The dimensions of internal communication and the engagement of the employees in the decision making process in the Albanian education sector

Abstract

Communication is a complicated field because of its multidimensional nature. Yet, it is the actual complication of communication that makes it attractive for researchers to study. Organizational communication literature includes a diverse field of interest. Among those the most commonly examined are: the distortion of information, information overload, feedback implementation, gatekeeping, etc.

Another field of significant interest to investigate is the direction of communication. Information flow may many times may be an indicator of how communication is been developed in organizations and more specifically may indicate employees’ participation in the decision making process. This study examines the relationship among internal communication and employees’ engagement in decision making. Employees’ opinion is essential in order to reach an objective conclusion. For this reason qualitative research interviews was selected as the best possible media to reach the established goal. In depth interviews will be helpful to comprehend the functions of internal communication in Albania through the case study of Ministry of Education and the depending institutions.

The qualitative analysis has shown that internal communication in Albanian Ministry of Education and the depending institutions is not developed with best possible way. According to the interviews, communication is mainly centralized, therefore, employees do not participate in the decision making process. Additionally, communication is also hampered by several other reasons such as lack of constant feedback, lack of information technology equipment, non-participation and non-organization of trainings related to communication issues. Internal communication in Albanian public sector demonstrate certain problems with the most important the non-influence of organizational members in decision making process. Internal communication in Albania needs to be improved primarily by enhancing employees’ engagement in organizations’ issues. Therefore, increasing demands are being placed on management to take the necessary actions and implement the required strategy in order to upturn the existing communication patterns and bring about effective results.