The effect of communication on employee work performance in Kenya: a case study of kabarak university

Abstract

Communication has an important role in determining whether an organization succeeds or not. Performance is a critical factor in organizational success. Employee performance is defined as whether a person executes their job duties and responsibilities well. 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 and anything in between. The challenge for organization is how to channel these large communications so that they can serve to improve employee performance in the organization. This study had two objectives; the general objective and the specific objective. The general objective of this study was to determine the impact of organizational communication on workers‟ performance. The specific objectives were to; to determine the level of communication within an organization in Kabarak University, to determine the impact of organizational communication on employee performance Kabarak University, to determine the effects of communication on workers commitment in Kabarak University. This study used descriptive research design and explanatory research design to obtain information on the effects of communication on employee performance. A complete enumeration of 50 people were selected for the study and a questionnaire was the preferred instrument for data collection to extract the demographic profile of the respondents as it was assumed that the respondents’ attributes usually influence their behaviors, attitudes and how they respond to the other questions in the questionnaire. Before the real research, the questionnaire was pre-tested to gauge its validity and reliability. Data analysis which is the process of cleaning, transforming and interpreting data to highlight useful information, suggestions and conclusions was done. The data analysis illustrated the relationship between the independent variables which is communication and employee motivation as the dependent variable. The findings revealed that communication had an effect on employee performance at Kabarak University. However Kabarak University staff members indicated that they were not satisfied with the channels employed in communicating by (34%), reducing the efficiency of communication negatively affecting their drive to meet their targets and goals. The study therefore recommends that Kabarak University should consider timely feedback, proper channels of communication and immediate communication.