An evaluation of internal communication in the local council of Moqhaka Municipality
Lazarus Mohapi. Maleho · DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · 2011
Municipalities face the task of communicating their policies and practices to employees. Their purpose is to achieve an understanding of their strategies by all stakeholders, including their employees. The research conducted exhibited evidence that Moqhaka Municipality in Free State Province of South Africa recognised the need to address the issue of internal communications but had not been involved in any in-depth assessment of its internal communications, nor did it have a written internal communication strategy. The first stage of the empirical study was to identify the current communication strategy within the particular municipality. Official documents were analysed and qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with key role players selected according to their expertise, availability and knowledge regarding the research topic. In the second stage the researcher focused on the employees’ perceptions and needs with regard to the internal communication at their workplace. To gather information, self-administered open and closed-ended questionnaires were distributed to employees. It was established through the literature study, that a need does exist for the internal communication to undergo regular evaluation. The results showed a general dissatisfaction in respect of communication and specific dissatisfaction in relation to particular areas of the organisation. The findings demonstrate not only the need to evaluate communication in an organisation on a regular basis, but also the importance of communication to employees, and the general need for improved organisational communication.