The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of small group
communication, investigate to what extent small groups communicate within their minibusiness
areas within a mining group. The communication role and the influence it has
within an organisation, and what structure it takes within the bigger scheme of the
organization were also investigated. Many people and organisations form small groups to
perform certain jobs, but they do not have a clear understanding of what constitutes a
group, essentially what is it that a group can and cannot do.
Small groups are always present and employees are always members of one or more
small groups. Establishing a precise definition of a small group that is generally accepted
by everyone has proven to be a challenge as most scholars come up with different
interpretations and definitions of small group communication.
A quantitative research method was used for this study as it was deemed suitable for this
type of research, but one of the shortcomings of this method is that the data obtained
through this method of research is not suitable for generalisations to any population. It is
therefore emphasized that it is not the objective of this research to generalise the results
of the study, but that it is applicable to the small group communication within the mining
group investigated. The sample and data collected were small.
A total of 150 questionnaires were sent to two De Beers' mines, Venetia Mine in
Limpopo Province and Voorspoed Mine in the Free State Province, requesting employees
via their supervisors and line managers to participate in the small group communications
survey. The survey revolved mainly around the company's overview of its Continuous
Business Improvement (CBI) business system which involved small group initiatives and
communication. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:nwu/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/6533 |
| Date | January 2011 |
| Creators | Madonsela, Abel Njanyana |
| Publisher | North-West University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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