Mod 5 Packback # 3: Dispersed Workplace

Purpose: To identify the various dimensions of leadership and effective communication strategies for each.

Scenario:

Consider the following scenario:

Your nonprofit organization, one concerned with stimulating and communicating innovations in local government, is headquartered in the western United States. Despite your organization's physical location, you have long recognized the importance of having a number of regional representatives in various parts of the country also on staff. You feel that these representatives would help identify innovations, share information about their local government practices, and more importantly, help stimulate new memberships among local governments in their areas. While you would communicate with the regional representatives regularly by phone and email and see them in person two or three times a year, for the most part they would be out there "on their own."

When you present your proposal to your board, they are highly supportive of the idea of having regional representatives but want to be sure of a couple of aspects of the remote team of employees before providing their approval. First, they want to ensure that the regional representatives would receive what they need from the organization in terms of support, encouragement, and a sense of belonging to the organization. Second, they want to know that the regional representatives would be properly "managed" and held accountable for their work.

Directions:

Consider the communication strategies and effective management skills that you learned about in your assigned textbook readings (Chapters 9 and 11). Discuss the communication and management strategies you would propose to your board for managing these remote employees. Consider relevant conflict management techniques that could be helpful to resolve any conflict that might arise between you and the board.