How to Read Interpersonal Group and Organizational Communication in a Bureaucratic Health Organization: An Empirical Study RTF
Chapter one outlined the beginnings and growth of communication in Asia, Europe and the United States of America in the areas of communication: interpersonal, organizational, mass media, organizational, cultural, and political and health, along with information systems. There has not been a great deal of academic investigation in organizational communication (OC) in India, hence the present study.Chapter Two presented the review of literature starting with organizational theory as this aids the OC researcher in understanding organizational behavior. Since the organization investigated was a bureaucratic health organization, theory and research on bureaucracy and health organizations contributed to experimental design and a better understanding of the research problem. Since in contemporary times Organizational Communication has developed as an independent area of teaching and research, largely in U.S.A and Europe and to some extent in Asia, literature in OC illuminated key issues in the organization studied. In the Indian context it was seen that OC has still not emerged as a separate discipline, though communications in organizations are studied from different perspectives by students of Personnel Management, Public Administration among others.Chapter Three provided the rationale behind the framing of the various hypotheses. The individual employee is the cornerstone of the organization and this was the main reason why hypotheses were framed concerning the motivation and satisfaction of the employee. The individual employee does not work in isolation but must work with superiors, subordinates and peers in a health-care group and so hypotheses have been framed with reference to relationships with supervisors (i.e. supervisory leadership) and with peers (i.e. peer leadership) and the group process. The organizational structure and climate and climate also influence organizational behavior and this was the reason why hypotheses on climate and communication variable (volume, content and direction) had been framed. Demographics of the employees had also been investigated through a hypothesis.Chapter Four stated that Likert’s causal sequence formed the theoretical basis of the research investigation. The research of Hain, Tubbs, Widgery and others of the General Motors Institute gave additional support to the present research.Chapter Five stated that a five-point Likert scale was used to measure most of the variables, correlation coefficients were the starting point of the analyses; from this stage partial and multiple correlations were obtained. In fact, the tables were so numerous and because of the strict page limit, many of the tables of the intermediary stages of the analyses were displayed in Annnexure D. Demographic data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA), while simple percentage analysis had been obtained for the communication variables.Chapter Six attempted to give suggestions for further study. More research investigators should explore organizations in general and service organizations in particular. Service and bureaucratic organizations form the major portion of organizations existing in India as elsewhere. Absenteeism, turnover, tardiness, wastage, satisfaction and productivity are some of the end-result variables of organizations. Each one of these variables could in themselves be investigated by researchers working in different organizations as for example, an educational organization, banking organization, and political organization and so on.
