Impact of Direction of Communication on Satisfaction among the Academic Staff Members in University Colleges, Sri Lanka

Abstract

As per the preliminary survey conducted by the researcher, it was found that the majority of the academic staff members have a moderate level of satisfaction. Further, it was found that among the various factors affecting academic staff members satisfaction, the direction of communication has a significant influence on satisfaction. Accordingly, the study was undertaken with the main purpose of investigating the impact of downward communication, upward communication, and horizontal communication on the satisfaction of the academic staff members of the University Colleges. The population of the study consisted of permanent academic staff members of the university colleges in Sri Lanka. A sample of 65 members has been selected by adopting the Krejcie and Morgans table (1970). Convenient sampling technique was adopted in selecting the sample. A standard questionnaire was utilized to collect the data. SPSS version 30 was employed in the data analysis and the regression model was performed to analyze the data. The results revealed that downward communication and upward communication have a significant positive impact on the academic staff members’ satisfaction. In contrast, horizontal communication has a significant negative impact on the academic staff members’ satisfaction. Further, it is recommended the practice of downward communication and horizontal communication in the process of communication to increase the satisfaction of the academic staff members of the university colleges, in Sri Lanka.