The role of organizational communication on employee job satisfaction in telecommunication industry in Kenya

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the role of organizational communication on employee job satisfaction in telecommunication industry in Kenya in a bid to improve its effectiveness and applicability in the industry. The general objective of the study was to examine the role of organizational communication on employee job satisfaction. The study was guided by four specific objectives which included: To establish the role of organizational flow of information on employee job satisfaction in telecommunication industry in Kenya, to examine the role of communication climate on employee job satisfaction, to investigate the role of nature of organizational communication on employee job satisfaction and to evaluate the role of information load on employee job satisfaction in telecommunication industry in Kenya. The scope of the study was restricted geographically to the three-telecommunication organizations that form the telecommunication industry found in Nairobi County in Kenya. The study covered academically the communication patterns through the model of interactions that take place within a system. The sample size was limited, as the study targeted only 8% of the total number of employees at the telecommunication industry headquarters. There was also literature review limitation since there were few empirical studies done in the area of organizational communication and job satisfaction in telecommunication industry in Kenya. The research study was informed by the enactment theory of organizational communication and the framing in organizations theory. The research used descriptive research design. The quantitative sample size of respondents was determined using the standard sample size calculation formulae. The sample population was 356; inclusive of the quantitative and qualitative respondents. 333 survey questionnaires were filled and returned. Purposive sampling was used to collect qualitative data from 18 top-level management employees. Quantitative data was analyzed by use of descriptive statistics technique for summarizing and inferential statistics with the aid of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software (SPSS).The data was then presented using bar graphs and tables. Qualitative data was analysed using content analysis that involved organizing data into groups, coding and sorting them to ascertain patterns. The data was presented in a narrative form and inferences were drawn from it. The study concluded that, a majority of employees at the telecommunication industry in Kenya are aware of what organizational communication entails. Therefore, management should strive to ensure that the nature of information they pass to employees produces a cohesive corporate identity by increasing employees’ knowledge about the overall organization’s philosophy and its strategies which brings job satisfaction and commitment. The study recommended that, managers and supervisors at the telecommunication industry in Kenya should encourage vertical, horizontal and diagonal communication for purposes of improving task-related processes, periodic reports concerning departments and individual performance cutting across the organization. This will help in equipping them with knowledge that will be used extensively.