market. The manager had used the supply chain network through which the manufacturers bought the raw materials and furnished the components required for producing finished goods. He had utilized an impressive and efficient network by which the large retailers used to source the products that they sold. The network became stronger when the internal and external stakeholders found the supply chain beneficial for them. So they started working efficiently which made the organization grow and develop, which in turn led to the effectiveness of a strong networking by the manager. The employees were satisfied with this effective networking and they improved the organizational performance.

Sam and Alex do not feel supported by their professional goals and do not find any kind of opportunities for improvement in the organization, which made them disengaged. They are not so productive and tend to miss their work which ultimately led to poor performance of the sales team. As the manager of the organization, it is important to make them realize the benefit of achieving career goals. They should be discussed about their career development on a regular basis. They should be motivated by speaking about the fulfillment of their dreams. The manager must make them understand the broader aspect of what the two of them want from life and how certain factors will help in developing their career. By introducing stretch assignments, the manager can gauge the extent to which Sam and Alex can work out of their comfort zone. They can be tested by providing with other works which might be helpful in retaining their interest to stay in the organization. These will be interesting as they will be able to learn new skills and grow rapidly at the same time, fill the need of the company.

Grievance Procedure

The manager should make it easy for the two to learn and apply for new opportunities within the company. They can be offered coaching for helping with the organizational goals. They will get the advantage by means of a mentoring program or any type of discounted session with the help of an expert career coach. It is an important fact that the employees realize the support that they get from the companies to attain the organizational goals. There will be a change in their behavior if they feel valued and respected. They will be satisfied if they are provided with opportunities outside their job function and they can genuinely invest in growth and development. Giving constructive feedback and removing barriers in communication helps in linking the professional network.

Networking activity	Person	Schedule	Rationale for networking activity
Meeting with suppliers Meeting with customers	Sam	30 days 60 days	Meeting will lead to an agreement between the suppliers and Sam which will provide quality customer service. Increased customer value will help in providing increasing revenue.
Meeting with the experienced sales members of the organization Forming a sales team community of practice	Alex	40 days 50 days	The meeting will help in managing his performance and he will find a way out to deal with the ‘fools’. A sales team community will help in creating organizational workforce skills and ability by addressing knowledge and authority gaps.

JKL industries, based in Australia, excel in manufacturing and selling small trucks and forklifts. Their strategic plan intends to move forward by building and continuing a positive culture in the organization, decrease the risk and attain organizational goals through creating an effective policy framework to manage the organizational climate of conflict by proper communication and consultation. The actions should be strictly in adherence to the organizational objectives, business ethics and compliance requirements. A platform should be built in for communicating support with regard to organizational initiatives. It must be ensured that the flow of information is managed properly so that the managers and employees are well- equipped with information about the work responsibilities. Management of information flow will also be able to communicate ideas for improving performance and provide feedback from both ends.   

As the HR Business Partner in the JKL Industries, his role is to act as a solo contact for internal clients and supporting them in achieving the business goals. He should be able to provide instant feedback on the processes, procedures and initiatives of HR. by leading the change management projects for the internal clients and human resources he will be able to show his leadership skills in the organization. He also plays the role of an independent advisor for employees in difficult situations. His responsibilities include setting up of challenging HR goals with collaboration between the HR and the internal clients. He also sells HR projects and initiatives to the internal clients for getting their buy- in. He is also the project manager for large inter- functional projects associated with change management. He is also responsible for developing succession plans and takes care of the performance management of the internal clients. An HR business partner is the contributing team member of HR projects and designs cross- functional development program along with compliance the HR policies with regulatory and legal framework.  

Cultural Diversity and Ethical Values

Activity	Timeframe	Person/s responsible	Rationale for action	Resources, if required
Workforce planning and development	30 days	HR business partner	It is required to avoid talent shortages so that the company can have efficient staffs. By providing the right talent to the company, it can improve on their operational activities.	Conference room for interviewing; written tools or practical equipments for assessing the new individuals

Trust can be built up with the employees by being a guide and not a commander. Honesty is always appreciated so it is important to reveal the truth. The employees will be able to retain their trust only if the manager can fulfill his commitments. It is essential on the part of the HR business partner to give credits to the employees for their achievement but should never blame them for any wrong- doing. This will make them de-motivated and discourage them which will have a negative impact on the organization. Talking behind each other’s back is not all encouraged in an organization because it gives rise to an air of misunderstanding, miscommunication and conflict. It is absolutely inappropriate on the part of the HR to force an employee to do something which he cannot do himself. The HR business partner should keep it in his mind that the employees know the customers more than him. So, for the business to flourish it is important to keep the ears open, not the mouth. Employees will be able to trust the boss only when he will apologize for his mistakes. No employees will like a boss who does not admit his wrong- doings. Success is a two- way process which should not only be meant for the organization but also for the employees.

It is very natural that every person will have their own personal communication style. But for the purpose of business one individual needs to tone down his pitch and style of communication. The different pitch in the voice of an individual represents his mannerism. It is important not to use too many jargons and show over confidence in front of others. This is portrayed as pride and arrogance on the part of the individual. At the same time, it is also important to have a good grasp over vocabulary because a good orator is always appreciated. The words that are being spoken should convey clear meaning for the audience.

Grievance policies and procedures can be used for resolving employee complaints. Discussing with the supervisors can be a footstep towards resolving conflict in the workplace. If that procedure fails to give any outcome, then written complaint can be lodged for an effective decision making process. If the decision is unsatisfactory then the employees can move up to the higher authority such as the HR and he will look into the matter. The HR business partner can call for a meeting to gather information from the parties involved in the issue.

The root causes of conflict can be found out using the following strategies- understanding the situation; acknowledging the problem; being patient and taking time; avoiding the use of coercion and intimidation; focusing on the problem and not on the individual. In the same way the conflict in an organization can be resolved by- establishing guidelines; keeping the scope for communication; taking decision wisely.

Activity	Timeframe	Person/s responsible	Rationale for action	Resources, if required
Establishing guidelines	20 days	HR business partner	For better understanding of the employees	–
Open communication	30 days	Employees and HR department	For getting feedback	Feedback forms and emails
Wise decision- making	10 days	The higher authority	For improving organizational performance by resolving conflict	–