Introduction
The Xyz Company is a business organization offering its clients textile products and services within the major category of textile industries. In XYZ organization, communication is a very crucial activity for the growth and development of the company. Since the inception of xyz, communication has been a matter of great concern among members of the organization, and through the use the different communication methods such as face-to-face, letters and memos are termed traditional. The Xyz Corporation has been operated and managed for several decades maintaining just original communication techniques, which though at some point of the human developments and progress were considered as advanced methods compared to what and how they were done at first, they might now be considered as obsolete (Gunatunge, 2003)
Even though such communication methods are thought to be old and traditional ones, they have always occupied a special niche in the development of the Xyz organization, as they acted as the foundation through which information and data could be garnered and distributed, moving across all levels of the organization. The perception of Xyz Corporation is that its success solely lies in the implementation of a system that offers and permits effective communication. Through the organization endeavors to affect a communication system of such nature, several reforms and advancements in communication systems including telephony, telex and telegraphic ones have been adopted and integrated with the oldest communication ways commencing face-to-face, which laid the initial foundation of human communication methods. The company’s concerns and intense search to have a communication system capable of rendering effective communication means are based on the view that effective communication enables the identification and management of any of the opportunities opening to the organization (Gunatunge, 2002).
Moreover, the Xyz company believes that with a system enabling effective communication in place, it will have an easy time when handling and solving crises, or organisational problems, which is a fundamental factor determining the realization of the company’s objectivities in the long run of the business. Effective communication is only possible when the method used is user friendly. The key features that Xyz members look for in a friendly user system are its compatibility with a user and intended task. The use of the traditional communication methods has over the years made the Xyz Company try to gain a system that will offer satisfying communication services to all the stakeholders of the organization, employees, individuals and the entire parties from the community, wherein one way or another it comes into touch with (Sung, 2000).
While understanding the importance of communication to the organization, Xyz Company has always devoted and put its efforts to advance and bring modern communication techniques to the company. The company has however grappled for a long time with the idea in its identification and implementation of a modern system, which is anticipated to revolutionize the company’s communications, and in turn which is expected to catapult a change in the organization’s performance by reducing its operational expenses, and then opposing decreases in its profitability margins. The implication is that, though the traditional Xyz communication methods have served and met the organization’s needs to some degree, the Xyz management communication departments holds that the traditional and the present methods of communication in use are weak, hence they are failing the organization in achieving its business goals, and in making the organization to rise leaders’ position in the competition ladder. Believing in the above discourses, the Xyz members from the communication department have relentlessly sought the most pervasive communication methods which have culminated with the view and identification of an IT system (Williams, 2000).
IT advantages
Closing Geographical gap between parties
Unlike the traditional communication systems/ methods which were fraught with both non-physical and physical barriers, as well as numerous limitations in their applications, IT systems provide a way of circumventing a larger percentage of those barriers and limitations. The IT project in Xyz would provide solutions to many physical communications barriers. For instance, individuals located in the same office premises but reside in different rooms, or persons working in different departments will need not shift from one place to another, but they can link and communicate at their working stations. Apart from this, the IT project will enable the elimination of geographical barriers between the Xyz community and external key players contributing to the smooth running of the business operations. Suppliers would therefore feel easy to enquire or report any needed information to the office of purchases (Gunatunge, 2003). Clients will also have an easy time getting information about the commodities in store, which means, the organization will never be operating as a closed system in the part of information flow.
Reduction of meeting/conference expense
Furthermore, the IT projects at Xyz company is not only aimed at finding a solution to the problem of distances in the area of product and service delivery, but it will also lead to significant reductions in the company’s expenditure on hosting or attending meeting/ conference. While the other communication methods have always demanded parties to travel to make meeting and conference arrangements, with the adoption of the new IT system, Xyz individuals will be prompted to hosting of meetings/ conferences in a virtual environment, which is generally less expensive as compared to the early physical room environment. Importantly is that such a system allows individuals to search for materials and adequately prepare to present solid materials to their colleagues involved in the meeting. This implies that persons can express or share what they have already acquired for the benefit of others while at the same time gaining crucial business ideas from the other parties (Gunatunge, 2002).
Elimination of personal barriers
The early communication systems provided loops for numerous obstructions and bureaucracies attributed to the hierarchal structure of Xyz management and personal attitude. The introduction of the IT system in Xyz Company will have great mitigating effects on the personal barriers through the virtual diffusion of the managerial levels. The internet means provided direct communication links between the Xyz junior employees and the senior employees holding managerial positions. By the use of internet methods like emails, the system reduces chances of time-wasting, and together with things like chats, forums, there is a great possibility of striking a deep personal relationship of the communicating parties that would lead to frequent exchange of information, regardless of whether based on personal matters or business-related (Sung, 2000).
Creation of deeper personal relationship
Failure to effective communication normally arises when inter-personal barriers exist between communicating parties. Xyz Company anticipates using the IT system in a way that will enable the establishment of deeper personal relationships. The IT experts at Xyz company believes that by customization and incorporation of advanced devices in the computer and internet system, individuals will be made to express themselves more creatively through the integration of the three major communication methods. The use of pictorials and other visuals will be a key driver of breaking barricades raised against the creation of a close relationship with other parties (Williams, 2000).
Enhancing fast feedbacks
The IT system of the internet supports the Xyz idea that Individuals are encouraged to communicate with one another when they are confident their message will quick be delivered and corresponding feedback be received. Though this does not imply that this is the fasted communication method, internet communications occur faster than manual ones involving paperwork. Certainly, ‘Xyz Company would prefer written email communications as they can get immediately messages feedback. This eliminates the past worst experiences of the manual methods during which procrastinating in sending a message was a common problem among many of the employees, some forgetting to send their messages while others forgot to collect them (Gunatunge, 2003)
Easy recording and information retrieval
Another aspect leading to the advocacy of the IT project in Xyz organization is its easy provision of recording means of the information sent or received for future. When an individual in Xyz send or receive messages/information through electronic emails, the individual gets retrieved from extra work of creating a new storage system for the same, as the system automatically retains the copy of the message/information indefinitely, not unless the person or party decides to discard it permanently. These copies act as future reference materials for further correspondences between or among the parties that were involved. This is most important in the dealing of accounting and financial matters among others (Sung, 2000).
Challenges
Though Xyz IT experts and key managerial personnel have a great idea of the company’s future revolution, the implementation of the IT project perhaps may be thwarted by several factors. One of the main challenges is the readiness of the entire Xyz community to accept and change/shift to the modern system. Some of the employees will likely have of losing their jobs, which earn them and their families their daily bread (Baum, 2002).
Conclusion
Xyz Company has invested a lot of its efforts seeking for an improvement of the performances. While putting great concern on information flow inside and outside of the organization, the company has undergone several different generations of communication systems, but none has been able to offer pervasive communication services to satisfy all range of organization stakeholders. The full implementation of the proposed IT projects will therefore offer Xyz Company an opportunity for improvement in the level of satisfaction and overall performance.
References:
Baum, A. (2002). “Management challenges in a new time”, Academy of management journal 45 (6) 920- 29. Brazil: international conference on technology policy and innovation dept.
Gunatunge, S. (2002). Information systems development and practices in organizations, WA: Cowan University press.
Gunatunge, S. (2003 “Information systems and modernizations of organizations,” Vidyodaya journal of humanities and social science.
Sung, T. (2000). “Knowledge and technology transfer: level and factors,” Williams, M. (2000). Understanding communications patterns, Western Australia: Edith cowan university.