Communication effectiveness between line managers and support staff at the College of AES, UKZN.

Abstract

Abstract Communication is the transfer of information between two or more people, described as the sender and the receiver. Internal communication is the communication between all parties within an organization. Communication is a topic that is often taken for granted, especially since it is a part of what we do on a daily basis. There is therefore an expectation when communicating, that the receiver will understand the message the way the sender intended. This can lead to ineffective communication because the information communicated may not be specific and clear. The aim of this research is to examine the communication effectiveness between first line managers (referred to as “line managers” or “management” throughout the dissertation) and support staff (referred to as “subordinates” throughout the dissertation) within the five Schools of the College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The research was conducted using a quantitative research method to collect primary data via an electronic survey. The survey was created and distributed via the e-Survey creator website. The questionnaire gathered qualitative data from the target population. There was no sampling technique used since the target population consisted of the entire population of first line managers and support staff of the five Schools. Significant research results showed that line managers preferred using emails to communicate urgent matters, whereas subordinates preferred their line managers to use face-to-face communication; managers communicate within an appropriate time frame; however, some subordinates felt that line managers do not provide instructions timeously and do not allow for sufficient time to complete tasks; changes to policies and procedures are not effectively communicated to subordinates by their line manager. It is recommended from the study that line managers use face-to-face communication or a combination of face-to-face communication with other methods to communicate urgent matters to their subordinates, and that instructions should be provided to subordinates timeously. Furthermore, sufficient time should be given to subordinates to complete their tasks. Feedback from line managers to their subordinates on any changes to policies and processes need to improve. Keywords: Internal communication, effectiveness, management, subordinates and face-to-face communication.