Running head: NAAA SID Audit 1

Naval Athletic Association Sports Information Department Communication Audit

Mary Clare Coghlan

Gonzaga University

Organizational Communication

December 8, 2012

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Summary

The purpose of this communication audit is to investigate the internal communication of

The Naval Academy Athletic Association Sports Information Department. Two methods of

research were used to for this study. The first was an online survey questionnaire and the other

was a sit -down interview. The survey took place first so that the interview questions would not

affect survey answers. All six members of the department and one publications member that’s

closely associated with their department did both of the methods. This “related” member was

suggested to me by the boss, as his work is essential to the everyday workload. Overall, there is

a good strategy for communication and people feel it supports them in doing their job. It was

interesting to analyze the internal workings of a department whose main job is external

communication. I had them do the survey first so that the sit down questions would not affect

their answers.

The audit had a multi-faceted approach: to identify the types of communication along

with strengths, weaknesses and effectiveness. Communication with reference to job satisfaction,

workload, culture and performance was also taken into account.

The overall analysis of the department is that the members of the department are satisfied

with the types of communication and feel that it is efficient enough for them to do their jobs

successfully. The common answer for increasing effectiveness is to have more face-to-face

interaction, to share information, to have a better understanding of colleague’s communication

styles in addition to their workload. The frequency of meetings, the feeling of independence and

general support from colleagues supported the strategies of the department. In a department

where people are constantly connected to technology, it is easy to get lost in only emailing. As

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all people mentioned (except for the boss), verbal cues are missed and extensive email chains are

created with a lack of face-to-face communication.

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Naval Academy Athletic Association Sports Information Department

Table of Contents

Summary …………………………………………………………………….…2

Description of NAAA Sports Information Department …………………….….5

Methodology ……………………………………………………..…………….8

SurveyGizmo Online Survey………………………………………..….8 A. Organizational Logic…………………………………….…..8

B. Adequacy of Information Exchange…………………………9C. Directionality of Communication Flow……...……………..10D. Communication Channels…………………………………..10E. Work Atmosphere…………………………………………...12F. Supervisor Relationship……………………………………..12G. Job Satisfaction…………………………………….……….13

Interviews…………………………………………………………..…14A. Channels of Communication………………………………15B. Communication Strengths………..……………………..…15C. Communication Weaknesses………………...…………….16D. Limitation of Department….………………………………16E. Decision Making..………………………………………….17F. Conflict and Conflict Resolution…………………………..17G. Job Evaluation and Department Success and Efficiency….18H. How NAAA SID is Different……………………………..19

Summary ……………………….……………………………………………20

Auditor Recommendations………………………………....………………..22

Conclusion…………………………………………………………………..24

AppendicesA. Online Survey and Results.……………………………………..25B. Interview Questions and Results.……………………………….30

References.…………………………………..……………………………...36

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What is The NAAA Sports Information Department?

The Sports Information Department is the pulse of The Naval Academy Athletic

Association. Their jobs are multi-faceted in purpose. They are essentially a news website but also

a liaison among many: the school, the league, the alumni, the fan base and the media.

To give a better understanding of The NAAA Sports Information, a description of those

whom they are writing about is pertinent. The United States Naval Academy is a military

institution that competes at The NCAAA Division I Level. There are about 4,000 midshipmen

and roughly 30% of these are varsity athletes. Every single student that graduates is

commissioned as a Naval or Marine Corps Officer and will, at the minimum, serve their country

for the first 5 years after graduation. All students live on “the yard” and they are pulled in many

directions. The school is split into “30 companies”, which are under the tutelage of a Naval or

Marine Corps Officer, roughly in their 4th year of service. All midshipmen rise at 6 am and are

academically committed from 8 am until 3 pm. All students engage in physical activities for 2 or

3 hours. For varsity athletes, this takes place in addition to weight lifting and scouting which can

occur at lunch or in the early morning. Each summer the midshipman have training tours in

different parts of the world to prepare them for their future careers as officers.

(http://www.navysports.com/this-is-navy/student-athlete.html)

Unlike the teams that they report on, there is no “off-season” for Sports Information

Directors. They are usually overlapping seasons because in college sports, fall teams can go past

Christmas and spring teams bleed into the summer. At Navy, there are 33 varsity sports and it is

split among the 6 sports information directors. However, when it comes to the large sports such

as football, basketball and lacrosse, everyone helps out. They all work home football games and

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most of them work home basketball and lacrosse games. In the summer, they are creating stories

on the experiential military experiences of the athletes.

Let’s take a walk in the shoes of an SID for a week with reference to just one sport. There

are articles released early in the week to highlight awards, an “athlete of the week”, coaches’

outlook and a game outlook. There are videos of interviews with the coaches and players. There

are daily updates on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. They are pitching stories to local media in

addition to the papers and media in the hometowns of the athletes. For a home game, they are in

charge of accommodating the media that comes to the games or practices, accommodating other

schools SID’s and coordinating all of the events of the game from running statistical programs to

video services. They keep stats during the game, update social media throughout the competition,

conduct post game interviews then compose the post game write up in a timely manner to get it

posted online.

The Sports Information Department is a huge recruiting tool for all athletes interested in

attending The Naval Academy. What makes NAAA SID so important is that they are the first

glimpse for recruits to see that even though they are attending a military institution, they are

getting a complete Division 1 experience. The ability for games to be streamed online allows for

families to watch their children participate. The up to date communication helps families far

away stay connected. Just surfing the Navy Sports website for 5 minutes allows anyone to see

how much work is put into this job. It is not just for the athletic institution student-athletes, it is

for the entire institution.

After working at The Naval Academy for 5.5 years, there is no doubt that the Sports

Information Department is vital to the school. There is a passion that comes with the job. They

do not work for praise and their work does not fit into a 40-hour workweek. They work hard,

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they work often and are stretched thin. But, every single person in this department loves Navy.

Some would say the amount of time they spend together makes them a family, but it is a family

because they choose to be.

What are the main goals of the NAAA Sports Information Department? Well, first of all,

they are there to support the goals of NAAA, the company of which they are apart:

• Reinforce the educational and moral values of the Academy leading to the commissioning of officers for the United States Navy and Marine Corps.

• Field highly competitive and successful Division I intercollegiate teams that promote spirit and pride in the Brigade and Alumni.

• Successfully operate as a non-government entity and generate external revenues with fiscal responsibility and in cooperation through a supportive relationship with the USNA Administration and Foundation.

• Promote the USNA to the community, alumni, fans, media and corporations in a manner that generates pride in association and commitment to support.

• Advance the synergy between all units of physical activity, education and their staff to the benefit of the Brigade.

• Enhance the aesthetic dignity and stature of the Yard while constructing and maintaining first class sports facilities and grounds commensurate with the finest in the nation. (http://www.navysports.com/ot/what-is-naaa.html)

The main strategy of NAAA Sports Information Department is to be one of the premier

websites in the country with regards to college athletics. They have to think ahead of their

opponents while keeping up with technology. As Scott Strasemeir, the head SID, stated in his

interview, “The internet is the best thing and the worst thing to ever happen to sports

information.” They want to have stories that they pitch being run all over the country, their

publicity has to be effective yet efficient. They want their media guides and posters to win

awards to promote not only themselves and their department but for the military as well. And as

one of a few schools with over 30 sports, they operate as a small school staff with a marquee

school approach.

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Methodology

After choosing the company that I wanted to audit, I wrote a letter to the Head Sports

Information Director asking for permission. After being given the green light, I wrote an email to

the entire staff, explaining the audit, what I was asking them to do and how I would conduct the

survey and interview. After getting the survey and interview questions analyzed by the professor,

classmates and a Public Relations Consultant, I sent the link to all employees. I then emailed

each person to find a time for the interview. All interviews were conducted within one week.

After my work with them finished and before I started the final paper, I wrote them again

thanking them for their time, honesty and insight. I plan on stopping by next week with holiday

treats as a further sign of gratitude

Survey Results

31 questions were in the online survey. These were used with a Likert Scale that had 8

different types of responses. It ranged from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree with a non-

applicable choice. Chapter 4 of Assessing Organizational Communications led me to form the

survey as I did as the chapter focus is on choosing what to assess in audits (Downs & Adrian,

2004). Since internal communication was being audited, the survey had its questions organized

under the following: organizational logic, adequacy of information exchange, directionality of

communication flow, communication channels, work atmosphere, supervisor relationship and

job satisfaction.

A. Organizational Logic

The first five questions of the survey took into account organizational logic as an attempt

to see where the employees stood on the department strategies and effectiveness of meetings. All

employees agreed that the strategies were clear, known and that everyone works with them. All

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also agreed that meetings are effective and regularly scheduled. As a boss of the department, my

one concern would be with the first questions regarding having clear strategies. This area should

have all members strongly agreeing.

B. Adequacy of Information Exchange

Information exchange is vital and only “useful if it is received on time” (Downs &

Adrian, 2004, p. 52). All members agreed that information is shared when procedures change

and that information is shared in a timely manner. Considering how much their job relies on

technology and live information, it’s positive to see information is shared. The first time people

disagreed was in regards to notes being distributed after the meeting.

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Tension can develop when overloading people with communication so making a change

to have notes taken and distributed after each meet would assist in information exchange.

C. Directionality of Communication Flow

All members agreed with the following: communication up the chain is efficient,

communication down the chain in efficient, communication is efficient and that communication

takes places across the proper channels. “Employees need to have the information necessary to

do their job” (Downs & Adrian, 2004, p. 54). With a small department and all of their offices

being right next to each other, they are able to have communication take place frequently. As we

will see in the interviews, there may be a discrepancy with the question regarding to

communication taking place across the proper channels as seen below in two questions.

D. Communication Channels

These questions take a look at the channels used for communication. Email is the

most utilized but when it comes to whether email or face to face is more efficient, the answers

vary. This idea will come into play during the interview analysis.

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E. Work Atmosphere

This area of the survey takes into consideration the feelings in the work atmosphere with

regards to innovation and teamwork. All employees agree that innovation is encouraged, that

teamwork is common and that teamwork is positive. Interestingly enough, everyone answered

that there is a positive sense of teamwork and one person answered that there is a negative sense

of teamwork. Being a company that is all about focus, having one of seven state that there is a

negative sense is something that the boss may want to investigate.

F. Supervisor Relationship

“For most employees, their supervisors are structurally the most important

communication links in the organization” (Downs & Adrian, 2004, p. 63). All agree that their

boss knows the preferred method of communication, that one-on-one meetings are satisfactory

and that enough feedback is given. This is a great tool for the boss to have in terms of moving

forward and furthering developing his subordinates.

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G. Job Satisfaction

“Most communication assessments are heavily based on satisfaction” (Downs & Adrian,

2004, p. 68). This section has a cultural focus. When dealing with the logistics and strategies of

the department, there is a consistent pattern of people being on the same page. All agree with the

department communication styles, that they have a say in decisions that affect their job and that

job performance reviews take place in regular increments. Most agree that their input is valued

and that they are in the know in the department. The one area that has interesting answers but is

not representative of the communication is with two questions relating to workload, as seen

below.

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As mentioned earlier, this is a job with outrageous hours. They are a company that operates on a

smaller workforce with a huge audience. As it will be seen in the interview questions, they

accept that it is the nature of the job. However, it is important to note in an internal study from a

job satisfaction perspective.

Interview Results

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The main reasoning for sitting down and interviewing is to get a sense for what a survey

does not cover: a look at the culture and verbal cues that can only be seen in person. I was able to

hear “narratives” “personal stories” and “collegial stories” that can only be understood with

answers to thought provoking questions (Geertz & Pacanowsky, 1994, p.163). These authors

“caution against simplistic interpretation of stories” and this would happen if I only did a survey

or an observation (p.163). Analysis would be made form graphs rather than live responses.

There were times when the questions were answered very quickly, there were times when

question were answered with some hesitation and there were times when the employees would

look at me and say, “that is a good question, let me think about it.” It gives a fantastic look into

the personal intricacies of the department and allows for exploration into the cultural areas and

its meanings because “culture is not something an organization does, but is something an

organization is” (p.162). The body language, facial expressions and even sarcastic tones tell

much more than answers on a paper.

13 questions were asked in the sit-down interviews. Each interview lasted about 45

minutes with the exception of the boss. His was about 15. It was interesting to hear the boss

perceive no conflicts and believe that because they are a communications department, they were

good at communicating. Considering every other interview was three times as long, it is simple

to state that the rest of the department did not have the same views.

The interview questions were tailored to look at a few areas: channels of communication,

strengths and weaknesses of communication, decision making, conflict and job evaluation.

A. Channels of Communication

It was a common theme that face to face is the best form of communication. Email is the

most utilized and everyone, except the boss, felt that face-to-face should take place more. In a

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job where email is constant, people are on the road and have a lot of work they do on the

computer; it is easy to just write an email. Personal touch and verbal cues get lost in email

chains. Text messaging is viewed as the worst unless it is a situation where someone cannot talk.

An intriguing answer to the types of communication was “no communication is the worst

communication.”

B. Communication Strengths

The boss releases a 4-week schedule outlook and everyone feels (including him) that this

is very efficient. The boss mentioned that if a change needs to be made, it does not have to go

through him. His primary concern is having coverage regardless of who is it is. There are

weekly meetings where things are put on the table. With the crazy schedule that they have, it was

a common theme for people to roll with the flow when it comes to changes. Another frequently

mentioned strength is the experience of the veterans. There is a combined 70 years of experience

with the staff. Employees feel that people know each other very well.

C. Communication Weaknesses

Although the overall communication appears to be relatively strong, a common answer

was the sharing of information. They have a job where they have to keep up technology. For

some of the veterans, Sports Information is a completely different game from when they started.

There are challenges that come with the technology and once people learn how something works,

it is a trend to not share it. When I probed deeper, it was not intentional. People get busy in their

work, figure out a shortcut on a stats system or a way to get something done faster and this

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information never makes it to the other people. The publications employee, who is not

completely in their department, provided insight. There is only one of him so he is doing

publications for all 6 people with 33 sports. He feels as though communication could be better

with him and that most of it comes from people needing to have an understanding of his job.

With so much going on, things can slip through the cracks and it is generally due to a lack of

communication.

D. Limitations of Department

This question was important to ask because they appeared to be short staffed in the first

place. At Notre Dame, there are 11 sports information employees and an additional 12 in digital

media for 26 sports. It was not a complaint session by any means but every person except one

went into great deal about the limitations of the staff. At other schools, there are many student

interns. In fact, all of the employees were completely in charge of teams when they were in

college. The Academy is unique as no students are majoring in communications and none will

have a job within college sports so there is no professional interest. If they have personal interest,

it would not happen as they are pulled in many other directions.

There are security limitations with getting wireless for home games. No civilian schools

are limited by the access of Wi-Fi but the nature of the institution affects this. There has to be

coordination for the Internet to be accessible.

There was a tremendous sense of being behind in the video aspect of social media. Many

schools have a video person and in order to keep up with marquee schools, it is just another time

constraint but on the 6 people.

As seen in the survey questionnaire, the workload is overwhelming and can negatively

affect job performance but at the same time, it is the nature of the job. They all understand the

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cyclic nature of being a sports information director but were able to be honest in their

perspectives on limitations and comparison.

Interestingly enough, one person said that the number of people does not limit the

communication. If anything, the more people present, the tougher communication becomes.

E. Decision Making

The answer to this question can be summed up very easily. When it comes to decisions

that will affect everyone, it is a group decision. If it is a policy decision, it comes from the boss.

For everything else in the middle, people are given the freedom to use common sense. If people

are going to be affected by a decision, they are consulted. They have “on site off sites” in the

summer and things are brought to the table for voting. The boss said his vote counts the same as

everyone else.

F. Conflict and Conflict Resolution

Interestingly enough, a common answer was lack of communication. As mentioned

earlier in the communication weakness section, information on “figuring something out” is not

shared as well as it could be. An answer from both veterans (but not the boss) was respect for

other people’s jobs. As veterans, they have more collateral duties and feel as though other people

are not as respectful of this as they could be.

The publication employee (not directly in the department but works with them daily)

believes that just trying to make everyone happy is a general conflict. Everyone believes their

publication takes precedence when he deals with numerous time constraints.

Conflict is resolved with discussion, creating pro and con lists and then taking care of it

as fast as possible. However, it appears that if things continue to happen, people “talk” about

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how the person is not doing something correctly instead of just sitting that person down and

telling them.

The benefit of having so much freedom is that people make their decisions but forget to

take people into account. Sometimes being creative and doing something innovative then causes

everyone to have to do that for all of their sports. A video was made for a sport and then every

coach wanted that done. One person was just thinking freely and people then got their workloads

increased. One employee said that this part of it falls on the shoulders of the boss in terms of

more communication about understanding what others go through.

G. Job Evaluation and Measurement of Department Success and Effectiveness

A question in the interview asked how members know when they are doing a good or bad

job. They are evaluated once a year, as it is policy of NAAA. The Athletic Director evaluates the

boss/head sports information director. Members also stated that they heard from fans and

alumni, who are not afraid to share their thoughts. Generally, no feedback is good feedback. It is

easy to hear when you are not doing things right as people can see it on the website. Many times,

the “bad job” news comes through email. The boss does a good job of giving a pat on the back

for a good story or for thinking outside of the box. They may also hear from the athletes or their

parents or coaches and this is usually positive.

Two questions were asked in regards to how the company measures success and

effectiveness. These caught people a little off guard but they took the time to think about them.

The answers to both of these were very intertwined. One employee expressed a viewpoint well

and it was that they are not a team so they cannot “beat” Army’s sports information department.

The answers (and body language) tended to go with pride. They spoke about the expectation of

success and about comparing themselves to the biggest and best sports information departments

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in the country. That working on growing from feedback and experience will help the department

to be successful and effective. All spoke about accommodating media and getting through events

without hiccups and to handle them smoothly if they do arise. Landing stories in national media,

getting information up in a timely manner, accommodating the media and representing the

academy in a positive way were common answers. Quantitative measures include views on

social media and national writing and publication awards.

H. How NAAA Sports Information Department is Different

This last question was very important for learning about how people identify with

their jobs and what separates them from other SI departments throughout the country. It was

interesting that the youngest person in the department had a different view than the rest. He did

not mention much during the interview about being limited by size or technology. This may be

because he was worried that these answers would be read because every other person stressed the

limitations. All people said that even though they are much smaller than the schools they

compare themselves to; there is a sense of pride at Navy that is like nowhere else. Everyone is

pro-Navy. They love the school; their families attend the games and have completely embraced

the culture and traditions. The experience of all the staff makes the stressful times easy because

they know each other so well. It is a group of nice people and one employee said that if the

people generally do not like each other, it has an affect on the department. Because they all like

each other and they want the department to do well, it is easy for them to be there for each other.

And, Navy is a different place. The same way that the students take pride in having a different

undergrad experience, the sports information employees are the same way. It is a part of who

they are.

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Summary

Although the company I chose to audit is on military grounds, they do not fall under the

traditional frame of organizational structure. In fact, they are much more under the umbrella of

the relational and cultural frames.

How do they fit in the relational frame of organizational strategy? “Members of

organizations, especially managers, encourage employees to identify with their firms-that is, to

begin to see their continued connection to the organization as an important part of who they are

as people” (Conrad & Poole, 2012, p. 164). The final interview question and answers exemplify

how this takes place at Navy. Many people identify with their employer’s culture because “they

may feel that they really are part of the organization or feel pride in being involved in an

organization that cares for its members (p. 164). One of the goals of NAAA is to “promote the

USNA to the community, alumni, fans, media and corporations in a manner that generates pride

in association and commitment to support” (http://www.navysports.com/ot/what-is-naaa.html).

Metaphors provide a great insight and “are often used to describe an organization” (p.166) and a

common answer from people about their department is the care factor and how it is like a family.

Rituals are also part of the cultural strategy in that they are “informal celebrations that may or

may not be officially sanctioned by the organization” (p.169) and at Navy, regardless of their

hectic schedule, they meet for lunch every Friday. All stated that they have a lot of freedom,

which aligns with the “unobtrusive form of control” in cultural strategies of organizing (p.174).

This allows for self-surveillance, “a process in which employees act in ways that are desired by

the organization because they have internalized its core beliefs and values, identify with it, and

feel positive emotions when they comply with its commands” (p.175). The vision of their

department is “transformative” because “it is consistent with the history of the organization or

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unit and fits the realities of the current situation, and it is attractive” (p. 179).

The department has a few characteristics, which fit into the relational strategies of

organization framework. The first is the freedom that they are given by the boss. Essentially,

they are “self-managing teams” and are empowered with this freedom “by enabling them to

organize and govern themselves as they see best” and this is “the pinnacle of the relational

strategy of organizing” (p.133). With this “power and responsibility, they will see them as a

privilege and rise to the occasion, learning the skills and attitudes of leaders by making their own

mistake and correcting their course” (p. 133). Although the boss may be seen as a person truly

sticks to emailing, he is supportive and fosters an environment of open communication. This

“transactional leadership” is important because “trust, respect, and task factors, such as risk

taking and innovation” are crucial for cultivating for an environment of healthy superior-

subordinate relationships (p. 137).

Auditor Recommendations

One employee mentioned that he would be curious to see if implementation of Google

Calendar (The Naval Academy subscribes to Gmail) would assist with scheduling and lowering

emails that go out about scheduling. Another employee mentioned that this would not help and

that people need to make sure they are in top of their events. Since Navy has Gmail, they have

access to Google calendars. It would be interesting to see if this made communication more

efficient as you can put the information in the calendar as it can send email notifications when

there are changes. This can save whoever is scheduling the event precious time.

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At least half the staff stated that sometimes others do not understand people’s

communication styles and their workload. Perhaps creating a list of the job descriptions of each

people and have this posted so people know who to talk to about things and it may also spell out

how many collateral duties people have.

Another list that can be created is one of clear-cut strategies and ways to measure the

department. It is a pretty independent department but getting together and asking questions about

who they are, what defines them and where they want to go. What are the standards of being a

member of NAAA Sports Information Department? It is common for people to do what they

need to do and what they are told to do but asking the question of why and how is essential for

continuing to cultivate the best sports information department in the country.

All agree that daily meetings would not increase the effectiveness of communication but

there may be some ways to increase the effectiveness of those meetings. The first would be to

have someone (and it can rotate) to take notes and these notes could be distributed. At each

meeting, there can be a time for people to share what they have learned with regards to new

programs. A common weakness mentioned in communication was that people, although not

intentionally, are not great at sharing what they have learned.

In terms of logistics and scheduling, email is great. Everyone believes face-to-face

communication should and could be used more frequently. Ten people are copied on an email

and 15 emails later; they are spending valuable time sifting through emails to see what is

pertinent to them. Taking the time to weed out those not that do not need to be on the email or to

make sure you look before you forward an email to ensure you are not forwarding an email to

someone on the initial email can lower what is in each person’s inbox and therefore, allow time

to be spend in another areas.

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Since they are limited by numbers and cannot have students at Navy work for them, a

suggestion is to look into local schools for interns with sports media and with video majors. Even

though teaching them the flow would be difficult, it may be lighten the load.

Over 80 years of experience in any department is a great sign. In college athletics, it is

very common for people to bounce around. There are two people that have been there for almost

20 years each and they want to stay in the department. They embrace Navy and have passed up

on higher positions at other schools because they love their coworkers and embrace The Naval

Academy. With this experience, comes the freedom to speak their minds. This inevitably helps

the department to evolve.

As I was conducting the audit, I was thinking, even though this is a company on military

grounds, they have freedom to have their own style. The underlying themes of my suggestions

are to be more traditional when it comes to a few things in the department. There is freedom and

they are constantly on the go of keeping up with technology, keeping up with other schools

makes it easy to get lost in the day-to-day tasks. The traditional frame of organization has a focus

on structure, formal communication and written policies and procedures and implementing these

ideas, even just a little, can have a large affect on the department (p. 107). This department

works because people work hard to make it successful but the suggestions helps with efficiency.

Conclusion

To see how things operate behind closed doors was interesting. At the beginning of the

audit, I wondered how it would ever be a good final project. After just one interview, there was

so much information to analyze and attach to organizational theories. It was an honor to see the

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internal workings of a company that is all about external communication operate well because of

the way people watch out for each other.

Appendices

A. Online Survey and Results

Below is the survey I created on http://www.SurveyGizmo.com. Each question had a bubble to

select as demonstrated in the screen shot below. I was not able get the bubbles pasted in with the

entire audit.

Results: (https://students.sgizmo.com/projects/preview?id=1082747)

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NAAA Communication AuditPage One

As part of the communication audit process, and to better understand the effective communication processes at The NAAA Sports Information Department, please respond to the questions below. The questionnaire is confidential and will not have your name attached to it in any way. Thank you in advance for participating.1. Your department has clear strategies.

Strongly disagree

Moderately disagree

Slightly disagree Neutral

Slightly agree

Moderately agree

Comments

2. Every member understands the department's strategies.

Strongly disagree

Moderately disagree

Slightly disagree Neutral

Slightly agree

Moderately agree

Comments

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3. Everyone in the department works with these strategies.

Strongly disagree

Moderately disagree

Slightly disagree Neutral

Slightly agree

Moderately agree

Comments

4. Department meetings are efficient.

Strongly disagree

Moderately disagree

Slightly disagree Neutral

Slightly agree

Moderately agree

Comments

5. Department meetings are regularly scheduled.

Strongly disagree

Moderately disagree

Slightly disagree Neutral

Slightly agree

Moderately agree

Comments

6. Meeting notes are distributed after the meeting.

Strongly disagree

Moderately disagree

Slightly disagree Neutral

Slightly agree

Moderately agree

Comments

7. When procedures change, information is shared.

Strongly disagree

Moderately disagree

Slightly disagree Neutral

Slightly agree

Moderately agree

Comments

8. This information is shared in a timely manner.

Strongly disagree

Moderately disagree

Slightly disagree Neutral

Slightly agree

Moderately agree

Comments

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9. Communication up the chain of command is efficient.

Strongly disagree

Moderately disagree

Slightly disagree Neutral

Slightly agree

Moderately agree

Comments

10. Communication down the chain of command is efficient.

Strongly disagree

Moderately disagree

Slightly disagree Neutral

Slightly agree

Moderately agree

Comments

11. The communication in your department is efficient.

Strongly disagree

Moderately disagree

Slightly disagree Neutral

Slightly agree

Moderately agree

Comments

12. Communication takes place across the proper channels.

Strongly disagree

Moderately disagree

Slightly disagree Neutral

Slightly agree

Moderately agree

Comments

13. Email is the most utilized channel of communication.

Strongly disagree

Moderately disagree

Slightly disagree Neutral

Slightly agree

Moderately agree

Comments

14. Face to face contact is the most utilized channel of communication.

Strongly disagree

Moderately disagree

Slightly disagree Neutral

Slightly agree

Moderately agree

Comments

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15. Email is more efficient than face-to-face communication

Strongly disagree

Moderately disagree

Slightly disagree Neutral

Slightly agree

Moderately agree

Comments

16. Face-to-face communication is more efficient than email.

Strongly disagree

Moderately disagree

Slightly disagree Neutral

Slightly agree

Moderately agree

Comments

17. Innovation is encouraged in your department.

Strongly disagree

Moderately disagree

Slightly disagree Neutral

Slightly agree

Moderately agree

Comments

18. Teamwork is common in your department.

Strongly disagree

Moderately disagree

Slightly disagree Neutral

Slightly agree

Moderately agree

Comments

19. There is a positive sense of teamwork in your department.

Strongly disagree

Moderately disagree

Slightly disagree Neutral

Slightly agree

Moderately agree

Comments

20. There is a negative sense of teamwork in your department.

Strongly disagree

Moderately disagree

Slightly disagree Neutral

Slightly agree

Moderately agree

21. Your boss knows your preferred method of communication.

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Strongly disagree

Moderately disagree

Slightly disagree Neutral

Slightly agree

Moderately agree

Comments

22. You are satisfied with one-on-one meetings with your supervisor.

Strongly disagree

Moderately disagree

Slightly disagree Neutral

Slightly agree

Moderately agree

Comments

23. You receive an efficient amount of feedback.

Strongly disagree

Moderately disagree

Slightly disagree Neutral

Slightly agree

Moderately agree

Comments

24. Your workload is overwhelming.

Strongly disagree

Moderately disagree

Slightly disagree Neutral

Slightly agree

Moderately agree

Comments

25. Your workload negatively affects your performance.

Strongly disagree

Moderately disagree

Slightly disagree Neutral

Slightly agree

Moderately agree

Comments

26. Your input in valued.

Strongly disagree

Moderately disagree

Slightly disagree Neutral

Slightly agree

Moderately agree

Comments

27. You have a say in decisions that affect your job.

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Strongly disagree

Moderately disagree

Slightly disagree Neutral

Slightly agree

Moderately agree

Comments

28. You agree with the department's communication styles.

Strongly disagree

Moderately disagree

Slightly disagree Neutral

Slightly agree

Moderately agree

Comments

29. You feel creative in your job.

Strongly disagree

Moderately disagree

Slightly disagree Neutral

Slightly agree

Moderately agree

Comments

30. Job performance reviews take place in regular increments.

Strongly disagree

Moderately disagree

Slightly disagree Neutral

Slightly agree

Moderately agree

Comments

31. You feel you are "in the know" in your department.

Strongly disagree

Moderately disagree

Slightly disagree Neutral

Slightly agree

Moderately agree

CommentsThank you for taking the time to take this survey. The questionnaire is confidential and will not have your name attached to it in any way. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at maryclarecoghlan@gmail.com or mcoghlan@zagmail.gonzaga.edu

B. Face-to-Face Interview Questions and Answers

MATT

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STACIE JEFFSCOTTJUSTINMARKCHRIS

1. What are the best channels of communication?Email b/c it is Scott’s preferred method. It is great for scheduling and people prefer it so there is always a paper trail.One on one- which will get the message across. Lose personal touch, lose non-verbal communication on the phone vs. in person.Email is effective but face to face is best and better than 10 emails going back and forth.Depends on the situation.Face to face. So much can get lost in email. If a huge group, then yes, email.Email.Face to face.

2. What are the worst? Group text No communication. Text if it is vague.None.Office wide information being done to each person.Dependent upon need. Usually text.Text messaging.

3. What are the communication strengths of your department? They are very proactive with schedules and getting all the information out. There is a 4-week outlook that is sent out and it includes all the information. Then, an email is sent as a reminder as well. Great for planning purposes. Great for Scott to reach out to people via email and copy all the people that could possible help out. Scott utilizes it to get info to a higher level.Weekly meetings get a lot on the table. The 4 week outlook is helpful. Needed for a crazy schedule. People know their tasks and have freedom but things can slip through the cracks.Good at communicating with conflicts, for things that change.Couldn’t exist without communication. Email is fastest. 4 week out planning. They get everything covered in the once a week meeting.Experience of the veterans. They are aware of what is best for people in terms of communication. Scott is email, etc.Telling people no.Experience of everyone as they have been in the business. Knowledge of the staff. Combined 60 years.

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4. What are the communication weaknesses of your department? Prefers face to face with some things—personal things about players or coach when guidance is needed. Verbal cues are lost in emailFinding the middle ground of micromanaging vs. total freedom. 33 sports to keep up with.People could share tricks that they learned. It is not that they do it on purpose but be more proactive with it.Nothing.Not willing to communicate what you learn. People could share information better in the meetings. Example- figuring something out on the new stat program. It can benefit all.Keeping everyone posted as to what’s going on. Every person thinks they are the most important. People have 3 or 4 teams while Mark has all 33.Email chains get excessive. Skillset of people is not up to speed with technology. Chris is the only person that knows stats programs for lax.

5. What would you do to increase communication effectiveness? He would be curious to see if a google calendar was used, or a google chat for when people are on the road (suggest this and conference call line). They have “onsite offsites” every year for people to say what they think and these things are implemented so your voice is heard. There was a ton of teamwork on the communication overhaul!Does not think a calendar would help. Making sure people are on top of things for their events. There is a lot of running around. Respect other people in the department and what they do.Adapt to everyone’s communication style, recognizing their strengths.Nothing.Not much to change. Some issues come down to people improving what they do (suggest a list of standards?). Cannot force someone to communicate. People need to improve, rules don’t need to change.

Hours are different and random dependent upon the sport. Daily meetings are not feasible with travel, don’t have time to do it all the time. Communicate well because you have to do this in order to be successful. People have to rely on each other.More face to face communication

6. What do you feel are the limitations of your department?Feels that everyone has the resources needed to do the job, large staff and up to date with technology. Learned how to write neutral articles so as not to offend coach. They used to be limited with who could do the video but it has gotten much better. People are learning and stepping outside comfort zone—important for people to learn.Number of people. No students work where at other schools, there are students that are in charge on sports. A lot of time is spent on the smaller sports. Business is going in a different way for video. School has multimedia and streaming, highlights and it is important for recruiting but it takes a ton of time. Where ND has 9 people for video, Navy has to split it. Don’t have laptops for travel. Some a/v stuff is not compatible with macs. There is a disconnect between what they think their job is vs. what others (coaches, AD) think their job is. The internet is the best thing

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and worst thing that happened. Some places on the yard don’t have internet where it is not a problem at other schools.Limited with video. 33 sports for 6 people, no interns, no midshipmen to do work that a lot of undergrads at other schools do.Number of people to sports. No student assistants.Communicate internally is not limited by the people. He answered this with more reference to internal communication. If he had a lot of people then it would complicate communication. One person for publications. UVA has two people for videos while Navy has just Mark for posters, cards, media guides, programs.Financial limitations. More video, more $. Contract out for games because no interns or students. Feel they are behind PL schools. Pulled in so many directions that it is hard to do job effectively.

7. Describe how decisions are made in you department. For scheduling: it is Scott but for the direction of the office, it is a group making decision. There have been things they have implemented from their meetings. Each week, they discuss events, issues, etc. Scott makes the final decisions, if it impacts all then he asks for input. Experienced people that have stayed there so there is an open line of communication. Meet once a week and opinions are heard. Summer- they vote for changes.Depends on situation. Votes count the same for when things are up for change.Common sense. If it is a collective decision then there is a vote. If it is day to day, you are allowed freedom to take care of things.Joint effort between those involved. Mark never makes any decision without people would be involved in. For any resources/software, he can just go ahead and put in for the budget.Logistical- Scott. Day to day- they have freedom. Big decision- group.

8. What issues generally causes conflict? Missed deadlines. There is freedom among them as they are basically in charge of their sports so each week they do: previews, outlooks, athlete of the week, etc.It tends to go to finger pointing when things go wrong… the accountability of why. They can go online and fix things if someone tells them there was a typo, etc. There is no one that edits their work unless it is a big project or new coach write up- goes to Chet.Lack of communication. Lack of respect for what others do (veterans have much more collateral responsibility). Lack on understanding b/t publications and others.Stress of so many sports and deadlines. More balls in the air, more logistical problems than anything else.More stress that comes with the job—things out of their control (coaches,etc.)Lack of communication at times if someone does not do something they are supposed to do. IF they have to be reminded, the talk is usually about the person rather than focusing on how to fix it. (ex- leaving town early and telling people 10 minutes before).Trying to get projects done first prioritizing which should be done first. Everyone thinks their work is the most important. New ideas. Doing something and not communicating. Fine line with freedom and telling people. Ex: he made highlight video and got reamed because then all the coaches wanted it so he created more work for other people but was just being creative.

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9. How is conflict generally resolved?People are not too sensitive, if there is a mistake- things are taken care of, no coddling.People don’t understand other people’s position until they are in it. Communication falls on Scott’s shoulders… he is not a micromanager so things are not said when they probably could be said. People will tailor answers to attempt to resolve them.Person takes accountability. Puts in place ways to remember.Not in their control.Discussion on it but it is not always communicated as well to that person as it could be. Can only tell someone so many times to communicate. Goes back to respect and understanding people’s jobs.Getting it done AFAP. Settles the conflict realizing how much stress is caused if the Project will or will not cause by getting it or not getting it done. Talk about it. List pros and cons.

10. How do you know when you are doing a good/bad job of accomplishing goals?Evaluated once a year (5/5 or 10/10)- this is NAAA policy. IF they do something great, Scott will comment, way to think outside of the box, etc. If there was something bad, Scott would say it.Alumni will tell you if it is bad—they are quick to chime in. Compliment of parents, athletes and coaches are ways to know. Hear that more here than civilian school. Scott shares good feedback with the big boss. Feedback from alumni, fans, etc. No feedback = good feedback.AD tells him.Scott is good at passing on praise but not too much. Will tell you if something bad happened and ask why or tell them to make a change. The evaluations are fair and honest.Feedback is done well. IF it’s good, they say it. If not, they tell you. People don’t have a hard time with patting on back.Bad job- told via email. (verbal cues are lost.) Not as much praise in this department as it could be.

11. What does the company use to measure success?Their goal is to write good descriptive analysis stories in a timely manner, and get it on website while people are curious. Landing stories in the national, local media outlets so they will do a feature story you suggested. A pitch in is something sent to someone that could do a write up (such as the hometown of an athlete). There is a shared role with marketing form the social media angle. They changed from quantity to quantity and are seeing more like on facebook. Many people can log in and post. Create large audience.Getting through an event with no hiccups or when people don’t notice the hiccups. They consistency of having the staff there for many years is helpful. Not hearing bad things is good.Providing stories, landing local articles. Fans are aware. Media is accommodated. Representing academy in the best way possible. Self- satisfaction (pride).No feedback=good feedback. Lack of complaints is a compliment.

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Expectation of success. They don’t look at just PL staff, they look at big time programs for comparison. Have won publication and writing awards. They do the little things (make seating cards, learn frozen four, have open practices, how much they did for ND game).All people are competent. Did the job get done? People care a lot about the job, dept, the institution, pride is taken in job. They want to be there. If you did it as best as you could then it was a success.# of storied received. Views, likes, press, landing articles.

12. What does your company use to measure effectiveness? It is not a game so they cannot Beat Army in SIF but if they don’t hear bad feedback, then things are effective. Do a good job of making sure the media are taken care of. Staff gets there early. Never want media looking for an SID person. There is a great support system, when you think of Navy Athletics, you want to think of good things.Measure it in how they can get stories to local papers and how they make those connections.Compare with other schools. How can we learn, grow? Feedback from outside sources, other schools (people that are not biased). # of hits, likes, articles being written. You can just feel when an event went well—comes with experience.Comments come externally and externally and internally. Consistent with what they are doing. Get feedback. This year, added something: athlete of the week.No feedback is good feedback for external. Pat on back is good for internal.Not having to back track or edit. How quickly they get something done after a game. Experience.

13. What sets you apart from other SID departments? The size of the department is bigger than most which means that there is more time to focus on the smaller amount of teams you are given. At another school, they may have 10 sports so they are not able to do what Navy does: game preview and analysis for every competition, people are able to travel. 33 sports for 6 people is a good ratio. (Matt- WLAX, WSOC,WTRACK, MTRACK).Experiences at big school before Navy is good for the staff. They see the bigger picture and can strive to be the best. Measure yourself against them when you go there and learn good things to do and things you don’t want to do. Always comparing yourself. They have more sports responsibilities. Who and what we deal with as a military institution. Unique culture.Great assistants- feels he is smart enough to hire the best group in the country. It’s a grind with travel, hours but people are passionate about what they do.Army navy rivalry shows it. They accommodate, they don’t try to short change anyone. Using army and navy headshots in swim meet next week in Philly at swim meet. There is a great collective experience of the veterans. Everyone has at least 3 years of experience so they don't have to reteach all the time. They enjoy what they do and they truly enjoy each other’s presence. For as much time as they spend together, they get along. They are a good group of people. Understand how they operate and are easy going people but are very hard working and passionate and want to do a great job. They go to lunch as a staff every Friday. They compare

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themselves to big programs. Adapt things of other schools into their ideas. When redid website, it was a collective effort of everyone’s thoughts and research of other websites. Pride of the institution. Big program ideas with a small program environment. Here, 4 or 5 people work one game and at big schools, it is one with some students. Family environment, blue collar attitude, hands are in a lot of things, multiple jobs for each person. So diverse and pro-navy. People want every sport to do well. Scott says people at NC don’t help each other where at Navy, they ask each other questions, can help out. Time management… they have a lot to get done with fewer people in less time.

References

Conrad, C. & Poole, M.S. (2012). Strategic organizational communication in a globaleconomy. West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.

Downs, C. W., & Adrian, A. D. (2004). Assessing organizational communication. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.

Geertz, C. and Pacanowsky, M. (1994). Cultural approach to organizations,Chapter 19 in, Griffin, E. (2009) Communication: A first look at communication

theory (7th Ed.) (pp. 250-260). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Goldhaber, G.M. (1990). Implementing organizational communication diagnosis: The communication audit. Chapter 10 in Organizational Communication (5th Ed.) (pp. 344-385). Dubuque, IA.: William C. Brown.

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