In order to engage employees effectively, organisations need to practice two-way
communication within a symmetrical worldview. This will encourage employees to feel valued,
to participate in decision-making and contribute to obtaining organisational goals. Practising
two-way communication will help to build stronger relationships between employees and
managers, leading to increased employee engagement. Thus, the better the communication
between managers and employees, the more engaged employees will be. Furthermore, the
selection of communication channels can impact on the success of the message that is sent.
Research has shown that if the inappropriate communication channel is selected when
communicating with employees, the message might not be effectively received and
understood. New technology, specifically Facebook can be introduced to provide an open and
transparent channel for communication. Facebook can also facilitate two-way communication,
which can lead to increased employee engagement.
The literature study conducted informed the interview schedules that were developed and used
to conduct semi-structured interviews with managers and focus group interviews with
employees within two organisations in the South African financial sector. This was done in
order to understand their expectations regarding the use of Facebook as an internal
communication channel to enhance employee engagement.
In terms of the conclusions derived from the empirical research, it seems evident that
Facebook could be used as an additional internal communication channel to enhance
employee engagement. Trust remains a very important factor in that managers should trust
employees to use the channel in an ethical manner and employees should trust the
organisation and its managers that they may voice their opinion freely, without the fear of
victimisation. Facebook can be used to promote engagement on a social level to build
relationships inside the organisation.
However, managers and employees can together create a contract of understanding that will
form the outline for a policy that will govern the use of Facebook. The parties involved can then
negotiate the terms of this contract of understanding to ensure that all expectations regarding
the use Facebook are met. / MA (Communication Studies), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:NWUBOLOKA1/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/10007 |
| Date | January 2013 |
| Creators | Reyneke, Annerie |
| Publisher | North-West University |
| Source Sets | North-West University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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