Explaining the Enabling Factors of Communication Maturity in Iran's Government Organizations

پژوهش نامه مدیریت تحول

Article 4, Volume 16, Spring&Summer2024, July 2024, Pages 100-126   

Document Type: Original Article

DOI: 10.22067/tmj.2024.87047.1552

Authors

Mansour Rahmani¹; Masoud Bastami^{* 2}; Soleiman Ahmadzadeh³

¹PhD student, Department of Public Administration, Sanandaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Sanandaj, Iran.

²Assistant Professor, Department of Public Administration, Sanandaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Sanandaj, Iran.

³Assistant Professor, Department of Public Administration, Mahabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mahabad, Iran.

Abstract

1- INTRODUCTION
Recent studies have used the maturity concept to assess organizations' progress in various fields. Communication maturity within organizations reflects the level of development in perceptions and practices related to organizational communication. Specifically, this concept refers to the ability of managers to identify challenges and facilitate the path toward communications in line with organizational success. It also refers to a deep understanding of interpersonal and organizational relationships. Previous studies on organizations have shown that attitudes, beliefs, values, ideologies, and diverse experiences can affect communication. Therefore, managers of organizations need to be familiar with different communication approaches to select one or a combination of them to achieve communication maturity. Theories such as excellence theory and institutional theory have approached effective organizational communication. For instance, Excellence Theory seeks to identify the characteristics of efficient public relations and its impact on organizational performance. Many studies have examined and demonstrated the positive outcomes of effective organizational communication such as increased productivity, decreased costs, and improved quality of products and services. In this context, communication competence has been considered a key element in achieving organizational success. Numerous studies on communication maturity models mostly for European organizations have focused on providing evaluation models and less paid attention to identifying its enabling factors. Particularly, in Iran, no comprehensive research has been conducted on this subject so far.
 
2- METHODOLOGY
This research aims to identify the enabling factors of communication maturity in Iranian governmental organizations. In terms of nature, this is an exploratory study, employing a qualitative approach with a thematic analysis as its strategy. This analysis strategy is a process that transforms scattered data into meaningful patterns. Using snowball sampling, 16 semi-structured interviews were conducted with academic and organizational experts until reaching theoretical saturation. Following the 6-step process of Braun and Clarke’s method, the collected data was analyzed using MAXQDA software.
 
3- RESULTS & DISCUSSION
Research findings indicated that communication maturity in Iranian governmental organizations depends on four main components as driving forces or enablers: communication capability, organizational factors, and soft and hard human resources factors. The communication capability component includes factors such as message simplicity, the manner of presenting and understanding the message, the legitimacy of the message sender, and the communication environment. Communication transparency and organizational structure, trust, and policies were identified as factors following the organizational component, contributing to a healthy and efficient communication environment and processes. Time management, communication competence, adaptability, flexibility, employee attitudes, and job satisfaction fall into the soft human resources component, which directly influences the quality of internal communication. The hard human resources component includes the factors of budget and facilities, technical and perceptual skills, and network management. The availability of technical infrastructure and sufficient finance is of great importance for enhancing communication networks in organizations.
 
4- CONCLUSIONS & SUGGESTIONS
Based on the results of this research, communication maturity in Iranian governmental organizations depends on organizational and individual factors. The main identified components are critical for strengthening organizational communication and enhancing communication maturity. Given the importance of communication in organizational success, attention to these factors can contribute to improved organizational performance and increased productivity. This research also highlights the need for further studies on developing communication maturity evaluation models in Iranian organizations.

Keywords

Communication Maturity; Government Organization; Organizational Factors; Soft Skills of Human Resources; Hard Skills of Human Resources

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