Create a blog posting describing how you can integrate supportive communication in your present position, utilize the guidelines detailed on page 265 and describe the expected outcomes that may result from your efforts.
The first guideline that I would like to utilize is point number four in supportive communications. It states "use problem-orientated statements; that is, focus on behavioral referents or characteristics of events, not attributes of the person" (Whetten, 2011). In my current facility, each person can approach the way the do their job in their own way. That is, as long as they are abiding by the technical rules laid out for us, they can operate at their own ability and understanding. In a lot of situations, people are called out for making a bad call or not making the correct judgment decisions. In some cases the people are singled out and reprimanded for their actions. What I would like to apply/implement is that we focus on the culture surrounding events and the characteristics that contributed to the error or problem. It could be that there is some weakness within the problem, but maybe the problem is within some other avenue. People can conform to change in the workplace, I think this supportive communication technique is important to that particular change. I would see a boost in moral and job appreciation if the facility was addressed, not the individual.
Secondly, I want to focus on "use specific rather than global statements, and, when trying to correct behavior, focus on things that are under the control of the other person rather than factors that cannot be changed" (Whetten, 2011). When a situation arises in my current workplace, there is a detailed look into why the situation evolved and who is to blame. In most cases (being contract), if the person working is to be at fault, they can be terminated for their lack of ability. In some cases, there is a failure to understand all of the third party influences that may be effecting a person and what those influences could do to make that person not preform at the top level. In recent years, sleeping has come under the lime light as a cause to some errors. Sleep deprivation and scheduling often play a huge part in why things happen in my career field. The companies involved are focusing to much on the basic approaches, such as how much sleep does the average person need and how can we make a better schedule. They need to look into specific situations that people are dealing with. An example would be a person with a newborn. Do they need to be on the hardest rotating schedule the facility has? Probably not. Because there are hierarchies to the schedule and tenure, the important influences that cause situations are unnoticed. It would be my goal to try and better understand the situation of each person. This was talked about in the first couple of weeks of class and getting to know someone could help the facility operate more smoothly.
Although there are ten different guidelines to help supportive communication, these are the two that I think I can best implement in the near future. It is important to understand your role in the facility as well as the role of your leadership. I fear that until I'm in a leadership role, the higher leadership will not listen, they assume everything runs smoothly and is the most efficient, so why take advice when they think they don't need it?
Whetten, D. & Cameron, K. (2011). Developing Management Skills (8th ed.). Pearson: Upper Saddle River, NJ.
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