Case Scenario:
The board of directors has appointed a new CEO and has informed him that the organization has decided to invest in new technology to fix system problems, improve processes and streamline communication. The technology company said that its new software could do all that the company needed and more. But you and other employees who use the current systems and understand them also know that they did not provide enough information about the new system to make the investment. Employees at various levels disagree with the investment. Some even created other options for review by the leadership team, but were dismissed. Desperate to fix the problems that the organization is having, little consideration was paid to the concerns of the employees about the system and the four-million-dollar investment. The leadership is accusing people of standing in the way out of fear of change and trepidation about job loss. Some leadership team members are even referring to these people as, "the resistance." The new CEO has been adamant in meeting the board of directors' request and has asked his direct reports to support the initiative.
Employees have stopped sharing critical upward feedback because they do not want to be at odds with leadership. They are designed to go with the flow and comply, regardless of the issues they know exist.
Now that the investment has been made, and the change is being rolled out, it is apparent that the new technology is not suitable for meeting the organization's needs. Time and money have been wasted.
Tourish (2005) explains two critical theories in the article, Critical Upward Communication: Ten Commandments for Improving Strategy and Decision Making: The Automatic Vigilance Effect and the Ingratiation Effect.
Part 1: Your Initial Post
The current status of this investment and the subsequent fall-out with employees is the main part of your conversation in your weekly meeting with your supervisor. You are eager to explain what went wrong by using the Automatic Vigilance Effect and Ingratiation Effect theories (Tourish, 2005).
In this discussion, you will contribute an analysis of the situation for your supervisor. For the purpose of this discussion, "your" organization is the organization described in the discussion prompt.
- Explain the Automatic Vigilance Effect and the Ingratiation Effect through the lens of how they have been manifested in your organization.
- Identify reasons for the behaviors that are afflicting your organization.
- Put yourself in the CEO position and reflect on power and authority and the organizational politics. How would you manage the situation?
Part 2: Connect with Your Classmates' Posts
Apply all that you have learned from your peers' posts and from Chapter 11 and Chapter 14 in your textbook analyses that have been posted, and improve them by drafting replies offering them the following:
- Provide a brief description of practices that can be put in place to ensure leaders do not resort to maladaptive communication failures in the future (watch How To Win An Argument Without Making Enemies and read 11.5. The Major Channels of Management Communication Are Talking, Listening, Reading, and Writing).
Map the behaviors and consequences described in your peers' posts to your proposed solutions. Compare and contrast the outcomes that have disrupted the organization with the potential outcomes stemming from your interventions.
Requirements:
See the Discussion rubric for a comprehensive list of the requirements. Keep in mind the following:
- Post no more than 300 words for your initial post.
- Justify your explanations by including in-text citations and your references in APA format as applicable.
o In your initial post, you are required to reference at least 3 course materials.
- Read any postings already provided by your instructor or fellow students and respond accordingly. Remember to read the feedback to your own major postings and reply to it throughout the module.
- Review your writing for grammar and spelling before posting.
- Reference and properly cite your work:
o APA Style