Internal communication and leadership : associations between operative-level staff members perceptions of internal communication and their perceptions of leaders - case study in a Belgian public company: STIB.

Only abstract. Paper copies of master’s theses are listed in the Helka database (http://www.helsinki.fi/helka). Electronic copies of master’s theses are either available as open access or only on thesis terminals in the Helsinki University Library.Vain tiivistelmä. Sidottujen gradujen saatavuuden voit tarkistaa Helka-tietokannasta (http://www.helsinki.fi/helka). Digitaaliset gradut voivat olla luettavissa avoimesti verkossa tai rajoitetusti kirjaston opinnäytekioskeilla.Endast sammandrag. Inbundna avhandlingar kan sökas i Helka-databasen (http://www.helsinki.fi/helka). Elektroniska kopior av avhandlingar finns antingen öppet på nätet eller endast tillgängliga i bibliotekets avhandlingsterminaler.The main purpose of this Master's Thesis is to discover if operative-level staff members perceptions of internal communication in a company are associated with their perceptions of the company s managers. The empirical data has been collected through qualitative research interviews with six operative-level staff members and the manager of the Internal Communication Department in a company named Société des Transports Intercommunaux de Bruxelles (STIB) in Belgium for the purpose of writing my Bachelor thesis in 2004. STIB is a public service organization that runs public transportation (metro, tramway, and bus) in the area of Brussels, in Belgium and employs about 6000 individuals. The interviews were made in French in autumn 2004. This study explores the following research question: "Are there associations between operative-level staff members perceptions of internal communication at STIB and their perceptions of the company s managers?" In order to answer the above mentioned research question, this study describes and compares how operative-level staff members perceive internal communication at STIB and how they perceive managers at STIB. Moreover, these perceptions are analysed through Clampitt and Downs (1993) Communication Satisfaction Categories. When considering the results of this research, it can be concluded that there are similarities between the way operative-level staff members perceive internal communication at STIB and the way they assess managers. It seems that when communication is assessed in a positive way, managers who are considered to be involved in the communication process are assessed in a positive way as well. Negative assessment of communication is associated with negative assessment of those managers who are perceived as being involved in the specific communication process evaluated. It could be added that the more specific the information transmitted is, the more it is associated with the perception of closer managers. Consequently, the positive assessment of information concerning specific job requirements as well as specific rules is similar with the positive assessment of direct-line managers. The negative assessment of transmission of downward communication and information that is more general and relates to more general decisions and rules is associated with the negative perception of middle-level managers. Finally, the perceived lack of horizontal and overall communication in the organization seems to be associated with negative perception of the upper-level managers and the CEO of the company