ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION

A Communication Audit
of Charleston Townes
Presented by Melissa Abshire, Thomas MacCall,
Annacara Petroskey, and Georgia Vaughan
 About the Complex
Charleston Townes, managed by Matchbox Realty, was
originally built in 2008.

The complex was built in three phases.

2008 was the first phase of construction done in the front
of the complex.
In 2011, Charleston Townes added a clubhouse, pool,
court space for basketball and volleyball, and a dog park.
t
13 new units were also constructed at this time.
By 2017, all current units on the property were built.
Most units enter on the ground floor with two bedrooms,
the living and kitchen spaces on the second floor, and the
third and fourth bedroom at the top of the townhouse.
The units built on hills throughout the complex enter on
the communal level, with bedrooms in the basement and
on the top floor.

Our audit aims to understand how communication between

management and residents has changed due to the recent
turnover of Portfolio Managers that occurred in January
2020. Recommendations for improvement are provided.
Figure 1: Map of Charleston Townes Housing Complex, http://www.charlestontownes.com/location.html
Alyssa Davis is the Portfolio Manager for Charleston
Townes.
 DATA SOURCES
Culture Scan
Members of our team collected information about the
Charleston Townes complex and organization through
observation and note-taking of the homes and
community.
This information allowed us to determine a set of values
that we believe Charleston Townes management hopes
residents feel through their experience here
These values include a sense of uniform appearance,
comfort, and community, privacy, and safety.
Survey to Residents
A ten question survey was sent to current residents of
Charleston Townes through GroupMe
The survey aimed to gather information on residents'
perceptions of Charleston Townes management and
their communication efforts
Analysis of responses revealed that an overwhelming
amount of residents find the current management
ineffective in their approach to communication
Interview with Property Manager
Members of our team met with Alyssa Davis, the Portfolio
Manager of Charleston Townes, to learn more about how
the organization functions
Alyssa provided a history of the complex, statistics about
its residents, and discussed how the management office
views their relationship with residents
This led us to acknowledge a disconnect between
perceptions of Charleston Townes seen by management
versus their residents' experiences
Email Analysis
Ten emails sent from Charleston Townes management to
residents between October 2019 and April 2020 were
analyzed based on tone, length, personalization, and
relevance of information provided
The analysis exposed how the recent shift in Portfolio
Managers of Charleston Townes positively changed the
energy and approach to communication that comes from
the management office
 CHARLESTON TOWNES
SWOC Analysis

Charleston Townes provides ample amount of opportunity for residents to build community through
social events (social events were also successfully represented by Charleston emails as seen in the
S Strengths survey)
Successful communication regarding rent payment (email notices each month that rent is due soon)

Website is disorganized and does not reflect necessary information in a complete manner
Lack of communication between management, maintenance, and tenants
W Weaknesses Interactions between all involved parties is not consistent or effective in understanding necessary
information

When residents sign their lease, ensure understanding about all of the rules and regulations of living
in Charleston Townes
O Opportunities This may require more time from both management and residents, but in the long run it will allow
for better understanding between both parties about what is expected of them

Current perceptions of the management office that residents of Charleston Townes maintain
The negative perspective residents hold stems from the relationship residents had with previous management
team
C Challenges Number of residents for the upcoming school year may decrease due to potential online instruction at James
Madison University
Many students and their families are not willing and/or cannot afford to pay for off-campus hosuing when students
are required to engage in class online and from their permanent residences
 Vary Channels of Communication
Allow residents to choose how they communicate
with the management office when dealing with
1
their own specific needs. Focus on developing
interactions to create positive tone within the
atmosphere of the complex.

Engage with Residents

Create space for opportunities, like holiday
gatherings and open office hours, for residents to
Our Recommendations 2 interact and connect with the management team
in an informal setting. This will help build a
stronger relationship with more trust between
both parties.

Revamp Charleston Townes Website

Stream necessary information through the website
3 to provide one space with easy access for all
current and potential residents. Include access to
Charleston rules and regulations, and a page
introducing the new Property Manager Alyssa
Davis with contact information.

Melissa Abshire
Melissa is a junior at James
Madison University. She is
studying Communications, with a
concentration in Public Relations.
ABOUT OUR TEAM
Thomas MacCall
Thomas is a sophomore at James
Madison University. He is
currently applying to
Communication Studies Major,
with a concentration in
Organizational Communication.
Annacara Petroskey Georgia Vaughan
Annacara is a rising senior at
Georgia is a sophomore at James
James Madison University. She is
Madison University. She is
currently studying Social Work,
majoring in Communications with
Communications, Spanish, and
a minor in Sociology.
Sociology.