THE EFFECT OF COMMUNICATION BARRIERS ON ORGANISATIONAL PERFORMANCE OF SELECTED COMPANIES IN BENIN CITY

ABSTRACT

This study examined the effect of communication barriers on organisational performance. It evaluated the relationship between communication and organisational performance and how poor listening, selective perception of information, information overload and the use of technical jargons affect communication in an organisation. The population of this study consists of staff in selected companies in Benin City, Edo State. The companies used were Coca-Cola, Seven-Up (7up) and Guinness Nigeria Plc. To achieve the objectives of this study, 280 copies of questionnaires were distributed. The sampling was done through systematic random sampling process. The data collected from the respondents were analyzed with descriptive, simple and multiple regression models. The study reveals that communication affect organisational performance. The result also identified that poor listening, selective perception of information, information overload and technical jargons as barriers and breakdowns in the communication systems of the three selected organisations. Based on these findings, it was recommended that there should be improved efforts at ensuring information provided by management are thorough and understandable, other channels of communication such as the use of notice boards can also be explored. In addition, email/internet communication must be introduced in every organisation in other to improve and maintain free flow of communication amongst members of staff.