Communication Technologies Assignment 1

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Communication Technologies

What is Information Communications and Media Technology (ICMT)

ICMT is derived from two fundamental terminologies -- information communication technology and media technology. Information communication technologies refer to the resources and tools used to create, manage, store, and disseminate information (Gray, 2012). They include telephony, broadcasting technologies (television and radio), computers, and other technological media for communication. Each of these media has its technological limitations -- radio, for instance, could broadcast an event live, but one would only hear the sound and not be able to see the performers; similarly, a television would be able to deliver video and sound, but not text (Croteau, Hoynes & Milan, 2011). Media technologies are platforms of computer networks that allow for the delivery of all media forms; interactive, video, picture, sound, text and live (Croteau et al., 2011). Information communications and media technologies, therefore, refer to the various tools of creating, managing and disseminating information that allow for the delivery of print, sound, still photos, and live video forms of media. They include social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter, instant messaging, and email, to name but a few.

These technologies could be beneficial to an organization in a number of ways. First, they allow for the timely sharing of information. Through instant messaging services such as Skype or text messaging apps such as Whatsapp, employees can seek clarifications from their supervisors and receive responses to the same on the instant. This helps to ensure that work in the organization continues even in the absence of supervisors, and confusion/uncertainty does not interfere with the smooth flow of work when the supervisor is off-site.

Moreover, such services facilitate the process of knowledge transfer among team members at the workplace. For instance, team members are able to explore social contexts, negotiate work expectations and collaborate on teamwork even when they are away from the workplace. ICMTs are essentially able to overcome the spatial and temporal communication barriers often encountered in face-to-face interactions.

Through social media platforms, organizations are able to market their products better than they would have done on the traditional forms of information communication such as television, radio and print media. For instance, an organization can post a video on Facebook about their newly-launched product and allow fans to post comments or even share the same with other Facebook users who may not have had access to it. This helps the marketed product reach a wider network of people, and at the same time allows for a form of interactivity that may not be possible with the traditional forms of information communication.

Towards this end, organizations need to strive to expand the use of ICMTs within their organizations as well as in connecting with their customer networks.

Part 2: Communication Audit

A communication audit can be defined simply as an evaluation of an organization's ability to share, send and receive information with and from various audiences both within and outside the organization (Townsend-Hall, n.d.). It helps an organization identify the strengths and weaknesses of its internal communication systems and to consequently devise effective measures for either reinforcing or correcting the same. Failure to conduct a communications audit could have some serious consequences for an organization. First, it could result in low employee morale, low productivity and high employee turnover. Employees are motivated to perform better if they feel that the organization's leadership values them and strives to take their views and perspectives into consideration in the making of decisions. One way through which an organization could demonstrate that it values its employees is by maintaining an interactive climate between leaders and employees, and promoting a positive environment for vertical communication. If there are loopholes in the internal communication system and employees do not feel like their views are reaching the organization's top leadership, they are likely to lose motivation and to consequently give a less-than-optimal performance. A communications audit would help to reveal such loopholes (if they exist) and ensure that the same are corrected in time.

Failing to conduct a communications audit could also lead an organization to lose touch with its shareholders. Shareholders are the owners of a company and they need to be involved in the making of all major decisions in the organization. If the communication system is ineffective, the organization may find it challenging to keep in touch with all stockholders; and this may drive them to think that they are being excluded from their ownership role in the organization.