PAR 11 Host: Steven Schwartz

http://www.forbes.com/sites/forbespr/2016/04/25/the-most-successful-business-intelligence-programs-provide-self-service-data-says-new-study/#69c938fc3966

This article made me think about the communication audit that we are working on for this class. Interesting to see that according to a survey two-thirds of the of the individuals that responded believe self-service data helps reveal valuable insights. The critical point made stated that “it’s the power of connecting all your people”. In a way it is all about making connections and keeping people engaged in an organization, which is what this class is about.

PAR 10: Host Clint Jewett

http://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/performance-management/organisational-alignment-is-the-glue/

I chose this article as i felt it was a short to the point description of what organizational alignment is.  The article defines organizational alignment as the glue that makes for excellent execution of strategy. The correlation between our text and the article is the strategy, talent, and performance held together by org alignment to achieve desired results. The flow chart depicted in the article is comparable to the 7s diagram, in fact i think it is easier to understand but both are good visuals of organizational alignment.  Besides the authors irritating spelling of "organisational" i thought it was a simple read that gave a broad definition to cover all the facets of organizational alignment.

PAR 9: Host Tasha Piehl

http://work.chron.com/communication-leadership-workplace-14761.html

I think this is a good article to go hand in hand with this weeks chapter 9.  The book focused on ideas of the different kinds of leadership theories.  These included trait leadership, situational leadership, transnational leadership and discursive leadership.  Communication, as we already know, is major key in organizations.  But it's also important to empower your employees and set good examples for them to follow.  A good leader is a role model, gives credit to good work, and being able to commit to working with others around them.

PAR 8: Host Joe Wright

I picked this article because it takes a look at the leader of the organization and shows what exactly it implies for the leader. It is a neat article in the way that it divides everything up and shows different sides of things. When I think of an organization, some times I think of it as one dimensional. But when you take a step back, you see all of the crazy interweaving that can happen and you really see all the gears and mechanics that make it run. I just really enjoy seeing things from a different perspective that I may not have seen before. 

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/secret-effective-communication-organizations-832.html

PAR 7: Host Marisa Meyer-Klubben

http://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2014/01/27/5-workplace-dynamics-that-fuel-an-employee-identity-crisis/#5e99cbba73de

I choose this article from Forbes because it can help readers understand what Chapter 7 is explaining about how much of an impact our identity makes on our work life. People either find a company that suits them, or hope to synchronize their identity to fit the company. Many times, if one cannot feel like they are being true to their identity within a workplace, they are unhappy there. This article gives examples as to how identity dissonance happens.

PAR 6: Host Katelyn Boyd

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/benefits-employee-empowerment-1177.html

What Are The Benefits of Employee Empowerment

Even though this week we are talking about a few different approaches to communication in an organization, I love the idea of employee empowerment and how much it can actually improve an organization when used correctly and effectively. This article discusses ways employee empowerment can be beneficial, but it doesn’t actually state how much this can improve communication between leaders and employees as a whole. When reading the article, I was able to pick up that communication is improved as well as employee productivity and interaction when the employer trusts their workers and empowers them without even realizing it because it is physically noticed in the long run.

PAR 5: Host Morgan Nalley

http://www.forbes.com/sites/joshbersin/2015/03/13/culture-why-its-the-hottest-topic-in-business-today/#278ae2a7b6e2

Culture: Why It’s the Hottest Topic In Business Today

After reading through a few different articles about culture, I decided to choose this one because it didn’t only define and apply culture to business, but also gave great examples. As explained in this article good culture has become a very popular thing to job seekers. As we are discussing culture this week I thought that this article gave great examples as to how some companies are excelling in employee satisfaction, while others are average or below. Culture is defined as a “set of behaviors, values, artifacts, reward systems, and rituals that make up your organization.” There are resources out there that are giving employees and job seekers the ability to rate and see ratings of culture within a workplace. If a company is doing culture right, then anyone who is even just visiting a company should be able to identify their culture within just a few minutes of being there. The way that employees present themselves, treat the customers, and treat their co workers is very important in making this first impression of culture. When seeking a job in the future I think that this will be a great thing to keep in mind. If the culture of a company is one that you enjoy, then enjoying your job will be that much easier.