Diploma of Community Services: 1289178

Assessment Instructions:

This assessment is in two parts:Part A) You are provided with a case study which is provided below. You must answer written questions in response to the case study.Part B) Develop a communication plan based on one of the strategies identified for improvement in the case study. Present the new strategy to a ‘staff group’, coach at least one staff member in the new strategy and make recommendations from the feedback received.Refer to notes taken in class, power points and resources available in Blackboard to assist you with this assessment.This  practical application of this assessment will be completed in class in week/session as allocated by your lecturer,Please note, your answers must be detailed. One sentence answers where you are asked to discuss, divise, define, analyse oA explain are not sufficient.Use references where appropriate. Use new times roman or Arial font, size 11 or 12.


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Assessment Instrument:     
 
Case study
 
Daryl supervises the Youth Services team at Directions. Programs offered include teen parent support, , outreach youth work and a drop in centre. Daryl has been asked to review communication strategies of the organisation to determine their appropriateness for internal and external stakeholders.
 
Currently there are weekly staff meetings held whereby any updated information is distributed.  Not all staff manage to attend these meetings, so sometimes there are staff who don’t hear about issues/information relevant to their work role and that of the organisation. They are reliant on colleagues for information to be verbally passed on (or by ad-hoc emails). There is no formal protocol to follow with regards development of the agenda, inviting staff input and the circulation of the meeting minutes.
 
Additionally, the main strategy to promote the programs and services (to clients & potential clients) of the organisation is done so via brochures and flyers.  This printed material is only distributed in English. There are also  significant number of fact sheets the organisation has developed and these are kept at the centre for workers to give to their clients, or they can be mailed out on request.
 
Over recent years the local community has become much more culturally diverse and Directions has also become more involved in delivering services to people with disabilities and supporting the LGBTI community. The entry to the centre is via a heavy door. There is a wide concrete path which is good for physical disability access which leads from the car park however this is not visible from the front entrance.  The concrete paths around the centre have become an ‘unofficial’ skateboarding areas that local kids in the area use. Some staff feel that it is good that local kids utilise this area as a recreational facility, others feel that is discourages others from using the centre.   The office/ facilities of the centre have been arranged so that there is plenty of space as well as a ‘chill- out’ room, however these features of the organisation are not advertised.  
 
PART A)
1. Device three communication strategies that are occurring in this case study that could be significantly improved   and   identify whether they are for internal or external stakeholders (and define who the stakeholders are) . (1.1, 1.3, 2.1)

Communication strategy:

Cross-cultural communication is an important strategy that can be implemented. In this strategy communication that helps to bridge the cultural divisions between people is utilized. This strategy would help to manage people from diverse cultures that would be important stakeholders of the organization. The strategy would entail utilizing communication aspects that are important in developing better understanding between people of diverse cultures (Dolan et al., 2017). The language used would be simple and concise. Moreover, special assistance would be provided to the youth that do not speak English as a first language. It is important to note that cross cultural communication is not being effectively used by the organization. The flyers and brochures are only printed in English which may not be easily comprehended by a significant number of external stakeholders. Hence, this is a communication strategy that is present as the organization is engaged with a wide number of stakeholders from different stakeholders. However, the communication aspects are not effectively optimized.

Stakeholders: The stakeholders in this case are external like the youths, their parents, the community and the government.

Cross-cultural communication is an important strategy that can be implemented. In this strategy communication that helps to bridge the cultural divisions between people is utilized. This strategy would help to manage people from diverse cultures that would be important stakeholders of the organization. The strategy would entail utilizing communication aspects that are important in developing better understanding between people of diverse cultures (Dolan et al., 2017). The language used would be simple and concise. Moreover, special assistance would be provided to the youth that do not speak English as a first language. It is important to note that cross cultural communication is not being effectively used by the organization. The flyers and brochures are only printed in English which may not be easily comprehended by a significant number of external stakeholders. Hence, this is a communication strategy that is present as the organization is engaged with a wide number of stakeholders from different stakeholders. However, the communication aspects are not effectively optimized.

References

Adler, R. B., Rodman, G. R., & Du Pré, A. (2016). Understanding human communication (Vol. 10). Oxford University Press.

Blumenthal, A., & Shanks, T. R. (2019). Communication matters: A long-term follow-up study of child savings account program participation. Children and youth services review100, 136-146.

Dolan, R., Conduit, J., Fahy, J., & Goodman, S. (2017). Social media: communication strategies, engagement and future research directions. International Journal of Wine Business Research.

Gagnon, F., Poulin, P., Leclerc, J. M., Dessau, J. C., Abab, A., Arsenault, P., … & Vézina, F. A. (2016). Implementation of a radon measurement protocol and its communication plan by child care centre managers in Québec. Canadian Journal of Public Health107(3), e319-e325.

Janssen, E., Ruiter, R. A., & Waters, E. A. (2018). Combining risk communication strategies to simultaneously convey the risks of four diseases associated with physical inactivity to socio-demographically diverse populations. Journal of behavioral medicine41(3), 318-332.

Lichy, J., & Stokes, P. (2018). Questioning the validity of cross-cultural frameworks in a digital era: The emergence of new approaches to culture in the online environment. International Studies of Management & Organization48(1), 121-136.

Serrano, J., Crouch, J. M., Albertson, K., & Ahrens, K. R. (2018). Stakeholder perceptions of barriers and facilitators to sexual health discussions between foster and kinship caregivers and youth in foster care: A qualitative study. Children and Youth Services Review88, 434-440.

Shannon, C. W. (2018). Effective Management Communication Strategies within an Organization (Doctoral dissertation, Walden University).