CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Communication is important in every human endevour. It is the life wire of the society. Communication entails the dissemination of information to people around us. Proper and effective communications promote all forms of activities in an organization.
The office of an administrator is shrouded in planning, coordination, harmonization of organizational goal, promotion of staff needs and more importantly pursuing vigorously the hopes and aspiration of the host community. These and more are the problems facing an administrator of an organization or school.
Little wonder, Dimock (1969) identifies administration as generally synonymous with management – a term conceived; conveying ideas of group cooperation under executives, direction, seeking fulfillment of goals through planning and organization. The activities of an administrator can be summarized under four headings namely:
(a) Formulation of policies, out lining the objectives the organization and the procedures for achieving them
(b) Communication of these policies to individuals working in the organization for execution.
(c) Direction of the efforts of these individuals towards achieving the organizations goals.
(d) Sustenance of the efforts of the individuals through motivation and maintenance of the life of the organization. It is no easy, therefore, for any administrator to achieve the above beats, without embracing effective communication skills. Ogunsaju (1983) expects that a school administrator should be good in communication skill, using the various strategies at the appropriate time. The effectiveness of administrators of colleges of Education much depends on his ability to disseminate information and ideas to the staff under him in an understanding manner. The importance of communication in our educational institutions is very clear because through it (communication) new ideas, new knowledge, new experience and innovations are made known to staff and students.
This is why Sybil (1990) believe that all categories of people in different services must inter-act and share information among themselves in order to promote cordiality in the organization. In the school, for instance, the principal cannot work in isolation without the contribution of the staff under him.
Ukeje (1992) sees communication as an important element in the educational administrative process because the effectiveness of implementation depend to a large extent on how far they are communicated those who will execute them.
Nwankwo and Lulsegged (1985) confirms the above assertion by adducing that the heart of modern management is effective communication, keeping effective leaders ensuring cooperation support and commitment. Administrators of colleges of Education or the executive should always ensure effective communication and always ask himself “am I getting message across, knowing that a break down in communication can lead as school into ram page, how productivity and lack of job satisfaction”.
Ozigi (1981) postulated that a break down of communication in any institution could engender misunderstanding, confusion and frustration. In any organization where workers are not sure of themselves, suspicion, mistrust, low production and rumour becomes the, order of the day. Rumour creates negative result and stains in relationship between workers hence effective communication in administrations necessary.
Communication can he formal or informal or Non-formal. According to Ukeje (1992) formal communication channel is a deliberately established path through which official messages are spread in the organization. Formal communication channels can be written or oral. However, it tends to he written more often. The written forms of communication are in procedural statements, memoranda, reports, bulletin, and news letters at centre: Discussion groups, consultative committees, personal interviews and counselling are examples of formal communication that takes oral form.
Information channels on the other hand are unofficial network available to supplement the formal channels of communication. As it were, informal network are in form of inter–•personal relationship between the school administrator and lecturers, students or members of the college community.
Grapevine is another form of informal channel of communication. This involves no pattern of communication but messages passed across as they emerge to those concerned with reference to the impression of people, that grapevine convey only negative rummours, scandals and gossips yet it serves some useful purposes. For instance, the provost of a college of Education may use grapevine to improve staff dedication to duty by threatening to seize the salary of lazy ones.
This plan may only be tentative but feeling them into grapevine may result to improved dedication to class work and general performance.
A message can be formal or informal communication. It (message) can flow in two directions namely downward and upward direction. Downward communication is when information flows from the principal to his subordinates and members of the school community. On the other hand, upward communication is when information or message flows from the subordinates, to principal in form of appeal, reports suggestions, recommendations or complaints. It is observed that through downward communication administrators carry out their basic functions of planning, organizing, controlling and leading. Certain information from the administrator to his subordinates may net elicit response hence there is need for a two way communication to allow feed back and elicit the Feelings of the subordinates over what has been communicated.
It has been observed in recent times the problem of communication in our colleges of Education due to increasing enrolment of students, staffs and parents alike. The adoption of bureaucratization iii the administration of colleges of education due to population explosion has further obscured the role of communication in schools. Bureaucratization has created rigidity in communication channels. Under these phenomena, school administrators resist that information must flow only in the downward direction through formal and rigid conservative channel. Needless to say that rigidity in communication delay reception of messages and execution of polices or actions intended by it.
Many staff in Colleges of Education often ask the importance or relevance of communication in their institution. Few understand that it is through communication that the administration provides guidelines for individuals to accomplish goals; through it authority is delegated and decisions transmitted to the college and morale boosted. Ukeje (1996) noted that it is through communication that staff understand one another and morale boosted in the organization communication patterns and techniques also constitute another important variable in this study. Communication pattern refers to the manner or ways in which information flows in the organization. It communication could go downwards from the provost to the academic or non-academic staff or form Heads of Department to other staff. It also go upwards from the academic or non-academic staff to the provost. However staff may pass information to fellow staff Koontz, O’Donnel and Weihrich (1990) and Ukeje (2002) noted that administrative information goes downwards from the provosts to academic and non-academic staff.
Some factors enhance effective communication in colleges of education. These include encouraging free flow of information, maintenance of open channel of communication, the attitude of the sender to the receiver and the degree of trust subordinates have for superior officers Ezeocha (1990) stated that these factors must be taken into consideration since they enhance effective communication.
Experts in educational administration including Ezeocha (1990), Ukeje (1996) stated that there are certain barriers to effective communication in educational institutions. These may include one’s state of mind at the time of communication, the use of administrative jargons by staff, pressure of work and personal bases. Mgbodile (2004) stated that these barriers hinder effective communication and under the achievement of organizational goals. The communication behaviour of academic and demonstrative staff of Federal Colleges of Education in South Eastern Nigeria is not known. These motivated the researcher into this study.
Statement of the Problem
Communication viewed from all angles is the main stay and back bone of any organization that it can hardly exist without. If there is no communication in colleges of Education, employees will lack the knowledge of what their colleagues are doing and are sometimes ignorant of management decisions and actions.
In the same perspective, managements cannot get message from subordinate not to talk of issuing instructions to them. The unavoidable existence of communication in the life of any organization is confirmed by Cartwright (1963). He pointed out that transmission of group standard, values, attitudes and skills are accomplished largely by means of communication.
As a matter of fact, a careful observation and study in the recent happenings in Federal College of Education accent to the fact that there are barriers to effective communication in Federal Colleges of Education. At the Federal College of Education (technical) Umunze, some administrative jargons are used as attested to by the provost in his maiden address to staff in October, 2008. The provost had warned staff to remove personal biases from any information they sent to the administration. The Provost of the Federal Colleges of Education, Ehamufu had in his address to the academic and non-academic staff of the college indicted them for rumous peddling in the college.
All the above suggest that there are problems in the administration behaviour of staff f federal colleges of education in south east Nigeria. The problem of this study therefore put in question form is what is the communication behaviour of academic and administrative staff of Federal colleges of Education in South East Nigeria.
