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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. |
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