Processes of group communication for organisational cohesion: a study of selected national organisations in Kenya Patience Awuor Ochieng

Abstract

Comprehending processes of group communication significantly aids in promotion of group cohesion. This study aimed at investigating how members within organizations not only value differences but also engage with those differences through understanding processes of group communication and how comprehending these processes can enhance group’s cohesion therefore achieving organizational objective. There are minimal empirical studies that have looked at the processes of group communication in organizations in Kenya. The purpose of this study was therefore to comprehend the processes of group communication for organizational cohesion through the following research questions: What group communication processes are commonly reported in organizations? How do group communication processes influence cohesion in organizations? What are the perceptions on the influence of group communication processes on organizational cohesion? The study was formulated and based on Gile’s Communication Accommodation Theory of group communication. The study adopted the qualitative case study research design, with a purposive sample of 20 participants based on experience, knowledge and availability, selected from two national organizations in Kenya and data was generated through in- depth interviews. The data was transcribed and analyzed thematically and reported in line with the research questions. The findings were discussed with reference to the literature reviewed. The main findings of the study were that groups are formed based on the roles of members in the organization. The members further form their own social groups purely based on personal interests and needs. Cohesion is then influenced either negatively or positively by these factors through the complexities of group communication since multiple channels of communication are used. These channels can bring about miscommunication, distorted or contradicting messages. However, use of multiple communication channels also has its advantages since all members receive the information in time and enables instant feedback. The study further revealed that organizations need to be more consistent with group activities such as team building in order to help harness group communication attitudes and characteristics for organizational cohesion. The study thus concluded that group communication is a complex subject; therefore, many stakeholders in organizations are still learning to comprehend the processes especially with no specific structured guidelines on social group formations and their operations within the organizations in relation to organizational cohesion. The study therefore recommends that organizations should utilize services of communication practitioners and organizational stakeholders to come up with permanent mechanisms to be implemented on harnessing group communication as well as positive use of grapevine by administration to help curb possible unrest and enhance organizational cohesion. This study has yielded significant findings to organizations on processes of group communication and also added to the literature on group communication in particular and the discipline of organizational communication in general.