How Melissa’s communication Style impacted the performance of the Italian partners?
Melissa Chang’s communication style had positive impact on the performance of the Italian partners. Melissa was initially hesitant to visit Italy as she felt that her company had not upheld basic business standards by not providing the basic product information to the Italians. However, when she provided the necessary information and answered all their questions in an effective manner, the Italians were encouraged by her positive approach and they could listen to her feelings which were genuine. They sat down with her the next morning and provided all the relevant information like their sales records. They even drew up a projected plan for next fiscal year with Melissa and were encouraged by her empathising approach towards them.
What were the primary sources of information prior to Melissa’s visit?
Prior to Melissa’s visit, the primary source of information for the Italian partners were Melissa’s office colleagues based in U.S .The Italian partners wanted some basic product information from Melissa’s colleague as it was essential for their business. Although this information was readily available on computer in form of data files, it was not provided to the Italians. The Italian counterparts, therefore, relied on the company websites to get the desired information. This information was sought through emails and telephones prior to Mellisa’s visit to Italy. Language barrier and communication across cultures was an important aspect here.
What will be the primary sources of information after Melissa’s visit?
Melissa’s visit to Italy completely changed the equation between her company and the Italian counterparts. The Italians were impressed and encouraged by her empathetic listening skills and ability to relate to their business needs. They were also encouraged by her quick actions and decisiveness that she demonstrated during the meetings. Although, there was some language barrier, they could successfully draw a projected plan for the next fiscal year which showed that they were on track to set news sales records. The primary source of information would be face to face human communication or meetings over Skype and other communication tools mainly involving Melissa from U.S side. It would involve understanding of verbal and non verbal cues of the speaker.
What might account for Melissa’s change in attitude about dealing with Italian partners after her visit?
Melissa realised that her company’s Italian partners were doing exceptionally well and were all set to break the sales record. In fact, they were actually outperforming the US parent office. Their main cause of their frustration was the lack of proper communication and ignorance of basic business standards by the US office. Thus, there was no reason why their association could be questioned. This was the reason for the change in Melissa’s attitude.
References
Week7, Lecture A, Chapter 12: Effective Communication
