| Course | MGT 464 Organizational Behavior |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 7 |
| Paper type | Communication analysis |
| Length | About 1,080 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Aspen University |
| Program | Business Administration |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for MGT 464 Module 7
Thumbs-Up Emojis and Missed Deadlines: Media Richness and Silence at a Remote Translation Company
Student Name
Business Administration Program, Aspen University
MGT 464: Organizational Behavior
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Thumbs-Up Emojis and Missed Deadlines: Media Richness and Silence at a Remote Translation Company
Harborline Language Services, a composite company headquartered in Portland, Maine, translates and adapts software, websites and product documentation into more than 30 languages. Its 85 employees work remotely across the United States, and its project managers coordinate about 600 freelance translators worldwide. Nearly all internal communication happens through a chat application, with occasional video calls. Last quarter, eleven projects missed client deadlines. Reviews of the chat history showed a pattern: a sales lead would post a client's request for a rushed deadline, the project manager would reply with a thumbs-up, and only days later, when translators could not deliver, would the problem surface. The chief operating officer wants to understand why project managers did not speak up sooner.
Matching Media to Messages
Daft and Lengel (1986) argued that organizations process information to reduce two problems: uncertainty, a lack of information, and equivocality, the existence of multiple, conflicting interpretations. They placed channels on a scale of carrying capacity, asking whether replies come instantly, whether tone and gesture travel with the words, whether ordinary speech is possible and whether the message can be tailored to one person. Talking in person carries the most; a phone call comes next; personal letters and notes follow; formal reports and bulletins carry the least. Rich media suit equivocal problems, where people must negotiate meaning; lean media suit routine messages. A rushed deadline is equivocal: whether it is feasible depends on translator availability, file complexity and client flexibility, which call for discussion. At Harborline, such problems are handled through brief chat messages that invite quick agreement.
| Message | Medium used | Problem | Better medium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Client requests rushed deadline | Chat from sales | Equivocal; acceptance by emoji | Short video call with sales, project manager and lead translator |
| Translator reports delay | Chat to project manager | Often unanswered for hours | Phone call for anything affecting a deadline |
| Project at risk | Rarely reported | Silence until failure | Flag in project system plus daily video check-in |
| Routine status update | Chat | Works well | Keep chat |
| Policy change | Long chat post | Missed by many | Short video from leader plus written summary |
Why Project Managers Stay Silent
Morrison and Milliken (2000) described organizational silence as a collective phenomenon in which employees withhold information about problems because they share beliefs that speaking up is not worth the effort and may be dangerous. Such beliefs arise from top managers' fear of negative feedback and from implicit assumptions that employees are self-interested and that disagreement is unhealthy. They spread through conversations among employees. Interviews with eight project managers revealed exactly these beliefs. Several recalled a colleague who had pushed back on a sales deadline and was told in a team channel to "find a way." Others believed that raising concerns would make them look less capable than peers who never complained.
What Encourages Voice
Detert and Burris (2007) studied employees in a restaurant chain and found that managers' openness, their willingness to listen, consider ideas and act on them, predicted employee voice, and that this effect worked through psychological safety, the belief that speaking up would not bring harm. Openness predicted voice more consistently than broader transformational leadership. The finding suggests that Harborline's leaders can change behavior by how they respond, not only by what they say about valuing feedback.
Remote Work Makes It Harder
Working remotely removes many of the rich, informal channels that office workers take for granted. A project manager in an office might mention a worrying deadline over coffee, see a colleague's frown in a meeting or catch a sales lead in the hallway. At Harborline, every exchange must be deliberately started, and most default to chat because it is quick and asynchronous. Daft and Lengel's theory suggests that remote companies must deliberately create rich channels for the moments that need them, because those channels will not appear on their own.
What the Sales Team Sees
Sales leads were surprised by the findings. They assumed a thumbs-up meant the project manager had checked availability and agreed. Several said they would gladly have negotiated a later date with clients if told early, since most clients prefer a reliable date to a missed one. The silence cost sales as much as anyone, and sales leads have agreed to join the feasibility calls.
Recommendations
Requests for deadlines shorter than the standard schedule will require a ten-minute video call among the sales lead, project manager and a lead translator before acceptance, so feasibility is discussed. The project system will add an "at risk" flag that any project manager can set without explanation, and the chief operating officer will reply within one business day to every flag, acknowledging it and stating what will happen. Project managers will no longer be compared by the number of rushed projects accepted. Leaders will thank people publicly for raising concerns early, even when a flagged worry proves unfounded.
Costs and Risks
Feasibility calls add about ten minutes to each rushed request, roughly fifteen calls a week. Some clients may go elsewhere when told a deadline cannot be met. But the eleven missed deadlines last quarter cost about $48,000 in discounts and one lost client, so earlier, honest conversations are likely to save far more than they cost.
Reducing Noise
To make room for richer channels, the company will cut chat channels from 140 to about 40 and set norms: chat for routine updates, phone or video for anything affecting a deadline, video plus summary for policy changes.
Leaders Go First
Detert and Burris's findings suggest that managers' responses matter more than policies. The chief operating officer will begin monthly all-company calls by describing a recent mistake and what was learned, and will ask project managers in each call what risks they see. The first time a flag leads to a client conversation that rescues a deadline, the story will be shared company-wide.
Measures
The company will track the number of flags raised, how many days before the deadline problems surface, missed deadlines and a quarterly survey item on whether employees feel safe raising concerns.
Conclusion
Harborline's missed deadlines are communication failures, not translation failures. Daft and Lengel's theory explains why ambiguous deadline requests need richer media than chat, Morrison and Milliken explain why project managers stayed silent and Detert and Burris show that leaders' openness is the lever for voice. Matching media to messages and responding visibly to every concern should bring problems to light while there is still time to solve them.
References
Daft, R. L., & Lengel, R. H. (1986). Organizational information requirements, media richness and structural design. Management Science, 32(5), 554-571. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.32.5.554
Detert, J. R., & Burris, E. R. (2007). Leadership behavior and employee voice: Is the door really open? Academy of Management Journal, 50(4), 869-884. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2007.26279183
Morrison, E. W., & Milliken, F. J. (2000). Organizational silence: A barrier to change and development in a pluralistic world. Academy of Management Review, 25(4), 706-725. https://doi.org/10.2307/259200
MGT 464 Module 7 instructions, in plain terms
Module 7 of Aspen's MGT 464 is about communication; most submissions trace where information stalls inside one organization and propose how to unblock it. Use your classroom's Module 7 instructions as the guide; the example looks at one remote company. Describe the communication problem with evidence. Explain how the choice of medium affects understanding, using research. Examine whether employees feel able to raise problems, and why or why not. Consider the role of leaders' behavior in encouraging or discouraging voice. Recommend specific changes in channels, practices and leader behavior. Explain how the organization will know communication has improved.
How this MGT 464 Module 7 example is built
The paper opens with Harborline Language Services, whose project managers coordinate freelance translators for software and medical device clients. Eleven projects missed deadlines last quarter, and in most, the project manager had known for days that the schedule was impossible. Daft and Lengel's Management Science article ranks media by richness, from face-to-face to written reports, and argues that equivocal messages need rich media. Morrison and Milliken's Academy of Management Review article explains how beliefs that speaking up is futile and dangerous spread through an organization. Detert and Burris's Academy of Management Journal study found that managers' openness predicted voice through psychological safety. A table matches messages, such as a client's rushed deadline, to the media used and better ones. The plan adds a daily video check-in for at-risk projects, a no-blame flag in the project system and a reply within one day to every flag.
Where the marks sit in the MGT 464 Module 7 rubric
Expect marks for showing, with evidence, where messages break down, for using communication research correctly and for proposals that change both the channels and whether people feel free to use them. This example connects missed deadlines to a pattern of lean media and silence. Daft and Lengel's theory explains why chat failed for ambiguous problems. Morrison and Milliken's model and Detert and Burris's findings explain why project managers stayed quiet and what leaders can do about it. The table makes medium choices concrete. Recommendations pair new channels with visible responses, since a channel nobody answers will not be used.
Common MGT 464 Module 7 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Communication papers often recommend more meetings or a new tool without asking what kind of messages are failing. Match messages to media: ambiguous or sensitive issues need richer channels. Another weakness is ignoring silence; problems often stay hidden because people believe speaking up is useless or risky. Use research on voice and silence. Examine leaders' behavior, since how managers respond shapes whether employees speak. Make recommendations specific, with who does what and how often, and estimate their cost. Avoid adding channels without removing others. Finally, measure results, such as how early problems are raised, not just how many messages are sent.
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MGT 464 Module 7 questions, answered
What does MGT 464 Module 7 usually ask for?
Aspen's MGT 464 covers communication in this module, so analyzing communication in an organization and recommending improvements is typical. Check your classroom prompt.
What is media richness theory?
Daft and Lengel's theory that media differ in their ability to convey information, with face-to-face richest and written documents leanest, and that ambiguous messages need richer media.
What is organizational silence?
Morrison and Milliken's term for a widespread pattern in which employees withhold concerns because they believe speaking up is futile or dangerous.
Where can I find a free MGT 464 Module 7 sample paper?
The example above analyzes communication and silence at a remote translation company and recommends richer channels and visible responses to concerns.
What encourages employees to speak up?
Detert and Burris found that managers' openness, such as listening and acting on suggestions, predicted employee voice by making employees feel psychologically safe.