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.

PAR 4: Host Staci Hovland

http://www.techrepublic.com/article/team-learning-more-than-group-thinking/

Team Learning: More than Group Thinking

I chose this article on team learning because it was one that I found interesting that goes along with Peter Senge’s learning organization. This is only one of his five features talked about in the book. I found that group thinking is not like team learning at all. Groupthink is more so how one person puts an idea out there and everyone else in the group goes along with it. Team learning is focusing on getting the entire team involved, in order to make intelligent decision. The article goes in depth about how we can use team learning. By putting together everyone’s thoughts, it makes for a higher group IQ. Looking at the projects talked about in the article, I never though there would different techniques to use. I see new that everything that is connected to solving a problem, relates to the solutions that the team comes up with. It shapes the way we look at things, by putting them in a different perspective.

PAR 3: Host Adam Aikens

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/examples-human-resource-communications-11557.html

I picked out this article because it talks about the different types of communication used by human resources in a business setting.  The Human Resources Approach was the last of three talked about in our chapter this week, and I feel that it is the most commonly adopted today in the business world.  The article talks about the different ways the human resources department would have to communicate with employees and why it is important.  This aligns with our text because of the fact that a lot of companies use the human resources approach and because it has to do with the communication within the department, which is obviously what this class is about.  While my last couple jobs have had HR departments, I have never really thought about how necessary it is for the HR employees to be able to communicate effectively.  They deal with a lot of important things that need to understood by employees, such as benefits, wages, paid time off, etc.  If they are not communicating effectively and the employees are not understanding what is going on, there could be issues in regards to the things that HR deals with.  It was interesting for me to think about the types of communication used by HR and how important it is for them to be able to communicate effectively, and for me to be able to relate it to past work experiences.

PAR 2: Host Stacy Cenedese

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/korn-ferry-global-study-cites-180000913.html

Korn Ferry Global Study Cites Lack of Executive Sponsorship as the Chief Roadblock to Leadership Development Success

Half of Executive Respondents Describe Leadership Development Investments as “Fair” to “Very Poor”

I have chosen this news story because it talks about leadership development.  I am a firm believer in leadership and what it stands for.  I believe in any organization it is outlined by the roles of our leaders.  If you don’t have a great leader you will not have a great product or worker.  This news article goes with the readings for week 2.  The strategic-control perspective sees communicators as having multiple goals.  Competent communicator is one who chooses strategies that are appropriate for accomplishing multiple goals.  With that said this, article points out that only 55% respondent’s ranking their return on such efforts at only “fair” or “very poor.”  I think that is a very high number to have for an organization not to perform higher than just “fair” or “very poor” at leadership development.  This organizational advisory firm, will help organizations to be more successful and have better outcomes.  Having leaders go all in is where you need to start.  You have to build that trust and relationship for people to believe what you are trying to accomplish as an organization.  Some organizations are very successful, for they have made successful leadership development as part of their culture and every day work.  All organizations need to make leadership development a high priority to build a connection.

Week 1: Host Jonna Ziniel

Hello class!

Welcome to the COMM 483: Organizational Communication blog. Each week, each student in the class will be the "blogmaster" and will be posting THEIR article as a post on the blog (please see details in the syllabus). Each week, you will respond to their post (again, see the syllabus for the details for your responses). Please leave your initials with your responses, so that it is clear who is responding.

The popular article post for this week can be found at:
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-35268917

I chose this article because I think it directly relates to the discussion of changing business practices and changing employment. No longer are jobs dictated by a CEO, a manager, or a president. There are often many members with input on almost all decisions made at a business. These multiple voices can often lead to conflict, confusion, and a loss of a sense of identity-- unless an organization has a clear focus and strategy. Those are the areas that we will be examining in this class. This article brings into question what Chipotle stands for? What is their response to the most recent E. coli outbreak, and can the brand survive the most recent losses to their stocks? The company is being greatly impacted by their shareholders, and this shows the influence that outside participants can have on an organization in today's organizational environment.