A qualitative enquiry into manager and non-management perspectives of internal relationship cultivation efforts in selected non-profit organisations in Kenya

Abstract

Relationship management is a rapidly evolving paradigm in public relations research. Increasingly, public relations scholars recognise the pivotal role played by relationship cultivation strategies in sustaining healthy organisation relationships, which aid organisations meet their missions. Literature, however, has established the dearth of research on this subject in non-profit organisations NPOs in Kenya. The study was guided by one research question: How do management and non-management employees evaluate existing relationship cultivation strategies used in non-profit organisations? Subsequently, the purpose of this study was to establish how relationship cultivation strategies impact employee-organisation relationships (EORs). The study was guided by relationship management theory and two-way symmetrical communication framework. The non-profit organisations selected for this study comprise a large healthcare organisation and a faith-based organisation (FBO). Both organisations were purposively sampled as were the 24 participants in this study. An in depth interview guide was modified from an existing instrument to capture the objective of this study. The results of the study confirmed existing relationship cultivation dimensions. Participants identified a range of organisation-specific relationship cultivation strategies and reported a preference for more open and participatory relationship cultivation strategies and a participative leadership culture. Effective relationship building is hampered by among other factors, mistrust and inconsistent relationship cultivation strategies. In both organisations relationship cultivation was viewed as a human resource rather than a PR/communication manager role. The study concludes that for internal relationships to be effectively managed, relationship cultivation efforts should be a core task of public relations or communication managers. Further, these efforts should be intentional and invite employee participation. The study recommends a more robust public relations manager role that prioritises internal publics of non- profit organisations.