Communication challenges in Carson Container's organizational decentralization

¶ … communication to be effective, the company executives will have to conduct face-to-face meetings with plant managers. It is unfortunate that the response doesn't comment on communication in a decentralized structure and doesn't use the term decentralized because the entire case is about moving an existing structure from "centralized" to "decentralized." In a scattered system where no centralized access to information and communication is available, there is a possibility of mismanagement and serious communication problems that Carson Container can also face. This is not mentioned by the author in the response however there is vast literature documenting the challenges faced by organizations when they turn to decentralization. "Decentralization of the organization resulted unclear roles and responsibilities. It also made it more difficult to know the employees' areas of expertise or responsibilities, which had negative effects on decision-making and employees' ability to decide with whom to communicate." (Maki et al. 2005)

The author mentions the importance of communication in any organization and it is very pertinent to the issue because lack of communication can lead to breakdown of the entire system. In a decentralized organization however, this kind of communication mentioned in the response may not always be possible because plant managers are scattered all over. For this reason, it is more important to focus on virtual means of communication and online conferences as they can enable managers in variety of areas to come together and communicate in real time. "Communication builds trust.