Effective Communication - Free Essay

What is the Issue?

The issue is the lack of communication between the various departments of the school. In the recent occurrence, the games department was unable to effectively communicate with the custodians, leading to difficulties in tracing the record of essential items and their location. The effectiveness was lacking between the school health department, the games department, and the custodian department's storage. Effective communication refers to a process associated with informing and generating an understanding in the counterpart and inducing a response from the department or receiver the message was intended. It refers to sharing something about a situation, an opinion, and values from one person to another or from one department to the next. The presence of an effective communication process in the school would have enabled the coach or me to locate the automatic emergency defibrillator (AED) and act on time, in addressing the life-threatening situation that faced a spectator within the school.

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Is It My Issue, And Can I Solve It?

It is my issue since my responsibilities include resolving emergencies within the school. It is my role to assess any form of illness, injured students, initiate and administer treatment, first aid, and make decisions on the level of emergency on every situation within the school environment (NASN, n.d.). As such, it is my role to know the location of every equipment that can assist me in handling the above case. The life of the spectator was at risk, a situation that was increased by the fact that I did not know the exact location of the automatic emergency defibrillator (AED) and how I could access such. The emergency squad should only be called in a very critical situation after I have assessed or taken care of the majority of the recovery process. I can solve communication issues by introducing electronic records and pushing for exclusive access to all the critical departments.

Is this the Real Issue or Merely a Symptom of a Larger One?

Lack of effective communication is both a real issue as well as a symptom of a larger problem. Ineffective communication refers to a situation where there is a disruption or failure in the process of communication. I was unable to meet the school's needs and expectations, putting the life of the spectator in danger. Lack of proper communication led to a weak collaboration between the games department, my department, and the custodian, which created a lot of uncertainty. Lack of communication currently forms the blueprint for a larger issue. If it blossoms through the department, there will be underlying issues such as mistrust, absenteeism, and low morale (Grossman, 2016). Staff needs to be continuously engaged so they may feel like part of the school. A disconnected custodian led to a profound impact on the delivery of my duties. Also, ineffective communication will lead to bad interpersonal relationships within the institutional departments and staff. Lastly, a lack of knowing resulting from poor communication leads to negativity within the organization (Grossman, 2016).

Does It Need an Immediate Solution, Or Can It Wait?

The issue needs an immediate solution to avoid situations similar to the one that we faced in the institution. Fixing communication at this level will mean that other departments within the school will emulate the same. It will bring the departments and workers together, which will improve and manage the interaction between the various departments within the institution. Simultaneously, when a practical solution has been developed, people will manage to express their ideas and feelings more effectively, meaning that there will be an enhanced understanding.

Is It Likely to Go Away by Itself?

Ineffective communication is a human problem that needs rational solutions. As such, it cannot disappear by itself. It requires a well thought process that will involve various steps and numerous departments within the institution. The process can only be developed by the heads of the various departments as well as the staff. For example, the IT department can introduce digital documentation of all the records and the cell phone details so that whenever a member of the team is not within, they can be reached with ease to provide the required information.

Can I Risk Ignoring It?

I cannot risk ignoring it because its impact has already been cited with the events of the school athletic day. Risking solving the communication infectiveness will only mean that more people will be at the risk of facing emergencies, and I will be rendered helpless in case the situation escalates.

What are the Possible Solutions? Are There Risks to These Solutions?

There are multiple solutions to the communication problem. For example, with the rise of technology and cellphone, it is possible to interlink various departments such that whenever there is an emergency, a message can be sent automatically to those, it may concern. An electronic recording system can also be developed to ensure that those with the right authorization can easily use the search engine to determine the location of any critical item within the institution. The school's security department should also have access to all the essential departments so they can have exclusive access in emergency cases. However, these solutions might introduce various issues, such as privacy issues. Access to private cell phone numbers means that even in cases where an individual is on a weekend or holiday, the working staff might be continuously disrupt them, thus interfering with their private time. Also, the developed system may be exposed to unauthorized access, putting the whole school system in danger. Lastly, there might be an issue of access due to network downtimes and power problems.

What Steps Would You Need to Take to Solve the Issue?

Various steps can be involved in solving the existing communication problem within the institution. In many instances, the problem lies in understanding the issue. In cases where the problem that needs to be solved is unclear, it is possible that that the wrong outcome will be derived (Johnson, 2019). The communication problem needs to be analyzed from all angles to ensure that its details are understood. Once the problem is understood, the involved parties will highlight all the components contributing to the issue so that the right teams may be assigned and the proper process initiated.

Secondly, a detailed analysis of the problem should be initiated to determine primary causes, map a process, and validate the planned process (Johnson, 2019). It is essential to collect and analyze all the data related to the communication problem. The involved units will also propose potential solutions for each of the root cause of the communication problem. A decision-making process will be initiated to determine the strengths of each proposed solution. The solutions with the highest number of advantages should be adopted.

The chosen solutions should be implemented on pilot bases over a period. The results will be evaluated at each level, where data will be gathered and analyzed to determine the effectiveness at a small scale (Johnson, 2019). If the solution has achieved the desired results, it will be rolled out and standardized to all the institution departments. All the organization's changes must be noted, and the affected areas must be informed in time. Monitoring should be done consistently to oversee the effectiveness and incremental enhancement done to refine the solution further.

Does Anyone Else at The School Need to Be Involved in The Solution?

Various departments need to be involved in developing the existing communication problem, especially the administration, to facilitate the process of issuing instruction, training, and allocation of budgets where necessary. The information technology department will also play a critical role in developing a system to interlink all the departments and a working communication process. The other department is the storage department, to provide a list of all the items, their description, and their actual location. Unique codes can be assigned to individual items so they may be arranged in terms of where each fit. Lastly, is the games department so that, in case of an emergency, they will have a strategy to attend and report issues.

Where is the Power Leverage in The School to Reach the Preferred Solution?

Power leverage, in this case, means the individuals or departments that will provide cooperation, provision of the finances, and supplements to ensure that the issue is addressed adequately. In this case, the power of leverage will be the school administration since they will assist in developing the solution. During the process, they will supervise all the units charged with developing the solution, such as the information technology department, the health department, and the games department. Since changing the communication process will need the existing systems to be updated, finances are critical. The administration will ensure that all the teams have sufficient budgetary allocation to facilitate the solution's development and implementation. In cases where the process may require external output, the administration will develop plans, hire, or contract new teams to enhance the existing team.

References

Grossman, D. (2016). Four Main Problems That Come with Poor Communication. Yourthoughtpartner.Com. https://www.yourthoughtpartner.com/blog/4-main-problems-that-come-with-poor-communication

Johnson, B. (2019, September 25). Six-Step Problem-Solving Process. Uptake Digital. https://uptakedigital.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/115000247813-Six-Step-Problem-Solving-Process

National Association of School Nurses (NASN). (n.d.). The Role of the 21st Century School Nurse - Www.Nasn.Org. Retrieved June 8, 2020, from https://www.nasn.org/advocacy/professional-practice-documents/position-statements/ps-role#:~:text=The%20school%20nurse%20supports%20student‌