CAMBRIDGE ASSOCIATION OF MANAGERS

GRADUATE DIPLOMA IN MANAGEMENT ADDITIONAL CORE

PRINCIPALS OF MANAGEMENT

COMMUNICATION AS A BASIC TOOL OF MANAGEMENT

A CASE STUDY OF DOMINION FARMS LIMITED

DONE BY : OGWANG’A MIRIAM

CANDIDATE NO:

PURPOSE : FULFILMENT OF CAM GRADUATE DIPLOMA IN HUMAN

RESOURCEMANAGEMENT(FUNDERMENTAS OF MANAGEMENT MODULE)

PRESENTED TO: Cambridge Association of Managers, International Examination,

Cambridge, UK
DATE : FEBRUARY 2011
2.3 DECLARATION

I declare that this project is my original work and has not been exhibited or published in
any way and has never been presented for any awards in any institution.
Name.......Ogwang’a Miriam.....................Signature.....................Date............................

This project has been submitted for examination with my approval as the supervisor.
Name....................................................Signature.....................Date............................

This project has fulfilled the Quality Assurance Policy requirements

Name......................................................Signature.....................Date...........................
Head of Quality Assurance

This project has been submitted for examinations with my approval as the moderator
Name.....................................................Signature.....................Date............................
Project Assessment coordinator

This project has been submitted for examinations with my approval.

Dr Humphrey Oborah Signature.....................Date............................

Head of Mission and Curriculum Manager,

Digital advisory and Learning Centre.

i
2.4 ACRONYMS
CAM- Cambridge Association of Managers

2.5 DALC- Digital Advisory and Learnind Centre

DFL- Dominion Farms Limited

QA-Qualitative Analysis.

UK-United Kingdom

ii
2.6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to thank the Chairman and his entire management and staff of Dominion
farm for all the support and assistance that they accorded me during the carrying out
research on their institution.

I would like to thank the entire teaching fraternity and students of DALC as an institution
for giving me a conducive learning atmosphere during the writing of my project.

I would also like to thank my tutor for advising and guiding me on all aspects of project
writing

I would like to thank my family especially my sister for support and encouragement
during the writing of the project.

Finally would like to thank the almighty God for giving me enough strength and good
health throughout the project.

iii
 CHAPTER ONE

Dominion Farms Limited is an American-owned, Kenyan-registered company that

operates a modern, irrigated farm on a 17,000-acre leasehold in western Kenya. The
company’s products include long-grain rice, tilapia fish, rotation crops and a number of
by-products related to those crops. By virtue of its remote location, the farm is highly
vertically integrated and relies upon crop by-products for much of its fertilizer and animal
feed.

The major problem affecting Dominion farm is lack of effective communication within
the organization.Most of theit workers are iliterate thus the company gets problems in
using formal type of communication to communicate to them effectively. This affects the
company because workers are not able to understand the basic information that is; the
company’s Mission/Vision statements, Objectives, Rules and regulations etc) provided
by the company inorder to help them work towards their achievements .They are also not
able to get to know what workers expect from them enable them achieve their set
objectives.

The objective of carrying out this study was mainly to highlight the role played by
effective communication in an organization and how it influences its effectiveness.While
the specific aims of doing this research was to analyze the impact of effective
communication in the organization, to find out channels used to pass information, to
evaluate the effectiveness of each channel used to pass information and to determine the
role of the company’s managers in effective communication.

During this project, data was collected from primary at the company’s head quarters
using questionnaires and Oral interviews, and the questions were same for both to get the
required information .Analysis was done using tables, graphs and charts. The researcher
went a head to state the benefits of the solutions that can resolve the problems faced in
effective communication.
The researcher further gave conclusions that the institution does not take part in effective
communication and for this to be effective; recommendations were given which were the
implementation of principles of effective communication to assist the organization
achieve its goals and objectives.

iv
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of contents Contents Pages

Declaration ………………………………………………………………………...i

Acknowledgement ………………………………………………………………...ii

Executive Summary …………………………………………………………….....iii

Acronyms ………………………………………………………………………….iv

Table of Contents …………………………………………………………………..v

CHAPTER 1

1.0. Introduction………………………………………………………………….…1

1.1. Background of the Institution of Study………………………………………...2

1.2. Organization Structure.........................................................................................3

1.3. Area of Study…………………………………………………………………...4

CHAPTER 2 (Literature Review)

2.0. Theoretical Review ………………………………………………………….…5

2.2. Empirical Review ……...…………………………………….…………………8

2.3. Critical Review …………………………………………………………………11

2.3. Missing Gap....... ………………………………………….……………………12

CHAPTER 3

3.0. Statement of the Problem ………………………………………………………13

3.1. Proposed Solutions…...…………………………………………………………13

3.2. Project Broad Objective …………..……………………………………………14

3.3. Specific Ams................ …………………………………………………..……..14

CHAPTER 4 (Research Design and Methodology)

4.0. Research Design .............................……………………………………………15

4.1. Population Size.... ………………………………………………………….......15

4.2. Sampling Techniques …………………………………………………………..15

4.3. Data Collection Techniques …………….......................……………………….15

4.4. Data Presentation……………………..……………………………….………...17

4.5. Data Analysis.......……………………..………………………………………...18

CHAPTER 5

5.0. Conclusions …………………………………….........………………………...19

5.1. Recommendations ……………………………..…………………………..…..19

5.2. Limitations and Suggestions for Improvement……….………………………..20

References ………………………………………………………………………….21

Appendix
………………………………………………………………………………………22

v
 CHAPTER 1

1.0 Background of Study.

Communication in organizations encompasses all the means, both formal and informal,
by which information is passed up, down, and across the network of managers and
employees in a business. These various modes of communication may be used to
disseminate official information between employees and management, to exchange
hearsay and rumors, or anything in between. The challenge for businesses is to channel
these myriad communications so they serve to improve customer relations, bolster
employee satisfaction, build knowledge-sharing throughout the organization, and most
importantly, enhance the firm's competitiveness.

Effective organizational communication, from an HR viewpoint, focuses on openness in

communication between senior management and employees, resulting in improved
employee engagement and productivity. In a cross-cultural environment, building and
maintaining rapport for business relationships depends on the effective use of language
and understanding differing communication styles. These and other aspects are discussed
to bring awareness to opportunities to foster better communication at all levels of the
organization

In today's global business environment. effective organizational communication--internal

and external--has a significant impact on an organization's success. Reasons for the
increasing importance of organizational communication are many, with workplace
change front and center. Overall, the world of work has become more complex More than
ever before, knowledge, learning and innovation are critical to an organization's
sustainability, Further, with employees often being widely distributed geographically,
communication technologies and networks arc essential for the accomplishment of a
company's strategy.

Therefore, effective organizational communication is critical to actively engage

employees, foster trust and respect, and promote productivity'. In fact, SHRM's 2008 job
Satisfaction survey report notes that communication between employees and senior
management is among the top five very important aspects of employee job satisfaction.
While not inclusive of all possible communication issues.
1.1Backround of study institution.

The business of Kenya is agriculture – the principal source of income for 75% of the
nation’s population. Yet agriculture accounts for only 25% of the Gross Domestic
Product. As a result, 75% of Kenyans depend on a technically inefficient industry whose
average labor input is three times greater than its output. Due to its dominance, any
change in the agricultural sector translates to changes in the entire economy. Efforts to
grow the economy and reduce poverty must begin with agriculture.

For the majority of Kenyans, farming exists mainly for subsistence. The level and scale
of crop production is geared towards satisfying household requirements.

When Calvin Burgess first visited the Yala Swamp in 2002, it was accessible only via all-
terrain vehicle. As there was no commerce in the area, neither were there jobs, currency
in circulation nor hope for improvement. But the residents were determined to break out
of the cycle of poverty associated with their tiny acreages and limited access to markets.
Dominion’s local payroll has done wonders for the health, wealth and attitude of
hundreds of employees and thousands who benefit indirectly from the circulation of hard
currency. And the farm has provided an example for smaller farmers to emulate in order
to render their operations more productive and profitable.

The area around the farm allows for an ideal farming environment. Water is plentiful, the
climate is cool and the fields produce at least two crops per annum. Add the components
of cost-effective labor and regional food deficiencies and the area offers an exceptional
farming scenario. The impact of two crops per annum cannot be overstated in a large-
scale application. It is the financial equivalent of doubling the size of an efficient
commercial farm at zero added cost. For a nation that imports more than 200,000 tons of
rice annually from India, Pakistan and Southeast Asia, the continuous planting and
harvesting of rice on a commercial scale is a welcome activity.

Today Dominion Farms is a celebrated example of technology-based, irrigated

agriculture in western Kenya. It is a model for long-range planners who seek to develop
the water resources and expand the land under cultivation that is needed to sustain the
fast-growing Kenyan population. It also illustrates the synergies of using agricultural by-
products to lower operating costs through reduced reliance on the use of chemicals and
imported fuels.

1.2.0 COMPANY MISSION STATEMENT.

Dominion Farms is committed to producing the finest quality foods and agricultural by-
products while enhancing the lives of our employees and the social and physical
environments in which we all operate. This company is dedicated to advancing the
capacity of Kenyans to build better lives through technology, productive labor, personal
integrity and faith.
1.2.1 COMPANY VISION STATEMENT.

The vision of the company is to advancing the capacity of Kenyans to build better lives
through technology, productive labor, personal integrity and faith by the year 2015.

1.2.3 PRODUCT PORTFOLIO

Dominion Farms Limiteda diversi is a diversified farming operation in western Kenya

producing long grain rice, fish, and other agricultural products under the Prime Harvest
brand. The farm is blessed with perfect climate, plenty of surface water, fertile soils, the
equatorial sun and a large, enthusiastic labor pool.

In Kenya, the Prime Harvest logo is the symbol of great taste, high quality and good
value. Their rice is sold in retail outlets throughout western and central Kenya and our
market continues to expand geographically as our acreage under production increases.
With greater rice production comes more rice bran for their aquaculture operation, more
rice hulls for the generation of electricity, more rice straw for the construction of homes
and more employment for sustained human development.

1
 1.1 ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE

C.E.O

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGER FINANCE MANAGER

GENERAL CONSTRUCTION EARTHWORK CONSTRUCTION

MANAGER MANAGER

MANTAINANCE MANAGER CROP MANAGER

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
AGRICULTURE MANAGER
MANAGER

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
FIELD DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
MANAGER

Fig 1 .Data source: company administration

2
 DEPARTMENT OF FOCUS
The study focuses on IT. The department is managed by the director who reports the
matters arising to the B.O.D for actions.The mission of the IT Unit is to provide
appropriate Information and Communication technologies that enable our clients to
access the information and services necessary to do their jobs. It provides the
Department's business units with the Information Communication Technology tools to
enable them to achieve their business goals. The goal of the Unit is to become an enabler
of change within the Department, by assisting Business Units to enhance productivity
through the innovative use of technology.

3
 CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.7 2.1 THEORETICAL REVIEW

Communication in organizations encompasses all the means, both formal and informal,
by which information is passed up, down, and across the network of managers and
employees in a business. These various modes of communication may be used to
disseminate official information between employees and management, to exchange
hearsay and rumors, or anything in between. The challenge for businesses is to channel
these myriad communications so they serve to improve customer relations, bolster
employee satisfaction, build knowledge-sharing throughout the organization, and most
importantly, enhance the firm's competitiveness.

According to Nobel Laureate Herbert Simon wrote in 1947 about "organization

communications systems", saying communication is "absolutely essential to
organizations". W. Charles Redding played a prominent role in the establishment of
organizational communication as a discipline.

In the 1950s, organizational communication focused largely on the role of

communication in improving organizational life and organizational output. In the 1980s,
the field turned away from a business-oriented approach to communication and became
concerned more with the constitutive role of communication in organizing. In the 1990s,
critical theory influence on the field was felt as organizational communication scholars
focused more on communication's possibilities to oppress and liberate organizational
members.

Herbert Simon introduced the concept of bounded rationality which challenged

assumptions about the perfect rationality of communication participants. He maintained
that people making decisions in organizations seldom had complete information, and that
even if more information was available, they tended to pick the first acceptable option,
rather than exploring further to pick the optimal solution.

Through the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s the field expanded greatly in parallel with several
other academic disciplines, looking at communication as more than an intentional act
designed to transfer an idea. Research expanded beyond the issue of "how to make people
understand what I am saying" to tackle questions such as "how does the act of
communicating change, or even define, who I am?", "why do organizations that seem to
be saying similar things achieve very different results?" and "to what extent are my
relationships with others affected by our various organizational contexts?"

In the early 1990s Peter Senge developed new theories on Organizational

Communication. These theories were learning organization and systems thinking. These
have been well received and are now a mainstay in current beliefs toward organizational
communications.

According to Bavelas, he has shown that communication patterns, or networks, influence

groups in several important ways. Communication networks may affect the group's
completion of the assigned task on time, the position of the de facto leader in the group,
or they may affect the group members' satisfaction from occupying certain positions in
the network. Although these findings are based on laboratory experiments, they have
important implications for the dynamics of communication in formal organizations.

There are several patterns of communication:

• "Chain",
• "Wheel",
• "Star",
• "All-Channel" network,
• "Circle"

The Chain can readily be seen to represent the hierarchical pattern that characterizes
strictly formal information flow, "from the top down," in military and some types of
business organizations. The Wheel can be compared with a typical autocratic
organization, meaning one-man rule and limited employee participation. The Star is
similar to the basic formal structure of many organizations. The All-Channel network,
which is an elaboration of Bavelas's Circle used by Guetzkow, is analogous to the free-
flow of communication in a group that encourages all of its members to become involved
in group decision processes. The All-Channel network may also be compared to some of
the informal communication networks.

If it's assumed that messages may move in both directions between stations in the
networks, it is easy to see that some individuals occupy key positions with regard to the
number of messages they handle and the degree to which they exercise control over the
flow of information. For example, the person represented by the central dot in the "Star"
handles all messages in the group. In contrast, individuals who occupy stations at the
edges of the pattern handle fewer messages and have little or no control over the flow of
information.These "peripheral" individuals can communicate with only one or two other
persons and must depend entirely on others to relay their messages if they wish to extend
their range.

In reporting the results of experiments involving the Circle, Wheel, and Star
configurations, Bavelas came to the following tentative conclusions. In patterns with
positions located centrally, such as the Wheel and the Star, an organization quickly
develops around the people occupying these central positions. In such patterns, the
organization is more stable and errors in performance are lower than in patterns having a
lower degree of centrality, such as the Circle. However, he also found that the morale of
members in high centrality patterns is relatively low. Bavelas speculated that this lower
morale could, in the long run, lower the accuracy and speed of such networks.
In problem solving requiring the pooling of data and judgments, or "insight," Bavelas
suggested that the ability to evaluate partial results, to look at alternatives, and to
restructure problems fell off rapidly when one person was able to assume a more central
(that is, more controlling) position in the information flow. For example, insight into a
problem requiring change would be less in the Wheel and the Star than in the Circle or
the Chain because of the "bottlenecking" effect of data control by central members.

It may be concluded from these laboratory results that the structure of communications
within an organization will have a significant influence on the accuracy of decisions, the
speed with which they can be reached, and the satisfaction of the people involved.
Consequently, in networks in which the responsibility for initiating and passing along
messages is shared more evenly among the members, the better the group's morale in the
long run.

In recent years, Other voices are beginning to be recorded in organizational

communication, especially in areas such as gender (e.g., see Ashcraft & Mumby, 2004;
Mumby, 1993), race (e.g., see Ashcraft & Allen, 2003), and globalization (e.g., see Stohl,
2001). In fact, in a deeply reflexive article, “Thinking Differently About Organizational
Communication,”George Cheney (2000) says that “taking difference seriously means not
only allowing the Other to speak but also being open to the possibility that the Other’s
perspective may come to influence or even supplant your own” (p. 140). Yet,despite such
interventions, one key aspect in the dynamics of identity has not received much attention
in organizational communication—postcolonial subjectivity and the mestiza
consciousness born of being in the borderlands. Anzaldúa’s concept of mestiza
consciousness transcends the nature of black-and-white theorizing and looks at issues of
identity as multiple coexisting levels of subjectivities. The complex intersections between
multiple subjectivities of issues of race, gender, class, ethnicity, and language remain
underhighlighted in much of organizational communication scholarship and, yet, these
are central to becoming sensitive to a postcolonial vision of our disciplinary future.

In terms of imagining a postcolonial rationality, Harvard-based, Nobel Prize-winning

economist Amartya Sen draws on his multiple subjectivities to turn traditional utility
theory economics on its head and argue instead for a more humane welfare economics—a
body of scholarship that has grown from his own subjective experiences of famines
caused by colonial policies in pre-independence India (Sen, 1981, 1987). For Sen (1992),
it is not enough to talk about achieving equality in income distribution, for such a rhetoric
of equality conceals the “substantive inequalities in, say, wellbeing and freedom arising
out of such a distribution given the disparate personal and social circumstances of each
individual” (p. 30).

At this point, it would be easy to think that concerns with postcolonial subjectivity,
organizing, voice, and rationality rest fully within the empirical domain of our
disciplinary partners of sociology, anthropology, literature,political science, economics,
and history, to name a few. Banerjee and Linstead (2004), in fact, note that explicit
political agendas, such as that of postcolonial thought, have never rested easily in
organization studies. Few studies using a postcolonial frame exist and many are included
in an edited volume by Anshuman Prasad (2003) entitled Postcolonial Theory and
Organizational Analysis.

As Prasad (2003) makes clear, a postcolonial perspective can be productive in exposing

neocolonial assumptions underlying management disciplines, describing neocolonialism
as a continuationof Western colonialism through political, economic, and cultural
control(Banerjee & Linstead, 2004).

When we as scholars unthinkingly adopt the discourse and knowledge of mainstream

Euro-American organizational communication scholarship,we potentially absorb, without
reflection, a particular way of understanding the world. In conclusion, what we are trying
to imagine here and what can be seen in the exemplars above is a form of “writing back
to the center,”where scholars from the disciplinary and epistemic margins of
organizational communication write about their own cultured forms of organizing
practices,using their experiences and ways of knowing to talk back to, reframe,
contextualize,and perhaps even reinterpret commonly used theories and concepts within
our field. For those scholars, living and working in Asia, Africa,South America, or the
Asia-Pacific region, for example, this means learning from and supporting the multiple
forms of cultural knowledge around organizing and communicating that are native to
their region.

Disseminating work by native scholars of their contexts using native forms of knowing
diversifies the field of organizational communication as well as the knowledge produced
and consumed there, providing all members of our scholarly community with a richer
array of concepts, methods, forms, and perspectives from which to understand our
increasingly complex and globalized reality. In engaging in such an enterprise, we begin
to reimagine the scholarly community of organizational communication as a
transdisciplinary and transgeographical entity capable of disrupting contemporary
hierarchies of knowledge and making sense of our flattening world. With this goal in
mind, we request and look forward to lively conversations with scholars from within the
traditionally defined discipline of organizational communication as well as those outside,
as we work together to recognize, support, and engage diverse voices and contexts as
well as multiple ways of organizing and communicating.

References: Ashcraft, K. (2006). Falling from a humble perch? Rereading organizational

communication studies with an attitude of alliance. Management Communication
Quarterly, 19(4), 645–652. Ashcraft, K., & Allen, B. (2003). Cheney, G. (2000).
Thinking differently about organizational communication: Why, how, and where?
Management Communication Quarterly, 14(1), 132–141. Sen, A. (1981). Poverty and
famines: An essay on entitlement and deprivation. Oxford, UK: Clarendon. Sen, A.
(1987). On ethics and economics. Oxford, UK: Blackwell. Sen, A. (1992). Inequality re-
examined. New York: Russell Sage Foundation. Banerjee, S. B., & Linstead, S. (2004).
Masking subversion: Neocolonial embeddedness in anthropological accounts of
indigenous management. Human Relations, 57(2), 221–247.
2.8 2.2 EMPIRICAL REVIEW
Dominion Farms limited is a formal organization hence it uses a formal type of
organization. Since the company is a centralized organization, it uses the (Upward-
Downward communication). that is, It flow’s from the top level management to low level
management through the middle level management. This has greatly enable the company
to increase its efficiency by synchronizing the organizational procedures and to ensure
that everybody is working towards the same overall aims and objectives this is because
goals are transmitted and influence is exerted on employees.It is done through;
Oral Communication-Oral communication can be achieved face-to-face or remotely by
telephone.

Written Direct Communication-Written communication has major advantages in

business, as it provides concrete evidence and confirmation of the message.

The Content of Orders and Instructions-Orders and instructions will obviously vary
widely, from “Take that package down to the post room, please” to the plan for a
complete work process or project. The main point about orders and instructions is that
they should be clear and sufficient for the recipient to be able to proceed to fulfill the
instructions to your satisfaction.

Briefings-Briefings on specific tasks or topics will be much like the giving of

instructions, as outlines above.

Motivation-downward communication is not just about directly getting things done. It is

also about maintaining the ability and willingness of team members to carry out your
orders and instructions.

Positive and negative reinforcement - Downward communication plays a role in the

form of: Praise for good work or effort, Encouragement, Discipline: expression of
dissatisfaction with poor performance, reemphasizing required standards and
Constructive criticism.

Culture - Leaders communicate the organization’s values and beliefs to their teams.

Performance feedback - Team leaders should constantly provide feedback to members

on: How they are doing in their tasks and in the team, how results are progressing in
comparison to the plans and standards set for them.
2.9 CRITICAL REVIEW
Companies that uses Downward communication faces great challenges over those
companies that uses upward communication.This is because, it involves;

One way communication: -In several cases still behaves in an institution is as

authoritative manner and does not encourage feedbacks.This leads to confusion and
causes unpleasant environment in the organization.

Differencesing values and perception- It is usually for superior to be committed to

the total organization, while subordinates relate to his department or
sub group.Superior typically views their contributions in terms of achievement while
subordinates are more likely to see themselves as only contributing long hours and hard
work.Such disparate view points can be barrier to downward communication because
subordinates may filter out parts of the downward messages conveyed to them.

Mistrust: -The feeling of mistrust appears when there lack of frequent superior-
subordinate contact.The subordinate knows that superior controls his rewards and each
downward message is viewed with mistrust and some ulterior motivate.

Inner conflicts of leadership: -The pressure of their position can cause inner
conflicts or status anxiety in a superior. He is torn between responsibilities of his status
and the desire to be popular among subordinates.To build up his friendly image, the
superior could talk too much leading to leakage of confidential information.

Resistance to authority: -It’s a psychological barrier in which employee’s belief that

all communication from a higher authority will be anti-employee and if at all there is a
positive one, there will be unpleasant motive for it. So any downward
communication is viewed with hostility. They accept or acknowledge only parts of the
message that they are comfortable with, ignoring the other parts

It is therefore required for the managers to understand the impact of communication on

subordinates and take appropriate measures to make their communication effective.
2.3 MISSING GAPS
The two-way flow of communication in any business organization is supported by
efficient and effective upward communication. Dominion farms limited on the other
hand uses downward communication. This hinders the company from reaping the
benefits of;

-The management keeping itself in touch with the needs, requirements, difficulties and
grievances of the employees when it receives messages from the employees. -The
management helped to make sound decisions on the basis of the sufficient information
secured from the subordinates.
-The management receiving the information regarding production, quality-control,
absenteeism, inventory control, profits, costs, new schemes and programmes, inventions,
advertising, sales, complaints, research, etc and constructive suggestions regarding
various other matters that promote the welfare of the organization
There is therefore the need for the organization to improve the productivity, it is not
necessary to put pressure on the employees or try to motivate the employees towards
more loyalty and hard work by merely putting articles in the company magazines. But, on
the other hand, it is necessary for the management to develop the procedure for
encouraging upward communication to achieve the above mentioned benefits.

10
 CHAPTER THREE.
3.1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Dominion Farms limited lacks effective communication type. It uses downward

communication which only allows for the flow of information from the top level
management to the lower level management through the middle level management. The
biggest drawback in downward communication is the lack of importance given to the
receiver. Research has shown that lower level employees can improve their performance
provided they obtain the right information at the right time.
The company is also subjected to unclear procedures invoved in passing of information
and in choosing the effective means/channels to use when passing information to the
employees

3.2 PROPOSED SOLUTIONS

The researcher suggests that it is necessary for the management to develop the procedure
for encouraging upward communication to enable the company keep itself in touch with
the needs, requirements, difficulties and grievances of the employees when it receives
messages from the employees; make sound decisions on the basis of the sufficient
information secured from the subordinates,and also to be in a position to receive the
information regarding production, quality-control, absenteeism, inventory control, profits,
costs, new schemes and programmes, inventions, advertising, sales, complaints, research,
etc and constructive suggestions regarding various other matters that promote the welfare
of the organization.
There is need for the company to analyse some existing factors before choosing on the
channel they are to use. Also, the company should involve well defined and clear
procedures to pass information to the employees.

11
3.3 PROJECT BROAD OBJECTIVES
The research sort to highlight the role played by effective communication in an
organization and how it influences its effectiveness.

3.4 SPECIFIC AIMS

(i) To analyze the impact of ineffective communication in the organization.
(ii) To find out the type of communication used in the organization.
(iii) To evaluate the effectiveness of different communication types.
(iv)To determine the role of managers in effective communication.

12
 CHAPTER FOUR:

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND DESIGN.

4.1 INTRODUCTION
The chapter describes the population, sampling frame, procedure for surveys, and
explains data analysis to be used to Present the results of findings .

4.2 RESEARCH DESIGN

The research design for this study employed a descriptive survey method. The target
population of this study included employees at Dominion Farms Limited . The sample
size included all 35 employees of the target population. Twenty-three of the 35
employees participated in the survey for a participation rate of 92%.. The researcher
conjectures that upward communication enable the management to receive the
information regarding production, quality-control, absenteeism, inventory control, profits,
costs, new schemes and programmes, inventions, advertising, sales, complaints, research,
etc and constructive suggestions regarding various other matters that promote the welfare
of the organization
The descriptive survey was to portray an accurate profile of employees under study
(Ronson, 2002:59) to have a clear picture of phenomena on which to collect the data.

4.3 TARGET POPULATION AND SAMPLE SIZE

The target population was the company employees and the field workers; data was in
regards to working department of each employee, 156 employees were to be interviewed
from the top management personnel down to the operational employees but due to
limited time a simple random technique was used to select 35 employees who were used
for .

Distribution Frequency
Department Target Population Sample size
IT Department 10 10
Community Development Department 20 5
HRM Department 30 10
 Operational Department 40 10
Total 100 35

Source: Researcher 2011

4.4 SAMPLING TECHNIQUES

The study was sampling technique used was stratified random sampling in which the total
population under study was divided according to departmental levels, thus being taken as
sampling frame representing several subsets in the organization. This was chosen to
ensure equal representation of the total population with no biasness.

4.5 DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENTS

The survey instrument was developed to investigate how effective is communication in
an organization and how it influences the organization’s effectiveness. The questionnaire
was designed to attain the required information for the purpose of the study. Once the
interview was used to solicit some information about organizational communication and
personal observation also used to understand the behaviour of employee at the work
areas.

Questionnaires
From a review of literature, a survey questionnaire was developed to collect data for the
study (Bowen & Radhakrishna, 1991; Harpaz, 1990; Kovach, 1987). Data was collected
through use of a written questionnaire hand-delivered to participants. Questionnaires
were filled out by participants and returned to an intra-departmental mailbox.
Identical questions were used to assess the type of communication the company use to
pass information to the employees and how it affects theeeeeir perfomance . Questions
were framed so that they could be answered easily. The number of questions was limited
so that it could be completed in twenty minutes or so. Participation was anonymous and
strictly voluntary. The time limit for returning the questionnaires was ten days. The
questionnaire included a cover letter providing instructions for completing and returning
the form and a “Protection of Human Subject’s Consent Form” with no signature
requirement. A self-addressed stamped envelope was also included.
Observation
This is the actual involvement of the researcher into the defined area of research where
he/she participates to feel in-depth of the element or problem under study along research
questions or hypothesized statements. The tool was opted because it gives actual figure or
state of the problem under microscope rather than theories.

c) Interviews
This is face is to face discussion with respondents, in obtaining the responses of the
outlined questions under study. The tool was used to management team because of the
busy schedule. The advantage of using the tool is immediate response from the
interviewee/respondents

The Interview.
The biggest benefit of face-to-face interviews is the human interaction that occurs. This
method was purposefully selected so that the researcher could interact on a personal level
with the organizations’ management team. The structured interview format was selected.
This required a formal set of objectives to guide the interview process. Note taking was
used to record responses.
The researcher conducted 18 face-to-face interviews.

4.6 ANALYSIS OF RESULTS

The data collected during the assessment process was analyzed using frequency
distributions and statistics by question. Since the majority of questions were open-ended,
all responses were recorded, like responses were grouped together, frequency of
responses was determined and a corresponding percentage was calculated. The results are
reported in the next chapter.
Sampled data collected was analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively and presented
through the below procedures.
Classification of data was done – grouping them into qualitative and quantitative.
Tabulation of data. Presentation of results was done through tables, bar graphs and pie-
charts.

13
 CHAPTER FIVE:
RESULTS/FINDINGS

5.1 INTRODUCTION
The results of analysis were presented both qualitatively and quantitatively as a product
of research strategies, to understand the implication of downward communication in the
organization,.
5.2 survey analysis on the age group
Table 1
age Bracket respondents
18-25 5
26-34 8
35-45 15
45-55 7
over 55 5

Source (Researcher 2011)

Survey analysis on the age group

13% 13%

18-25
18%
19% 26-34
35-45
45-55
55-Above

37%
Interpretation

The research analysis showed that the company employee age brackets falls in category
of (35-45) with 37%, show the company having mature and well experienced employees
of who know what they need to do to achieve the company’s objectives.

5.1 Do you perceive the organization’s communication to be effective?

Table2
Departments HRM IT Operational Community
Development
Eployees who 6 2 5 1
perceivethe
company’s
communication
to be effective
Employees 4 8 5 4
whothink
communication
shouldbe
improved
 Communication effectiveness

No.of employees 4 Employees w ho percive the company's

communication to be effective
3 employees w ho think that the company's
communication should be improved
2

0
HRM IT CoD Operational
Departments

Interpretation

The analysis questions, respondents on factors behind communication effectiveness,

4,2,1,and 5 employees from HRM,IT,Community Development and Operational
department respectively felt that the communication system of the organization was
effective while, 6,8,2,and 5 employees from the same departments suggested that
something should be done to improve on the company’s communication system.

5.4Survey analysis on the effectiveness of channels used in communication

Table3
Departments HRM IT Operational Community
Development
Eployees who 5 1 7 0
think that the
channels used
to
communicate
are effective
Employees 5 9 3 5
whothink there
is problem in
choosing
appropriate
channels of
communication

Source: ( researcher 2011)

Employees' View on the communication channels

10
8
No. of employees

Eployees w ho think that the

channels used to communicate
6 are effective

4 Employees w hothink there is

problem in choosing appropriate
2 channels of communication

0
t

l
M

IT

en

na
R

pm

tio
H

ra
lo
ve

pe
de

O
ity
un
m
om
C

Departments

Interpretation
From the bar graph above most of the departemental staff saw a need to reduce
company’s expenses by introducing upward communication in the management. A total
of 48 out of 68 saw that there was need to introduce communication department.13 said
there was no need since the company already has already been used to
downwardcommunication. From the chart above it is clearly seen that the IT and
Communkity development departments had the largest numbers of dissatisfied employees
in the IT 9 out of 10 saw a need for change. 9 out of 15 thus it is clear that the
organization was in direct need introduce an upward communication system for effective
communication to be achieved by the company.
 Table 6: Do you think the company uses effective channels in communication ?

IT Department Human Community Operational Total

resource Developement department
department department
YES 1 3 1 2 7
NO 7 4 4 5 20
NO 2 3 0 3 8
COMMENT
TOTAL 10 10 5 10 35
Data source Researcher 2011

7%
69%
yes
no
no opinion
24%

Interpretation
From the pie chart above the researcher deduced that 69 percent of the company’s
employees saw a need to improve the channels of communication used in the organ
ization , 24% did not and 4 percent had no views on the mater. This is a clear indication
of the need to develop effective channels of communication in the organization.
 4.3 DATA FROM COMPANY,S TOP MANAGERS
Do you see the need of introducing an upward type of communication in the organization
as far as the communication difficulty is concerned?

IT Department Human Community Operational Total

resource Developement department
department department
YES 3 1 2 2 7
NO 0 0 0 0 20
NO 0 1 0 1 8
COMMENT
TOTAL 10 10 5 10 35
Researcher 2011

data fromcompany's top managers

Total NOCOMMENT

Operational

NO

depertm ents
CoD

HRM
YES

IT

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Interpretation
From the bar graph above it is deduced that most of the top managers and especially the
IT department saw a need for the organization to consider better ways of improving
communication in the organization, a total of 8 out of the 10 top managers saw a need to
introduce upward communication style in the organization,none of the managers denied
the introduction of upward communication while 2 did not know whether or not the
communication style should be changed. This is a clear indication that several numbers
of the top managers in all departments are ready to support the introduction of upward
communication style in the organization.

Table9: Overal employees suggestion on the introduction of upward communication in

the organization

Temporary Casual Union Managers Total

employees
YES 11 6 3 4 24
NO 3 1 1 1 6
NO 2 1 2 0 5
COMMENT
TOTAL 16 8 6 5 35

Source: (Researcher 20011)

14% 69% Yes
NO
No comment

17%

Interpretation
From the above pie chart , it shows how different groups of employees in the
organization responded to the issue of changing the organization’s style of
communication. The 69% of the company,s employees saw that there was a need for the
company to replace upward communication with the ongoing downward communication.
17% of the employees said that there was no need of introducing an upward
communication since they are used to the ongoing downward communication. 14% of the
company’s employees had no urgument whether or the communication style should be
changed or not. The company have a high percentage no. of employees who are willing
to see changes implemented therefore, it is clear that the company must implement the
suggested solution to coorporate well with its employees and to create effectiveness in
communication.
 16

5.4 CONCLUSION
In today's global business environment. effective organizational communication--internal
and external--has a significant impact on an organization's success. Reasons for the
increasing importance of organizational communication are many, with workplace
change front and center. Overall, the world of work has become more complex More than
ever before, knowledge, learning and innovation are critical to an organization's
sustainability, Further, with employees often being widely distributed geographically,
communication technologies and networks arc essential for the accomplishment of a
company's strategy.
The two-way flow of communication in any business organization is supported by
efficient and effective upward communication. Upward communication in any given
organization plays a very vital role therefore, it is necessary for the management of the
company to develop the procedure for encouraging upward communication to enable the
company keep itself in touch with the needs, requirements, difficulties and grievances of
the employees when it receives messages from the employees; make sound decisions on
the basis of the sufficient information secured from the subordinates,and also to be in a
position to receive the information regarding production, quality-control, absenteeism,
inventory control, profits, costs, new schemes and programmes, inventions, advertising,
sales, complaints, research, etc and constructive suggestions regarding various other
matters that promote the welfare of the organization.
There is need for the company to analyse some existing factors before choosing on the
channel they are to use. Also, the company should involve well defined and clear
procedures to pass information to the employees.

5.7 Limitation and Suggestion for futher improvement

1. Data collection was time demanding as securing time with company employees was
not easy.
2. There was a language barrier with some of the employees as most questions were in
English which not every employee was conversant with.
3. Securing appointments with top management staff was not easy due to there nature
work.
4. Some questionnaires were not returned thus the data that was anticipated was not
acquired

5.8 Suggestions for further improvements

1. The company should allocates more time to scholars who wish to carry out a project on
there institution as it can end up benefiting the company.
2. Future researchers should frame questions in a formality that is easy to understand
interpret.
3. Employees should be more cooperative and return all the questionnaires

17
 References

-BLUNDELL Richard Effective organizational Communication.

-DALC student guideline notes

-GUFFEY Mary Ellen , Richard AlmonteEssential of Business Communication

-MILLER, Katherine (2002), Organizational Communication: Approaches and Processes

, 4th ed., p. 1.

-NILLES, Jack M. - http://www.jala.com/jnmbio.php

-NILLES, Jack M. (1998), Managing Telework: Options for Managing the Virtual
Workforce , John Wiley & Sons

-NEHER, William W. (1997), Organizational Communication: Challenges of Change,

Diversity, and Continuity

-SCHILLER, Phil (2008) - WWDC 2008 – Apple Announces Mobile Me

-VAULT (2000), Internet Usage at Work , Accessed via Computer-Mediated

Communication Book

18
APPENDICES
Questionnairre
Sample Questions for middle level Staff
Respondent’s particulars
1 Designation of respondent
……………………………………………………………………………………………
…………..

2.Department of the respondent

……………………………………………………………………………………………
…………
3.Sex of the respondent (Tick one)
Male Female
4.Years of service in the
department
……………………………………………………………………………………………
…………..
5 What are some of the problems you company encounters when it comes to
communication ?........................................................................................

6 For how long has this been going on?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………

7 How do you manage to communicate with you

superiors?.................................................................................................

8 Is there coordination between various departments in this organization when it comes

to communication?...............................................................

9 Is there a clearly defined channel or routes of communication in this

organization?...........................................................................................

10 Is the communication different with

customers?.......................................................................................

11 Do you think that introducing an upward communication system will

work?...................................................................

12 Do you support the decision of replacing the ongoing downward communication

style with an upward communication style?
..................................................................................................................

Sample Questionnaires for Top Management and middle management staff and
Stake holders
1 Designation of respondent
……………………………………………………………………………………………
…………..
2.Department of the respondent
……………………………………………………………………………………………
…………
3.Sex of the respondent (Tick one)

Male Female
4.Years of service in the department
……………………………………………………………………………………………
…………..

5 What do you think about effective communication in the organization?

……………………………………………………….
6 Do you think that is it going to be
successful?......................................................................

7 Is there any coordination within the various departments in this organization when it
comes to communication?....................................................................................................

8 What if a communications department was to be

formed?..................................................................................................................................

9 How do you communicate to you

subordinates?.........................................................................................................................
10 Where do you see the company in the next five
years?....................................................................................................................................

11 Which option do you think will work

better?....................................................................................................................................

12 Do you think it will be successful?

20