The Influence of Internal Communication Channels On Employee Performance in Nonprofit Organizations in Somalia

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of internal communication channels on employee performance at Help Leads to Hope (HLH) Somalia. The study was guided by three research questions: To what extent does downward communication affect employee performance at Help Leads to Hope? To what extent does upward communication affect employee performance at Help Leads to Hope? To what extent does peer to peer communication affect employee performance at Help Leads to Hope? For the research methodology, a descriptive study design was used in this study. The population targeted in this study included all the 300 employees at Help Leads to Hope in Somalia. Stratified random sampling was used to select 136 respondents. A structured questionnaire was utilized to collect data for this study. Data analysis was through descriptive and correlation statistics. The tool used to analyze data was the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Data presentation was done by use of tables, charts and graphs. Study findings established that downward communication at HLH had a significant association with employee performance. Further, the study established downward communication in the organization was poor and had not played a significant role in improving employee performance. Specifically, superiors at HLH did not share information with employees adequately. This affected the direct communication with employees, the way they gave instructions to employees and the way they communicated policies and procedures. The findings of the study also established that upward communication did not have a significant relationship with employee performance. Further, upward communication practices at HLH was weak and had not enabled employees to improve their performance. Hindrances to upward communication included lack of multiple avenues to communicate with superiors, inability of employees to provide opinions and suggestions to superiors, inability of employees to approach superiors for assistance, working together and inability of employees to express their outlook or attitude to management. Lastly, the study results established that peer to peer communication had a significant relationship with employee performance. Peer to peer communication was excellent in the organization and had enabled employees to foster teamwork, create collaborations at the work place, solve challenging tasks and hence enhanced employee performance. From the study it was concluded that both downward and peer to peer communication had significant and positive association with employee performance. However, the upward communication did not have any significant association with employee performance, as the study found out that upward communication in HLH was weak and wanting and had not enabled the employees there to improve their performance. The study recommends that, HLH should enable information sharing between top management and employees, it should ensure that top management frequently communicate to employees and enable effective communication of instructions and work procedures to enable an effective work is performance. Secondly, managers of HLH should frequently attend trainings on communication and interpersonal skills. Lastly, HLH should have multiple channels such as telephone, email, chat and instant messaging to enable employee improve their access to superiors. Superiors also need to be encouraged to embolden their employees to enable them have the courage to approach them for assistance, clarification or advice. In addition, superiors need to be trained on how to make themselves approachable.