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The Relationship between Organizational Communication and Employees

Productivity with New Dimensions of Effective Communication Flow

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 Volume and Issues Obtainable at Center for Sustainability Research and Consultancy (www.globalcsrc.org)

Journal of Business and Social Review in Emerging Economies

ISSN (Online) 2519-0326 (Print) 2519-089X
Volume 2: Issue 2 December 2016

The Relationship between Organizational Communication and Employees

Productivity with New Dimensions of Effective Communication Flow
1
Aysha Sadia, 2Berhannudin Mohd Salleh, 3Zulida Abdul Kadir, 4Sazuliana Sanif
1, 2, 3, 4
Faculty of Science, Technology and Human Development, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400 Parit
Raja, Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia.
Corresponding author email: ayshasaadia@gmail.com, +60-1127373103

ARTICLE DETAILS ABSTRACT

History Organisations can be run successfully, only if effective organisational communication takes
Revised format Nov 2016 place. A decision, whether strategic or operational, cannot be made without communication and
the necessary information. There have been extensive researches on the relationship of
Available Online Dec 2016 organizational communication and productivity of employees’ in the past. However, this study
examines the impact of Effective internal communication on productivity of employees’ in
organization. The main focus of this research is the organizational communication level of
Keywords employees behavior towards productivity which is deemed important to investigate their level of
Organizational Communication (OC), effective internal communication and employees’ productivity. This is a distinctive study, as the
Effective Communication Flow (EC), previous researches focused only on the relationship of organization communication and the
Employees Productivity (EP) productivity of organization, but this study focuses on the link between Organization
communication and employees productivity with the help of effective communication. Once the
effective communication is identified then the organizational communication and its relationship
with the employees’ productivity is ascertained.

© 2016 Published by Center for Sustainability Research and Consultancy

1. Introduction

Communication is essential component in the success of all organizations. As stated by (Blom 2000) normally our
conversation in riddles and suppose everyone to understand and act upon them. An organisation to perceive itself as
effective, it has a detailed understanding and information of its communication system (Muller, Bezuidenhout &
Jooste 2006:299; Trenholm 2011:202)
The organization world is gradually characterized by improvement and change. Therefore, organizations are
persistently developing and seeking a revolutionary standard in management to guarantee their existence in a
complex, modest, and dynamic international level. “Effective internal communication is important for successful
organizations as it affects the ability of strategic management to engage employees and achieve objectives.” (Welch
& Jackson, 2007, p. 177). Communication is naturally used to identify and communicate corporate strategy and
goals of organizations processes together with the management. As a result everyone have a common goal in the
organization, which as its best ensure of good internal communication benefit.
Thus communication should have been positioned by organizations in their planning process (Hargie et al.,2002;
Azhar, 2006). These purposes of organizational are being driven by improved information and communication
technologies (Igbaria and Guimaraes, 1999; Kurland and Bailey, 1999; Towsend et al., 1998; Vivien and Thompson,
2000). Senior management might play a very important part in improving and satisfying effective internal
communication between employees and train engaged employees who help the organizations to attain its strategic
goals and in so doing, succeed.
Analyzing communication effectiveness can play a useful role in determining the organization’s communication

*Corresponding Author Email Address: ayshasaadia@gmail.com

Citation: Sadia, A., Salleh, M. B., Kadir, A. Z. and Sanif, S. (2016). The Relationship between Organizational Communication and Employees
Productivity with New Dimensions of Effective Communication Flow. Journal of Business and Social Review in Emerging Economies, 2 (2)
34-39

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 Sadia et al.(2016) / Journal of Business and Social Review in Emerging Economies 2 (2) 34-39

strategy (Hargie et al., 2002). According to Van Ruler and De Lange (2003:145) no organisation can develop or
even exist without communication. Communication describes what organisations are and do. Tourish and Hargie
(1998:53) highlight the fact that within organisations, effective internal communication between management and
staff is vital to organisational success. When the critical time come in, those organisations where careful attention is
paid to communication by management have been shown to perform more successfully on a range of principles than
those where such communication is poor (Tourish & Hargie, 1998; Sliburyte, 2004; Gagnon, Jansen & Michael,
2008). Management without effective internal communication and employee engagement cannot perform the
responsibility of strategic alignment. Effective communication is important to ensure that employees understand
their contributing role towards the executing of plans, and thereby helping to achieve organisational goals.
Internal communication is often connected to employer brand and status. “Every organization has the ability to
unlock the full potential of its business and its brand through its people. Yet most organizations fail to do so”
(Thomson & Hecker, 2000, p. 53). As Croft & Dalton (2003, p. 60-61) statement that it is possible to improve
reputation through internal communication. Just as a company efforts its best to build long-term relationships with
its customers, it needs to build long-term relationships with its employees. Relationships must be built on a better
and more complete form of listening. This in turn involves development of internal communications processes that
are two-way and not simply transmission.
According to above statements of Welch & Jackson (2007), Thomson & Hecker (2000) and Dalton (2003), it is
important for organizations to improve internal communication and to ensure that it functions well and effectively.
This affects company name viewed from the perspective of different interest groups, especially the employees. The
role of management is central in communication as it is important to engage employees in business objectives.
However, it is not only the management that should communicate but the internal communication processes need to
be two-way.
Quirke (1996, p. 68) states that internal communication development is a contemporary topic in many organizations.
He states that the most organizations recognize the need for good communication with their employees. What still
remains is a lack of understanding what communication is, and the role it has to play within organizations.
“Organizations need more communication than before. Employee research consistently shows that majority of
employees do not know where their companies are going and what they are trying to achieve” (Quirke, 1996, p. 68),
due to the lack of understanding what communication is and what role it has to play in organizations, this topic
should be researched more. As organizations are in need of more communication, more knowledge should be
obtained on the issue.

2. Literature Review

Organizational Communication
According to Van Vuuren et al. (2006, p. 124-125) contribution of communication to commitment underlies the
importance of supervisor communication to organizational functioning. The effects of communication to fit and
efficacy perceptions recap the role of interactions between managers and employees, because of sense of trend,
motivation and competence are important to them. Thus, this area of communication is important in organizations. If
communication does not function in teams and between supervisors and subordinates, it reflects negative to the
whole organization. It is very difficult for the Management communication can replace the missing of well-
functioning communication in teams.
Therefore, it becomes evident as pointed out by Eisenberg and Phillips (1990) in Sliburyte (2004:198), that the
management needs to understand the complexities of organisational life and organization needs to examine whether
this communication between the management and employees are helping to bring a positive picture. An effective
communication image leads to management support for confidence in its goals and objectives.
For that reason this study evaluate the role of senior management in facilitating effective internal communication
and measure the effectiveness of internal communication channels, with the view to develop an internal
communication channel guide or toolkit for managers. And also determine a need to develop a framework or model
for managing the internal communication process and managerial communication as a system in a structured,
coordinated and cohesive method that can be measured to determine internal communication effectiveness
It is significant for organizations to listen to their employees and take their ideas and perceptions into account
especially when developing different issues and operations. Pollitt & Brown (2008, p. 29) point out that the best
incentive for employee inspiration is not a perk. They state that it is simply listening to employees, valuing their
contributions and at the same time, valuing them as individuals with unique strengths and needs. Showing how
much companies valued their employees has increased their profits significantly.
However, the current study merely focuses on management communication, internal communication’s channels in

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 Sadia et al.(2016) / Journal of Business and Social Review in Emerging Economies 2 (2) 34-39

the process of improving organizational communication outcomes that effects of other variables, such as
productivity, on organizational outcomes. The current study examines the direct relationship between effective
communication and communication in organization. Although the focus is the relationship between internal
communication and employees productivity. Consequently, the research within this specific context can provide
more concrete findings; thereby filling in the gap in the literature between theory and empirical knowledge.

Effective Internal Communication

Internal communication increases trust in organizations, which is often associated with business success. Thomas et
al. (2009, p. 28, 306) talked about communication plays an important role in the development of trust within an
organization. They found that in the relationships with co-workers and supervisors, it is quality, not quantity, of
information that best forecasts trust. In addition, they found that trust was very closely tied to perceptions of
organizational openness, which, in turn, predicted employee involvement. In the light of these findings of Thomas et
al., organizations should pay a lot of attention in internal communication as it really affects the organization in a
positive way. As stated above, especially supervisor and management communication play an important role.
More information of internal communication development is needed as it is often a problematic issue in
organizations. Robson & Tourish (2005, p. 214) recognized barriers to effective internal communication practices.
There are problems related to how much information people need to do their jobs, problems with the sources from
which they receive it, the channels through which it is transmitted and how much information is in turn sent by most
organisational members. Robson & Tourish (2005, p. 214) found that management are often hesitant to investigate
their communication practices. This is problematic as if organisations lack data on how well they are performing it
becomes correspondingly harder to develop appropriate action plans.
Quirke (1996, p. 67-79) found out that in authenticity, most managers are poor at evaluating their effectiveness as
communicators. Based on Quirke’s findings, it is useful for organizations to evaluate if managers are succeeding in
communication. More organizational research on this is needed to give managers feedback on their performance.
The role of internal corporate communications function is vital in this as the function can help managers to
investigate this issue and to give managers tools to improve communication. Robson and Tourish (2005, p. 214)
claim that it may be that managers’ low level of awareness of their communication climate, combined with a
unwillingness to investigate it, become key obstacles to the development of positive communications policies. Since
Quirke (1996) and Robson and Tourish (2005) argue that managers cannot handle the internal communication on
their own, coordination of internal communications is needed in organizations.
It is worth researching employee perceptions at all levels in an organization as Pollitt & Brow (2008), Goudge
(2006) and Smythe (2008) highlight its importance. It is trusted that employee involvement in decision making is a
necessity for organizations and crucial for business performance. Employee opinions deliver a lot of understanding
for internal communication development. However, it is unexpectedly difficult to find research on internal
communication development from researched from the employee perspective. As Goudge (2006, p. 23) stated
above, research should be integral to the strategic development and tactical execution of communications when
managing change. Thus, more research on internal communication development from the employee perspective is
needed.

3. Conceptual Framework

The conceptual framework of this study is based on the information of literature study to facilitate the development
of the framework model of effective communication flow and their relationship with organizational communication
with the effect of employees’ productivity. The structural argument of the frame work is that the impact of three
features of Organizational communication on effective communicational dimension is ascertained and then the
organizational communication and effective communicational flow link in employees productivity is established.
It has been discussed that weak internal communication in organizations is reduce productivity of employees.
According to (Cellier & Laine, 2014) that this relationship is indeed research that non-communication is particularly
costly to firms when employees face uncertainty about their environment. This insight is particularly important less
research has been conducted in this area. Productivity seems to raise a lot of opinions in organizations and it is
commonly experienced as an essential but complex area of internal communications. Hage et al. (1971, p. 867)
claim that the volume of communication between departments is higher in more complex organizations.
Another essential communication area in organizations can be identified as team and supervisor communication. It
has been researched quite widely (e.g. Thomas et al. 2009, Alleyne et al. 2005, Thomson & Hecker 2000, Barrett
2006 and Smythe 1996) but less than management communication. However, it seems to be becoming a more
interesting topic based in academic research. Smith & Mounter (2005, p. 87) argue that internal communication is

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 Sadia et al.(2016) / Journal of Business and Social Review in Emerging Economies 2 (2) 34-39

the responsibility of everyone from CEO to line manager. According to Van Vuuren et al. (2006, p. 124-125)
contribution of communication to commitment underlies the importance of supervisor communication to
organizational functioning. The effects of communication to fit and efficacy perceptions recap the role of
interactions between managers and employees, because of sense of trend, motivation and competence are important
to them. Thus, this area of communication is important in organizations. If communication does not function in
teams and between supervisors and subordinates, it reflects negative to the whole organization. It is very difficult for
the Management communication can replace the missing of well-functioning communication in teams

This framework is developed with the help of Pencil software. In this framework three latent constructs of OC
(Organizational Communication), EIC (Effective internal communication) and EP (Employees Productivity) with
their respective indicators are shown. All indicators are formative in nature which show that these indicators define
or influence or cause the latent constructs (Hair et al., 2014).

Figure: 1 Conceptual framework

OC: Organizational Communication is measured by Strategy, Structure, System, style
EC: Effectiveness of communication is measured by Communication-skill, Organization Culture. Communication
Methods, Organization Structure.
EP: Employees Productivity is measured by shared values, skills, and staff

4. Conclusion

This is a theoretical paper and the purpose is to design a structural linkage between Employees productivity, OC and
effective internal communication. It is important to understand the different characteristics of organizational
communication and its influence on the effective internal communication and employees’ productivity in
organization. The research on this area is very infrequent and it is the need of the time to know how the distinctive
characteristics of organizational communication may add to form a strong bond with the effective internal
communication dimensions in order to enhance the employees’ productivity and understand the collaborating
patterns and the likely vulnerability of this life phase to numerous influences.

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