ASSESSMENT OF COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES OF EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE ( A CASE STUDY OF PHCN)

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this research work is to access employee performance communication strategies in PHCN Enugu distribution company. Specifically the study aimed  to pursue the following objective: to  find  out the level of documentation of performance communication in PHCN, to examine the level of performance communication clarity and specificity in PHCN, to determine the number of channels of performance communication. The study had a population size of 250 out of which a sample size of 154 was realized using Yaro Yamene formula at 5% error to tolerance and 95% level of confidence. Instrument used for data collection was primarily questionnaire and interview. The total numbers of 154 copies of the questionnaire were distributed while 92 copies were returned. The descriptive research design was adopted for the study. Size hypotheses were tested using chi-square. The findings indicate that level of documentation of employee performance communication in PHCN, Enugu is significantly high. The level of clarity and specificity in employee performance communication  is  significantly  high  in  PHCN.  The  level  of  feedback  in employee performance communication is significantly low in PHCN Enugu. The study concluded that the better the managers communication, the more satisfied the employee were with all aspect of their work life. The study recommended that organization should create better feedback channels in their employee performance communication.

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

1.1     BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Organizations eager to accomplish strategic goals establish well-defined communications strategies. A well-defined strategy is one that engages employees and aligns with the organization’s business goals Bacal (2004:2). A close tie between business, performance technology, and communication strategies will focus understanding and support for the direction of the organization. While various combinations of performance interventions have been developed to help build a high performing organization, they cannot be effective without a communications program. Effective communications build awareness and/or motivate to action, explain a program’s value to employees as well as solicit employee’s buy-in Bloom  (2004:21)

Communication is one of those everyday activities that we can tend to take for granted, like the air we breathe. We don’t often have to think about our breathing, it just comes naturally. And like breathing, we communicate all the time, whether we intend to or not. The words we choose, the tone of our voice, our  facial  expressions,  all   work  together  often  subconsciously  to  relay messages. When communication breaks down, and the intended message is not what was received, it can become costly in terms of wasted time, productivity, and even morale. This can be particularly challenging for supervisors who must routinely  communicate  with  their  employees  on  issues  of  performance  and

conduct. How can we be sure that what we INTEND to relay is what is received by the other person?

“Courage, innovation and discipline help drive company performance especially in tough economic times. Effective internal communications can keep employees engaged in the business and help companies retain key talent, provide consistent value to customers, and deliver superior financial performance to shareholders.”

According   to   Watson   (2009)   newest   communication   survey   for

2009/2010, companies that are effective communicators “have the courage to talk about what employees want to hear,” “redefine the employment deal based on changing business conditions,” and have “the discipline to plan effectively and measure their progress effectively.”

Does this really matter? Yes. The study shows that companies that communicate effectively had a 47% higher return to shareholders over a five-year period (mid-2004 to mid-2009).

This research work therefore will be channeled towards ascertaining Employee Performance Communication in a Public Enterprise (A Case Study of Power Holding Company of Nigeria-PHCN).

In an ideal world, a subordinate would accept critical feedback from a manager with an open mind. He or she would ask a few clarifying questions, promise to

work on certain performance areas, and show signs of improvement over time. But things don’t always turn out that  way.  Fearing  that the  employee  will become angry and defensive, the boss all too often inadvertently sabotages the meeting by preparing for it in a way that stifles honest discussion.

This unintentional–indeed, unconscious–stress-induced habit makes it difficult to deliver corrective feedback effectively. Instead professor Jean- Francois Manzoni says that by changing the mind-set with which they develop and  deliver negative feedback,  managers can increase  their  odds of  having productive conversations without damaging relationships.

Manzoni (2002) describes two behavioral phenomena that color the feedback process–the fundamental attribution error and the false consensus effect. Managers tend to frame difficult situations and decisions in a way that is narrow (alternatives  aren’t  considered)  and  binary  (there  are  only  two  possible outcomes–win or lose). And during the feedback discussion, managers’ framing of the issues often remains frozen. Manzoni says that bosses need to consider an employee’s circumstances rather than just attribute weak performance to a person’s disposition.

Effective communication and feedback about performance are critical to the success of an employee and to the success of the organization overall. PHCN performance communication process ensures an ongoing dialogue between employees and their managers/supervisors that:

Creates   a   shared   understanding   of   goals,   competencies,   and   other expectations that are critical for success

Fosters   an    environment   of    continuous   feedback   and   professional development

Provides employees with the opportunity to assess their own performance Helps employees improve what they do and how they do it, thus enabling them to provide greater support to the goals of their department and units.

Performance communication is necessary to measure the performance of the employees and the organization to check the progress towards the desired goals and aims. Performance communication takes into account the past performance of the employees and focuses on the improvement of the future performance of the employees(stolovitch 1999).

1.2     STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Power Holding Company of Nigeria is in need of performance all the time. Power Holding Company is generally perceived by consumers and in duty analysis as a non performing company. This is because of the long period of power outage per day per week.

This means a complete transformation of PHCN’s processes and performance strategies. Performances communication strategies are one of the many areas of change in PHCN, Enugu.1 This leads to the question of what are employee performance communication strategies of PHCN, Enugu?

1.3     OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The following are the specific objectives of the study:

1.  Find out the level of documentation of performance communication in

PHCN, Enugu.

2.  To   examine   the   level   of  performance  communication   clarity  and specificity in PHCN, Enugu zone.

3.  To determine the number of channels of performance communication in

PHCN, Enugu.

4.  To   estimate   the   level   of   regularity   of   employee   performance communication in PHCN, Enugu

5.  To    assess    the    level    of    feed-back    in    employee    performance communication in PHC, Enugu.

1.4     RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following research questions were used in the study:

1.  What   is   the   level   of   documentation   of   employee   performance communication in PHCN, Enugu?

2.  What is the level of employee performance communication clarity and specificity in PHCN, Enugu?

3.  What    is    the    number    of    channels    of    employee    performance

Communication in PHCN, Enugu?

4.  What is the level of regularity of employee performance communication in PHCN, Enugu?

5.  What is the level of feed-back in employee performance communication in PHCN, Enugu?

1.5     RESEARCH  HYPOTHESES

Here,  Hi  and  Ho  below  represent  the  alternative  hypothesis  and  null hypothesis respectively.

HYPOTHESIS ONE

Hi:     The level of documentation of employee performance communication in

PHCN, Enugu is significantly low.

Ho:    The level of documentation of employee performance communication in

PHCN, Enugu is significantly high.

HYPOTHESIS TWO

Hi: The level of clarity and specificity in employee performance communication is significantly low in PHCN, Enugu

Ho:   The   level   of   clarity   and   specificity   in   employee   performance communication is significantly high in PHCN, Enugu

HYPOTHESIS THREE

Hi:     The  level  of  feedback  in  employee  performance  communication  is significantly low in PHCN, Enugu

Ho:    The  level  of  feedback  in  employee  performance  communication  is significantly high in PHCN, Enugu

1.6     SCOPE  OF THE STUDY

The      concentrated  area  of  study  was  restricted  to  the  evaluation  of employee performance communication in service organization using power holding company of Nigeria (PHCN) Enugu Zone as the case study.

1.7  LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

Its major limitation is that the study is based on only one of the 18 PHCN companies. This means that the result of this study can only be generalized to PHCN, Enugu. Another limitation of the study is that the study is only on employee performance communication and not on the total operation of PHCN, Enugu.  Finally,  another  limitation  to  the study  has  to  do  with  the  relative unwillingness and uncooperative attitude of some PHCN staff to give, certain information important to the study, which they believed to be confidential.

1.8     SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The research will be beneficial to all service organization especially power holding company of Nigeria (PHCN) Enugu and their staff as it emphasized the need and encourage the establishment of policy guidelines on the efficient and effective employee performance communication.

It  will  help  managers  of  various  organizations  to  generate  ideas  and

solution  to  problems  based  on  the  best  way  to  run  employee  performance

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communication  in  their  organization  in  order  to  achieve  desired  goals  and objectives.

It will equally be useful to small scale business, large corporations, and universities, college of education and to the government.

It will also help researchers to know more about employee performance communication as a tool for improving employees’ performance.

Finally, it will be of great value to students as a point of reference and will equally form the basis for further research study.

1.9     DEFINITION OF TERMS EMPLOYEE:

An employee of an organization is a member of that organization who contributes both  physical and  mental energy  towards the  production of  the goods and services of the said organization and collects as reward wages and salaries. An employee is a member of staff. Employees have jobs, duties and responsibilities which performed  individually or collectively will enable the organization to attain her objectives.

DOCUMENTATION OF COMMUNICATION:

This defines the level of employee performance communication is put in written form, published and stored.

CHANNELS OF PERFORMANCE COMMUNICATION:

The  use  of  personalized  letters,  notes,  e-mails,  notice  board  etc  in employee performance communication.

CLARITY         AND         SPECIFICITY         OF         PERFORMANCE COMMUNICATION:

The clarity of employee performance communication messages as passed on by the manager to the employees.

EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE FEEDBACK:

The  feedback/control  level  of  employee  performance  communication.  The feedback channels.

PERFORMANCE:

Performance implies the carrying out, execution, operation, functioning, implementation  of  the  employee’s  duties  and  responsibilities.  It  entails  the ability of the staff to carry out his/her assigned functions in the process of production or service delivery.

COMMUNICATION

Communication is the process of passing information and

Understanding from one person to another.

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