Abstract
M.A. (Strategic Communication)
In order to investigate the relationship between employee perceptions of organisational silence and
communication climate within a South African retail environment, a mixed methodology was implemented.
A structured questionnaire followed by one-on-one interviews was conducted at a medium corporate retail
organisation. The questionnaire was a validated instrument that was used in a communicated climate study
by Sonja Verwey (1985). The questionnaire was used in order to measure the level of communication
satisfaction within the organisation. The organisation consisted of 120 employees, for the purpose of this
study only 30 participants were selected for the survey with a 100% response rate. The results of the survey
indicated a high level of satisfaction in regards to the quality of communication, however, a low level of
satisfaction in terms upward dialogue and information sharing.
Interviews were conducted with 6 of the participants who completed the questionnaire. The results of the
interviews indicated that there was a strong presence of a defensive communication climate, as well as a
correlation between how communication climates are experienced and the prevalence of organisational
silence. The study further concludes that within the selected retail organisation there is a correlation between
the level of communication satisfaction and the occurrence of organisational silence which is based on how
employees experience their communication climate.