World Wildlife Fund for Nature
1
World Wildlife Fund for Nature:
The Job of a Senior Communications Manager
Student Name
PSY 323
World Wildlife Fund for Nature (formerly World Wildlife Fund, still the official name in the United States and Canada) is an international non-governmental organization founded as a charitable trust in September 11, 1961 in Morges, Switzerland (World Wildlife Fund, n.d.). WWF is the largest independent conservation organization that works in 100 countries. With the support from about 5 million members worldwide (1.2 million in the US) ,WWF is dedicated to delivering science-based solutions to preserve the diversity and abundance of life on Earth, halt the degradation of the environment and combat climate change (World Wildlife Fund, n.d.).WWF with its motto “For a Living Planet” supports around 1300 projects related to environment and conservation around the world (World Wildlife Fund, n.d.). Theheadquarters of WWF is in Gland, Switzerland.
While the President and theCEO, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Senior Vice President Conservation Strategy and Sciences, Senior Vice President Market Transformations, Senior Vice President Field Programs, Senior Vice President of Communications and Senior Vice President for Policy are some of the top executive levels at the WWF US, I will be analyzing the job of a Senior Communications Manger (SCM) in this paper. The major duties and responsibilities of the Senior Communications Manager involve leading the communication strategy. It also includes leading and managing the deliverance of internal and external communications that help strengthen WWF’s profile and support fundraising. The Senior Communications Manger is also responsible to develop working relationships within and outside the WWF network, which enhances available human and financial resources.
In the text, Riggio describes job analysis as the “the systematic study of the tasks, duties and responsibilities of a job and the qualities needed to perform it”. Job analysis is important because it is the means for understanding the job requirements, which helps in the evaluation of the worker’s performance (Riggio, 2009).WWF has a formal job analysis process and the Senior Executive at the Human Resources is responsible for the job analysis process. The human resources department consults with the immediate supervisors and the incumbents during the job analysis process to ensure that the analysis is accurate and up-to-date.Job analysis is also done when the duties and responsibilities of a current position evolves to entail additional or different responsibilities and tasks. Job analysis is important because it leads to the development of job description, job evaluation and performance (Riggio, 2009).
WWF has a formal job description for the position of a SCM. However, the job description of a SCMdepends on the program, the country or the current conservation project they are assigned to such as the Brand (WWF), the Tiger Network Initiative, or TRAFFIC Southeast Asia. Therefore, the job description of a SCM includes the specific duties and tasks depending on the project. In general, the job description of a SCM is divided along the lines of major function, major duties and responsibilities, supervisory responsibilities, working relationships as well as the minimum requirements and work experience. In this paper, I will be analyzing the job of a SCM at the “Species-Protecting the Future of Nature” project. The Species projectworks towards the protection ofthe endangered species such as the Asian Rhino, African Rhino, Asian Elephant, African Elephant, Giant Panda, Tigers, Marine Turtles, Whales, Dolphins, Polar Bear, Amur Leopard and many more. The job of a SCM (Species project) is to develop and implement various effective communications strategy and to review and strengthen the existing communications capacity and resources. Besides, managing both internal and external communication, the SCM is also responsible for supporting fundraising. In addition, the job of SCM involves conducting market research to develop effective communication strategies in order to persuade target audiences about the campaign propositions. Moreover, developing and maintaining positive work relationships with journalists, editorial writers, columnists and other prominent media is an important part of the responsibilities of the SCM.
The workers are recruited and selected by the human resources department. Since, WWF operates in many different countries, each office has its own human resources department that oversees the recruitment process. Employee screening involves reviewing the information about the job applicants to select a qualified worker (Riggio, 2009). In WWF, the first step in the screening process is the evaluation of the application and the curriculum vitae, past experience, educational background and letters of recommendation provided by the applicant. Then, the applicants are interviewed and selected for the position. During the interview, the prospective employees are given a realistic job preview in the form of an oral presentation by the recruiter. Realistic Job Preview is providing accurate and truthful information about the job and the organization (Riggio, 2009). The recruiter provides the applicant with accurate information about the requirements, responsibilities and expectation that WWF has from the organization’s employees.
WWF has a formal job evaluation process that is conducted by the human resources department. The appropriate pay levels for different jobs and employees are usually determined during the hiring process, mostly during the interview process. The pay levels are based on the position, job requirements, educational background and past work experience. However, the pay levels may increase depending on the number of years with the organization and the addition of responsibilities and duties.
Subjective performance criteria are used to evaluate job performance, which is based on the ratings and evaluation of the immediate supervisors. Each year two formal evaluations, mid-year and annual, are performed to appraise employee performance. The supervisors are the evaluators. However, there is room for feedback and discussion during the entire performance appraisal process. The employees find this particularly helpful because they get to participate in the process, present their side of the story, and provide explanations. Every annual performance evaluation is checked and signed off by a Senior Vice-President. After, the evaluation process, the supervisor provides performance feedback. Performance feedback is the process of providing suggestions and advice to employees for improvement in their performance (Riggio, 2009). In addition to the formal evaluation, there is periodic informal check-ins with the supervisor. During such informal check-ins, the employees provide progress report and future goals and strategies to attain those goals are discussed and the supervisors provide suggestions if there is any room for improvement.
The SCM at various WWF locations and projects have somewhat different job purposes depending on the tasks they are assigned. Therefore, the training is need based. Some SCM may require certain types of training and other SCM may not. Moreover, the training is also based on the availability of funding. The training is predominately based on self- identification and it includes workshops and conferences. However, the employee has to provide information that shows that the training will be effective and will add value to the job. The employee must also show that the training will contribute to improving their performance and will be beneficial to the organization. In this respect, the training provided by WWF is very effective. The SCM that I interviewed received training related to international assignments, which was highly effective, as she has to work with various other people working for the WWF in different countries as the animals protected by the Species project are found in different parts across the globe. She also, received training regarding diversity issues, harassment and teamwork. She has also attainted various seminars and presentations providing information about conservation of theendangered animals protected by Species project. She believes that the trainings have helped her perform her job better and more efficiently.
The job of a SCM can be stressful depending on the various work-related events. One of the most common job stressors is the tight deadlines that some of the assignments require. A lot of work has to be completed in a short amount of time with great accuracy and this can sometimes lead to stress. In addition, unexpected assignments that have to be completed in short time-periods are source of work related stress. Moreover, the internal power shifts within the organization as a whole and the office can sometimes add to the stress. When there is change in the position within the organization after finally being acquainted and comfortable with the ways of a supervisor or a coworker and having to get used to another person is a major stressor for a person whose job is to manage and develop effective external as well as internal communication. Moreover, unresolved work-related conflict further adds to the stress.
Communication is an integral part of WWF and the communication process is very effective. Communication is both verbal and written within the office with the more formal communications being written. The communication is process-oriented and is geared towards transparency and honesty. The flow of communication is downward (from superiors to subordinates), upward (from subordinates to supervisors) and lateral (between employees at the same level) depending on the type of information that is being communicated. In addition, depending on the type of information being communicated the communication network maybe centralized as well as decentralized. The communication networksthrough which formal downward communications are passed are mostly “the chain” or “the Y” and formal upward communications are passed through “the wheel”. Riggio, describes that in “the chain” network, information originates at the top of the chain and is passed along the chain of command. “The Y” is similar to the chain with its last link communicating with more than one person (Riggio, 2009). The communication networks through which discussions and exchange of information takes place are mostly “the all-channel”. All-channel networks allow communication between any members of the organization (Riggio, 2009). Also, inter-organization and intra-organization communications are common.
The organization motivates its employees by acknowledging their goals and efforts and providing rewards. The organization motivates its employees by providing public recognition to acknowledge its employees work and achievement and providing rewards in the form of monetary bonuses based on the annual performance reviews. The organization uses reinforcement theory to motivate its employees. “The reinforcement theory based on the principles of operant conditioning states that behavior is motivated by its consequences” (Riggio, 2009).The organization provides bonuses to its employees to reward their accomplishment, which serves as a positive reinforcement.
The path-goal theory, which is one of the contingency theories of leadership, best explains this organization. According to Riggio, the leader should help the various groups achieve their goals (2009). The leaders in the WWF are oriented towards helping various people involved in various projects achieve their goals. In the WWF, the leaders provide instructions and suggestions for performing the task better (directive behavior) after discussions and meetings. Moreover, the leaders also set challenging goals by providing tight deadlines to motivate and encourage improvement in the work (achievement-oriented behavior). In addition, the employees actively participate in the decision making process (participative behavior) which provides a source of job satisfaction. The supervisors also show concern for their employees’ well being (supportive behavior) which also provides satisfaction and minimizes the stress.
Almost all the work in the WWF happens in teams because it is a global organization with one mission – conservation of the nature. Since, most of the work is founded on effective teamwork the approval process for a certain task can sometimes take a bit longer but working in groups provides more diversity in ideas, which leads to success. The perceived importance of one group over another within the organization affects group performance in the job.The SCM that I interviewed feels that there is not any particular thing that she would want to change about the organization. The fact that the WWF works towards conservation of the nature is motivating for her. Moreover, she is satisfied with her job and her supervisor and co-workers. She feels that stress is an inevitable part of every job and besides, the stress in her job is minimal compared to some of the other jobs. In addition, she exercises and uses time management skills to deal with stress. However, she wants the organization to have more conservation project but this can only be possible if more funds are available.
World Wildlife Fund for Nature is an organization that has worked towards conserving the environment for many and educating and encouraging people about the environment and the ways in which we can make a difference. Like the SCM, I believe that the working for WWF and being a part of its mission to conserve the nature is in itself motivating. It is a place where people can earn a living and make a difference at the same time. I believe that including more employee screening tests depending on the position besides curriculum vitae and interview during the hiring process would be more effective in screening employees. The application of reinforcement theory by using positive reinforcers in the form of monetary bonuses to reward employees seems to be effective. However, providing rewards immediately following the accomplishment of goals, instead of providing the rewards at the end of the year after the annual evaluation would be more effective because it would be immediate.
References
Riggio, R.E. (2009). Introduction to Industrial/Organizational Psychology. New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.
World Wildlife Fund. (n.d.). World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved April 2, 2010, from