Interne kommunikasie om werknemerverhoudings te bestuur : Noordwes-Universiteit Institusionele Kantoor se kommunikasie met die Potchefstroomkampus

Abstract

Relationships with internal stakeholders within the organisation (employees) are crucial for organisational survival and success (Hargie & Tourish, 2000:293; Jensen, 2010:32; Koschmann, 2007:12; McDermott & Chan, 1996:5; Van der Colff, 2003:258). Therefore, twoway symmetrical communication with employees in building relationships and relationship management is so important (Bezuidenhout, 2010; Koschmann, 2007:8). The North-West University focuses on maintaining good relationships with their employees through communication, but experience challenges in this regard. The Institutional Office of the North-West University is the main source of information and communication with employees of all three campuses. A consultant (Media Mosaics, 2010) and two other studies (Holtzhausen & Fourie, 2011; Mmope, 2010) identified various problems with the communication and consequent relationships between the Institutional Office and the Potchefstroom Campus employees. Given that good relations between the two business units are a focus of the university and that the outcomes of internal communication are good relationships, it is necessary to determine how the internal communication from the North-West University Institutional Office to Potchefstroom Campus employees are conducted in order to build good relationships. To determine the above a literature study, questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviews were carried out. The systems approach, reflective paradigm, excellence theory, two-way symmetrical communication model and stakeholder relations theory were used as a theoretical framework (Dozier, et al., 1995; Ferreira & Staude, 1991; Grunig & Grunig, 2000:310; Grunig et al., 2002; Ledingham & Bruning, 2001:63; Skinner & Von Essen, 1999:257; Steyn & Puth, 2000; Verčič et al., 2001:382). From the results it appears that the North-West University Institutional Office and Potchefstroom Campus employees do not agree on all aspects of the relationship and communication between them. It appears that the North-West University Institutional Office meets only some of the requirements of communication and relationship building, as it has been set out in the literature, and that there is room for improvement.