CASE STUDY: A MATTER OF MISCOMMUNICATION

Allen was unusually bothered by how he was being treated by his immediate
supervisor, Mr. Martin . He kept on thinking what went wrong, when in fact ,
yesterday , everything seems all right. Allen just tried to reach out and wrote
several letters of apology despite the fact that he didn’t actually know what went
wrong or why Mr. Martin suddenly has a cold shoulder.

He continued to observe Mr. Martin’s cold treatment on him. His letters of

apology were never read and in fact fall victim in the garbage can! Allen suddenly
felt ill and uncomfortable to what was happening . Some employees gradually
noticed what was happening between them.

Allen’s life in the company has become stressful and yet it occurred to him that
may be,Mr. Martin’s actuations is due to his age. He is nearing retirement and
Allen observed the same kind of attitude with his father.

But things became worst when Mr. Martin did not even return his greetings. To
top it all, he tried to approach Mr. Martin to ask a few moments of his time for
them to talk. But Mr. Martin on the top of his voice said ,” I don’t want to talk to
you!”

And for the next several days, some employees told him that Mr.Martin had
spoken ill of him. He believed it was unfair because on his part, he has not spoken
ill of Mr. Martin.
 That’s it! He could no longer stand it. He requested the manager to transfer him
in another department. The manager realized that what was happening between
the two of them was something personal, it was not about work .

Allen was eventually transferred to another department. He and Mr. Martin

were not in speaking terms for over a year now.Sometimes, Allen wondered what
has gone wrong to the once very good relationship that they had. Allen had
looked up to Mr. Martin just like his father. Allen’s father died three years ago
and Mr. Martin has become a second father to him. He kept on thinking what
went wrong and he wondered how did it happen.

Mr. Martin did not allow him to speak and explain his side or at least find out if
there was something that he had unintentionally done that hurt his feelings.

QUESTIONS:
1. What went wrong to Mr. Martin and Allen’s relationship?
Mr. Martin and Allen’s relationship is an example of miscommunication.
Miscommunication in the workplace occurs when co-workers don't communicate
effectively. Unfortunately, this can potentially lead to internal conflict and
employee dissatisfaction.

2. What could have been done by the manager regarding this incident?
Managers have to promote open communication. To improve
communication between managers and employees, the manager should keep in
constant contact with employees, encourage speaking up, lead by example, be
open and explore solutions to communicate in a manner that best fits your team.

3. What is the outcome of miscommunication organizations?

When employees struggle to get clear answers, instructions and direction,
they become more likely to disengage from leadership and fellow employees.
This often leads to poor productivity, poor quality work, low job satisfaction and
employee retention problems. If employees don't have good lines of
communication with each other and management, and don't feel like they're
being heard, their loyalty and commitment to the organization may suffer.