Influence of Communication on Industrial Harmony in the Civil Service of Delta State, Nigeria

The issue of communication, especially effective communication is very important in any organization. For any organization to succeed, there must be effective communication – either between top-down (from management to subordinate) or bottom-up (from subordinate to their superior officers). The study tries to establish a link between communication and good industrial relations and industrial peace. The study focused on the Delta State Civil Service and attempted to find out the role that effective communication had played in ensuring industrial peace since the advent of the state. Questionnaires were administered to 325 civil servants out of which only 299 were useful. One of the research questions was whether there is any relationship between industrial harmony and effective communication. The study showed that while effective communication may not necessarily lead to good industrial relations but it may engender industrial peace. Key Words: Communication, Industrial Relations, Industrial Peace. JCMRJournal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 5, No. 1, April 2013, 109 – 117 ©Delmas Communications Ltd. About the author *Dr. S. E. Dedekuma is a Lecturer in the Department of Business Administration, Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria.