Communication modes and employee performance: Comparing the management of the Academic Affairs Office, Mukono with the Academic Registrar’s Office, Makerere

Abstract

The main objective of the study was to examine the contribution of communication modes on employee performance in the offices of Academic Affairs at Uganda Christian University, Mukono and the Academic Registrar’s Office of Makerere University. In my literature review, I realized that there is a correlation between communication and performance of employees. The study sought to examine the relationship between communication modes and employee performance. A case study research design adopting both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis approaches was used to collect and analyse data from 140 employees in UCU’s A.A.O and in Makerere’s A.R.O. Tools such as questionnaires, interviews, observation and document review were used to collect data.

The study revealed the following modes of communication were used in both A.A.O and A.R.O: phones, meetings, face to face discussions, internet/intranet, memos, letters, annual reports, and manuals. However, the most prevalent communication modes were found to be the oral type. The study established that when communication modes were properly used, instructions were well transmitted, employees were well guided and motivated, which boosted their performance. On the other hand, misapplication of communication modes was found to cause unclear messages and delay’s, misreporting, misunderstanding of communications, which caused uncertainty of the employees’ expectations. This negatively impacted on their performance. The study also revealed that communication modes oftentimes were either faulty or inaccessible at the time employees needed to use them.

The study concludes that despite the existence of several communication modes in the A.A.O and the A.R.O, official information was often missed, lost and sometimes, misunderstood. This greatly affected employee performance. The major recommendations of the study include: the leadership of the A.A.O and the A.R.O should avail more communication modes to employees. They should also provide training opportunities and periodic in-servicing about use of communication modes to employees.