Course : Organizational Behavior

Lecturer : Alif Mirzania, S.E., MBA.

Group 2 :  Siti Sri Wahyuni (200810201001)
 Johan Chrisna Bintoro (200810201239)
 Nabila Fauziah Putri (210810201029)
 Elita Maulidya Naura (210810201061)

CASE INCIDENT - An Underwater Meeting

On Saturday October 17, 2009, democratically elected President Mohammad Nasheed of

the Maldives invited his 13 officials to a cabinet meeting: the world’s first underwater
governmental meeting. The meeting “room” was in a lagoon off Girifushi, in the North Male
atoll, and are on average only 2 meters (7 feet) above sea level, and they comprise the lowest-
lying nation on the planet.
The meeting agenda highlighted how global warming was threatening the disappearance
of the Maldives within a century. In 2007, data about this threat were confirmed by the
United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, warning that a rise in sea levels
of 18 to 59 centimeters (7 to 23 inches) by 2100 would be enough to make the Maldives
virtually uninhabitable. The decision made at the meeting was to sign off on an agreement for
carbon emission cuts: “We must unite in a global effort to halt further temperature rises.” The
meeting took place prior to the United Nations climate change conference in December in
anticipation of the renegotiation of the Kyoto Protocol.
The safety of the ministers was well considered. They held a dress rehearsal the day
before; coral on the reef was checked for harmful creatures and participants communicated
via hand signals to indicate they were okay. Instead of dressing in business suits, though, the
14 government ministers donned scuba diving gear and also wore name tags. Just as in every
meeting, discussion took place, but here it was through writing on a special whiteboard. The
meeting was broadcast live on television. Inhabitants on Kuda Huvadhoo island built a sealed
box, put their television in it, and, following their governments’ lead, dove to the depths to
view the underwater meeting—underwater.
Back on dry land, the cabinet ministers were to sign their wet suits for auctioning on the
www.protectthemaldives.com Web site in a bid to raise money for protecting coral reefs.
President Nasheed used the meeting venue as a publicity exercise to push for action so that
his people can continue to live in the Maldives well into the future.

Questions and Answer

a) Identify the main function of the meeting.
The main function of this meeting is to communicate the impact of global warming on
the Maldives. It highlights how global warming threatens to lose the Maldives within a
century. Because according to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change, a sea level rise of 18 to 59 centimeters (7 to 23 inches) by 2100 would be
enough to make the Maldives nearly uninhabitable.

b) Describe the communication process and distinguish between its formality and
informality.
The main components of the communication process are the sender, the encoding, the
message, the channel, the decoding, the receiver, the noise, and the feedback. A message
is started by the sender by encoding an idea. The physical result of the sender's encoding
is the message. Messages that can be used to communicate can be in the form of speech,
writing, and body gestures. In the case of an underwater meeting, the message is
conveyed through hand signals and also through writing on a special white board.
Furthermore, the message of self-introduction is done through the name tags on the
diving suits.
The channel is the means by which the communication is sent. It is chosen by the
sender, who also decides whether to use a formal or informal channel. Formal channels
are usually defined by the organization and carried out based on the chain of authority
within organization. In the case of underwater meeting, the meeting is conducted by the
government which the flow of sending and receiving messages is carried out through a
formal channels.
c) What is your opinion on the view that audiences prefer “live” presentations?
We feel that such an audience opinion arises because of an emotion and fear of
communication. These two things are a major obstacle and a reason behind the existence
of this opinion. Emotions arise due to nervousness because the meeting is held
underwater. Even in this meeting the ministers are required to decode the code sent by
the president. Then the second is the concern of comics. This atmosphere can occur
because no one responds, causing feelings of irritation, anger and anxiety. This can
hinder communication and can cause the transfer of information to be not smooth.
Then by doing a live presentation, the way of communication will be clearer because
the meeting is held in person, flexible because it is able to convey something without fear
of misunderstanding of information, and communication will run efficiently and
effectively because everyone comes and if there is anything you want to ask can be
immediately resolved. at that moment. Some of these things can happen optimally if
underwater meetings can also be held on land.