Communication Management at UAE Airline Companies
Airline companies in the UAE are organizations functioning by major conventions and rules. Like any other organization, an Emirati airline company has to tackle certain issues. It has been acknowledged that communication plays a core role in the organization’s effective performance. Emirati organizations strive for better performance and more efficient communications strategies. It is possible to single out three major issues existing in the contemporary Emirati organization.
One of the most serious issues to be addressed is the lack of understanding of major goals within the organization. Thus, employees are not committed enough to the major strategy and goals of the company. This often leads to the underperformance of employees and poor performance of the organization. Sull, Ghoshal, and Monteiro note that successful companies manage to implement successful strategies to make the employees aware and committed to the company’s strategic goals (36). The major mistake companies make is that they do not pay enough attention to articulating the goals properly. The vast majority of companies simply mention the goals on their website. Employees only read about the goals of the company without thinking about their contribution.
Nonetheless, this practice should be abandoned. The human resources professionals should make sure each employee understands the major aims of the companies and the strategies used to achieve the goals. HR professionals should implement training sessions to make the employees exposed to the goals set. During each session, employees can discuss certain ways to achieve the goals set. It can be effective to let employees develop their strategies to contribute to the development of the organization. It is also effective to launch general meetings where top management will articulate the goals, and employees will ask questions if any.
As far as a personal plan for improvement is concerned, it is possible to point out the following steps. Being an employee of an airline company, I will learn more about the goals and strategy of the company. Understanding the core goals will help me develop my plan. I will try to develop the main strategies to contribute to the development of the company. I will try to make sure I can help the company achieve the goals set. I will share my plan with my chief as I want to make sure I understand everything right and am in the right way. I will also address my chief and HR professionals to implement certain training related to the company’s goals.
Another serious issue to be handled is cultural diversity. Emirati airline companies are characterized by diverse workplaces. People from different countries are invited to help the company succeed. In many cases, employees are unprepared to cooperate with people having different cultural backgrounds. There is a lot of misunderstanding, which tends to lead to poor performance (Sull, Ghoshal & Monteiro 37). It is inappropriate, and the issue has to be addressed.
One of the ways to cope with this problem is to start the necessary cultural training. Employees should be aware of the peculiarities of other cultures. It is important to cover the features of the cultures that are ‘represented’ in the company. HR specialists can find information on cultural diversity; they can also address representatives of different cultures within the company. It is possible to launch a training program with a variety of workshops, discussions, role games, etc. Each employee should be involved in the training.
When it comes to personal development, I will search for the necessary information online. There are numerous data on cultural diversity. First, I will focus on the cultural peculiarities of people I need to collaborate with. I will also try to be more attentive and more thoughtful when talking and cooperating with other employees. I am an open-minded person, so there will be no problems with understanding other cultures and traditions.
The third issue to be considered is the lack of two-sided communication. Thus, communication in organizations is often one-sided, i.e., top management articulates main messages, and employees are mere receivers. Top management seems to be uninterested in getting feedback, which is one of the major flaws of Emirati organizations. The staff is the force that drives the company further. When it comes to airline companies, employees are closer to the customers, and they often have numerous ideas on how to improve services provided.
Companies should have certain channels that could ensure two-sided communication. Every employee should be encouraged to share ideas on ways to improve his/her performance (department, company). Heads of departments should consider all incentives carefully and bring the most effective ones to life. Effective ideas should be rewarded. The reward can be monetary or, it can be promoted. It can be also fruitful to create working groups that will be led by the employee who has generated the idea.
One of the most effective plans to improve in this area is to think of effective ideas. Notably, I already have numerous ideas that can positively affect the development of any company. I can develop a particular plan to bring some of my ideas to life. I will address my chief and make sure I get the feedback. Remarkably, I do not expect all my ideas will be accepted immediately, I am also ready to alter them if necessary. However, I believe the company can benefit from the implementation of some of my ideas.
Effective communication with customers is also crucial. An advert of the airline company Emirates (“Fly with Emirates”) can be an illustration of effective communication with the customer. The advert depicts a part of a plane and a crew. The significant message of the advert is that the company provides something more than other airline companies. They promise new experiences for travelers who are already accustomed to high-quality services. The image of a crew of high-profile specialists is appealing and customers are also attracted by the message of the advert. People are ready to address a company that makes a difference. It is a very precise illustration of the corporate culture of the company. The company’s employees are ready to go the extra mile to contribute to the company’s success.
Information and Knowledge Management at UAE Airline Companies
Companies in the airline industry resort to the latest technological advances to manage information as well as knowledge. Different types of software make this process much easier. The use of the Internet is also a characteristic feature of the contemporary airline company in the UAE. Companies invest large sums of money to develop proper data bases that could satisfy the company’s needs. Storage of the information is of paramount importance for a company (Shaw 300).
Airline companies have to store a variety of types of information coming from different sources. Thus, some data are necessary for proper operation of the company (flights, routes, etc.), certain information is related to the services obtained by the customers (booking, consulting, etc.), and there is also information used by the company’s employees. All these data should be processed accordingly. It is also necessary to make information accessible to the stakeholders. The era of information creates the necessity to be able to possess and manage information effectively. It also requires a rapid reaction to the changing environment.
One of the major issues many airline companies face is inappropriate information management. Thus, employees do not have access to the information necessary for their proper performance. Hence, even though the company has an efficient storage system, employees are unable to implement tasks at a high pace. Therefore, it is crucial to make information accessible to the employees. Admittedly, there is no need to provide unlimited access to all employees of the company. It is essential to create certain levels of accessibility. However, lots of organizations fail to achieve this goal.
Even though loads of IT companies and professionals have developed effective applications to store and manage information, it is a managerial error that leads to failure. Top management fails to provide the necessary right to employees. To solve this problem, it is possible to ask employees to complete a certain report where they will note the type of information they need. Of course, each employee should justify the necessity, i.e., explain why he/she needs this or that information. The reports will be very brief, but employees should have enough time to think the matter over. One week or less (from 3 to 5 days) can be a sufficient period.
When the reports are ready, heads of departments should analyze them. It is the responsibility of the head of the department to decide which information is necessary for the employees. It can be beneficial to have a meeting (or several meetings if necessary) to make sure the head of the department understands the needs of the employees. Each head of the department completes a brief report (similar to the ones filled by the employees), and the executive is to decide which types of information will be accessible. The same strategy of discussions can be used at this level.
It is also necessary to note that sometimes employees (though they may have the access) cannot access the information they need as they are not in the office. This issue has already been addressed by many companies. There are a variety of applications that enable employees to access information remotely (Lock, Fattah & Kirby 14). Lock, Fattah & Kirby stress that Mobility 3.0 enables companies to manage information more efficiently (8).
The use of social networking is also an effective way to share information (with customers or within the company). Remarkably, some of the leaders in the market have been using such social networks as Facebook for some time (Shearman n.p.). This use has proved to be effective. Admittedly, mobility in sharing information is vital for companies in a competitive environment.
On balance, it is possible to note that airline companies use various technological advances to properly collect, store, and manage information. At present, numerous applications are available, but certain managerial errors can prevent companies from benefiting from the use of technology. Therefore, companies should reconsider certain strategies used to remain competitive.
Works Cited
“Fly with Emirates: Fly with Elegance” n.d. Web.
Lock, Howard, Amir Fattah & Shaun Kirby. “Airline of the Future: Smart Mobility Strategies that Will Transform the Industry.” Cisco IBSG (2010): 1-16. Web.
Shaw, Stephen. Airline Marketing and Management. Surrey, England: Ashgate Publishing, 2011. Print.
Shearman, Sarah. “Emirates Targets Rival Airlines with Facebook Strategy.” Marketing Magazine. 2011. Web.
Sull, Donald N., Sumantra Ghoshal and Felipe Monteiro. “The Hub of the World.” Business Strategy Review (2005): 35-40. Web.