An assessment of the influence of organisational culture on communication practice within the Gauteng Department of Social Development

Abstract

This study analyses the extent to which organisational culture influences and shapes an organisation’s communication practice, in the Gauteng Department of Social Development. This emanates from the realisation by the South African government that the drive to improve service delivery starts with strengthening internal communication within government departments (Government Communicators’ Handbook 2014). Internal communication is a key in the success of any business. It connects various processes and activities of the organisation towards the achievement of goals (Holá & Pikhart 2014). There are many factors that influence internal communication in the organisation and organisational culture is one of them (Senior & Swailes 2010:5). The understanding of the prevailing organisational cultures in the organisation is therefore essential to building successful organisation (Fatsha 2012). The lack of service delivery to some extend emanates from poor organisational culture within the organisation (Cakata 2011:6). In this dissertation researcher explores the relationship between organisational communication and organisational culture. The point of departure in this study is that these two concepts have a reciprocal relation. Organisational communication enables an organisation to divulge the culture among its employees. Organisational culture comes from the interactions and communication between staff members. A strong sense of open communication culture is essential for effective communication within an organisation. The results of this study show that organisational culture impact on communication practice mainly through creating a framework within which the meaning is understood. The code of ethics that springs from governing framework of GDSD provides shared values, beliefs and assumptions about how GDSD officials should behave and interact. This study concludes that the understanding of organisational culture is essential for effective communication practice because communication strategy is formed within the ambit of organisational culture.

Thutopatlisiso eno e sekaseka ka moo mokgwatiro wa setheo o tlhotlheletsang le go bopa tiragatso ya tlhaeletsano mo Lefapheng la Tlhabololo ya Loago la Gauteng (GDSD) ka gona. Seno se simologa go tswa mo temogong ya puso ya Aforikaborwa ya gore letsholo la go tokafatsa tlamelo ya ditirelo le simolola ka go maatlafatsa tlhaeletsano ya ka fa gare mo mafapheng a lona a puso (Government Communicators' Handbook 2014). Tlhaeletsano e e nonofileng ya ka fa gare e botlhokwa mo katlegong ya kgwebo nngwe le nngwe. E golaganya ditirego le ditiragatso tse di farologaneng tsa setheo go thusa mo phitlhelelong ya maikemisetso a setheo (Holá le Pikhart 2014). Go na le dintlha di le dintsi tse di tlhotlheletsang tlhaeletsano ya ka fa gare mo setheong mme mokgwatiro wa setheo ke nngwe ya tsona (Senior le Swailes 2010:5). Ka jalo, go tlhaloganya (me)mokgwatiro o o gona mo setheong go botlhokwa go aga setheo se se atlegileng (Fatsha 2012). Go na le ka moo e leng gore tota tlhaelo ya tlamelo ya ditirelo e ka bakwa ke mokgwatiro wa go sa dire sentle mo teng ga setheo (Cakata 2011:6). Mo tlhamong eno, mmatlisisi o tlhotlhomisa kamano magareng ga tlhaeletsano ya mo setheong le mokgwatiro wa setheo. Ntlhatshimologo mo thutopatlisisong eno ke gore megopolo eno e mebedi e na le kamano e e lekalekanang. Tlhaeletsano mo setheong e kgontsha setheo go abelana le go jalelela mokgwatiro wa sona mo badiring ba sona. Mokgwatiro wa setheo o simologa go tswa mo tirisanong le tlhaeletsano magareng ga botsamaisi le ditokololo tsa badiri gammogo le magareng ga badiri ka bobona. Mokgwatiro wa tlhaeletsano e e buletsweng o botlhokwa gore go nne le tlhaeletsano mo setheong. Dipholo tsa thutopatlisiso eno di bontsha gore mokgwatiro wa setheo o ama tiragatso ya tlhaeletsano ka go tlhama letlhomeso le bokao bo ka tlhaloganngwang go tswa mo go lona. Molao wa maitsholo a a siameng o o laolang GDSD o tlamela ka dintlhatheo tse di abelanwang, ditumelo le megopolo malebana le ka moo batlhankedi ba GDSD ba tshwanetseng go itshola le go dirisana ka gona. Thutopatlisiso e konosetsa ka gore go tlhaloganya mokgwatiro wa setheo go botlhokwa gore go nne le tiragatso e e nonofileng ya tlhaeletsano gonne togamaano ya tlhaeletsano e tlhamelwa mo mokgwatirong wa setheo.

Esi sifundo sihlalutya ubungakanani befuthe lenkcubeko yequmrhu ngendlela le nkcubeko iluchaphazela ngayo unxibelelwano kwiSebe Lophuhliso Lwezentlalontle eGauteng (iGauteng Department of Social Development - GDSD). Sisukela ekuqapheleni kukarhulumente woMzantsi Afrika ukuba iphulo lokuphucula unikezelo zinkonzo liqala ngokuqinisa unxibelelwano lwangaphakathi kumasebe karhulumente (Government Communicators’ Handbook 2014). Unxibelelwano lwangaphakathi olusebenzayo lusisitshixo sempumelelo kulo naliphi na ishishini. Luqhagamshela iinkqubo ezahlukeneyo nemisebenzi yequmrhu ukuze luncede ekufezekiseni iinjongo zequmrhu (Holá and Pikhart 2014). Zininzi izinto ezichaphazela unxibelelwano lwangaphakathi kwiqumrhu, kwaye inkcubeko yequmrhu yenye yazo (Senior and Swailes 2010:5). Ukuziqonda iinkcubeko zequmrhu ezigqubayo ngoko ke kubalulekile ekwakheni iqumrhu elinempumelelo (Fatsha 2012). Ngamanye amaxesha ukuqhwalela konikezelo zinkonzo kudalwa kukungasebenzi kakuhle kwenkcubeko yequmrhu (Cakata 2011:6). Kolu phando, umphandi uphengulula ulwalamano phakathi konxibelelwano lwequmrhu nenkcubeko yequmrhu. Esi sifundo siqalela kwinkalo ethi ezi ngcinga zimbini zinolwalamano. Unxibelelwano lwequmrhu lwenza ukuba iqumrhu labelane kwaye libethelele inkcubeko yalo kubasebenzi. Inkcubeko yequmrhu iphuhla ngokusebenzisana nangonxibelelwano phakathi kwabaphathi nabasebenzi kanti naphakathi kwabasebenzi ngokwabo. Inkcubeko yonxibelelwano olusekuhleni ibalulekile ukuze kubekho unxibelelwano olusebenzayo kwiqumrhu. Iziphumo zesi sifundo zibonisa ukuba inkcubeko yequmrhu iyayichaphazela indlela eluqhutywa ngayo unxibelelwano, ngokuseka isakhelo apho intsingiselo ithi iqondakale khona. Indlela yokuziphatha elawula iGDSD inika iinqobo zokuziphatha ekwabelwana ngazo, iinkolo nokucingela ukuba kufuneka aziphathe kwaye asebenzisane njani amagosa eGDSD. Esi sifundo sigqibela ngokuthi ukuyiqonda inkcubeko yequmrhu kubalulekile ekwenzeni unxibelelwano olusebenzayo ngoba icebo lobulumko lonxibelelwano lakhiwe ngokulingqamanisa nenkcubeko yequmrhu.