NPX Communication Audit

8/13/2019 NPX Communication Audit

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Joi Chadwick

Communication Audit

December 10, 2010

Gonzaga University

C !" #0$ % rganizationa& Communication


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C !!U'(CA)( ' AUD()

*ur+ose o the Audit

rganizations are created through the choices o +eo+&e % choices that may cause

+rob&ems or contribute to advancement- .owever, it is +ossib&e or individua&s to &ack awareness

and understanding about these choices /even their own and how they im+act overa&&

communication e ectiveness- ( organizations are to endure, it is crucia& to awaken this

awareness to enab&e +eo+&e to manage organizationa& situations in ways that achieve their

+ersona& goa&s and the goa&s o other members o their organizations- /Conrad and *oo&e, 200#,

+- 3 (t can be he&+ u& and necessary to engage in eva&uative +rocesses that e3amine strengths,&aws, and o++ortunities or im+rovement so that organizations maintain at &east an ade4uate

&eve& o communication e ectiveness in order to survive and +ros+er- /Conrad and *oo&e, 200#,

+- 5 )he +roceeding audit is such an eva&uative +rocess or organization 'on6+ro it 7,

herea ter re erred to as '*7-

)he sco+e o my audit was to im+&ement a communication and organizationa&

e ectiveness study to determine how '*78s structure and communication +ractices a ect new

member recruitment and su++ort o its initiatives- ( ocused strong&y on the o ices that were

most res+onsib&e or recruitment and managing communications % name&y the +resident, vice

+resident, and corres+ondence o icer % and how in ormation is disseminated rom these centra&

+oints- )he goa& was to high&ight strengths and weaknesses in interna& and e3terna&

communication in the +rocesses o so&iciting new members and +romoting +rograms-

9ackground o '*7

According to the '*7 recruitment +acket, members usua&&y have worked many years to

+er ect their musica& ta&ents, whether it be voca& or instrumenta&, but :they; a&so we&come women


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who have a sincere interest in the musica& +o+u&ation- A&& o the current members o '*7 are

university students who are or have been invo&ved with music +rograms and ensemb&es- )his

invo&vement inc&udes voca& and


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/Go&dhaber, 1 0, +- 5$B A ter using this to orm a more genera& understanding, ( then

administered the survey to understand s+eci ics- A ter the survey ( conducted individua&

interviews that e3+anded u+on the data gained rom the other methods-

A main concern in the data co&&ection +rocess was the .awthorne e ect % that is,

+artici+ants aware they were being observed wou&d modi y their behaviors or be tem+ted to

res+ond how they thought they shou&d answer rather than in a manner that authentica&&y

re+resented their e3+erience- ( might a&so have been tem+ted to vio&ate the ethnogra+her8s ru&e

o nonintervention as ( gathered data- /Geetz *acanowsky, 1 $, +- 1 5 (t was there ore

crucia& or me to remain cautious and avoid wie&ding in &uence on '*78s behaviora& +atterns as (observed and ac4uired more in ormation about the organization- Eor this +ur+ose, ( em+hasized

the vo&untary nature o +artici+ation, anonymity o res+onses, and re rained rom comments or

eedback regarding my observations-

@o&icitation o Communication @am+&es

( asked the +resident or sam+&es o '*78s e3terna& communications, even giving

e3am+&es o ty+es 6 +ress re&eases, &yers, +am+h&ets, websites, etc- (nitia&&y, ( was to&d they had

no e3terna& communications or their current year o o+eration- A ter ( +ressed urther or any

corres+ondence between the organization and those outside it, the +resident orwarded me a mass

e6mai& sent to a&& the students o a &oca& university- )he e6mai& was te3t on&y with no gra+hics-

>ords and +hrases have been changed to +rotect the con identia&ity o the organization and

members- )he o&&owing is the e6mai& with those omissionsF

Ca&&ing a&& women

Do you &ove musicH Come meet :'*7; on @e+tember 2Ith 2010 at B+m in the oom 1 o

9ui&ding 1-


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>omen o a&& ma=ors are invited to attend- >e &ook orward to meeting you

6Jane Doe

*resident

+hone number

e6mai& address

:!ission @tatement and Kision o '*7;

During this conversation, the +resident re erred me to the vice +resident o '*7 or

urther resources- ( o&&owed u+ on this re erra& and s+oke to the vice +resident who +rovided me

with a co+y o their current recruitment +acket- )he +acket was nine +ages /inc&uding a cover +age - (ts contents inc&udedF

Cover +age % 'ame o organization, !ission @tatement, an a++ea& to =oin and su++ort its

initiatives

*age 2 % Ere4uent&y asked 4uestions and answers about the organization-

*age 56$ % *ro i&e sheets or +ros+ective recruits to i&& out- )hese inc&ude name, birthday,

contact in ormation, schoo& in ormation /c&assi ication, ma=or


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!y im+ression o '*7 a ter the conversation with the +resident was that o ice did not

manage much o the e3terna& communication and did not have much awareness o s+eci ics o

e3terna& communication- A ter ( was given the recruitment +acket, ( ascertained the vice

+resident was the main contact +oint or +ros+ective new members- .owever, ( a&so gathered

that a&& members were trained to ie&d 4uestions or concerns because, as the +acket states on +age

si3, >e are a&ways ready and wi&&ing to he&+ you ( a&so re4uested co+ies o the minutes rom

the corres+ondence o icer, but these were never +rovided- )his in ormation wi&& be considered

urther in the ne3t section on ethnogra+hic observations-

?thnogra+hic bservations( was ab&e to observe two week&y meetings, two +rogram rehearsa&s, and one recruitment

event or '*7- Eor a&& o these events attendance was mandatory- According to statements by

members and the organization8s by&aws, monetary ines are set or tardiness and absence rom

mandatory events-

)he irst meeting ( observed was the &ast meeting be ore the grou+ went on a ho&iday

break or two weeks- (t was &ocated in a c&assroom o the +er orming arts bui&ding- @i3 o seven

members were in attendance- )he one member who was absent &ater stated she had not missed

any meetings and was not aware the meeting had occurred- )he *resident and other members

stated at this irst meeting and &ater observations that a reminder te3t message had been sent to

a&& members and the meeting had occurred at the same time and day it did every week +rior-

)he meeting began with a ca&& to order rom the +resident o&&owed by the

corres+ondence o icer reading minutes o the +revious meeting- )he act was brought u+ that

minutes were not sent to members a ter each meeting- )he corres+ondence o icer, whose

res+onsibi&ity this was, stated she wou&d correct this- Eo&&owing the reading o the minutes,


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o icers gave re+orts in order as ca&&ed by the +resident- A ter this the +resident ca&&ed or

un inished business % any matters o business brought u+ in +revious meetings that had not been

reso&ved or needed discussion- 'e3t the +resident ca&&ed or new business and these matters were

brought orth and discussed by the membershi+- Eo&&owing new business was the +rocess o

ad=ournment % a members made a motion to ad=ourn, another member seconded the motion, the

+resident asked or any discussion /there was none , the +resident asked or those in avor o

ad=ournment /a verba& vote o aye o&&owed by a&& o++osed /a verba& vote o nay , and

o&&owing a +ositive vote the +resident dec&ared the meeting ad=ourned-

During the meeting severa& dates, times, and &ocations o meetings and events o&&owingthe two week break were discussed and set and reminders were made or +revious&y set events-

)hese events inc&uded recruitment events, und6raisers, rehearsa&s or the recita&, and the recita&

itse& - (ndividua& and grou+ inances were +resented and discussed by the inancia& o icer-

.owever, it was noted by severa& members there was discom ort with individua& accounts being

verba&ized during the meetings- (t was re4uested that individua& ba&ances be discussed +ersona&&y

rather than announced during the meetings- /'oteF Einancia& records o the organization are not

secret and a&& members may view the books and statements regarding their own accounts, others8

accounts, and the accounts o the organization as a who&e- !embers a&so voiced concern with

the organization8s account ba&ance +resented by the inancia& o icer being a rough estimate

rather than an e3act amount- (n res+onse to this concern, the +resident re4uested that inancia&

re+orts be e3act and or the inancia& o icer to +rovide a s+readsheet o inances-

( observed a co&&aborative atmos+here at the meeting- A&& members asked 4uestions and

o ered in+ut- ( a&so observed that during the discussion o business sometimes mu&ti+&e

conversations were occurring simu&taneous&y % some re&ated to the business being discussed and


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some not- )he +resident and corres+ondence o icer +eriodica&&y inter=ected to redirect

conversation and re6estab&ish ocus or the grou+- A&so, on matters that re4uired +rocedura&

c&ari ication, the *resident re erred members to their +rocedures manua&s, which some had in

their +ossession- ( was ab&e to view the +rocedures manua&-

Eo&&owing the meeting, most o the members gathered and had conversations outside the

meeting room


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+er ormances by o ering com+&iments and suggestions or im+rovement- !any o the comments

and criticisms came rom '*78s +resident who actua&&y initiated the eedback +rocess- )his

estab&ished an environment where those +resent were not =ust s+ectators to each other but a&so

+artici+ants in the deve&o+ment o each other8s segments o the +rogram- !embers o ered

genera& comments / )hat was good- and s+eci ic comments / Lou need to ind a written +art

or that rather than im+rovising- - (n the end, the +resident o '*7 announced the ne3t rehearsa&

wou&d be more to the +oint o a++roving songs or cutting them rom the +rogram- As ha++ened

o&&owing the meeting, members o the organizations gathered in the genera& vicinity o the

rehearsa& s+ace or at e3terna& &oca&es / >e8re going to >a&6!art- to have conversation orsocia&ize-

'e3t, ( observed the second rehearsa& which occurred one week be ore the date o the

+rogram- )his rehearsa& was a&so &ocated in the recita& ha&& o the +er orming arts bui&ding- (

arrived s&ight&y be ore the rehearsa& start time % F00 *! 6 but was unab&e to get into the bui&ding

due to &ocked doors and construction work b&ocking entrances- As ( searched or a way in, three

members o '*7 arrive- ne member stated, h good- : ther member; is &ate, too- 'ow ( don8t

ee& so bad- Another member asked >hat time did this startH F00 or F50H A ter these

members arrived, ( o&&owed them to get into the rehearsa&-

ehearsa& actua&&y began at F0B and was run by a member o '*L- At the time si3

members o '*7, 2 +ros+ective recruits o '*7 who were +artici+ating, and two members o

'*L were +resent- )he +residents o '*7 and '*L were not there- At F50 the +resident o

'*L arrived- !embers o both grou+s i&tered in rom this +oint unti& short&y a ter IF00 %

inc&uding the +resident o '*7 around F#0- ( &earned that the reason or their &ateness was due

to rehearsa& or another grou+ that ran unti& F50- )he aim o the recita& rehearsa& u+ to that +oint


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where the over&a+ ended was or most o '*7 /and recruits to work on their +arts in the grou+

+iece- nce everyone arrived, they +roceeded with the +er ormance and eedback +rocess used at

the +revious rehearsa&- )hey chose to run +ieces in +rogram order-

A ter a ew +ieces had been +er ormed, the +resident o '*7 a++eared visib&y

disa++ointed- @he announced >e are not going to +ut B#M u+ there- ( it8s not 100M, it8s not

going on the +rogram- Eo&&owing this, she instructed the +revious act to +er orm their +iece

again, and the +er ormance and eedback +rocess continued- !embers gave verba& and nonverba&

eedback via comments, c&a++ing, &aughter, and gestures and acia& e3+ressions to each other-

*ieces garnering the most +ositive comments a&so a++eared to be witnessed more attentive&y/with si&ence and consistent eye contact and comments on these +er ormances were more o ten

+resented with &ight6hearted humor- /?-g- '*78s +resident te&&ing a member ( can8t &ook at you

when you sing that song or (8&& cry

( observed the music director o '*L was severa& times rustrated by interru+tions in the

&ow o the +rogram and the distraction o over&a++ing conversations- 9e ore +er ormances or

giving instructions or eedback, he o ten +aused waiting or si&ence rom others- Additiona&&y,

'*7 +resident had to redirect attention and instruct +eo+&e what to do to kee+ the rehearsa&

moving-

Eo&&owing the rehearsa&, members again gathered and ta&ked or made +&ans to get

together- (n act, a ter severa& minutes, '*78s +resident had to ask everyone to &eave the room to

conduct a review session o the +rogress o the +rogram- ( was ab&e to attend this session which

inc&uded the +residents o '*7 and '*L and the music director o '*L- )hey discussed each

individua& +iece in order and decided what they wou&d be wi&&ing to +ut on +rogram- Again,

eedback was in the orm o +ositive and negative comments and sometimes +resented with


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humor- )wo +ieces were cut % one +er ormed by a member o '*7 and a member o '*L and

one by two members o '*L % and one +iece was added- )he +iece added was set to be

+er ormed by a member o '*7 and one other +erson- During the sessions the '*7 +resident

contacted the member via te3t message and asked i she wou&d be wi&&ing to +er orm the song on

an instrument- )he member immediate&y res+onded /via te3t as we&& asking i they wou&d +re er

her to +er orm it instrumenta&&y or sing- )he three +resent agreed that singing it wou&d be

suitab&e- )he member res+onded that she had a +artner in mind who cou&d +er orm the song with

her, and thee +residents and music director a++roved this arrangement- )he decision to add this

untested +er ormance was based in +art on +ast and current work o this member- )he member8s +re+ared song had been =udged to be ready or the +rogram at both rehearsa&s, and it was agreed

the member had consistent&y de&ivered 4ua&ity +er ormances and work- )here ore the +residents

and music director were con ident in that member8s abi&ity to have the song ready by the dress

rehearsa& one day be ore the +er ormance-

)he o icers +resent discussed +&ans or the dress rehearsa& in the actua& +er ormance

s+ace % the auditorium o the +er orming arts bui&ding- )hough they had submitted the +ro+er

+a+erwork in time to reserve the s+ace and e4ui+ment, another grou+ had attem+ted to usur+

their reservation- )hough the o ice in charge o the reservation caught the con &ict and did not

a&&ow the usur+ation, the '*7 and '*L rehearsa& was sti&& contingent u+on schedu&es and

coo+eration rom e3terna& +&ayers and actors % inc&uding those who had tried to take their

reservation-

At the start o the rehearsa&, ( was ab&e to view a +oster advertising the recita&- )he +oster

contained names o the hosting organizations, a sim+&e gra+hic e3+ressing the theme, a short &ist

o movies the music was drawn rom, time, date, &ocation, and a statement o ree admission-


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)hese +osters were a&so stam+ed or +osting on a++roved bu&&etin boards around the cam+us- As

( was &eaving the rehearsa&, ( noticed one o the +osters had been +&aced on a bu&&etin board =ust

beyond the entrance o the music bui&ding-

Eour days a ter the rehearsa& ( attended '*78s recruitment event- )his event was &ocated

in a meeting room in one o the cam+us student centers- ( arrived a ew minutes be ore the start

o the event % IF50 *!- A&& members were +resent at the time e3ce+t two who had gone to get

+izza and so t drinks to be served- ?very members wore an '*7 t6shirt- @even +ossib&e recruits

attended- )he event began with the +resident instructing everyone to take turns introducing

themse&ves- During this +rocess, one member o ten o ered comments during others8 turns andthe +resident =oking&y o ered that a ter her turn her ta&king card was being taken- At various

times during the +rogram, the +resident or other members wou&d remind this member she did not

have her ta&king card as a way to redirect her rom overtaking conversation and the agenda-

?ar&y in the event the +resident announced to the grou+ she had +re+ared a scri+t but

orgot it- >hi&e the vice +resident stated she was in charge o new member intake and training,

she o ered ewer comments than severa& members, and it a++eared the +resident was in charge

o the event- ten the conversation and +resentation o in ormation moved orward by the other

member8s asking &eading 4uestions /such as >hat kind o time commitment do we re4uireH

and the *resident res+onding with other members a&so o ering answers and in+ut-

During the recruitment event, members shared in ormation about the organization,

activities and +rograms they were invo&ved in /inc&uding announcing their u+coming recita& as a

grou+ and activities and other grou+s members were invo&ved in individua&&y- ne such activity

was that another member was invo&ved in an U&timate Erisbee grou+ on cam+us- )hey a&so

discussed time commitment, +rioritizing, and c&oseness o +ast and current members- )hese


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inc&uded co&&egia& stories 6 +ositive or negative anecdotes about others within the organization

that +ass on how the organization 8rea&&y works-8 /Go&dhaber, 1 0, +- 1 5 ne such story

o ered was o ered by a member whose ather had +assed a ew months +rior- )his member

stated that she had gone through a rough time, but the members o the organization were there

or her and she knew she cou&d count on any one o them to be there or whatever she needed- (n

her words, )hey have rea&&y become my sisters-

*ros+ective recruits were ab&e to ask 4uestions to &earn about '*7 and its members as

we&& as o er in ormation about themse&ves and their invo&vements so that '*7 members cou&d

&earn about them- As 4uestions were being answered and stories were shared there were o tensevera& conversations occurring at once, inc&uding +oints where there seemed to be heavy ocus

on certain attendees and &itt&e ocus on others- !uch o this was interru+tions and side

conversations begun and conducted by '*7 members- )he *resident and some other members

took moments to redirect conversations or or tame the in+ut o members when things seemed too

o track- .owever, the environment was sti&& &oose and co&&aborative with everyone contributing

to the conversation in varying degrees-

)he ina& event ( observed was a meeting immediate&y o&&owing the recruitment event /in

the same &ocation - A&& members remained in attendance- )he meeting o&&owed the same ormat

as the +revious meeting- )he recruitment event was discussed /main&y im+ressions o those who

attended , reminders o u+coming events were announced, and members were noti ied they

wou&d be reviewing the by&aws at the ne3t meeting /which might make the meeting &onger than

usua& - @ince the +revious meeting, the inancia& o icer had ado+ted the +ractice o +resenting

individua& account ba&ances in writing /rather than announcing them and o ered e3act amounts

o the organization8s account ba&ances- Additiona&&y, it was announced they were in +&anning


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stages o a =oint service +ro=ect with severa& other organizations o simi&ar interest-

)he co&&aborative atmos+here remained, but ( a&so observed a +revai&ing tentativeness-

)he +resident asked severa& 4uestions o other members with a tone o uncertainty and res+onses

were o ten o simi&ar uncertainty- / ( don8t know- or ( guess- )hroughout the meeting

members redirected each other about ta&king and side6conversations and how they im+act the

&ength o meetings- ne member stated she misses announcements o dates and times because

mu&ti+&e conversations a ect her abi&ity to ocus in meetings- A ter ad=ournment, members

remained to ta&k with each other, but brie &y as com+ared to gathering a ter +revious events-

@urvey)he survey :A++endi3 A; administered to '*7 was a 5$6item "ikert6ty+e sca&e- )his

instrument measured attitudes regarding interna& communication with 4uestions 2# and 2I

having dua& +ur+ose o measuring attitudes regarding interna& and e3terna& +ractices %

s+eci ica&&y, +rograms +resented by the organization- *artici+ants were ab&e to choose their &eve&

o agreement with an item by circ&ing a number- Eo&&owing is an e3am+&e o the sca&eF

@trong&y 'eutra& @trong&y

Disagree Agree

0 1 2 5 5-# $ # I

)wo versions o the survey were administered % one or to+ management and one or a&&

other members- )hese surveys were identica& with the e3ce+tion o items B615 which addressed

+ers+ectives o communication between the two grou+s- /(tems B615 on the other members

survey are re+resented with asterisks +receding the numbers- 9oth versions o the survey ended

with a comments section- )he com+&etion rate or the survey was 100M 6 a&& members

+artici+ated and answered a&& 4uestions- Additiona&&y, some +artici+ants wrote comments-


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)he survey answers were ana&yzed to discover ranges o answers /&owest number

answered or a given item to highest number answered or a given item and means o answers-

anges were divided in twoF 1 to+ management ranges, and 2 other members ranges- Eor

means, each item was assigned three va&uesF 1 to+ management mean, 2 other members mean,

and 5 a&& mean /mean o to+ management and other members answers -

A ter ( ca&cu&ated ranges and means, theses data sets were used to assign items to

categories based on +ositive or negative res+onses- A&& 4uestions were worded +ositive&y,

there ore &ower numbers chosen as res+onses re+resented negative attitudes regarding the content

and and higher numbers re+resented +ositive attitudes- (tems with means above 5-# werec&assi ied as +ositive and a&& items with means at 5-# or &ower were c&assi ied as negative- 'o

item +resent on both versions o the survey earned an overa&& negative mean, one item e3isting

on both versions earned a negative mean rom to+ management, two items +resent on both

versions earned a negative mean rom other members, and one 4uestion on&y on the other

members version earned a negative mean- )aking this into account, 5 o $0 tota& items were

regarded +ositive&y by both to+ management and other members- 'egative items were as o&&ows

/mean rom the grou+ in +arenthesis F

)o+ management

1$- )he work&oad is air&y distributed in the organization- /5-55

ther members

I- !y organization encourages a di erence o o+inion- /5-2#

22- )ime is managed we&& during meetings- /5-5B

N10- ( regu&ar&y bring ideas or the organization to the Corres+ondence icer- /5-15

( a&so took ranges into account as items receiving any &ess than neutra& res+onses cou&d


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N - ( regu&ar&y bring ideas or the organization to the Kice *resident-

N10- ( regu&ar&y bring ideas or the organization to the Corres+ondence icer-

N15- ( ee& encouraged to bring ideas to the Corres+ondence icer-

(nterviews

A&& o to+ management +artici+ated in the individua& interview +ortion o the audit- )he

interview consisted o 12 4uestions, each having one to our +arts- )hese 4uestions assessed their

ro&es, training, structure o the organization, distribution o the work&oad, 4ua&ity o meetings,

methods o interna& and e3terna& communication, a++raisa& o members8 =ob +er ormance,

eedback and rewards, goa& achievement, and strength and weaknesses o individua&s and theorganization8s communications systems- Ouestions and res+onses are &ocated in A++endi3 C-

Common res+onses during the interviews +ointed to inade4uate training, ew members,

uneven distribution o work, uncertainty /about ro&es and making changes , e3cess conversation

during meetings, members taking things +ersona&&y, and &ack o +resence on cam+us and in

community- (nterna& methods o communication interviewees gave inc&uded Eacebook, te3t

message, +hone, e6mai&, and ace6to6 ace- Eacebook and te3t messages were the +redominate

methods- ?3terna& methods o communication mentioned inc&uded e6mai&, ace6to6 ace

/inc&uding announcements to grou+s and c&asses , and &yers-

@ummary and Ana&ysis

(n assessing the strengths and weaknesses o '*7, ( sought to understand the o&&owingF

how environmenta& actors a ect the organization8s communication system

what structura& actors a ect the organization8s communication system

the im+act o stress and ear u+on the e ectiveness o communication activities in the

organization


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how the current structure and communication +ractices im+act services o ered and =ob

satis action /Go&dhaber, 1 0, ++- 5$#65$

the e ect o intergrou+ re&ationshi+s on the decision6making +rocess in the organization

(t is im+ortant to understand the environmenta& actors that a ected the '*7 system because

every system is embedded in a grou+ o &arger systems :P; and every system is made u+ o a

number o sma&&er, interde+endent subsystems- /Conrad and *oo&e, 200#, +- 51 ( came to

understand that '*7, whi&e head4uartered on the cam+us, had no +ermanent meeting room or

+&ace- (n addition to the meetings ( observed in the c&assroom in the +er orming arts bui&ding and

the meeting room in the student center, ( was made aware the organization had a&so had meetings

in another c&assroom- (n a sense, as an organization they had no home and were trying to ind a

+&ace wherever they cou&d- Eurther com+&icating the matter was re&ationshi+s and schedu&ing

con &icts with other grou+s a&so vying or territory- !embers a&so brought into +&ay their

invo&vement in other systems % academics, work, ami&y and riends, +artici+ation in other

grou+s, etc-

)he '*7 structure is based on members being e&ected by +o+u&ar vote to o ices-

Current&y ive o seven members ho&d o ices- Duties and descri+tions o these o ices are

out&ined in a 22 +age +rocedures manua&s- )hese descri+tions are as &ong as $ Q +ages or the

corres+ondence o icer to 2 Q +ages or the +resident and Kice *resident to ha& a +age or &ess or

o ices such as +ar&iamentarian- According to the +rocedures manua&, outgoing o icers are to

kee+ current books or the o ice, have thorough know&edge o the +rocedures manua&, +resent

re+orts, and instruct their successors on duties o o ice- )he +rocedures manua& a&so suggests

invo&ving a worksho+ ormat or training wherein a&& o icers gather as a grou+ to discuss the

res+onsibi&ities o a&& o icers, have retiring o icers e3+&ain =ob duties to incoming o icers,


19/50

discuss suggestions o uture +ro=ects, and trans er i&es and materia&s o the o ices to new

o icers-

During a&& three segments o the audit, +artici+ants re+orted the size o the organization

a ected re&ationshi+s and e ectiveness and contributed to stress or the members o '*7- As

one member o ered on her survey, ( we had more members (8m air&y certain over ha& our

+rob&ems wou&d be so&ved, both our &ogistica& +rob&ems and our +ersona& disgrunt&ed ee&ingshi&e +artici+ants in both grou+s re+orted overa&& +ositive attitudes to survey items 16

+ertaining to training, understanding o res+onsibi&ities, and inding needed in ormation,

observations and the interview +ortion showed con &icting attitudes- As +revious&y stated,

members % inc&uding o icers % dis+&ayed tentativeness and uncertainty regarding duties and

+rocedures during meetings and events- (n the interviews o icers re+orted their training had been

insu icient to the +oint o non6e3istence- )hey e3+ressed this &ack o training &e t them unsure

and ee&ing as i they +resent images o being un+re+ared-

'*7 members e3hibited ami&ia& bonds in interactions, stories shared, and &anguage used

during observations- Kia conversations and stories a ter /and during meetings and at the

recruitment event members sought to i&&ustrate these bonds- )hese i&&ustrations inc&uded re+eated


20/50

use o terms such as ami&y, &ove, and sisters- )he interview res+onses su++ort these

observations as to+ management re+orted a c&oseness between members and understanding o

each other8s strengths and weaknesses- )hese bonds are a&so dis+&ayed in the co&&aborative nature

o meetings where everyone has in+ut in decision6making-

Internal Communication Strengths and Weaknesses

'*78s interna& communication strengths inc&ude members8 awareness o structure

/knowing who ho&ds what o ice , c&ose bonds and co&&aborative attitudes, &e3ibi&ity in

res+onding to their environment and individua& and grou+ needs, and agreement on modes o

communication- Awareness o the structure is im+ortant because structure makes &i e +redictab&e, and with +redictabi&ity come ee&ings o stabi&ity and trust- /Conrad *oo&e, 200#,

+- +en inter+ersona& re&ationshi+s observed throughout the audit are a strength or a&&,

inc&uding to+ management who uti&ize this c&oseness in transactiona& &eadershi+- )hey use these

bonds in creating o+en and su++ortive su+ervisor6subordinate re&ationshi+s, achieved through

8transactiona&8 &eadershi+ tactics- /+- 10B )his contributes to everyone in '*7 ee&ing they are

ree to o er in+ut- )he grou+8s &e3ibi&ity is i&&ustrated in one o icer8s res+onse to the 4uestion

regarding +ositive attributes o '*78s structureF ( o icers need assistance they can a++oint

other members to he&+ them- :A++endi3 C; )his &e3ibi&ity a&&ows them to remain viab&e as

structures must be designed to it an organization8s current circumstances /inc&uding its goa&s,

techno&ogy, work orce, and environment - /9o&man and Dea&, 200B, +- $I '*7 a&so bene its

rom members agreeing on certain modes o communication % name&y Eacebook, ace6to6 ace,

and te3t messaging % as +rimary means o message dissemination-

>eaknesses o '*78s interna& communication inc&ude &ack o distribution o work&oad,

time management during meetings, ee&ing &ack o encouragement o di erences o o+inion,


21/50

&ack o retention or recei+t o in ormation, inade4uate +re+aration, and inade4uate eedback and

rewards systems- >hi&e '*78s members are aware o who ho&ds each o ice and have some

genera& ideas regarding what those ro&es entai&, a&& members &ack thorough understanding o the

res+onsibi&ities o each +osition % inc&uding those who ho&d the +ositions- As to+ management

re+orted in the interviews, their training was heavi&y de icient and &acked s+eci ics and detai&s-

)his &e t them, as one stated, to igure it out by myse& - :A++endi3 C; >ithout a++ro+riate

understanding o ro&es, it is di icu&t to distribute res+onsibi&ities +ro+er&y- *oor division o &abor

negative&y im+acts the organization8s e ectiveness because organizations increase e iciency

and enhance +er ormance through s+ecia&ization and a++ro+riate division o &abor- /9o&man andDea&, 200B, +- $I )his carries over into time management during meetings because +rob&ems

arise and +er ormance su ers rom structura& de iciencies as members si t through uncertainty

and negotiate tasks and res+onsibi&ities- /+- $I

ne +rob&em arising rom this +rocess is members ee&ing their ideas and o+inions are

sti &ed or re=ected- )his &eads to hurt ee&ings mentioned in the to+ management interviews- )his

may even &ead /or have &ed to &atent con &ict % +otentia& or a con &ict but the +arties have not

yet rame the situation as a con &ict /Conrad and *oo&e, 200#, +- 51B Con &icting interests % in

the orm o com+eting ideas % may amass to the +oint where they mani est as an actua& ramed

con &ict between members-

>hi&e '*7 members do agree that Eacebook, te3t messaging, and ace6to6 ace

communication are their dominate methods o interna& communication, in ormation sti&& gets

tang&ed or &ost- *eo+&e do not check messages in time to know about new deve&o+ments, and they

strugg&e to +u&& vita& in ormation rom over&a++ing conversations- )his &eads to members being

&ate, missing, or un+re+ared or events or having to be constant&y reminded o in ormation-


22/50

>hen this occurs, other members are &e t to ee& as i +eo+&e are not conducting themse&ves

res+onsib&y and as i being in the organization is, in the words o a to+ management o icer, &ike

running a daycare- :A++endi3 C; (n the con usion o si ting through in ormation, not

understanding res+onsibi&ities dee+&y, com+eting to have in+ut, and attem+ting to +rioritize '*7

with the interde+endent subsystems o members8 &ives, the communication channe&s become

crowded- (n ormation % dates, times, and &ocations, or e3am+&e % sometimes does not make it

through the irst time i at a&&- As with other in ormation any eedback given across '*7 systems

has variab&e chances o being received and +ut to use to a ect out+uts-

External Communication Strengths and Weaknesses '*7 is in some ways bound by environmenta& constraints as regards message

dissemination to the +ub&ic % inc&uding +ros+ective recruits and +rogram su++orters- .owever,

they have succeeded in using a ew o the university8s communication channe&s to serve their

needs- )hey have uti&ized +osters and &yers % a ter a++rova& by the a++ro+riate authorities % on

cam+us bu&&etin boards to advertise recita&s and recruitment events- )hey have made use o

cam+us6wide e6mai& to mass e6mai& the student body- )hey have used their +resence and contacts

in courses and other organizations to announce events and +ro=ects and make +eo+&e aware o

their +artici+ation in '*7- Eina&&y, they have hosted events on the cam+us ree or +ub&ic

attendance- )hese are +ositive choices because to understand a system, :you; don8t =ust ocus on

the system itse& - /Conrad and *oo&e, 200#, +- 51 )hey understand they o+erate within the

su+rasystem o the university and take advantage o the in+ut6out+ut channe&s it o ers-

Additiona&&y, the event +osters were in ormative and visua&&y a++ea&ing without being too busy

with in ormation or e3cessive gra+hics-

ne weakness o '*78s e3terna& communications is that messages sent via cam+us6wide


23/50

e6mai& were te3t on&y which can be boring and una++ea&ing to the audience- ther actors that

detract rom '*78s e3terna& communication e ectiveness carry over rom interna&

communication- )he overa&& &ack o understanding, con usion, message &oss, subsystem

com+etition, and vying or a voice a ect the deve&o+ment and +resentation o events- )his was

evident at the recruitment event- )he head o recruitment, the vice +resident, o ered very &itt&e

in+ut as com+ared to the +resident and other members- !embers interru+ted each other and

conversations s+&intered continua&&y to the +oint where, at one instant, severa& members were

ta&king to one +otentia& recruit, whi&e no one ta&ked to three other +otentia& recruits- Additiona&&y,

members were so used to this &oose atmos+here rom meetings that severa& times they used +ro anities in s+eaking to the who&e grou+- >hi&e this may have been acce+tab&e to some in

attendance, to others it may have been o 6+utting and been a negative in their considerations o

whether or not to urther +ursue =oining the organization- 9ecause '*7 members do not

understand their res+onsibi&ities u&&y, they have not yet been ab&e to deve&o+ distinctions or

riend&y yet +ro essiona& organizationa& behavior and more in orma& and ami&ia& behavior-

'*7 a&so su ers rom a &ack o +resence on the cam+us and in the community, as

interviews indicated- )o+ management re+orted a &ack o members and know&edge as reasons

why e3terna& communication is not stronger- .owever, they may ai& to understand that the cause

or a system8s behavior is the system- 9ecause a&& variab&es are &inked together, it is im+ossib&e

to ind a sing&e u&timate cause or a +rob&em, or or that matter, or success- /Conrad and *oo&e,

200#, +- 50 (n a &oo+, their cam+us +resence and activities a ect their size and their size a ects

their +resence and activities- As everything is woven together, they cannot assume that an

increase in membershi+ wi&& be a magic bu&&et or '*7 and i3 most o their +rob&ems- (t might

he&+ to have more +eo+&e to shou&der the res+onsibi&ity, but it might a&so mere&y mean a more


24/50

com+&e3 system with more +eo+&e contributing to the same +rob&ems they have now % es+ecia&&y

i no one has a thorough understanding o what it is they are doing or shou&d be doing-

ecommendations and Conc&usion

(n orming recommendation or '*7, ( consideredF 1 how orma& and in orma&

communication +atterns can be identi ied and standardized, 2 how much change in the

organization is rea&istic, attainab&e, and


25/50

o ru&es, norms, and systems o rewards and +unishments as a&& contro& systems &ead to

resistance-R /Conrad and *oo&e, 200#, +- )his wi&& treat the issue o time management and

e3cess ta&king in meetings-

'*7 shou&d enhance know&edge management 6 +ractices and +rocedures that

organizations use to identi y, cata&og, harness, and uti&ize va&uab&e know&edge- /Conrad and

*oo&e, 200#, +- #I !embers shou&d discuss methods o communication by which they are most

accessib&e and set orma&, +ractica& standards to increase e ectiveness across these channe&s- ( ,

or instance, they a&& agree Eacebook is desirab&e or organizationa& communication, then there

shou&d be guide&ines % or instance, agreeing to check their inbo3es during certain +eriods o the

day- !embers can a&so increase know&edge management by taking individua& notes during

meetings and kee+ing accurate, u+6to6date records or their o ices- )hese can he&+ them ocus on

tasks at hand, have a record o in ormation +resented, document ideas they may have, and make

re&evant contributions at the right times- !inutes o meetings shou&d be a&so +rovided to a&&

members by a certain dead&ine each week to aid in cata&oging im+ortant in ormation-

'*7 shou&d engage in brainstorming sessions at which the ru&es wou&d be not to

eva&uate or criticize but to get as many ideas on the tab&e as +ossib&e, no matter how ridicu&ous

they might initia&&y a++ear- />i&son and gden, 200$, +- 10# @triving or more ideas

co&&ective&y wou&d motivate members to encourage each other to +rovide more in+ut- )his wou&d

combat ee&ings o re=ected o+inions and the recurring ( don8t know8s o to+ management

interviews- Additiona&&y, even seeming&y bad ideas cou&d bene it '*7 because those ridicu&ousideas, reeva&uated, rearranged, and combined, re4uent&y become the innovative so&utions that

are +raised, awarded, and used as e3am+&es o +henomena& creativity- /+- 10#

)he +resident o '*7 shou&d make use o network strategies o organization- )his wi&&


26/50

a ord her with a high&y re&ationa& strategy that +&ays to their c&ose re&ationshi+s and

transactiona& &eadershi+ oundation- /Conrad and *oo&e, 200#, +- 21 (t wi&& he&+ ba&ance

resistance to more traditiona& methods as it +rovides &e3ibi&ity and uti&izes mutua& trust and

commitment- A&so, the musica& meta+hor wi&& be ami&iar to members o '*7F 'etwork

strategies o organization re&y on &eaders to be sym+hony conductors rather than to+6down

managers- )he manager must be a coach, negotiator, +rob&em6so&ver, and im+roviser, rather than

sim+&y a director- /+- 1B >hi&e the +resident is the overa&& conductor, a&& members act as a

=unior conductors over their s+eci ic areas or tasks- ather than one or two +eo+&e trying to be

the who&e orchestra constant&y, members wi&& act as conductors over their s+eci ic areas ores+onsibi&ity % recruitment, und6raisers, music +rograms, etc- 6 guiding and cuing each moving

+art to bring the work to &i e- (t wi&& he&+ divide &abor and give members chances to shine in their

turns- )his sty&e o management and brokering wi&& a&so be use u& in bui&ding re&ationshi+s and

+ro=ects with other organizations as they make verba& or more orma& agreements with other

individua&s and grou+s to co&&ective&y achieve goa&s- And as the organization grows interna&&y

and in e3terna& re&ations, the &e3ibi&ity o network strategies wi&& a&&ow or needed ad=ustments-

(n orma&&y and orma&&y, '*7 shou&d ocus on increasing the +ractice o o ering +ositive

eedback or +ositive actions and constructive criticisms where im+rovement is needed- Due to

the ami&ia& and +ro essiona& bonds this may be verba& or written statements, hugs, sma&& tokens

o a++reciation, or +ub&ic recognition- )hese shou&d be both standardized and tai&ored to

individua&s because what is most im+ortant is not what ha++ens but what it means and

activity and meaning are &oose&y cou+&edS events and actions have mu&ti+&e inter+retations as

+eo+&e e3+erience &i e di erent&y- /9o&man and Dea&, 200B, +- 2#5 As di erent e3+ressions o

criticism and reward wi&& have di erent meanings de+ending on the source and the reci+ient, the


27/50

grou+ wi&& have to discuss sty&es and too&s that work best or each and come u+ with eedback

and rewards that meet the needs o the member and '*7 and contribute to a good member6

organization it- )his wi&& be u&timate&y bene icia& because a good it bene its both- (ndividua&s

ind meaning u& and satis ying work, and organizations get the ta&ent and energy they need to

succeed- /+- 122 )hey shou&d a&so co&&ective&y, ce&ebrate the va&ues and victories because

+romoting a cu&ture o ce&ebration ue&s the sense o unity and mission essentia& or retaining

and motivating members- /Touzes and *osner, 200I, +- 50 )his may have to start with

ce&ebrating sma&& victories and bui&d as they advance-

As the members o '*7 ee& stunted by the sma&& size o their organization and

consistent&y see it as an obstac&e to +rogress- .owever, the who&e is more than the sum o its

+arts- /Conrad and *oo&e, 200#, +- 2 )o+ management shou&d overcome this crisis o

con idence by taking advantage o any and a&& o++ortunities to re rame what they see as

insurmountab&e cha&&enges as things that are +ossib&e- ather than saying, >e can8t do this

because we have so ew members, they shou&d try to answer .ow can we do this with what we

haveH )hey shou&d take these moments as cha&&enges they wi&& rise to and create synergy rather

than surrender- )his wi&& may ins+ire simi&ar attitudes and increased e iciency in other members

because the most +ower u& way to communicate a rame is by everyday behavior, by seizing

:P; 8&eadershi+ moments,8 o++ortunities to suggest a +articu&ar way to view events, messages,

and communication- /+- 1B1

!embers shou&d assess their own interests in the organization, what they wou&d &ike toget out o '*7- ather than being burdened by viewing '*7 as making demands o them or

asking them to sacri ice, it may be he&+ u& or them to ask what they want o the organization

because organizations e3ist to serve human needs rather than the converse- /9o&man Dea&,


28/50


29/50

'*7 shou&d continue to deve&o+ their c&ose bonds because it is one o their most

+revai&ing strengths across this audit and this ami&ia& cu&ture they have created anchors '*78s

identity and sense o se& - /9o&man and Dea&, 200B, +- 2IB

Using these recommendations shou&d assist '*7 in deve&o+ing more e ective

communication standards and +ractices that wi&& aid in recruitment and su++ort o its various

+rograms and initiatives- >hi&e they are im+&ementing these, '*7 members shou&d kee+ in mind

that history is im+ortant in organizationa& systems and care u&&y consider the assets they are

working with and cha&&enges they are attem+ting to overcome % both individua&&y and

co&&ective&y- /Conrad and *oo&e, 200#, +- 52 )hey shou&d a&so be wi&&ing to embrace that the

changes they make may take them and the organization to un ami&iar territory and situations

because &eaders take +eo+&e to +&aces they8ve never been be ore- /Touzes and *osner, 200I, +-

5$


30/50

?E? ?'C?@

9o&man, "- G-, Dea&, )- ?- /200B - Reframing organizations: artistry, choice, and leadership

/$th ed- - @an EranciscoF Jossey69ass-

Conrad, C-, *oo&e, !- @- /200# - Strategic organizational communication: in a global

economy / th ed- - 9e&mont, CAF )homsonadworth-

Geertz, C- and *acanowsky, !- /1 $ - Cu&tura& a++roach to organizations,

Cha+ter 1 in, Gri in, ?- /200 CommunicationF A irst &ook at communication

theory /Ith ?d- /++- 2#062 0 - 'ew LorkF !cGraw6.i&&-

Go&dhaber, G-!- /1 0 - (m+&ementing organizationa& communication diagnosisF )he Communication audit- Cha+ter 10 in rganizationa& communication /#th

?d- /++- 5$$65B# - Dubu4ue, (A-F >i&&iam C- 9rown-

Touzes, J- !-, *osner, 9- - /200I - he leadership challenge /$th ed- - @an Erancisco, CAF

Jossey69ass-

>i&son, "- J-, gden, J- D- /200$ - Strategic communications planning: for effecti!e public

relations and marketing" /#th ed- - Dubu4ue, (AF Tenda&&


31/50

A++endi3 A

(nterna& Communication @urvey (nstrument

)here were two sets o items B615- )he set on the )o+ !anagement version o the survey

are &isted in order with the other 4uestions- (tems B615 rom the ther !embers version are &isted

a ter item 5$ with an asterisk /N +receding the numbers-

)he note o vo&untary +artici+ation /be&ow was the cover sheet or the survey book&et-

)he instrument o&&owed on the ne3t +age-

Internal Communication Audit)hank you or i&&ing out this survey- Lour +artici+ation wi&& be used in deve&o+ing the

overa&& audit o your organization which wi&& he&+ the researcher and your grou+ assesscommunication strengths and weaknesses- Lour +artici+ation in this survey is vo&untary- Lou are

ree to ski+ 4uestions or 4uit the survey at any time- .owever, know that in answering thissurvey your identity wi&& remain anonymous and your name wi&& never be associated with thissurvey or any res+onses contained herein- A&so, ee& ree to write comments at the end- Again,shou&d you choose to write comments, they wi&& not be associated with your name and youridentity wi&& remain anonymous % your survey wi&& not be shared with anyone e&se-

@hou&d you have any 4uestions, comments, or concerns at any +oint 6 be ore, during, or a ter thesurvey % ee& ree to bring these to my attention-

Again, thank you or your +artici+ation

Joi Chadwick @tudent % !aster o Arts, Communication "eadershi+ +rogramGonzaga University


32/50

Circ&e the number that best re+resents your &eve& oagreement with each statement-

/ 0 being @trong&y Disagree, 5-# being 'eutra&, and I being @trong&y Agree

1. I have been given the training I need to perform my job effectively.@trong&y 'eutra& @trong&yDisagree Agree0 1 2 5 5-# $ # I

2. I have a clear understanding of the organization's purpose.@trong&y 'eutra& @trong&yDisagree Agree0 1 2 5 5-# $ # I

3. I have a clear understanding of the organization's mission statement.@trong&y 'eutra& @trong&yDisagree Agree0 1 2 5 5-# $ # I

. I have a clear understanding of the organization's vision.@trong&y 'eutra& @trong&yDisagree Agree0 1 2 5 5-# $ # I

!. I have a clear understanding of my responsibilities in the organization.@trong&y 'eutra& @trong&yDisagree Agree0 1 2 5 5-# $ # I

". If I have #uestions about my role in the organization$ I %no& ho& to find ans&ers.@trong&y 'eutra& @trong&yDisagree Agree0 1 2 5 5-# $ # I

. (y organization encourages difference of opinion@trong&y 'eutra& @trong&yDisagree Agree0 1 2 5 5-# $ # I

). (embers regularly bring ideas for the organization to me.@trong&y 'eutra& @trong&yDisagree Agree0 1 2 5 5-# $ # I


33/50

*. I do a good job of encouraging members to bring ideas to me.@trong&y 'eutra& @trong&yDisagree Agree0 1 2 5 5-# $ # I

1+. I am satisfied &ith amount of information I present to members.@trong&y 'eutra& @trong&yDisagree Agree0 1 2 5 5-# $ # I

11. I am satisfied &ith the quality of information I present to members.@trong&y 'eutra& @trong&yDisagree Agree0 1 2 5 5-# $ # I

12. I am satisfied &ith the amount of action ,follo&-up ta%en on information I give to

members.@trong&y 'eutra& @trong&yDisagree Agree0 1 2 5 5-# $ # I

13. I am satisfied &ith the quality of action ta%en on information I give to members.@trong&y 'eutra& @trong&yDisagree Agree0 1 2 5 5-# $ # I

1 . /he &or%load is fairly distributed in the organization.@trong&y 'eutra& @trong&yDisagree Agree0 1 2 5 5-# $ # I

1!. I am satisfied &ith the quality of &or% I have done for the organization.@trong&y 'eutra& @trong&yDisagree Agree0 1 2 5 5-# $ # I

1". I am satisfied &ith the quality of &or% other members have done for the organization.@trong&y 'eutra& @trong&yDisagree Agree0 1 2 5 5-# $ # I

1 . I am satisfied &ith the quantity of &or% I have done for the organization..@trong&y 'eutra& @trong&yDisagree Agree0 1 2 5 5-# $ # I


34/50

1). I am satisfied &ith the #uantity of &or% other members have done for the organization.@trong&y 'eutra& @trong&yDisagree Agree0 1 2 5 5-# $ # I

1*. I find my office0role in the organization to be interesting.@trong&y 'eutra& @trong&yDisagree Agree0 1 2 5 5-# $ # I

2+. I am accessible &hen needed for the organization's business.@trong&y 'eutra& @trong&yDisagree Agree0 1 2 5 5-# $ # I

21. I arrive at meetings ade#uately prepared.

@trong&y 'eutra& @trong&yDisagree Agree0 1 2 5 5-# $ # I

22. /ime is managed &ell during meetings.@trong&y 'eutra& @trong&yDisagree Agree0 1 2 5 5-# $ # I

23. I am satisfied &ith the #uality of meetings.@trong&y 'eutra& @trong&yDisagree Agree0 1 2 5 5-# $ # I

2 . I leave meetings &ith a feeling of accomplishment.@trong&y 'eutra& @trong&yDisagree Agree0 1 2 5 5-# $ # I

2!. I am punctual to the organization's programs.@trong&y 'eutra& @trong&yDisagree Agree0 1 2 5 5-# $ # I

2". I arrive at the organization's programs ade#uately prepared.@trong&y 'eutra& @trong&yDisagree Agree0 1 2 5 5-# $ # I


35/50

2 . I am satisfied &ith the #uality of the organization's programs.@trong&y 'eutra& @trong&yDisagree Agree0 1 2 5 5-# $ # I

2). I am satisfied &ith the organization's achievements so far.@trong&y 'eutra& @trong&yDisagree Agree0 1 2 5 5-# $ # I

2*. (orale in the organization is generally high.@trong&y 'eutra& @trong&yDisagree Agree0 1 2 5 5-# $ # I

3+. I am committed to doing #uality &or% for the organization.


31. I feel other members are committed to doing #uality &or% for the organization.@trong&y 'eutra& @trong&yDisagree Agree0 1 2 5 5-# $ # I

32. I trust other members of the organization.@trong&y 'eutra& @trong&yDisagree Agree0 1 2 5 5-# $ # I

33. I am satisfied &ith my organization's system for recognizing and re&arding outstandingperformance.@trong&y 'eutra& @trong&yDisagree Agree0 1 2 5 5-# $ # I

3 . I am satisfied &ith the organization's achievement of its goals and objectives.@trong&y 'eutra& @trong&yDisagree Agree0 1 2 5 5-# $ # I

). I regularly bring ideas for the organization to the resident.@trong&y 'eutra& @trong&yDisagree Agree0 1 2 5 5-# $ # I


36/50

*. I regularly bring ideas for the organization to the ice resident.@trong&y 'eutra& @trong&yDisagree Agree0 1 2 5 5-# $ # I

1+. I regularly bring ideas for the organization to the Correspondence 4fficer.@trong&y 'eutra& @trong&yDisagree Agree0 1 2 5 5-# $ # I

11. I feel encouraged to bring ideas to the resident.@trong&y 'eutra& @trong&yDisagree Agree0 1 2 5 5-# $ # I

12. I feel encouraged to bring ideas to the ice resident.


13. I feel encouraged to bring ideas to the Correspondence 4fficer.@trong&y 'eutra& @trong&yDisagree Agree0 1 2 5 5-# $ # I

C4((56/78

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A++endi3 9

@urvey Ana&ysis

Answer ranges in the tab&e beginning on the ne3t +age indicate the &owest and highest

va&ues o a&& res+onses given or each item- >here on&y one number is &isted or a range, a&&

res+onses given were the same va&ue- >here b&anks /666666 a++ear in a co&umn, the s+eci ic item

did not a++ear on the survey or that set o +artici+ants- Data is broken down ive waysF

1- ange o a&& )o+ !anagement answers or an item

2- ange o a&& ther !embers answers or an item

5- !ean /average o a&& )o+ !anagement answers or an item$- !ean /average o a&& ther !embers answers or an item

#- !ean /average o a&& +artici+ants answers or an item

Eina&&y, the o&&owing abbreviations are used in tab&eF

)! W )o+ !anagement /*resident, Kice *resident, Corres+ondence icer

! W ther !embers

A&& W A&& +artici+ants /)o+ !anagement and ther !embers

/(9ange

4(9ange

/((ean

4((ean All (ean

1- ( have been given the training ( need to +er orm my =ob e ective&y- 5-# % 5-# % I $-B5 $-BB $-B

2- ( have a c&ear understanding o theorganization8s +ur+ose- I % I I -I# -B


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5- ( have a c&ear understanding o theorganization8s mission statement-

I I I I I

$- ( have a c&ear understanding o theorganization8s vision-

% I I - I I -B

#- ( have a c&ear understanding o myres+onsibi&ities in the organization-

# % I # % I -55 -1$

- ( ( have 4uestions about my ro&e in theorganization, ( know how to ind answers-

$ % % I # -I#

I- !y organization encourages di erence oo+inion-

5-# % 0 % #-1I 5-2# $-0I

B- !embers regu&ar&y bring ideas or theorganization to me-

$ % 666666 # 666666 #

- ( do a good =ob o encouraging members to bring ideas to me-

# % 666666 #- I 666666 #- I

/(9ange

4(9ange

/((ean

4((ean All (ean

10- ( am satis ied with the amount oin ormation ( +resent to members-

5-# % 666666 $-B5 666666 $-B5

11- ( am satis ied with the 4ua&ity oin ormation ( +resent to members

5-# % 666666 #-1I 666666 #-1I


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12- ( am satis ied with the amount o action/ o&&ow6u+ taken on in ormation ( give tomembers-

5 % 666666 $- I 666666 $- I

15- ( am satis ied with the 4ua&ity o actiontaken on in ormation ( give to members-

5-# % 666666 $-B5 666666 $-B5

1$- )he work&oad is air&y distributed in theorganization- 0 % 5 % # 5-55 5-BB 5- $

1#- ( am satis ied with the 4ua&ity o work (have done or the organization-

5-# % # % I #-1I #- $

1 - ( am satis ied with the 4ua&ity o work othermembers have done or the organization-

2 % 5 % # 5- I 5-BB 5-I

1I- ( am satis ied with the 4uantity o work (have done or the organization-

5 % 5-# % I $- I #-5B #-0I

1B- ( am satis ied with the 4uantity o workother members have done or the organization-

2 % 5-# % 5- I $-15 5- 5

/(9ange

4(9ange

/((ean

4((ean All (ean

1 - ( ind my o ice


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50- ( am committed to doing 4ua&ity work orthe organization- % I $ % I - I -2

51- ( ee& other members are committed todoing 4ua&ity work or the organization-

5-# % I $ % # #-# $-I# #-0I

52- ( trust other members o the organization- 5 % I $ % I $- I #-I# #-2

55- ( am satis ied with my organization8s systemor recognizing and rewarding outstanding

+er ormance-

2 % 5-# % #-1B $-# $-21

5$- ( am satis ied with the organization8sachievement o it8s goa&s -

5-# % I 5-# % I $-B5 #-5B #-1$

NB- ( regu&ar&y bring ideas or the organizationto the *resident-

666666 0 % I 666666 $-15 $-15

N - ( regu&ar&y bring ideas or the organizationto the Kice *resident-

666666 0 % I 666666 $-15 $-15

/(9ange

4(9ange

/((ean

4((ean All (ean

N10- ( regu&ar&y bring ideas or the organizationto the Corres+ondence icer-

666666 0 6 I 666666 5-15 5-15

N11- ( ee& encouraged to bring ideas to the*resident-

666666 5-# % I 666666 # #


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N12- ( ee& encouraged to bring ideas to the Kice*resident-

666666 5-# % I 666666 $-5B $-5B

N15- ( ee& encouraged to bring ideas to theCorres+ondence icer-

666666 2 % I 666666 5-BB 5-BB

Kerbatim CommentsF

e erence to trust 4uestion- Les ( trust them as riends and associates but not as orward

moving members o the organization- ( ind some8s &ack o motivation and res+onsibi&ity

disa++oint-

ur &ack o numbers signi icant&y e ect what we are ab&e to do, how we do it, and our

ee&ings towards doing anything- ( we had more members (8m air&y certain over ha& our

+rob&ems wou&d be so&ved, both our &ogistica& +rob&ems and our +ersona& disgrunt&ed

ee&ings< +rob&ems-

!eetings are too &ate and too &ong


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A++endi3 C

(nterview Ouestions es+onses

/ es+onses are +resented as bu&&eted items be&ow 4uestions-

$" %escribe your role in the organization and the process of training&preparing you for this role"

'o orma& training-

.anded an in ormation binder by +revious o icer and to&d .ere you go- Did not

receive training and had to igure it out by myse& -

Kery &itt&e training-

What 'as positi!e about this training(

Given ty+ed e3am+&es o minutes-

Given in ormation binder-

(t was short-

What do you feel 'as lacking from this training(

'o +ro+er instructions-

'ot actua&&y trained, didn8t &earn the =ob rom an actua& +erson-

>as not instructed on &ots o detai&s and s+eci ics-

)o' does it affect your ability to perform your *ob(

.ad to igure out things myse& -

@ti&& unsure about things and ee& it comes across as not being +re+ared-

+" %escribe the structure of the organization and ho' the 'orkload is distributed"

@im+&e structure- )he *resident de&egates res+onsibi&ities to members-

rganized into o ices- !uch o the work a&&s onto the *resident and Kice *resident-


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?ach +erson has work according to tit&e- @ome o ices have &ighter &oads-

What is good about this(

!embers are very c&ose and understand each other8s strengths and weaknesses-

)he *resident as we&& as other members get much done-

?veryone knows what needs to be done because it is =ob s+eci ic- ( o icers need

assistance they can a++oint other members to he&+ them-

What is bad about this(

?veryone has to be +resent and +artici+ate in everything-

)oo much a&&ing on one +erson-

)o' do you think it could be changed to be better(

ecruit more members and train o icers better-

@+read out the work&oad more even&y-

Combine some &ighter +ositions- >ork wou&d be air&y we&& distributed with enough

members-" What positi!es do you see in other members- 'ork for the organization(

!ost are +retty hard working when it is convenient-

:!ember A; does what she is su++osed to do-

:!ember A; is very res+onsib&e, es+ecia&&y or having very &itt&e training-

)he Corres+ondence icer does a good =ob o kee+ing +eo+&e on track-

What is missing from other members- 'ork(

@ome +eo+&e don8t understand they are not the on&y one8s who make sacri ices-

!ost everyone is =ust there and do s+eci ics o their =ob with nothing e3tra-

)here is a &ack o res+onsibi&ity and +eo+&e having to be to&d things re+eated&y-


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(t is &ike running a daycare-

)o' might this be fixed(

edistributing the work&oad more even&y-

@creening recruits and new members or work ethic-

*ena&ty or irres+onsibi&ity-

emova& rom or change o o ice-

." %escribe the positi!es of meetings"

>e ta&k and get things done-

?veryone gives ideas and o+inions and cares-

)hey have been shortened to &ess than an hour-

%escribe the negati!es of meetings"

*eo+&e ta&king out o turn and getting o to+ic-

*eo+&e8s ee&ings get hurt i their ideas are re=ected-

*eo+&e8s ee&ings get hurt i they are redirected about being o to+ic or out o turn-

Conversations get o track-

'ot enough ocus on +ar&iamentarian res+onsibi&ities-

What 'ould you suggest to make meetings better(

@trict no ta&k ru&e un&ess it is your turn-

@trictness and en orcing ines-

edistribution o +ar&iamentarian duties to someone e&se-

*eo+&e bringing more ideas-


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!embers in grou+s and c&asses /choirs, bands, ensemb&es, other courses with +ros+ective

members announce recruitment-

What 'ould you like to see done to impro!e the flo' of information from the organization to

prospecti!e recruits(

!ore +ub&ic socia& events that student body can see-

Do more things on cam+us-

rganize recruitment events or better +resentation- "e t unim+ressed by +ast

recruitment events-

Why hasn-t it been done yet(

@ma&& size o organization-

*eo+&e stuck in tradition or do not see things need to change-

1" %escribe ho' the organization communicates 'ith those outside the organization regarding

programs it presents"

@ame as recruitment / ace to ace, mass e6mai&s, &yers -

E&yers, e6mai&s, word o mouth-

Announcements at other events-

What 'ould you like to see done to impro!e the flo' of information from the organization to

those outside the organization to gain a'areness and support for 234-s programs(

!ore +ub&ic and socia& events-

eaching a bigger audience-

Don8t know-

Why hasn-t it been done yet(

Don8t know-


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'obody knows how or has any good ideas or doing so-

@ma&& numbers o organization-

5" What are the ma*or communication strengths of the organization(

)e3t messaging is used o ten and is air&y re&iab&e-

*rob&ems are ta&ked about and reso&ved e3+edient&y-

Eacebook accessibi&ity-

C&oseness and accessibi&ity-

)o' do you feel members 6yourself included7 ha!e contributed to these strong points(

Checking Eacebook regu&ar&y-

*rom+t&y noti ying about changes-

:!ember A; is good about s+reading in ormation-

.ave deve&o+ed riendshi+s-

"istening to each other-

8" What are the ma*or communication 'eaknesses of the organization(

*eo+&e orgetting or having to be reminded o events and in ormation re+eated&y-

'ot a &ot o usage o +hone ca&&s-

ver&a++ing activities-

*eo+&e taking things +ersona&&y when +resented in ormation or directions-

)o' do you feel members 6yourself included7 ha!e contributed to these 'eaknesses(

*eo+&e not +aying attention when crucia& in ormation % such as dates, times, and

&ocations o events % is set or +resented-

*eo+&e not taking into consideration the chain o command-


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*eo+&e not +aying attention in meetings-

*eo+&e don8t take the initiative to ca&& others-

$9" What do you think the organization hasn-t done yet that it should ha!e(

Created more o a +resence on cam+us-

Assisted choir +rogram more-

Community outreach % have not done a big im+act +ro=ect yet-

)rained o icers correct&y-

aised more unds-

Deve&o+ed c&oser re&ationshi+s with other organizations and &ike grou+s-

$$" )o' do you kno' 'hen you-!e done a good or bad *ob to'ard accomplishing the

organization-s goals(

esu&ts are more +hysica&, e-g-, raised money or +ut on a good +er ormance-

'ot sure-

)he *resident doesn8t ye&& at me-

Ask other members 4uestions, e-g-, Did ( do okayH and receive eedback-

)o' 'ould you suggest impro!ing the feedback and re'ards system(

Don8t know-

*ositive reactions given or good actions

!embers being rewarded or doing something outstanding 6 not =ust or doing the

basics o their =obs- /.ave not had anything outstanding done yet-

$+" ny other comments or suggestions"

NPX Communication Audit

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