Shared vision concerns itself with whether the employees of the stations under study have a common understanding regarding the future of their stations. This involves practices adopted by the stations to ensure that each individual employee contributes to the
stations vision. This theme, shared vision, comprises of the following elements: station values, station techniques and management meetings.
Table 4.5: Shared vision
THEME CATEGORIES CODES
SHARED VISION Station direction
Station values Station techniques Management meetings
4.5.1 Station direction
Station direction relates to the factors that impact on the stations operations. These include the stations’ values; employee common understanding on programme performance and the planning of stations activities. The following paragraphs present explanations of each of the category’s codes.
4.5.1.1 Station values
A station’s values describe the way in which all employees’ are expected to conduct themselves in accordance with the community station’s mandate. The Business Dictionary (2017: para 1) defines shared values as “explicit or implicit fundamental beliefs, concepts, and principles that underlie the culture of an organization and which guide decisions and behaviour of its employees, management, and members”.
Both station managers admitted that they did not have any station values within which their employees had to operate in:
One of the major problems, or perhaps it is my mistake, is that we never identified values in the staff. We did not define the values, so the station is not value based it is rule based, which is a problem (Anthony (station manager), 29/08/2016).
For the last year, now going on two years, I have actually been trying to develop a Station B manual. I need to execute it pressingly as it has shared values (Boitumelo (station manager), 26/10/2016).
However, both managers indicated that although they do not have written down shared values, they have a guidance that directs them towards having shared values.
From a shared value perspective, obviously my license helps. We have had a little bit of consistency throughout with the management team and with the presenters to an extent that has helped obviously, financial sustainability (Anthony (station manager), 29/08/2016).
Essentially, the people here have the shared values and mutual goals; we are all after one thing and that is our love for radio, ambition and passion for radio as well as our drive (Boitumelo (station manager), 26/10/2016).
The lack of values at these stations could result in a lack of a shared vision in the station. Literature attests that the possession of a vision encompasses shared values (Sinkula et al., 1997; Parsons, 2002; Cho et al., 2013), hence, a lack of these values could affect the long-term sustainability of stations. The essential purpose of the relationship between CRS and listeners is to create value for the listener (Anderson, 1995; Walter, Ritter & Gemunden, 2001). Therefore, stations whose work teams do not have shared values could be counterproductive and may undermine the longevity of the station.
4.5.1.2 Station techniques
This applied techniques that have an influence on the vision of the station. Station A’s station manager noted that their operations were directed and informed by a fictional character that was created: “Our direction comes directly from Alex” (Anthony, 29/08/2016). This character assists employees in identifying who the station’s target audience is. This fictional character’s age, qualifications, musical interests and hobbies match those of the station’s typical listener.
Station A’s station manager states further that ‘Alex’ enables employees in the station to be on the same page. The manager stated that:
‘Alex’ puts everybody on the same line, on the same page about what the direction of our broadcasting as a whole must be. When you talk about news values, news must be in line with what she would want to hear and what she would not want to hear (Anthony (station manager), 29/08/2016).
On the contrary, one of the employees at Station A noted that they have no regard for the ‘Alex’ technique. The presenter’s answer to the question about whether the Alex idea was useful for him in conducting his programme was:
Not really, I do not even pay attention to ‘Alex’ sometimes, I honestly do not (Andile (presenter), 30/08/2016).
The inference from Anthony’s utterances is that the implementation of broadcasting techniques requires a clear articulation of why and how a given method will enhance the broadcasters’ craft. Andile’s claims demonstrate that employees tend to disregard systems that they do not comprehend as would be facing challenges on how to apply them. Ferreira et al. (2015) highlight that the implementation of techniques in the initial training phase enables employees to recognise the importance of these strategic practices. Furthermore, managers need to exercise control over employees, by requesting them to refer to the procedure manual during evaluations.
4.5.1.3 Management meetings
The planning of management meetings is also an important aspect towards the creation of shared values. Station A reported that they hold management meetings at the beginning of each year to plan for the year ahead. The station manager noted:
So what we do at the beginning of every year is we sit down and we have a planning session, say ‘these are the events, this is what we are going to do, this is what we want to achieve (Anthony (station manager), 29/08/2016).
When questioned if these meetings are useful, Station A’s station manager underlined their lack of value in the statement that:
No, it is not effective at all. Not even remotely. Things change so often. You know in the past we said this is what we are going to do in the year. This year we said ‘okay this is what we are going to do in the year’, in a broad spectrum, ‘but let us just do it month for month (Anthony (station manager), 29/08/2016).
The decision by Anthony to change the frequency of these planning meetings displays his understanding of the ineffective activities and their resultant lacklustre outcomes. The approach of planning on a monthly basis may contribute to improved broadcasting because stations that do not maintain the quality of their broadcasting lose their competitive advantage (Kone & Diallo, n.d). The stations’ planning may involve identifying tasks that would not be enhancing productivity and then reinventing them or simply removing them. The continuation of futile tasks results in the stagnation of community radios. Nonetheless, failure to implement stated plans seems to concur with Kone and Diallo’s (n.d.) claiming that regardless of the success – or lack thereof, it is always better to invest in a plan of action.