Effective Communication

Sports Fan Treasures is an online retailer of sports fan merchandise for all of the college and pro sports teams. Running a website takes a lot of time and effort since the Internet is changing each day. There are multiple problems that can arise with suppliers, shipping companies, and manufacturers that take the efforts of each individual employee to find a solution. Getting each individual employee working together as a team to find solutions is a key to keeping Sports Fan Treasures a successful online retailer of sports fan merchandise. In a team-oriented environment, each employee contributes to the overall success of the organization (Heathfield, 2010).

There are different techniques that Sports Fan Treasures have implemented that have been most effective for sharing information and ideas. The first technique used is to have a daily meeting at the end of each workday. This meeting can last from five minutes up to an hour. This meeting gets each employee involved and talks about any problems or concerns that might have come up throughout the day. The second technique used is a simple dry erase board that hangs up in the office. When an employee comes across a problem or concern, they can write it down on the board so that they do not forget about it before the meeting. The last technique used is the online chat software Skype. If an employee has a problem that needs immediate attention, they can use Skype to communicate with a supervisor to assess the problem right away.

Sports Fan Treasures have also implemented techniques in the past that were ineffective when communicating about daily problems. One technique that was used in the past was to have a meeting on the first Monday of each month. This would be a meeting that would last for a few hours at a time. The main problem with this technique is employees would often forget about major problems that needed attention. Another technique that was used was to have each employee fix the problem right away without consulting with one of the supervisors. They would find a quick solution to the problem without thinking about the future implications. This would be a major problem once the employee would no longer work there and other employees would have to figure out how they solved the problem.

Taking these techniques into a health care setting could be beneficial for any staff. Having a daily meeting no matter how short or long it is can help get each employee on the same page. This can increase workflow and production throughout the entire organization. Involving employees on broad issues is motivational (Farrington, 2008).  Putting up a dry erase board in the office is another technique that would be beneficial in a health care setting. Most health care organizations are fast paced and it is hard for employees to remember every detail throughout the day. If the employees can use the board to write down problems or concerns, it could help the supervising staff address those issues later on.

Technology can impact all of these techniques that are used in the Internet industry and the health care industry. Technology is advancing every day and it is helping organization teach employees how to work better as a team. It helps make employees jobs easier during the day so that they can handle more tasks and be able to accomplish those tasks in a timely manner. Both types of organizations have seen major increases in the types of technology out there to help them become more successful. Technology has become the foundation for any organization and how the run and approach their everyday tasks.

Teamwork is essential for competing in today’s global arena, where individual perfection is not as desirable as a high level of collective performance (Kotelnikov, 2010). Teamwork is a must for any organization to be competitive. It is vital that when problems or concerns arise, that the employees of the organization work together as a team instead of as individuals to find solutions to the problems. There are multiple techniques that the organization can use to find these solutions and it ultimately comes down to which ones will work best for the type of environment that the organization is in. No matter what type of technique the organization uses, it is vital that the employees are working as a team to find the solution.

References

Heathfield, S. (2010, November 22). Twelve tips for team building: how to build successful work teams. Retrieved from http://humanresources.about.com/od/involvementteams/a/twelve_tip_team.htm

Farrington, J. (2008). The importance of working together with your team. Retrieved from http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/the-importance-of-working-together-with-your-team.html

Kotelnikov, V. (2010, November 22). Team building & teamwork. Retrieved from http://www.1000ventures.com/business_guide/crosscuttings/team_main.html

Brandon is a junior in college studying in the health care industry field. He already has one degree in Pharmacy Practice and is studying for his second one in Health care information systems. He is the owner of a Four Wheel Drive Lift Kits website that sells Tuff Country Lift Kits. He enjoys school and working on his site, but he does enjoy relaxing more.