Read the following case carefully and answer the questions that follow:
As one of the first to enter the field of office automation, Infotech Software, Inc. had built a reputation for designing high-quality and user-friendly database and accounting programs for business and industry. When they decided to enter the word-processing market, their engineers designed an effective, versatile, and powerful program that Infotech felt sure would outperform any competitors.
To be sure that their new word-processing program was accurately documented, Infotech asked the senior program designer to supervise writing the instruction manual. The result was a thorough, accurate and precise description of every detail of the program’s operation.
When Infotech began marketing its new word processor, cries for help flooded in from office workers who were so confused by the massive manual that they couldn’t even find out how to get started. Then several business journals reviewed the program and judged it “too complicated” and “difficult to learn.” After an impressive start, sales of the new word processing program plummeted.
Infotech eventually put out a new, clearly written training guide that led new users step by step through introductory exercises and told them how to find commands quickly. But the rewrite cost Infotech $445,000/-, a year’s lead in the market, and its reputation for producing easy-to-use business software.
Questions:
a. What was the goal of the communication in this case? Why do you think the communicator could not clearly communicate its goal?
b. What common communication errors can take place while communicating professionally such as in this case?
c. In the light of this case, what costs/losses do you think a company / an organization has to incur due to the ineffective communication?
d. If you were the communicator writing this manual, what cautions would you take to avoid the situation Infotech Software faced?
