Consultation Report

Writing in the Information Technology Department

at the Corporate Office of Hunt Companies, Inc.

Table of Contents

Pg. 3 Executive Summary

Pg. 5 Introduction
Pg. 6 Background Analysis
Pg. 9 Findings/Recommendations
Pg. 12 - Conclusion

Executive Summary

This report contains consultation towards writing in the Information

Technology Department at the Corporate Office of Hunt Companies, Inc., so
that this department can recognize both pros and cons of their
communication structure, along with being offered positive feedback for
already favorable practices, along with suggestions for possible shifts in
communication breakdowns I have noticed. Benefits may include a different
perspective from an outsider rather than an existing collective member in
the community, where conventions may be less obvious.
This Information Technology teams general and long term responsibilities
are to support the enterprise information systems for all of the companys
entities by supplying all technology, such as desktops, infrastructure
security, programming, all communication, etc., as short term goals and
responsibilities can vary depending on what the entity is trying to achieve at
a given point in time. There are various roles such as executive management
who deal with strategy, governance, relaying information to other company
entities, etc., but the team continues to collectively follow the same writing
tools and friendly norms such as low power distances between different
levels of authority. Primary forms of communication include phone calls, face
to face communication and visitations, and email, which all demonstrate the
common goal of aiming at efficiency and professionalism while sustaining a
calm, laid back environment.
I found conventions that worked very well within the Information Technology
department and relatively to other departments, more specifically, the

Accounting department I briefly observed. Efficiency and professionalism

while continually prioritizing co-workers exertion of amenity towards the
workplace is the foundation for this departments network. During my
observations, activities in the workplace were taken on at a constant steady
tempo. All communication was expected and served a concrete purpose,
mainly collaboration or simply relaying information from one to another.
Although work ethic is clearly a priority, simultaneously promoting a laid
back environment is vital and is something the department constantly tries
to foster, as suggested by the Senior Vice President of this department and
demonstrated in communication noticed during my observations, such as
tone and body language of the employees. Being capable to effectively
communicate and collaborate with others as a professional is just as
important as competence in particular skill sets in this team. The Information
Technologys department attention to harmony in the workplace is what
initially promotes efficiency and professionalism amongst each other and the
rest of the companys entities.
Along with best practices, I also encountered a communication breakdown
while chatting with the Senior Vice President of the department. It was
mentioned that there are occasional instances where an urgent matter is
being pushed but team members may not fully absorb the situation because
there seems to be an absence of urgency. I feel like the laid back
environment and low power distances is what makes employees sometimes
lack urgency, further, that the situation being presented is from a low power

distanced individual instead of the boss, which is interesting because these

also fundamentally works so well that I assumed dilemmas like this would
not occur. As a solution, I suggest expanding power distances between levels
of authority so that respect and urgency can be recognized with a higher
authority.

Introduction
This report contains consultation towards writing in the Information
Technology Department at the Corporate Office of Hunt Companies, Inc., so
that this department can recognize both pros and cons of their
communication structure, along with being offered positive feedback for
already favorable practices, along with suggestions for possible shifts in
communication breakdowns I have noticed. This paper can benefit this
particular department because it will show the perspective of an outsider
rather than a first person view in the community, where conventions may be
blurred and nearly impossible to separate and recognize from each other.
The following sections will overview previous findings from my ethnographic
research, feedback from the departments best practices, and addresses
breakdowns in communication with suggestions to correct those dilemmas
and aid the overall, already commendable, structure of the department.

Background Analysis
The information about the Information Technology department at the
Corporate Office of Hunt Companies, Inc. is based on an ethnography I
conducted concerning writing in this particular workplace. The ethnography
discusses writing in the Information Technology Department at the Corporate
Office of Hunt Companies, Inc. with a rendered notion that not only textbook
university knowledge or related skill sets are important, but understanding
how writing occurs (including all forms of communication, conventions or
practices, values and norms, etc.), or obtaining social knowledge, within a
specific community is also vital. The ethnography examined this specific
communitys goals, roles and authority, genres, values and atmosphere, and
writing tools.
This Information Technology teams general and long term responsibilities
are to support the enterprise information systems for all of the companys
entities by supplying all technology, such as desktops, infrastructure

security, programming, all communication, etc., as short term goals and

responsibilities can vary depending on what the entity is trying to achieve at
a given point in time. For example: currently, Hunt Companies, Inc. is slightly
moving away from construction and more to private equity investments,
insurance, and banking, meaning technology and security demands will be
quite different concerning greater monetary security.
There are 30 team members within the Information Technology department
at the corporate office of Hunt Companies, Inc. Different individuals have
different roles, such as developing and updating technology, business
analysts who listens to the business and translates what it needs with
team members and how technology can assist, and executive management
who deal with strategy, governance, relaying information to other company
entities, etc. Although there are various roles in the department, the team
continues to collectively follow the same writing tools and friendly norms
with low power distances between high and low authorities. Power distance
refers to the extent to which less powerful members within a community
expect and accept that power is distributed unequally. In this situation, a
high power distance would illustrate that information presented from a
position with more authority indeed carries more urgency and importance
which is antithetic to the departments current practices.
Primary forms of communication include phone calls, face to face
communication and visitations, and email. The purpose of these forms of
communication, based on my observations, was to relay needed and

expected information quickly and conveniently. Most communication is

verbal, illustrates low power distance regardless of the parties, and also
shares collective norms like a perky attitude and a welcoming greeting, while
written communication occurs more often when collaborating with other
departments of the company and to share documents within the department.
The teams writing tools mainly consist of basic Microsoft Office applications
that are gated to a strict, formal sense of communication that cannot
necessarily resemble the targeted atmosphere of this environment. These
tools uses include Microsoft Word in a written proposal, Microsoft PowerPoint
in a face to face proposal, and perhaps Microsoft Excel as a factual and
statistical basis for said proposal, which all restrain adding excess personality
or humor, and seem appropriate when communicating with other
departments and entities in the company whose norms may differ. There are
a few other applications such as Employee Intranet, a large virtual space for
document sharing within the company, and Web Axis, an application similar
to Skype, that are used in this department which slightly differ in restrictions.
Three specific values this Information Technology team constantly tries to
foster is professionalism, customer service, and work ethic, which all
intertwine with each other. These values are depicted in the writing of this
particular team by members communicating amongst each other in the
quickest, most convenient way possible, while each team member acquiring
the capability to be prepared for day to day occurrences, and being
competent in their implied skill sets, performing at a high level. In order to

ensure the targeted warm and friendly light attitude atmosphere, a more
casual, personalized communication is practiced, while still safekeeping
the integrity of an efficient work environment with professional, prepared,
and responsive employees with strong work ethic.

Findings/Recommendations
Best Practices
The Information Technology Department at the Corporate Office of Hunt
Companies, Inc. has various practices such as fostering a warm atmosphere,
promoting professionalism, and aiming at efficiency without neglecting team
members, for some examples. Referencing from my observations and
interviews mentioned in the ethnography, efficiency and professionalism

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while continually prioritizing co-workers exertion of amenity towards the

workplace is the foundation for this departments network.
During my observations, I generally did not notice any slack, but rather full
speed the whole time. Frequent short phone calls, in both team member
cubicles and the executive management office, were made and received at a
constant steady tempo. Calls always seemed expected, always for the
purpose of collaboration or simply relaying information from one to the other.
There was a steady flow of employees walking around the office dropping off
papers to one another or, again, simply to relay information. Although there
was a concrete purpose for these activities, a sense of friendliness was
always radiated in both tone and body language of the employees. During
my interview with the Senior Vice President of this department, this sense of
neighborly efficiency was justified as he explained that one of the three
specific values he suggested the team constantly tries to foster is work
ethic while simultaneously promoting a laid back environment.
Just like any career, competence in particular skill sets are required and
expected to be performed at a high level by all team members. According to
the Senior Vice President of this department, however, knowledge is not the
only contributable value. Being capable of collaborating with other team
members as a professional is another value this department attempts to
radiate on a daily basis. Casual and personalized communication is the
intention for this team. I can only assume that such actions are genuine and

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not forced, but friendly gestures like a smile and greeting seemed like a
must, an unspoken rule of thumb while in the office.
Aiming at efficiency and professionalism while continually prioritizing coworkers exertion of amenity towards the workplace is an excellent
convention that I believe other communities should prioritize in. During my
observations at the corporate office, I briefly walked through the Accounting
department where it was clear that much different norms were exercised.
Not only was the office dead quiet with only the sounds of punching keys, but
when individuals did speak to one another, the tone was much more dull,
less welcoming, with impatient body language compared to the Information
Technology departments verbal communication. Granted, this may simply
be the norms of the department and could possibly simply be the way its
always been, but I feel the vibe was much too tense. The Information
Technologys department attention to harmony in the workplace is what
initially promotes efficiency and professionalism amongst each other and the
rest of the companys entities.
Communication Breakdowns
Although a low power distance between employees and management is
beneficial in promoting the intended laid back environment, the appropriate
time and place for informal communication and more formal, strict
communication can sometimes be blurred. While chatting with the Senior
Vice President of the department, it was mentioned that there are occasional

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instances where an urgent matter is being pushed but team members may
not fully absorb the situation because there seems to be an absence of
urgency. A sense of slight disrespect relative to the current situation is
sometimes shown, such as a yeah, alright. response instead of a more
appropriate yes sir. response, followed by not aggressively attacking the
situation that was just presented. I feel like the laid back environment is what
makes employees sometimes lack urgency and response in this manner,
further, that the situation being presented is from a low power distanced
individual rather than the boss, which is interesting because these also
fundamentally works so well that I assumed dilemmas like this would not
occur.
A solution to this problem can possibly be to expand the power distance
between executive management and team members in the office, even if a
diminutive attempt. Perhaps more respect when confronting a higher
authority while friendly and welcoming vibes sustain can be practiced so that
when an urgent matter is presented by this higher authority, there will
already be a clear recognition of importance and authority. In turn, any
situation being presented must also be important and will be received as
urgent to other team members. For example, during meetings, there is a
clear higher authority in the room, as the speaker is standing up presenting
and team members are sitting around a table. Any matter being presented
will probably not be taken lightly. As far as a laid back environment, I believe
this is a practice with more pros than cons. It is clear that efficiency and work

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ethic is preached, and it is the environment that promotes these even

further.

Conclusion
In order to cross-appropriate further with the Accounting department in the
same building, it would have been useful to spend more time there. I could
not offer any different practices to the Information Technology department
from another community because I feel they have a very exceptional
network with valuable ideas behind it, even offering the Accounting
department practices from them. With only one dilemma uncovered from my
observations and interviews in the ethnographic paper, the key to this
consultation was best practices. Walking into this workplace for the first time,
I had the impression the environment would be more strict and serious, but
efficiency and professionalism while continually prioritizing co-workers
exertion of amenity towards the workplace is the foundation for this
departments network. The only suggestion in shifting practices I can offer,
and that I feel will be beneficial, would be to expand the power distance
between executive management and team members in the office. In doing
so, employees would routinely recognize a different level of urgency and
importance when a higher authority is presenting an issue, instead of having
to self-reliantly decide.