Response Strategies on Relationship Quality †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Response Strategies on Relationship Quality. Answer: Introduction For any organization to operate well with minimal effects from uncalled for risks, there is the need for crisis management process to be well planned for so that in case of a problem the issue is solved within a good time to avoid losses and image damage to the organization. How an institution deals with a crisis determines its image to the outside world and the impact it has on the various stakeholders. To successful diffuse a crisis there is need to understand how it should be handled even before it occurs (Gao et al., 2011b). This explains why Concord college was able to handle the crisis to ensure it did not have adverse effects on the stakeholders especially parents and students as well as ensuring it does not tarnish its image in the general public The institution was able to make use of structural-functional systems theory and diffusion of innovation theory in dealing with the crisis that befell them (Chung, 2011). The structural functional theory was used in the sense that information was provided to the relevant stakeholders and involved departments on time before the issue got out of hand. The institution was able to address the intricacies of the networks of information as well as all the levels of command that make up the organizational communication (Venette, 2007). Various letters and memos were written by officials such as communications officer, media personnel and the parents teachers association all with an aim of offering solutions to the issue. The information flow was therefore a form of networks made up of involved parties. For the diffusion of innovation theory the principal of the school is seen getting the employees and all the stakeholders involved in solving the issue. This provided a lot of transparency in dealing with the crisis ad also an acknowledgement that the institution valued their support and concern (Sweetser and Metzgar, 2007). The use of this theory by the college transformed the heavy burden of the crisis they had into a team effort so as to ensure the problem was fixed within a short period of time. This ensured the institution was re-invigorated even when the situation appeared to be in bad shape (Petru, 2013). The principal therefore kept the morale of every stakeholder high in those tough times by valuing and list ening to everyones inputs and suggestions. Strategies that were successful The most successful strategies was the action taken by communication officers and the IT experts to close down the fake account that was operational and to redirect the stakeholders to an alternative account that was true and could respond to the urgent questions. The letter written to the principal by Mark Disuc was a good advice regarding the right actions that were to be taken (Taneja, 2014). The principal was advised against locking the media out of this issue as it could raise more concerns and mistrust by the public to the institution. The letter written by the PTA official was a good reassurance to teachers and parents that everything was under control and future crisis of this nature will not occur again. If I were among the stakeholders I wouldnt do anything different from what they did. Or even if I were the principal would have taken the same actions as he did such as engaging all the relevant stakeholders to ensure the situation does not get out of hand. Being one of the stakeholders in the institution there are various activities that I got engaged into to ensure the teams efforts bore fruits. These include I offered free guidance at counseling to the students and parents who felt like the institution had failed them in ensuring the security of the students. My role was to ensure the institution wins their trust back by assuring them that such an incidence will never occur again. I also assured the parents that their children will be protected from any form of bullying that may arise from the staff at the institution and that the teacher responsible for the crisis that occurred was to be vindicated for his mistakes. This ensured that the parents and students felt comfortable and were ready to allow their children to continue in the institution (Sabato, 2010). From the crisis it was seen that a fake account was in circulation and wrong information was being channeled out to the public regarding the crisis. My role here was to spread the word that there was the right link to an official school accounts that parents and students could use to air their views and seek guidance regarding the issue at hand (Coombs, 2007). I also managed to talk to the principal to keep calm and handle the whole matter with the intelligence it required so as not to send any negative signals or energy out in the public. I was in the forefront of advising the principal to welcome any suggestions that are of help in solving the matter at hand. This assisted in ensuring the principal is aware of people who care and mean good for the institution and do not hold him entirely responsible about whatever had happened. I also was able to work with all the departments in the college to ensure they do all they can to offer positive support to the principal as he tries to deal with the matter in the most responsible way possible (Ki and Brown, 2013). All these activities enabled me to contribute to the teamwork at the ins titution, timing, tasking and all the outcomes during the crisis period. Reflection on the experiences during the crisis Form the experience at concord college I can ascertain to the fact that preparedness for crisis management is very critical so as to ensure any risk or crisis is dealt with before more damages both physical and image damage are done. Concord College was fully prepared for such crisis. This is because all the involved departments worked in coordination to ensure matters did not get out of control. The principal also embraced the spirit of teamwork and collaboration and he was open to advice from all the concerned parties (Coombs, 2007). This ensured that the image of the institution is not damaged in the public. For instance the communication manager ensured the wrong account was shut down so as to protect the college from malicious competitor who could have taken advantage of the situation to ruin the image of the school. Form this crisis I learnt that team work is very important in any crisis management efforts. This is because were it not for teamwork a lot of things may have gone wrong and the institution could not have managed to protect their image in the public. Parents may have withdrawn their children from the school due to fears and lack of trust but this did not happen because of the collective efforts by all the involved parties. To deal with time pressures imposed on an organization due to a crisis the involved departments have to swing into action first and work collaboratively to solve the crisis just as the way concord college staff did (Cornett, McNutt and Tehranian, 2010). Some of the risks and crisis communication skills that I could suggest to any employer include good listening skills so as to accommodate the opinions of others in solving crises. Clarity and concision by employers should be embraced so as to ensure only what is relevant is said. They should desist from saying too much or too little. Friendliness-this creates a good environment for workers and other stakeholders to work from. This promotes engagement in open and honest communications. Confidence- this ensures the employer gains trust of the people they work with. Confidence can be exuded by maintain eye contact and using a firm friendly tone. Exercise empathy-this ensures there is understanding and respect of other peoples views (Armon, 2010). Being open mindedness to accommodate the ideas of others at the work place is very important. Ensuring there is respect for other peoples ideas and opinions at work so as to create a good working environment. Conclusion Crisis management should be embraced by all institutions so as to curb against damages that may arise from such incidences. No one plans for a crisis but its mostly inevitable and therefore its good to always have plans in place of how to deal with them. For the case of Concord College its evident that the management was prepared for the crisis and this explains why the various departments and stakeholders were able to play their roles timely. This ensured the institution does not ruin its image in the public and thus retaining the trust of the parents in the school. The crisis management at the college was well tailored to the strategies and goals of the school and thus the success in dealing with the issue. Crisis management cannot be of success minus good communication skills related to dealing with any crisis. The principal and his team appeared to have mastered the art and skills of good communication during a crisis and thats why they worked collaboratively without much frictio n among them. References Armon, D., 2010, Ready or Not: Is Your Crisis Communications Plan Anti-Social?, Public Relations Tactics, Volume 17, Number 4, pp. 1011. Chung, I. J., 2011, Social amplification of risk in the Internet environment. Risk Analysis, 31(12), 18831896. Cornett, M.M., McNutt, J.J., Tehranian, H., 2010., The financial crisis, internal corporate governance, and the performance of publicly-traded US bank holding Companies, Working Paper, Boston College. Coombs, W. T., 2011, "Crisis Management and Communications." Institute for Public Relations. N.p., Jan.-Feb. 2011. Web. Coombs,W.T., 2007, Protecting Organization Reputations During a Crisis: The Development and Application of Situational Crisis Communication Theory, Corporate Reputation Review, Volume 10, pp. 163176. 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