Influence of Communication Strategies on Organizational Performance: A Case of the Office of the Auditor General of State Finances in Rwanda

https://doi.org/10.51867/ajernet.5.4.17

Authors

Keywords:

Communication Strategies, Multi-Driven Communication, Participatory Communication, Quality Delivery, Results Driven Communication, Timely Delivery, OAG

Abstract

This research paper investigated the effect of communication strategies on organizational success. It specifically assessed the influence of participatory communication, result-based communication, and multi-channelled communication strategies on the success of the Office of Auditor General of state finances (OAG). The paper applied a descriptive and correlation design with a mixed approach. A sample size of 150 was drawn from a target of 248 workers who participated in various service deliveries in Rwanda. A stratified sampling method was adopted to select a representative group. Primary data was obtained utilizing questionnaire surveys and interviews. Data was analysed using both descriptive and inferential analysis with the aid of the statistical product and service solutions version 26.0. Results to the first objective felt that that 43.0% agreed with openness, 37.6% with dialogue and consultation, and 34.2% strongly agreed with shared decision-making. It revealed the significant correlation between dialogue and time schedules (r=.206; p-value=.000). To the second objective results show that 38.6% strongly agreed with the articulation of performance expectations and provision of performance feedback was agreed by 47.7%. The research felt that 40.9% agreed that the use of information in problem-solving applied during service delivery. Results demonstrated that the effect on the provision of performance feedback on cost efficiency, time schedules, and service quality, the study ascertained that the provision of performance feedback is statistically significant with cost efficiency (r=0.122*; p-value=0.035). Results to the third objective demonstrated that the number of channels used in delivering messages was used as strongly agreed by 35.2%. It has been shown that 36.9% agreed with the cohesiveness of multi-voiced messages (agree=36.9; strongly agree= 31.5). Results show a significant correlation between the cohesiveness and consistency of multi-voiced messages and time schedules (r=0.105, p-value=0.071). In conclusion, the study concludes that participatory communication is correlated with dialogue and time schedules, and results-driven communication is associated with feedback on cost efficiency, time schedules, and service quality, the study ascertained the provision of performance feedback. This study recommends that OAG human resources personnel should adopt effective communication strategies, to encourage the attainment of expected goals. The study suggested that further studies should gather data from workers, clients as well as stakeholders to enrich empirical literature.

Dimensions

Ahuja, V., & Shalini, P. (2015). Effective communication management for urban infrastructure services. Service Management National Conference, India.

Aminah, S. (2016). The application of participatory communication in the implementation of small farmers' empowerment program. Jurnal Bina Praja: Journal of Home Affairs Governance, 8(1), 135-148. https://doi.org/10.21787/JBP.08.2016.135-148 DOI: https://doi.org/10.21787/JBP.08.2016.135-148

Arasa, R., & Kioko, M. (2014). An examination of the NGO sector competitive environment in Kenya. International Journal of Science and Research, 3(6), 219-224.

Beatty, N. (2017). When things fall apart: What are the reasons donor-driven services fail? A case study of D2D and Chilumba Catchment Area. Retrieved from https://determinedtodevelop.org/ngo-management/benefits-management-strategies-1672

Bourne, L. (2016). Targeted communication: The key to effective stakeholder engagement. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 226, 431-438. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.06.208 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.06.208

Cheung, W., & Kearney, K. (2010). Large-scale redistribution of maximum fisheries catch potential in the global ocean under climate change. Global Change Biology, 16(1), 24-35. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2009.01995.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2009.01995.x

Chhophel, T. (2015). Participative behavior of organizational leaders: The perspective of the Bhutanese corporate sector (Doctoral dissertation, Queensland University of Technology).

Chikere, C. C., & Nwoka, J. (2015). The systems theory of management in modern-day organizations: Study of Aldgate Congress Resort Limited Port Harcourt. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, 5(9), 1-7.

Cooper, D. R., & Schindler, P. S. (2014). Business research methods (12th ed.). McGraw Hill International Edition.

Daniel, C. O. (2018). Effects of communication strategies on the organizational performance of public organizations in Nigeria. The International Journal of Science & Technology, 6(8), 51-58.

Dreesen, T., Linden, R., Meures, C., Schmidt, N., & Rosenkranz, C. (2016). Beyond the border: A comparative literature review on communication strategies for agile global outsourced software development services. In 2016 49th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS) (pp. 4932-4941). https://doi.org/10.1109/HICSS.2016.612 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/HICSS.2016.612

Dudovskiy, J. (2016). The ultimate guide to writing a dissertation in business studies: A step-by-step assistance. Retrieved from http://research-methodology.net/research-methods/qualitative-research/interviews/

Dziekonski, K. (2017). Factors affecting communication quality in service teams. International Journal of Communication, 6(66), 60-66.

Elegbe, O., & Ibikunle, F. (2015). Effective communication and participative decision-making in selected organizations in Ibadan metropolis. African Journal of Stability and Development, 9(1), 38-54.

Gabrielsson, J. (2017). Handbook of research on corporate governance and entrepreneurship. Edward Elgar Publishing.

https://doi.org/10.4337/9781782545569 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4337/9781782545569

Ghate, D. (2018). Developing theories of change for social programs: Co-producing evidence-supported quality improvement. Palgrave Communications, 4(1), 90. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-018-0139-z DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-018-0139-z

Gituro, W., & Mwawasi, S. (2017). Time and cost overruns in road construction projects in Kenya under Kenya National Highways Authority. ORSEA Journal, 6, 56-64.

Goodrick, D. (2014). Comparative case studies: Methodological briefs-Impact evaluation no. 9 (No. innpub754).

Joslin, R., & Müller, R. (2015). Relationships between project methodology and success in different governance contexts. International Journal of Project Management, 33(6), 1377-1392. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2015.03.005 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2015.03.005

Kikoyo, G. K. (2017). Influence of ethics on the performance of livestock development services: A case of International Livestock Research Institute Services, Nairobi County, Kenya. Unpublished MA thesis, University of Nairobi.

Kiradoo, G. (2017). The impact of communication in managing organizational performance to ensure organizational performance. International Journal of Advanced Research in Engineering and Technology, 8(6), 131-136.

Kuortti, E. (2019). Strategic workplace communication during organizational change: Role of computer-mediated communication (Master's thesis, University of Eastern Finland).

Mangal, S. K. (2013). Advanced educational psychology. PHI Learning Private Publisher Limited.

Markovic, R. M., & Salamzadeh, A. (2018). The importance of communication in business management. In The 7th International Scientific Conference on Employment, Education and Entrepreneurship, Belgrade, Serbia.

Mavuso, N. M., & Agumba, J. N. (2016). Factors of communication management for performance. International Journal of Project Management, 2(4), 18-21.

Melkote, S., & Steeves, H. L. (2015). Place and role of development communication in directed social change: A review of the field. Journal of Multicultural Discourses, 10(3), 385-402. https://doi.org/10.1080/17447143.2015.1050030 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17447143.2015.1050030

Melzner, N., Greisel, M., Dresel, M., & Kollar, I. (2015). Regulating self-organized collaborative learning: The importance of homogeneous problem perception, immediacy, and intensity of strategy use. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 3(3), 1904-1914.

Mhagama, P. (2016). The importance of participation in development through community radio: A case study of Nkhotakota community radio station in Malawi. Critical Arts, 30(1), 45-61. https://doi.org/10.1080/02560046.2016.1164384 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02560046.2016.1164384

Mosonik, J. C. (2017). The influence of participatory communication in promoting accountability and transparency of constituency development fund in Emurua Dikirr Constituency (MA thesis, University of Nairobi).

Moyo, S. (2016). Family farming in sub-Saharan Africa: Its contribution to agriculture, food security, and rural development (No. 150). Working paper.

Mulili, A. M. (2018). Change management strategies and the performance of Turnkey Africa Kenya Ltd (MSc thesis, University of Nairobi).

Muszynska, K. (2015). Patterns of communication management in project teams. Lecture Notes in Business Information Processing, 277, 202-221. Conference on Advanced Information Technologies for Management Conference on Information Systems Management, 34(7/8), 1-12.

Mwakamba, E., & Theuri, F. (2016). Role of change management strategies in effective devolution at Taita Taveta County government. Journal of Business and Management, 18(5), 112-118.

Mwendwa, G. C. (2017). Analysis of communication channels used in the educational book publishing industry in Kenya. Unpublished MA thesis, University of Nairobi.

Ngozi, N. P., & Ifeoma, O. R. (2015). The role of effective communication on organizational performance: A study of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. Review of Public Administration and Management, 400(3617), 1-18.

Nyanje, S., & Wanyoike, D. (2016). An analysis of factors affecting the implementation of governmental organization services in Nakuru County, Kenya. International Journal of Economics, Commerce and Management, 4(5), 851-870.

Peng, A. (2018). Marketing importance and marketing performance measurement of architecture firms in Singapore: An exploratory study. Construction Management and Economics, 34(7/8), 1-12.

Schiavo, R. (2016). Communicating for Social and Behavioral Change: Reflections and Highlights on the IUPHE Global Conference in Brazil. Journal of Communication in Healthcare, 9(2), 71-74. https://doi.org/10.1080/17538068.2016.1207344 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17538068.2016.1207344

Scott, M. (2014). Media and development. Zed Books Ltd. https://doi.org/10.5040/9781350221314 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5040/9781350221314

Senaratne, S., & Ruwanpura, M. (2016). Communication in construction: A management perspective through case studies in Sri Lanka. Architectural Engineering and Design Management, 12(1), 3-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/17452007.2015.1056721 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17452007.2015.1056721

Servaes, J. (2015). Studying the global from within the local. Communication Research and Practice, 1(3), 242-250. https://doi.org/10.1080/22041451.2015.1079155 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/22041451.2015.1079155

Servaes, J., & Lie, R. (2015). New challenges for communication for sustainable development and social change: A review essay. Journal of Multicultural Discourses, 10(1), 124-148. https://doi.org/10.1080/17447143.2014.982655 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17447143.2014.982655

Shonubi, A. O., & Akintaro, A. A. (2016). The impact of effective communication on organizational performance. The International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Invention, 3(3), 1904-1914.

Talukhaba, A., Mutunga, T., & Miruka, O. C. (2011). Indicators of effective communication models in remote services. International Journal of Service Organization and Management, 3(2), 127-138. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJPOM.2011.039817 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1504/IJPOM.2011.039817

Ugboja, A. (2017). Information and communication technology and the learning of English phonetics in selected secondary schools in Nigeria: A case study. Sciedu Press, 6(3), 1-12.

Upadhaya, B., Munir, R., & Blount, Y. (2014). Association between performance measurement systems and organisational effectiveness. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 34(7), 853-875. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOPM-02-2013-0091 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOPM-02-2013-0091

Yamane, T. (1967). Statistics: An introductory analysis. New York: Harper and Row.

Published

2024-10-12

How to Cite

Muragijimana, F., Ong’ong’a, D. O., & Irungu, F. (2024). Influence of Communication Strategies on Organizational Performance: A Case of the Office of the Auditor General of State Finances in Rwanda. African Journal of Empirical Research, 5(4), 197–215. https://doi.org/10.51867/ajernet.5.4.17