Organisational structure and communication management a case study of the Ghana Armed Forces.

Abstract

This study investigated how organisational structure impacts communication management in the Ghana Armed Forces. Previous studies on the Ghana Armed Forces rarely touched on communication management. The study was qualitative, and purposively sampled senior and junior officers for interviews and field observations. Some documents such as Armed Forces news and memoranda were analysed for relevant information. Max Weber’s Bureaucracy Model and Relationship Management Theory by Mary Ann Ferguson were used to analyse the organisational structure of the Ghana Armed Forces. Narrative discussions were also used as part of data collection. Findings showed that there was a direct link between organisational structure and communication management in the Ghana Armed Forces. Again findings revealed that military culture was also an additional element that influences communication management. Findings further indicated that internal communication was based on institutionalised systems such as chain of command, control and hierarchy. In effect, despite all the challenges faced by the Directorate of Public Relations (DPR), communication management in the Ghana Armed Forces was still at its best.