ALLAMA IQBAL OPEN UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD

(Department of Education)

Course: School Leadership

Name: Farrukh Jahan

Semester: Autumn, 2022

Code: 8618

Registration No: 0000239838

Level: B.Ed. (1.5 years)

Assignment No: 02
 “ASSIGNMENT NO.2”
“QUESTION NO.1”
What do you understand by the term Decision making
discuss in detail
“Answer”
Decision making:

Decision making is the process of making choices by identifying a decision,

gathering information, and assessing alternative resolutions.

To clarify, this writer is not advocating that managers must take responsibility for
everything going on in the workplace, and it is okay to "decentralize decision-
making and rely on decision teams rather than solely on ourselves" (Novak
1997,24). However, this focuses on the different kinds of decisions required by
organizations; who should be involved; and how to make the best decision in a
complex situation. Regardless of team support, when all is said and done, we must
be the ones who step up to the platform and make things happen.

Talking about his book The Leadership Engine, Noel M. Tichy says that good
leadership is a lot like good parenting; both need the systematic investment of
time and what he calls "a teachable point of view" (HRFocus Jan. 1998,5). He
insists that you must have the edge to make the important yes/no decisions: the
edge or the courage. Courage is the missing link that puts the concept of taking
risks and having the guts to be decisive into play and transforms them into a
reality, often, in the face of great opposition.

An important responsibility of formal leaders is to make decisions about

objectives, strategies, operational procedures and the allocation of resources. The
decision making is extensive, and much progress has been made studying how
important decisions are made in organizations. Descriptive studies and analyses
of cognitive processes have both been useful for understanding how decisions are
made in groups and organizations (Narayanan, Zane & Kemmerer, 2011).
Emotional Self-Control and Decision Making

Imagine that you were presented with a critical high-stakes situation with a
significant potential downside and you needed to make a decision and take action
right away. You would likely have a significant emotional reaction, including
feelings such as anxiety, fear, or anger. Unfortunately emotions such as these
cloud our ability to make good decisions. When we get into the emotional part of
our brain, our innate reaction is to protect ourselves. We get an adrenaline rush
or flight-or-fight response, and short-term survival is the immediate goal. As you
can imagine, being in this state is not particularly conducive to making strategic,
long-term decisions. This is why emotional self-control is so important. Great
leaders are aware of their emotional state and are able to manage intense emotions
so they can make smart decisions.

Reigning in Emotions for Strategic Decisions:

In order to make strategic, long-term decisions, we must know how to bring down
the intense emotional reaction so that we can engage a different part of our brains
(the prefrontal cortex), which is responsible for looking at the big picture and
long-term planning. Paradoxically, the way to do this is to accept and allow
whatever emotional reaction we are having and choose to focus on the facts as
much as possible.

Trying not to experience an emotion is like trying to pull a rollercoaster

backwards as it heads down the hill. It takes a lot of effort, which ultimately
backfires and we feel worse. Instead, simply jump on board and ride it out. The
intensity of the emotions will quickly pass and then you can think logically. The
goal, however, is not to take feelings out of the decision-making process. It is
simply to keep them from taking over and losing emotional self-control.

Why is it so difficult to make decisions? Perhaps it is because the variables and

the outcomes are often uncertain. We do not like uncertainty. Uncertainty creates
discomfort and analysis paralysis. We try to analyze the situation from every
angle to alleviate the sense of uncertainty. These efforts are often futile and waste
valuable time and energy because so often we must make decisions in the face of
uncertainty.

The Lengths We Go to Avoid Uncertainty:

In a 1992 study conducted by cognitive scientists Amos Tversky and Eldar Shafir,
college students were asked whether they would purchase a great deal on a trip
to Hawaii over their holiday break. They were told that they would receive the
grade on their most important exam before they had to decide. Of those who were
told that they passed the exam, 57 percent said they’d go for the trip. Interestingly,
a similar percentage (54 percent) of those who were told that they failed also said
they’d go.

When researchers designed uncertainty into the mix, results changed

dramatically. Students were told that they would not receive the exam grade for
two days and that they could buy the trip now, pass on it now, or pay $5 to wait
for two days until they received their grade. The majority of students (61 percent)
said that they would wait. The first part of the study showed that students for the
most part wanted to go if they passed or if they failed the exam, but here they
were willing to pay to wait and find out their grade.

The lengths that we will go to avoid uncertainty. Students seemed to think that
knowing their grade would help them make a good decision when in reality it
would not make a difference in their decisions.

We are often paralyzed by uncertainty and end up basing our decisions on things
that aren’t even related. Question your attempts to find certainty before making
decisions because you may be seeking a false sense of security. Much like the
aforementioned method to reign in negative emotions to achieve emotional self-
control, acceptance is a crucial starting place. If we are able to accept the
uncertainty rather than try to resolve it, we can focus our limited time, energy,
and money on making the best decisions in the face of an uncertain outcome.

This does not mean that you should not bother to analyze a situation before
making a decision. Various analyses can be helpful in providing the information
necessary to make the best decisions in the situation. The key is to know when
what you don’t know is important, and if so, how to go about gathering the
necessary information to resolve the uncertainty. If what you don’t know is not
important, then the next step is to accept the uncertainty and proceed in spite of
it.
Using a step-by-step decision-making process can help you make more
deliberate, thoughtful decisions by organizing relevant information and defining
alternatives. This approach increases the chances that you will choose the most
satisfying alternative possible.

Step 1: Identify the decision:

You realize that you need to make a decision. Try to clearly define the nature of
the decision you must make. This first step is very important.

Step 2: Gather relevant information:

Collect some pertinent information before you make your decision: what
information is needed, the best sources of information, and how to get it. This
step involves both internal and external “work.” Some information is internal:
you’ll seek it through a process of self-assessment. Other information is external:
you’ll find it online, in books, from other people, and from other sources.

Step 3: Identify the alternatives:

As you collect information, you will probably identify several possible paths of
action, or alternatives. You can also use your imagination and additional
information to construct new alternatives. In this step, you will list all possible
and desirable alternatives.
Step 4: Weigh the evidence:
Draw on your information and emotions to imagine what it would be like if you
carried out each of the alternatives to the end. Evaluate whether the need
identified in Step 1 would be met or resolved through the use of each alternative.
As you go through this difficult internal process, you’ll begin to favor certain
alternatives: those that seem to have a higher potential for reaching your goal.
Finally, place the alternatives in a priority order, based upon your own value
system.

Step 5: Choose among alternatives:

Once you have weighed all the evidence, you are ready to select the alternative
that seems to be best one for you. You may even choose a combination of
alternatives. Your choice in Step 5 may very likely be the same or similar to the
alternative you placed at the top of your list at the end of Step 4.

Step 6: Take action:

You’re now ready to take some positive action by beginning to implement the
alternative you chose in Step 5.

Step 7: Review your decision & its consequences:

In this final step, consider the results of your decision and evaluate whether or
not it has resolved the need you identified in Step 1. If the decision has not met
the identified need, you may want to repeat certain steps of the process to make
a new decision. For example, you might want to gather more detailed or
somewhat different information or explore additional alternatives.

“QUESTION NO.2”
What mistakes we do while setting common goals? Also
Discuss how a leader can craft a vision.
“Answer”

Team goal-setting is an art. It differs from how we set personal goals and think
of our resolutions. While personal goals tend to focus more on individuals and
their personal or career development, team goals focus on achieving company-
wide objectives.
Unfortunately, most managers are prone to making common goal-setting
mistakes when planning and working towards team goals. These mistakes cost
the team time, money, and can negatively impact the team’s overall performance.
 In this post, we’ll walk through the importance of setting goals for teams, along
with 11 common goal-setting mistakes managers make:
1. They go far from company-wide objectives
2. You set too many goals
3. You don’t have one goal-setting system
4. Your goals are vague or negative
5. You set them based on feelings and not data
6. You underestimate time and distractions
7. You don’t allow for failures
8. You set them without the team’s input
9. You forget about schedules and deadlines
10. You set them and forget them
11. You don’t write them down for the whole team to see
Let’s dive in!
Why setting goals is so important for teams:
Goals are crucial to the success of any organization and team. They provide
guidance and direction to the team. Goals also offer leaders and employees alike
the opportunity to understand how each individual on the team is performing.
Beyond that, there are many reasons why goal-setting is such an important
practice for any team.
Let’s walk through a few.
Goals ensure that the team is aligned:
When employees lack information about company-wide (or, at least project-
wide) goals and how their work ladders up to them, chances are, they’ll get
confused and won’t understand how their particular tasks influence the overall
success of the company.
With a lack of clear goals and ownership, it’s likely that employees will:
• Interfere with one another’s work
• Overlap work with their peers, making the team less productive
• Be confused around what their responsibilities are (and are not)

Goals provide clarity around roles for better performance:

According to research from Leiden University, teams with clear goals
experience 20–25% improved work performance. That’s because it helps team
 members focus efforts in the right direction, get more self-confidence, and, as a
result, become more productive at work.
By setting goals for your team, you’ll give them a clear sense of direction and
purpose for the work they’re doing. Once they clearly understand what’s expected
of them and the team, they’ll be able to organize their time better throughout the
goal period.
Goals promote better accountability and collaboration:
Not only do clear goals allow you to come up with specific KPIs for each team
member (increasing accountability that way), but they also help promote
collaboration within the team. Knowing each other’s goals, colleagues will have
a better understanding of what they can do to support their peers to hit the team
goals.
More than that, clear goals will motivate employees to search for creative ideas
and alternative strategies to deal with all the KPIs the best they can.
Common goal-setting mistakes managers make:
Now that you know the influence of goal-setting on the team’s motivation and
overall performance, it’s time to walk through some goal-setting mistakes to
avoid.
#1. They aren’t aligned with company-wide objectives:
One of the worst goal-setting mistakes a manager can make is to set goals
that don’t align with org-wide objectives. Misaligning your team’s efforts
with company objectives will cause so many challenges, including:
• Proving the team’s value to the company, and in turn, making it harder to
secure budget, promote individuals, and grow the team.
• Giving your team a clear vision of the why behind the work they’re doing.
Without this, it will be harder to keep employees engaged and motivated.
• Slowing down the company’s overall growth. When your team is focused on
things that aren’t relevant or don’t contribute to company objectives, it can
stifle growth.
As you build your future team goals, it’s important that they stem from org-
wide objectives. If they don’t, it’s back to the drawing board for you.
#2. You set too many goals:
It’s great to be a goal-oriented person, but, as a manager, you should
understand the influence of multitasking on a team’s overall performance
and mental health. (As we know, the human brain can’t focus on more than
one thing at a time.)
 In fact, studies found that just 2.5% of people are able to multitask
effectively. For the other 97.5% of people, doing more than one thing, like
texting and driving, seriously compromises our ability to complete the tasks
well.
Use the same rule of thumb when setting goals:
According to Andy Grove, the pioneer of OKRs, leaders should think of
setting no more than three to five goals at a time. He says that more
objectives can lead to over-extended teams and effort diffusion.
To avoid this goal-setting mistake with your team, focus on 3-5 objectives
for any given time period, be it quarterly or annually. As you build out these
objectives, attach measurable key performance indicators (KPIs) to each.
These KPIs need to be measurable milestones that will help you achieve
your overall objective. Think of outcomes, not activities, including the
credible and discoverable evidence of their completion.
Bad OKR example:
Objective: Increase marketing-attributed revenue this quarter
Key results:
• Write more blogs
• Run a webinar
• Improve relationship with sales
Good OKR example:
Objective: Increase marketing-attributed revenue this quarter by 150%
Key results:
• Produce and publish 10 bottom-of-funnel blogs
• Run 3 webinars with an attendance rate of 40%+
• Achieve a Sales and Marketing meeting rating of 80%+
#3. You don’t stick to one goal-setting framework:
Beyond just your team, it’s important that your company follows one goal-
setting framework across all teams. Not only will this make cross-functional
collaboration easier, but it will also ensure that every team can easily access
and understand how other departments are tracking against their goals.
Take GitLab for example. They follow the OKR framework and make their
goals accessible org-wide within their own platform, but also publicly
accessible (to an extent).
 As a manager, you should ensure that you’re not only setting goals within
the same framework used by the company but that you also stick to it. If you
prescribe team goals with the SMART framework today but then OKRs
tomorrow, you’ll confuse your team.
#4. Your goals are vague or negative:
To avoid any confusion or misunderstandings, it’s important that your goals
are clear and measurable. It’s not enough to say, “We need to attract more
customers this month.” Instead, think of the SMART and OKR goal-setting
frameworks.
The SMART framework intends your team goals to be:
• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Relevant
• Time-bound
For example: Increase conversion rate between sign-ups to pro customers
by 5% this month.
All these criteria make goals more actionable.
The same is true for OKRs, aka Objectives and Key Results. By specifying
what they need to achieve and what 3-5 key results are necessary to achieve
your objective, you’ll encourage your team to take the actionable steps
towards each goal you set.
Remember that objectives should be your “North Star” and key results
should be written using the SMART framework.
For example:
Objective: Attract more customers this month
Key results:
• Increase average monthly inbound leads from 250 to 350
• Improve lead to demo-booked ratio by 10%
• Increase demo-booked to closed-won ratio by 15%
To make team goals even more actionable, it’s important that you also avoid
negative language when setting them. Negative connotation makes people
focus on what they don’t want, making it hard to concentrate on how to
change that.
 Think of “give the team more constructive criticism this quarter” versus
“provide the team with continuous feedback this quarter”. One neglects to
share positive feedback with the team, while the latter includes both
constructive and positive feedback sharing.
Reframing goals so they would sound positive can make a big difference.
#5. You set them based on feelings and not data:
Some managers are prone to setting so-called ego-based goals, guided by
personal preferences or gut feelings. Despite the numerous tests and
experiments, and the data the comes with them, some leaders keep returning
to prior initiatives in the hope of progress to come soon.
Not only does such behavior set back the company’s growth, but it also
damages the manager’s reputation and trust in the eyes of their teams.
Before you plan your goals for the quarter or year, it’s important that you
run a quarterly planning and retro meeting to:
• Understand how your team felt about the past quarter, from how roadblocks
were handled to the overall workload
• Learn about what went well (and didn’t go so well)
• Gather ideas from the team on how you can crush your goals next quarter,
whether it’s around improving existing processes or testing out new ideas
It’s also important that, before every retro meeting, you analyze your data.
Try answering questions like:
• What campaigns or projects performed well? Can they be repeated?
• Were your goals impossible to achieve? Too easy? How can you be more
accurate next time?
• Have you identified any gaps that need to be filled?
• If one particular customer segment converts more for your sales team, maybe
it’s worth focusing on that demographic more. If one specific channel drives
the most leads and revenue, why not reframe team goals a bit to double
down on that?
When you’re able to guide your goals and decisions with data instead of
relying on your emotions and “gut feelings”, not only will your predictions
be more accurate, but you’ll be more likely to achieve the hockey stick
growth most companies aim for.
#6. You underestimate time and distractions:
As a manager, you need to stay realistic about time constraints, real life, and
your team’s abilities when setting goals for them. Some leaders assume their
direct reports will be ready to give up free time and sleep for work on your
ultimate goal, but that’s not a healthy expectation to put on your team. It’s
also a surefire way to burn your team out.
Assume that things are going to come up, be it emergency bugs, employees
getting sick, or a global pandemic. Things are going to happen that you will
have little-to-no control over and that’s okay.
As a leader, you need to leave room for mistakes, setbacks, and vacation
time when setting goals.

“QUESTION NO.3”
Describe leadership characteristics and skills in detail.
“Answer”

A good leader should have integrity, self-awareness, courage, respect, empathy,

and gratitude. They should be learning agile and flex their influence while
communicating and delegating effectively. See how these key leadership qualities
can be learned and improved at all levels of your organization.
Leaders shape our nations, communities, and organizations.
We need good leaders to help guide us and make the essential large-scale
decisions that keep the world moving.
Our society is usually quick to identify a bad leader, but how can you identify a
good one? What would most people say makes a good leader?
What Good Leadership Looks Like: 10 Essential Leadership Traits
Based upon our decades of research, we’ve found that the best leaders
consistently possess certain fundamental qualities and skills:
What Good Leadership Looks Like: 10 Essential Leadership Traits
1. Integrity
2. Delegation
3. Communication
4. Self-Awareness
5. Gratitude
6. Learning Agility
7. Influence
8. Empathy
 9. Courage
10. Respect
1. Integrity:
Integrity is an essential leadership trait for the individual and the organization.
It’s especially important for top-level executives who are charting the
organization’s course and making countless other significant decisions. Our
research has found that integrity may actually be a potential blind spot for
organizations, so make sure your organization reinforces the importance of
honesty and integrity to leaders at various levels.
2. Delegation:
Delegating is one of the core responsibilities of a leader, but it can be tricky to
delegate effectively. The goal isn’t just to free yourself up — it’s also to enable
your direct reports to grow, facilitate teamwork, provide autonomy, and lead to
better decision-making. The best leaders build trust in the workplace and on their
teams through effective delegation.
3. Communication:
Effective leadership and effective communication are intertwined. The best
leaders are skilled communicators who are able to communicate in a variety of
ways, from transmitting information to inspiring others to coaching direct reports.
And you must be able to listen to, and communicate with, a wide range of people
across roles, geographies, social identities, and more. The quality and
effectiveness of communication among leaders across your organization directly
affects the success of your business strategy, too. Learn how effective
communication and better conversations can actually improve your
organizational culture.
4. Self-Awareness:
While this is a more inwardly focused trait, self-awareness and humility are
paramount for leadership. The better you understand yourself and recognize your
own strengths and weaknesses, the more effective you can be as a leader. Do you
know how other people view you or how you show up at work? Take the time to
learn about the 4 aspects of self-awareness and how to strengthen each
component.
5. Gratitude:
Being thankful can lead to higher self-esteem, reduced depression and anxiety,
and better sleep. Gratitude can even make you a better leader. Yet few people
regularly say “thank you” in work settings, even though most people say they’d
be willing to work harder for an appreciative boss. The best leaders know how to
show gratitude in the workplace.
6. Learning Agility:
Learning agility is the ability to know what to do when you don’t know what to
do. If you’re a “quick study” or are able to excel in unfamiliar circumstances, you
might already be learning agile. But anybody can foster and increase learning
agility through practice, experience, and effort. After all, great leaders are really
great learners.
7. Influence:
For some people, “influence” feels like a dirty word. But being able to convince
people through the influencing tactics of logical, emotional, or cooperative
appeals is an important trait of inspiring, effective leaders. Influence is quite
different from manipulation, and it needs to be done authentically and
transparently. It requires emotional intelligence and trust. Learn more about
how effective influencing can be a game-changer.
8. Empathy:
Empathy is correlated with job performance and is a critical part of emotional
intelligence and leadership effectiveness. If you show more inclusive leadership
and empathetic behaviors toward your direct reports, our research shows you’re
more likely to be viewed as a better performer by your boss. Plus, empathy and
inclusion are imperatives for improving workplace conditions for those around
you.
9. Courage:
It can be hard to speak up at work, whether you want to voice a new idea, provide
feedback to a direct report, or flag a concern for someone above you. That’s part
of the reason courage is a key trait of good leaders. Rather than avoiding problems
or allowing conflicts to fester, having courage enables leaders to step up and move
things in the right direction. A workplace with high levels of psychological safety
and strong conversational skills across the organization will foster a coaching
culture that supports courage and truth-telling.
10. Respect:
Treating people with respect on a daily basis is one of the most important things
a leader can do. It will ease tensions and conflict, create trust, and improve
effectiveness. Creating a culture of respect is about more than the absence of
disrespect. Respectfulness can be shown in many different ways, but it often starts
with simply being a good listener who truly seeks to understand the perspectives
of others.
 “QUESTION NO.4”
Discuss change management in detail and also Elaborate the
concept of changing agentry in detail.
“Answer”

Change management is a systematic approach to dealing with the transition

or transformation of an organization's goals, processes or technologies. The
purpose of change management is to implement strategies for effecting
change, controlling change and helping people to adapt to change.

To be effective, the change management strategy must take into

consideration how an adjustment or replacement will impact processes,
systems and employees within the organization. There must be a process for
planning and testing change, communicating change, scheduling and
implementing change, documenting change and evaluating its effects.
Documentation is a critical component of change management -- not only to
maintain an audit trail should a rollback become necessary, but also to ensure
compliance with internal and external controls, including regulatory
compliance.

How does change management work:

To understand how change management works, it helps to apply its concepts
and tools to specific areas of business. Below are examples of how change
management works for project management, software development and IT
infrastructure.

Change management for project management:

Change management plays an important role in project management because
each change request must be evaluated for its impact on the project. Project
managers, or the senior executives in charge of change control, must
examine how a change in one area of the project could affect other areas and
what impact that change could have on the project as a whole. Project areas
that change control experts should pay particular attention to include the
following:

• Scope:
Change requests must be evaluated to determine how they will affect the
project scope.
• Schedule:
Change requests must be assessed to determine how they will alter them
 project schedule.
• Costs:
Change requests must be evaluated to determine how they will affect
project costs. Labor is typically the largest expense on a project, so
overages on completing project tasks can quickly drive changes to the
project costs.
• Quality:
Change requests must be evaluated to determine how they will affect k
the quality of the completed project. An acceleration of the project
schedule, in particular, can affect quality as defects can occur if work is
rushed.
• Human resources:
Change requests must be evaluated to determine if additional or
specialized labor is required. When the project schedule changes, the
project manager may lose key resources to other assignments.
• Communications:
Approved change requests must be communicated to the appropriate
stakeholders at the appropriate time.
• Risk:
Change requests must be evaluated to determine what risks they pose.
Even minor changes can have a domino effect on the project and
introduce logistical, financial or security risks.
• Procurement:
Changes to the project may affect procurement of materials and contract
labor.

When an incremental change has been approved, the project manager

documents the change in one of four standard change control systems to
ensure all thoughts and insight have been captured with the change request.
Changes that are not entered through a control system are labeled defects.
When a change request is declined, this is also documented and kept as part
of the project archives.
 “QUESTION NO.5”
Write note on the following:
1) Use of traditional media:
2) Technological communication:

“Answer”

1)Use of traditional media:

As we continue to evolve in an ever-increasing digitally-focused world, many

tend to think that traditional media and traditional marketing is a thing of the past.
This though, is not true, even in 2021, traditional media still plays an important
role in your advertising plan.
Utilizing both traditional and digital media, you can maximize both your reach
and frequency to best reach your target audience. Here are our top 5 reasons why
traditional media is still important in 2021:
a. Consumers Still Trust Traditional Media:
With the onset of the pandemic at the beginning of 2020, after floods of
misinformation from all media sources, according to the Edelman Trust
Barometer, trust in all media sources has gone down.
Looking beyond this though, traditional news and traditional media are still seen
as the most trustworthy source. Journalists and news channels almost always
ensure that all facts they are relaying are the truth and make sure to vet their
sources. Digital media sources like social media even use traditional sources as
something to link to in their posts.
What this means for advertisers is that traditional media, like news channels and
publications, are still being used as the main source of acquiring news which
means that these mediums are still an ideal place to advertise.
b. You Won’t Just Reach an Older Audience:
Many see traditional media as a way to only reach an older demographic, as older
generations are the ones who tend to consume this form of media the most. This
is not necessarily the case though when it comes to certain traditional media.
Specifically looking at news channels and newspapers/online publications of
newspapers, many younger generations use these mediums as a way to conduct
further research into a topic they are interested in or to use as another way to stay
informed.
c. Best for Local Advertisers:
If you are a business that solely services one key, local area, advertising on
traditional mediums is always a great option. With outlets like local newspapers,
billboards and cable tv that offer local news channels, advertising on these
mediums will get you right in front of your target audience without wasting any
money on advertising that may not even be reaching your target area.
d. Traditional Media and Digital Media Work Best Together:
In saying all this, it does not mean to only advertise on traditional mediums. For
the most effective marketing strategy, advertisers will need to utilize both digital
and traditional media.
What type of media you choose from traditional and digital will vary based on
your goals. Researching your target audience and their interests will give you
the best idea of what media they are consuming the most. From young to old,
every audience watches a mix of both traditional and digital platforms, meaning
you could miss out on a wider reach by not advertising on both.
e. Traditional Media is Not Going Away:
Though digital media and digital marketing have become the more popular way
to advertise these days, that does not mean that traditional media is a thing of the
past. Traditional media has been around for decades and is the reason advertising
is the way it is today.
Digital media has become increasingly popular with it being a major outlet of
consumption for people. Traditional media though has long stood through the
ongoing changes of the world and will continue to be trusted by audiences, so
advertising on these mediums will never be a waste.

2)Technological communication:

For as long as humans have been on this planet, we’ve invented forms of
communication—from smoke signals and messenger pigeons to the telephone
and email—that have constantly evolved how we interact with each other.
One of the biggest developments in communication came in 1831 when the
electric telegraph was invented. While post existed as a form of communication
before this date, it was electrical engineering in the 19th century which had a
revolutionary impact.
Now, digital methods have superseded almost all other forms of communication,
especially in business. I can’t remember the last time I hand wrote a letter, rather
than an email at work, even my signature is digital these days. Picking up the
phone is a rare occurrence too—instead, I FaceTime, Zoom, or join a Google
Hangout.
When I look back at how communication has advanced over the years, it really is
quite incredible…
a)The Telephone:
In 1849, the telephone was invented and within 50 years it was an essential item
for homes and offices, but tethering impacted the flexibility and privacy of the
device. Then, came the mobile phone. In 1973, Motorola created a mobile phone
which kick-started a chain of developments that transformed communication
forever.
Early smartphones were primarily aimed towards the enterprise market, bridging
the gap between telephones and personal digital assistants (PDAs), but they were
bulky and had short battery lives. By 1996, Nokia was releasing phones with
QWERTY keyboards and by 2010, the majority of Android phones were
touchscreen-only.
Since the emergence of mobile phones the organizations have found it as the most
feasible resource to provide to the employees and maintain the contact even after
work hours. Telephonic communication helps in short and quick conversation to
resolve every day issues and minor challenges of work. Telephonic
communication has certainly helped institutional leaders to stay in contact with
large
teams and professionals as well as stake holders across the institutional
boundaries
b)Text Messaging:
Mobile phones and hand held devices made it possible in the world of
communication to connect to someone even if s/he is not available to talk to.
Through text messaging quick response and at the same time saving of
communication record was made possible. An additional advantage is that same
text message can be “broadcasted” to a number of people at the same time, e.g.
to tell everyone in the group about an upcoming meeting.
Similarly now the text message alerts are becoming popular. However, for this to
work effectively the organizations select very carefully who is sending the texts.
Clients, stake holders and officials’ lists of names and numbers are to be inclusive
an exhaustive for ensuring the dissemination of information through messaging.
When sending such group texts it is important to keep the contact list up to date
and also routinely provide a way for people to opt out. Text messaging is short
and less expensive. Smart phones using online messaging services have now
brought multiple innovations to it. Such as unlimited
packages, instant messaging and MMS became free of cost.
c) Email:
According to google counts it is estimated that there are about 4 billion email
accounts worldwide with close on 200 billion emails sent/received daily. These
statistics are not surprising given that anyone can setup any number of (free)
email accounts, provided they have internet access. Current trends indicate that
whilst email traffic in the business sector is increasing, it is decreasing for
individuals who are moving more towards social media and instant messaging
(IM) forms of communication. Although personal email accounts are free to
setup, most organizations do not use free email services as they prefer to have
email accounts with their domain name (i.e. grow.ie) and managed centrally.
Prior to the availability of email, organizations would have had to rely on printed
or written post for all communications so the advent of a “free” delivery
mechanism such as email has had a major positive financial impact. School
leaders use emails to continually stay connected to the parents. Schools’
newsletter and other intimations which are to be delivered to almost many people
at distance it is the cheapest
mode to send it out via email.
d) Video Chat:
Online chatting as a source of communication began as early as the year 2000
but then Skype was founded in 2003 and is basically a mechanism to use the
internet for voice calls and video chat. Then many other video chatting
messengers were launched but the challenge with all of them is that a good
internet connection is required along with a suitable device (laptop or
smartphone). Skype is yet the most frequently used video chat messenger service.
Like email and Facebook, Skype is also free to use if making calls to other Skype
users, but that is limited to one to one call. For group calls it is not free.
There is also a mechanism to apply credit to a Skype account and then use it to
make inexpensive calls to landlines or mobiles, if there is a need to contact
someone who is not available on Skype. Like Facebook, Skype also provides a
simple instant messaging mechanism which is useful if the line quality is poor
and if the other party is not on-line,
and then they will see the message next time they log in.
e) Tele Commuting:
When the organizations expand and have huge networks nationally or
internationally, they need to have a service that may keep them connected from
distance. Telecommuting is a service that maintains connection 24/7 if all end
users remain online. They can send and receive calls and messages instantly.
There are many benefits to telecommuting. Telecommuting allows a worker
greater freedom regarding his or her work hours and work location. This gives
the employee more flexibility to balance work and personal obligations. It is
believed in certain kind of jobs that working from home can actually make you
more productive, because you do not have the distractions of an office space.
There are also many benefits to employers. Allowing workers to telecommute
often makes them more productive, which benefits the company. Telecommuters
are also likely to be happier in their jobs and are therefore more likely to stay with
the company.
Telecommuting even saves companies money in office expenses.
f)Teleconferencing and Video Conferencing:
A teleconference is a telephone meeting among two or more participants
involving technology more sophisticated than a simple two-way phone
connection. At its simplest, a teleconference can be an audio conference with one
or both ends of the conference sharing a speaker phone. Today's audio
teleconferences are sometimes arranged over dial-up phone lines using bridging
services that provide the necessary equipment for the call. With considerably
more equipment and special arrangements, a teleconference can be a conference,
called a video conference, in which the participants can see still or motion video
images of each other. Video conferencing (or video conference) means to conduct
a conference between two or more participants at different sites by using
computer networks to transmit audio and video data. Each participant has a video
camera, microphone, and speakers mounted on his or her computer. As the two
participants speak to one another, their voices are carried over the network and
delivered to the other’s speakers, and whatever images appear in front of the video
camera appear in a window on the other participant’s monitor. Multipoint video
conferencing allows three or more participants to sit in a virtual conference room
and communicate as if they were sitting right next to each other. Until the mid
90s, the hardware costs made video conferencing prohibitively expensive for
most organizations, but that situation is changing rapidly.