In the small town of Evansville, Indiana, Amberville Textiles was not producing parachute and military blankets as it did in its height of success thirty years ago. When Joe Harley, the middle-level manager of the production department at Amberville was laid off, many employees who worked under him became apprehensive about their job security. They were aware of the current trend toward laying-off employees in the textile industry.

The termination of their manager, combined with the fact that the plant had performed only moderately well in the last two quarters, led the employees to believe that they were at a high risk of losing their jobs as well. Rumors had spread about impending lay-offs and the human resources manager was just developing the first formal inter-departmental communication network for managers to put into place the same week Joe Harley left the organization.

Analyze the current organizational and inter-departmental structure; then, prepare a clear, concise process-improvement strategy plan, which you will present in writing to the President and Human Resources Manager. Include specific examples of current communication issues and specific suggestions for improvement. Conclude with two recommendations for how the inter-departmental communication conflicts could be altered to improve accurate and timely communication and productivity within the current workforce.