The role of employee communication in achieving commitment and quality in higher education

Abstract

High quality of provision in higher education is seen as an institutional imperative in the 1990s. This coincides with the need to reduce unit costs and increase productivity. The delivery of these three outputs results in considerable demands being made on staff and places great stress on the need to ensure employee commitment. Organizations are explicitly or implicitly seeking employee commitment through a number of human resource and quality initiatives. One of these means is through employee communication. Briefly examines the theory of employee commitment. Proceeds to examine the role of employee communication in helping to promote and manage employee commitment. Uses survey data related to the attitudes of staff at a British higher education institution to discuss the linkage between communication, commitment and quality. Discusses key issues for those who manage communication in order to attempt to achieve commitment for quality.