Organizational communication and performance of statutory corporations in Uganda: A case study of the Uganda Printing and Publishing Corporation (UPPC)

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between Organization Communication and Performance of Statutory Corporations in Uganda using the Uganda Printing and Publishing Corporation (UPPC) as a case study. It objectively concentrated on the communication channels commonly used at the UPPC, the communication environment within UPPC and the superior-subordinate communication flow at UPPC. Simple random sampling was used for the selection of 59 respondents. Mean, correlation and regression results were adopted in the analysis. From the results, the communication systems frequently used include face-to-face, telephone, written memos, email/internet and grapevines, with the most useful channel of communication being face-to-face. UPPC employees also largely perform well. Selective listening, distraction, time pressure, communication overload, information distortion, rationalization, and prejudice are identified as barriers and breakdowns in communication systems. Finally, various employees’ performance indicators are found to correlate with varying measures of effective organizational communication. Employee performance can be further enhanced if bottlenecks in the communication systems are either removed or kept at their least. Particularly, information distortions caused by omissions and exaggerations must be addressed both by management and employees to improve clarity in communication.