1.1. Background
Historically, organizational management has been focusing on how to improve effectiveness and how to involve people in the process. People of the organization are the primary elements that need to be integrated. This concern has led to the study of motivation, organization communication, misinformation and many other subtopics of organizational behavior. The typical problems raised by the management today include the following: high rates of job dissatisfaction, high rates on absenteeism and turnover, inadequate communication, high rates of distortion and misinformation, goals and priorities misinterpretation. (Lau 1975: 47.)
Communication is considered by many theorists as an organizational behavior. The role of communication is vital for every modern organization. Moreover it is a reliable indicator of growth and prosperity. Communication is a key element for organization.
However, its distortion may affect organizations’ effective existence. Through the observation and comprehension of how people communicate with each other, we are able to identify and improve our activities in the work field. No matter where the work setting would be, the understanding of how individuals behave and why they behave as such is crucial for organizational success.
Communication is important for human’s life, it links the organizations members and it mediates the inputs to the organization from the environment and the outputs from the organization to the environment (Guetzkow 1965). In effect, it is the “very essence” of organizations (Katz & Kahn 1966: 223). Therefore, the study of organizational communication should be broad, extended to all fields of communication such as conflicts, ethics, roles, culture, networks, diversity and technology in order to build the foundations for understanding every human process that occur in organization.
As humans, we spend most of our time speaking, listening and interacting with other people. For this reason it is essential to be able to be effectively engaged in these communication activities, especially, when communication activities concern the working environment. Organizations’ members should have voice and their opinion should be heard because they consist the backbone for every organization. Non-participation of employees in decision making process and on issues related to their work may lead to a number of undesirable consequences such as demotivation, turnover, absenteeism,
On the other hand, directors and supervisors must realize the importance of communication throughout every level of organizations’ hierarchy and admit that effective communication is crucial for organizations’ success (Byers 1997). Hence, great attention should be paid in order to enhance internal communication among all organization members through strategies, trainings, constant feedback, etc.
1.2. Research questions
Albanian communication system for many years was characterized as firmly centralized until early 90’ when the political system changed. Since early 90’s Albania is considered as a developing country which is trying to be adjusted to the new era. After, approximately, 25 years, it is interesting to investigate how communication is developed and the impact it has on organization members.
Based on previous discussion the main scope of this study is to examine the effects of communication in the Albanian public sector and the engagement of employees’ in the decision making process. Moreover, this study aims also to explain what the functions of communication are, its main characteristics and the elements that may hamper effective communication in organizations.
The basic tool used to comprehend communication system as developed in Albanian public sector is qualitative data analysis based on face to face interviews with
organizational members. All interviewees are selected as a representative sample of different departments of the Ministry of Education and the depending Institutions. This qualitative research aims to give answers to the following main questions:
- What are the effects of internal communication in the case of Albanian Education sector?
- How does internal communication of organization influence employees’
participation in the decision making?
- How employees’ engagement in the decision making process affects their performance?
1.3. Study Plan
This study is consisted of five main chapters. The first chapter, introduction, is a brief presentation of the issues that this study is dealing with. The very same chapter is describing the main meanings of this research and also pronounces the basic research questions.
The second chapter makes a detailed presentation of the basic concepts of the study.
Specifically, this chapter attempts to define and analyze communication and all the variables that enhance or hampers its effectiveness. An inner and detailed insight of challenges, difficulties and complications caused by communication is also presented in this chapter which also explains the importance that communication has on employees’
performance and everyday life and highlights the responsibilities that management carries.
The methodology applied in this study is presented in the following chapter, the third one. The same chapter is also dealing with the presentation of the case under study and useful information around it.
The chapter number four is consisted of the empirical analysis of the collected data through the qualitative research. Basically, this chapter is dealing with interviewees’
perceptions on how communication is developed in their working environment the impact that it has on their lives. The fifth chapter, which is the last one, is mainly focusing on main findings and interpretation of this study.