As A Consultant Overhearing This Conversation, How Do You Su ✓ Solved

As a consultant overhearing this conversation, how do you su

As a consultant overhearing this conversation, how do you suggest the managing director respond to Charley’s challenge? Use and cite the course textbook in your response. Minimum 200 words.

Paper For Above Instructions

Executive summary

The managing director should acknowledge concerns about excessive e-mail use, commit to preserving e-mail’s productivity benefits, and implement a deliberate, multi-pronged communications strategy that mixes norms, training, alternative channels, and measurement. This approach minimizes the interpersonal costs of e-mail-only communication while retaining its record-keeping, asynchronous, and distribution advantages (Robbins & Judge, 2019; Daft & Lengel, 1986).

Diagnosis: what is broken and why it matters

Excessive reliance on e-mail often reduces social context cues, increases misunderstandings, and encourages avoidance or impolite exchanges because senders can “hide behind the computer” (Sproull & Kiesler, 1986; Walther, 1996). At the same time, e-mail remains efficient for routine information, documentation, and distributing materials (Sellen & Harper, 2001). The managing director should frame the problem not as an attack on e-mail, but as an imbalance in communication media use and norms that harms collaboration, trust, and conflict resolution (Robbins & Judge, 2019).

Recommended response strategy

1. Acknowledge and reframe. Publicly validate Joe’s concern and Charley’s faith in managerial improvement. The managing director might say: “You’re right—e-mail helps us move fast, but we’re losing the rich interactions that sustain teamwork. I want us to keep the advantages of e-mail while restoring more direct, respectful dialogue.” This reframing reduces defensiveness and signals leadership commitment (Robbins & Judge, 2019).

2. Introduce a media-guidance policy. Adopt a simple decision framework (e.g., low-, medium-, high-richness) for choosing a channel: use e-mail for factual updates/documentation; phone or synchronous chat for clarifications; face-to-face or video for conflict, performance feedback, and complex negotiations (Daft & Lengel, 1986; Walther, 1996). Make the policy short, memorable, and supported by examples.

3. Create norms for tone and escalation. Define behavioral norms for e-mail (clarity, subject lines, expected response windows, “pause before reply” rules for emotionally charged messages) and require that interpersonal conflict begin with a synchronous conversation (phone, video, or in-person) before being logged by e-mail. Norms reduce incivility and misuse (Byron, 2008; Mark, Gudith, & Klocke, 2008).

4. Train managers and staff. Deliver brief workshops on constructive feedback, emotional intelligence, and channel choice. Teaching people how to give direct feedback reduces the temptation to vent via e-mail and equips managers to model desired behaviors (Robbins & Judge, 2019; Ayyagari, Grover, & Purvis, 2011).

5. Rebuild social interaction opportunities. Reintroduce structured, periodic face-to-face or synchronous check-ins (team huddles, “office hours,” and cross-functional forums) to rebuild social capital and informal knowledge exchange that e-mail can’t support (Sellen & Harper, 2001; Leonardi, Huysman, & Steinfield, 2013).

6. Leverage technology thoughtfully. Where physical meetings aren’t feasible, incentivize video calls or collaboration platforms (with presence indicators and threaded conversations) that increase social cues and reduce misinterpretation. Enterprise social tools can foster richer peer-to-peer exchanges if integrated with norms (Leonardi et al., 2013).

7. Measure and iterate. Track metrics such as number of internal e-mails per employee, frequency of synchronous meetings, reported misunderstandings, and employee engagement. Solicit periodic qualitative feedback and iterate policy to fit the organization’s culture (Mark et al., 2008).

Practical first steps the managing director can take this week

- Host a 20-minute all-staff message acknowledging the issue and announcing a pilot “communication norms” initiative.

- Direct managers to hold one short team conversation (video/in-person) to discuss the new norms and agree on local rules.

- Launch a one-page guideline about channel choice and respectful e-mail practice, referencing the company’s values.

- Schedule a follow-up survey in 6 weeks to assess perceived improvements.

Why this will work

This blended approach preserves e-mail’s advantages—documentation, asynchronous convenience, and broad distribution—while using richer media when social context, emotion, or complexity matters (Daft & Lengel, 1986). Training and norms decrease the social costs of computer-mediated communication and reduce avoidance behavior (Walther, 1996; Sproull & Kiesler, 1986). Measurement and iterative adjustments align changes with organizational realities and sustain management accountability (Robbins & Judge, 2019).

Conclusion

The managing director should neither ban e-mail nor ignore concerns about its misuse. Instead, publicly commit to a practical set of policies and behaviors that valorize direct conversation for emotionally charged or complex matters, while retaining e-mail for efficient transactions. That balanced response restores interpersonal trust and conflict resolution capacity without sacrificing operational speed (Robbins & Judge, 2019; Daft & Lengel, 1986).

References

• Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. A. (2019). Organizational Behavior (18th ed.). Pearson. (Course textbook)
• Daft, R. L., & Lengel, R. H. (1986). Organizational information requirements, media richness and structural design. Management Science, 32(5), 554–571.
• Walther, J. B. (1996). Computer-mediated communication: Impersonal, interpersonal, and hyperpersonal interaction. Communication Research, 23(1), 3–43.
• Sproull, L., & Kiesler, S. (1986). Reducing social context cues: Electronic mail in organizational communication. Management Science, 32(11), 1492–1512.
• Sellen, A. J., & Harper, R. H. R. (2001). The Myth of the Paperless Office. MIT Press.
• Mark, G., Gudith, D., & Klocke, U. (2008). The cost of interrupted work: More speed and stress. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI), 107–110.
• Ayyagari, R., Grover, V., & Purvis, R. (2011). Technostress: Technological antecedents and implications. MIS Quarterly, 35(4), 831–858.
• Byron, K. (2008). Carrying too heavy a load? A meta-analysis of the antecedents and consequences of e-mail communication. Journal of Business and Psychology, 23(2), 173–183.
• Leonardi, P. M., Huysman, M., & Steinfield, C. (2013). Enterprise social media: Definition, history, and prospects for the study of social technologies in organizations. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 19(1), 1–19.
• Sundstrom, E., De Meuse, K. P., & Futrell, D. (1990). Work teams: Applications and effectiveness. American Psychologist, 45(2), 120–133.