267 Muhammad Nura Nguru , Public Relations and Employee Performance In Nigerian Institutions of ... INFORMASI: Kajian Ilmu Komunikasi-ISSN (p) 0126-0650; ISSN (e) 2502-3837 Vol. 48. No. 2 (2018). Pp.267-279. doi: https://doi.org/10.21831/informasi.v48i2.21972 PUBLIC RELATIONS AND EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE IN NIGERIAN INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING Muhammad Nura Nguru nuranguru1967@gmail.com Federal Polytechnic Damaturu, Yobe State, Nigeria Adamkolo Mohammed Ibrahim adamkolo@unimaid.edu.ng University of Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria Abstract Organizations’ internal publics, which generally comprises two categories of personnel, namely­management­staff­and­employees­constitute­some­of­ the­key­elements­that­ contribute toward realizing the goals and objectives of the organization. However, unlike non-academic organizations, institutions of higher (academic) learning have two­additional­categories­of­internal­publics­—­academic­staff­and­students.­This­makes­ such institutions a bit unique. Public relations (PR) as a management function and tool is utilized by the management between itself and all categories of internal publics to facilitate smooth information dissemination and communication for enhanced job performance. Hence, a unique type of PR practice capable of addressing the characteristic needs­of­the­academic­staff­(who­are­directly­involved­with­the­students)­in­addition­to­ those­of­the­non-academic­staff­will­be­required.­A­critically­review­of­extant­literature­ surrounding the impacts of the practice of PR on job performance among employees of Nigerian institutions of higher learning was performed. Additionally, critical intra-organizational­PR­media­capable­of­addressing­the­characteristic­and­specific­ needs­of­the­overall­and­specific­internal­publics­were­underscored­and­some­policy­ recommendations­offered.­This­article­concludes­that­effective­PR­(a­PR­practice­that­ addresses­both­the­comprehensive­and­specific­needs­of­the­various­classifications­of­ internal publics) enhances job performance and productivity. Keywords: Effective Public Relations, Employees, Job Performance, Information, Institutions of Higher Learning HUBUNGAN MASYARAKAT DAN KINERJA KARYAWAN DI LEMBAGA PENDIDIKAN TINGGI NIGERIA Abstrak Internal publik dalam sebuah organisasi yang pada umumnya terdiri dari dua bagian yaitu manajemen staf dan karyawan, merupakan beberapa elemen kunci yang memberikan kontribusi terhadap realisasi sasaran dan tujuan organisasi. Namun, tidak mailto:nuranguru1967@gmail.com mailto:adamkolo@unimaid.edu.ng 268 INFORMASI Kajian Ilmu Komunikasi Volume 48. Nomor 2. Desember 2018 seperti organisasi non-akademik, institusi akademik memiliki dua bagian tambahan lain dalam internal publiknya – staf akademik dan siswa. Hal inilah yang kemudian membuat institusi-instistusi akademik memiliki sedikit keunikan. Public Relations (PR) sebagai fungsi manajemen digunakan oleh institusi untuk memfasilitasi penyampaian informasi dan komunikasi untuk meningkatkan performa kerja antara manajemen dan seluruh bagian publik internalnya. Oleh karena itu, PR yang memiliki keunikan seperti ini harus mampu menganalisa hal-hal apa saja yang menjadi kebutuhan staf akademik (yang secara langsung terlibat dengan siswa) dan juga staf non-akademik yang nantinya akan dibutuhkan. Sebuah tinjauan kritis menghasilkan temuan mengenai dampak praktik PR pada performa kerja para karyawan yang bekerja di institusi-institusi Nigeria. Selain itu, media intra-organisasi PR yang kritis harus mampu menganalisa karakteristik dan kebutuhan-kebutuhan tertentu dari seluruh ataupun sebagian kecil publik internal dan kebijakan-kebijakan yang ditawarkan. Penelitian ini menyimpulkan bahwa­PR­yang­efektif­(praktik­PR­yang­menganalisa­secara­mendalam­ataupun­spesifik­ kebutuhan-kebutuhan berbagai kalangan yang merupakan bagian dari publik internal) dapat meningkatkan performa pekerjaan dan produktivitas. Kata Kunci: Hubungan Masyarakat yang Efektif, Karyawan, Kinerja Pekerjaan, Informasi, Lembaga Pendidikan Tinggi INTRODUCTION Public relations (PR) in the context of educational institution is defined as a planned and systematic management function to help improve the programs and services of an education system (especially tertiary institutions of learning) (Ofuani, Sulaimon, & Adebisi, 2018; Okwelle & Agwi, 2018). According to the scholar, PR in (tertiary) academic institutions depends on a comprehensive two-way communication process which involves both internal (e.g., staff and students) and external (e.g., general public, parents, communities and the government) publics with the aim of arousing enhanced grasp of the tasks, goals, accomplishments and needs of the institution. Hence, PR performs a reinforcement role to organizational communication (Okwelle, 2010; Yahaya & Abubakar, 2017). PR is a critical tool for enhancement of employee performance, establishing, fostering and developing growth and stability in any organization (Austin & Pinkleton, 2001). Furthermore, Michnik (2015) stressed that public relations concerns the total communication of any organization. In a time when information is being regarded as power (Ofuani et al., 2018; Paul, 2016) it is important that communication channels and PR practices are updated to meet both routine and critical needs of organizations, including public tertiary institutions (Adagala & Michael, 2017). The organizational PR industry has about two key resources which include the management and employees, which are considered as the factors of service production, while information and communication are the raw material and the internal and external publics are the market for information and communication services (Ofuani et al., 2018; Paul, 2016). This article focuses on the internal publics, specifically staff and workers. Hence, all these factors must be maximized to ensure that all internal publics are effectively informed and enlightened about events, orders and developments in order to ensure symbiotic relationships in the organization (Suchan, 2006). In this perspective, formal organizations such as tertiary educational institutions must deploy all the available means to communicate effectively to the internal publics because communication is indispensable to job performance in any organization (Adagala & Michael, 2017). In organizational PR communication is 269 Muhammad Nura Nguru , Public Relations and Employee Performance In Nigerian Institutions of ... regarded as a key element (Ritter, 2003; Sadia, Salleh, Zulida, & Sazuliana, 2018). Often, many problems occurring in an organization are attributed to defective or ineffective communication. In most cases, management that is wont of keeping information that is supposed to be disseminated confidential, does not communicate properly causes confusion among employees, who will strive to understand what they are required to, or not required to do (Sadia et al., 2018; Wiñska, 2010), a phenomenon which, according to Sadia et al., (2018) leads to what is referred to as “the catastrophe of higher management in communication” (p. 1). Communication defects or deficiency in organizational PR practice inhibits job performance and impedes organizational progress, which affects both employees and senior management who are the key actors of the organization (Grunig & Grunig, 2000). Poor relationships with staff and other employees of the organization because of defective communication implies that the organization may not achieve its goals (Okwelle, 2010). Furthermore, educational institutions require a bit different method of regulating their operation styles; they require constant evaluation of the needs for effective communication to build effective relationship with individuals and groups (Sharma, 2015). Tertiary educational institutions engage people from diverse backgrounds. Hence, the need for effective communication in any PR activity. For example, some issues were raised at a symposium as well as matriculation and convocation lectures presented at the Federal Polytechnic Damaturu (FEDPODAM) regarding growing concerns for the need to address problems associated with poor channels of communication and PR between the management and staff of the institution which often negatively affect management- employee relationships and job satisfaction. Another example is, in late 2016 an internal industrial action was embarked upon by members of both academic and non-academic staff unions of the institution, an incident believed to be prompted by communication gaps between the management and the staff of the institution (Personal communication, Information Unit, FEDODAM, 2016). One way of eliminating communication gaps and PR vacuums in an organization is by timely and regular dissemination of the right information to the right publics via the appropriate medium (Austin & Pinkleton, 2001). It is mandatory for organization to be keen in making sure that their internal publics receive adequate information, promptly and through appropriate channels, in order to enable them to execute their responsibilities effectively (Johnson, Weaver, Kim, & Hocke, 2010). To facilitate this, the right channels ought to be made accessible (available) by the organization (Cutlip, Center, & Broom, 2000; Grunig, 2000). Dissemination of effective communication and goodwill-bearing public would create room for school managers to obtain feedback from their internal publics by collecting information from fundamental areas of internal communication to make a distinction between the actual situations against that which management perceives to be the situation (Adagala & Michael, 2017; Suchan, 2006). Formal organizations such as tertiary institutions of learning can achieve the goal of keeping their staff and other employees effectively informed by keeping their communication channels open for the employees to inquire and to be given the right response by the management team (Grunig, 2000). A good internal communication system is crucial to an organization because it ensures proper message flow to its publics (Cutlip et al., 2000). Organizations have a hierarchy, which is divided into units and sub- units such as classes, departments and the management. The hierarchy ensures effective flow of information and communication all the time through various channels (Grunig, 2001; Otubanjo, Amujo, & Melewar, 2010). Furthermore, effective communication and PR are prime age of prime importance in an organization today in which good PR approach is utilized (Miner, 2005; Suchan, 2006). The two concepts are functional elements in which the success of every 270 INFORMASI Kajian Ilmu Komunikasi Volume 48. Nomor 2. Desember 2018 organization depends. Johnson et al. (2010) asserted that communication is the nervous system of an organizational group, providing the information and understanding necessary for high morale and productivity. However, as a pre-condition for communication to be effective, it must not only rest in the effective information between the people involved in the act but also people outside the organization (Austin & Pinkleton, 2001). Thus, PR and communications are key to what transpire in an organization, without which the organization’s existence will be undermined (Cutlip et al., 2000). As communication is essential for life so is it fundamental in any organization (Lindeborg, 1994). Therefore, effective communication between organization and its publics allows open and viable interaction with optimal input and grants an enhanced performance in an organization (Johnson et al., 2010). This article aims to review literature surrounding enhanced employee performance through public relation and effective communication in an organization and critically looks at how these two concepts play the role of enhancing performance in an organization. LITERATURE REVIEW PR practice involves the planned and sustained efforts to establish and maintain mutual understanding between an organization and its public (Grunig, 2000; Osibanjo, Salau, Falola, & Oyewunmi, 2016). PR as a discipline is also seen as the activities that foster and encourage a meeting point for service users, service receivers and staff and management of an organization (Bruning & Lambe, 2008; Sacdeva, 2009). PR activities include all efforts mobilized towards a mutual relationship within and outside systems in an organization, which is largely facilitated and coordinated under the principles of communication. Hence, communication becomes a pivotal tool through which public relation and its activities are realized (Cutlip et al., 2000; Otubanjo et al., 2010). Furthermore, PR has been defined as a distinctive management function which helps establish and maintain mutual lines of communication, understanding, acceptance and co-operation between an organization and its publics; involves the management of problems or issues; helps management to keep informed on and responsive to public opinion; defines and emphasizes the responsibility of management to serve the public interest; helps management to keep abreast of and effectively utilize change; serves as an early warning system to help anticipate trends; and uses research and ethical communication technique as its principle tools (Alfonso & Suzanne, 2008). This definition comprehensively encapsulates the functions of PR and its essence in every kind of organization. Importantly, the concept management as key to effective PR (Grunig, 2002; Macnamara, 1999; Otubanjo et al., 2010) has been emphasized in the above definition, taking into cognizance the complexities that usually surround humans and their relationships (Suchan, 2006). This prompted Ngozi, Malachy, Christy, Ngozi, and Prince (2016) to argue that the traditional notions that regard mere communication as a focus and function of public relation is obsolete in this modern age. Furthermore, Osibanjo et al. (2016) and Grunig (2000) posit that PR has an expanded scope that transcends mere communication to include building productive relationships. However, as mentioned earlier, Macnamara (1999) considers PR as mainly a managerial concept, aimed to produce effective systems with functional components. PR also involves broader purviews of building and sustaining relationships with important personalities, for the purpose of harnessing quality measures that would appropriately disseminate information and bring about wider coverage of services, regardless of time and space (Falola, Oludayo, Akinnusi, Osibanjo, & Salau, 2018; Grunig, 2000). In order to understand this discourse, it is imperative to understand certain key concepts or elements of PR as a profession as outlined in Falola et al. (2018), Sacdeva (2009) and Grunig (2001) as follows: (1) PR is a planned, deliberate and sustained effort; 271 Muhammad Nura Nguru , Public Relations and Employee Performance In Nigerian Institutions of ... (2) it employs various techniques such as communication, lobbying, advocacy and corporate social responsibility (CSR) to achieve target goals and set objectives; and (3) it is based on a two-way communication flow As mentioned in elements number 2 and 3 above, there are numerous PR and communication activities and media that are carried out and employed respectively in an organization. Some of the activities include: (1) First-hand physical meeting with service users; (2) Reaching out to service users and target customers cutting across immediate boundaries through platforms of both print and electronic media; (3) Getting feedbacks from service users after receiving or anticipating services; and (4) Promptly circulating information within the work environment to enable quick responses and not being limited by time and space. In a nut shell, it can be understood that there is a direct relationship between organizational communication or PR and employee job performance. This is a theoretical issue, and it invokes an analysis of the focus of this article based on Public Information model (a one-way symmetric model), which is one of the four models of PR formulated by (Grunig & Hunt, 1984). The other three models are Press Agentry/ Publicity (a one-way asymmetric model), Two- Way Asymmetric and Two-Way Symmetric. For tertiary institutions of learning to be successful in intra-organizational PR, the institutions must be in equilibrium with their environment (Grunig & Hunt, 1984). But, how could that be possible? The institutions can achieve that equilibrium by dominating (controlling) its internal publics (specifically employees and other members of staff ) or by cooperating (adapting) with them. The two models (in the asymmetric contexts: Press Agentry/ Publicity and Two-Way Asymmetric) can be strategized to help the institutions dominate the environment while the other two models in the asymmetric contexts (Public Information and Two-Way Symmetric) can be applied to help the institutions to maintain their existing interdependence with the environment (Grunig & Hunt, 1984; (Grunig, Sriramesh, & Lyra, 1995). Given that this article focuses on the utilization of PR tools to achieve enhanced employee performance in higher institutions of learning, the wise application of Public Information model of PR can help the management maintain the existing cordial relationship with the employees and staff members (Akinyele, 2010; Grunig & Hunt, 1984). Moreover, past research has shown that prolonged management-employee cordial relationships stimulate productivity (Akinyele, 2007; Stites & Michael, 2011). Public Relations Practice in Nigeria The practice of PR in Nigeria is developing rapidly. Historically, PR can be traced to the emergence of Kano Chronicle, a palace-centered monthly publication which first published in Hausa language (with Arabic letters) in 1503. Publication of Kano Chronicle continued for many years before it stopped. It is believed that Kano Chronicle predates Iwe Irohin, which was first published in 1859 (Kperogi, 2016). Generally, three main categories of PR practice are identified in Nigeria (Otubanjo et al., 2010) as in other parts of the world, namely in-house PR services, PR consulting and freelancing (Igbinoba, Falola, & Osibanjo, 2018). In-house PR (which is the focus of this article) involves the provision of reputation and image management services to corporate organizations such as tertiary institutions of learning by promoting the organizations in which they are located. In-house PR activities include planning, developing and managing overall corporate PR plans as well as managing internal and external communication activities. PR consultancies involves working with many corporate organizations by contesting for clienteles with other consulting corporations. Historically, freelance PR basically involves and is confined to press relations. Freelance PR, many of whose practitioners are self- employed journalists originates in the 272 INFORMASI Kajian Ilmu Komunikasi Volume 48. Nomor 2. Desember 2018 early stages of press journalism in Nigeria. This situation remains largely unchanged nowadays: while specialization is the practice in developed societies, in Nigeria, the PR industry is still largely dominated by general PR practices (Brody, 2005; Otubanjo et al., 2010). However, a couple of new trends in PR consulting specialization and corporate affiliation (the latter especially among PR consulting firms) are emerging in the country, with some PR corporations currently offering specialized image-making services (especially, media relations, financial PR, marketing PR) for numerous industries as well as many PR corporations affiliating to giant multinational PR agencies, e.g., JSP Corporate Communications is affiliated to Hill and Knowlton (UK), Sesema Public Relations is affiliated to Edelman Public Relations (a world class PR agency). The affiliation is mainly hinged on the need for training, professionalism, manpower development and access to a global affiliation network (Brody, 2005; Molleda & Alhassan, 2005; Otubanjo et al., 2010). Characteristics of Nigerian Tertiary Institutions Arguably, it is a norm that job in Nigerian public tertiary institutions is nobody’s work and therefore does not deserve commitment. This general apathy to work among employees and staff of Nigerian public tertiary institutions has roots in the colonial era when civil servants worked to fulfill the demands of the colonial masters above every other thing, with little growth potential. However, they never got the recompense which was proportionate with their job performance. Nowadays, even though the policies and objectives are being formulated by Nigerians for Nigerian citizens’ needs, the colonial attitude persist (Grunig & Grunig, 2000); Ifedili, 2013). The story of Nigerian public tertiary institutions (universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, etc.) is that of perpetual wants and lacking. Most of these institutions suffer from lack of funding and severe lack of teaching and learning infrastructures (classrooms, lecture halls, libraries, sports facilities, dormitories, etc.), and where they exist most are overstretched and or dilapidated. These problems pose serious threats to quality staff work performance, students’ academic performance and well- being. In fact, among the myriad of challenges and problems affecting the staff performance in these institutions, these particular ones have proven to be very hard nuts to crack over the years, often forcing both academic and non-academic staff to go on strike for months on end (Lawal & Atueyi, 2018; Ifedili, 2013) For instance, in November 2018 (at the time of writing this article), members of the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (ASUU) have embarked on a total and indefinite strike over unfulfillment of a decade old funding deals with the Federal Government. Similarly, in February 2017, in a warning strike the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) shut down Nigerian public polytechnics for one week over similar pleas of their ASUU counterparts, poor funding, deplorable infrastructure, inadequate manpower and absence of a national commission for polytechnics (Lawal & Atueyi, 2018). It is generally believed that work environment condition impacts job performance (Adagala & Michael, 2017; Ifedili, 2013). Hence, this article sets a background with the big picture in terms of work condition in the Nigerian tertiary institutions. Therefore, like in other formal organizations, communication as a management function and PR as a management tool (Alfonso & Suzanne, 2008) are vital for effective running of both academic and administrative activities in tertiary institutions of learning. All public relation activities involve communication, which is needed for the smooth running of tertiary academic institutions because educational institutes are as important as other organization (Sharma, 2015). In fact, communication feedback plays an important 273 Muhammad Nura Nguru , Public Relations and Employee Performance In Nigerian Institutions of ... role in job performance among employees (Wiñska, 2010). METHODS Organizational communication simply refers to the deliberate interactions and exchange of information and ideas by people within an organization to develop plans and execute them (Baran, 2010; Paul, 2016). Communication is vital to the success of any organization. Therefore, it must be handled effectively to ensure achievement of the organization’s goals (Austin & Pinkleton, 2001). Effective communication is sine qua non to result-oriented PR activities within and outside of an organization (Lindeborg, 1994; Ngozi et al., 2016). Therefore, formal organizations such as tertiary institutions of learning must ensure a veritable communication system that allows for effective exchange of information and feedbacks which would in turn inspire commensurate responses within the organization (Suchan, 2006). Communication is the consolidating tool of an organization’s activities. It is the lifeblood of any organization (Miner, 2005). Communication permeates all aspects of social life and promotes interaction between individuals and groups (Cragan, & Shields, 1998; Yahaya & Abubakar, 2017). In fact, it is not possible to run the activities of any tertiary institution of learning without a proper communication system (Miner, 2005). It is even argued that communication can make or mar any human organization (Baran, 2010). According to Michnik (2015) people participate in organizations in almost every aspect of their lives. Communication has an intricate nature and structure which can be quite demanding but useful in the context of organizational administration (Grunig, 2001). An organization has been defined as a consciously co-ordinate social unit composed of two or more people that function on a relatively continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set of goals (Adagala & Michael, 2017; Suchan, 2006). Effective communication binds together all organizational activities (Samuel, 2019). This assertion agrees with Adagala and Michael (2017) and Miner (2005), who posit that people organize together what they cannot accomplish individually, and, according to them organizing happens through effective communication. Many corporate organizations such as tertiary institutions of learning constantly take deliberate efforts to ensure effective communication as a means of strengthening management-employee relationships and enhancing employee performance (Otubanjo et al., 2010; Paul, 2016; Samuel, 2019). The literature indicates that organizational communication is related to several concepts and tasks, such as trust or understanding, and communication skills such as holding meetings and listening. According to Yahaya & Abubakar (2017) communication is the cord that holds the various interdependent parts of an organization together. It is even argued that if communication were somehow removed from an organization, it would collapse instantly (Adagala & Michael, 2017). Communication in an educational institution is important for the purpose of management and planning. There is no doubt that communication is the lifeblood of both internal and external publics (Lindeborg, 1994; Otubanjo et al., 2010) especially the former. All the entities that constitute the educational institution’s publics, be they instructors/lecturers, managers, employees, parents/guardians or students need to be kept informed of what is happening within their organization. To achieve all these, effective communication must be applied to reach both the internal and external publics (Suchan, 2006; Yahaya & Abubakar, 2017), using the myriad of ways and channels available at the organizations’ disposal (Grunig, 2001). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Organizational Communication Paths Free flow of communication and evolvement of PR approach should be 274 INFORMASI Kajian Ilmu Komunikasi Volume 48. Nomor 2. Desember 2018 encouraged within public tertiary institu- tions. It is widely believed that free flow of information prevents under load and overload of information, which further could discourage grapevine and rumor and bridge the communication gap between employers and employees (Austin & Pinkleton, 2001). Organizational literature underscores that organizations consist of paths through which communication travels (Cutlip et al., 2000; Yahaya & Abubakar, 2017). The formal communication channel is the most used by organizations (Baran, 2010). (Grunig, 2001) identified two vital aspects of formal communication as follows: (1) The media of formal communication which are either written or oral from memorandum, reports, letters, presentations etc., and (2) The skills involved in formal communication, for example chairing of staff meetings with union leaders. According to Grunig (2000), messages do not just sit idle waiting to be discovered, nor do they float in the air randomly to be picked up by some lucky accidents. Messages are prepared by a sender, sent through a channel and then received by a receiver. Communication in educational institutions is sent through various directions using the formal and informal channels while taking vertical or horizontal directions in both channels. Hierarchy is a crucial aspect to consider when examining organizational communication (Grunig, 2001). Fundamentally, in an organizational hierarchy, messages are transmitted formally through vertical (top-down and down-up), lateral (horizontal) flows and through the informal grapevine (Linde- borg, 1994). However, the formal downward communication dominates in most organizations (Yahaya & Abubakar, 2017), including Nigerian public tertiary institu- tions (Adagala & Michael, 2017). It is used by management to direct and influence the activities of employees who occupy the lower hierarchical levels. Management usually conveys the messages downward to the staff and other relevant publics through memos, newsletters, speeches, notice boards, manuals, policies, instructions, directives, and oral media, etc. (Cragan & Shields, 1998). Communication is mostly carried out for information dissemination (Baran, 2010; Millicent, 2013). The type of channel used to convey a message often influences the type of the message conveyed. Formal channels influence the nature of messages in several important ways (Grunig, 2002; Millicent, 2013). Tertiary institutions as formal organizations tend to specify the nature of the messages that flow through formal channels. Furthermore, formal communication is usually carried out in order to achieve implementation of goals, job instructions, procedures performance feedback and socialization (Guth, 1995). However, this flow of information has been criticized by Johnson et al. (2010), who argue that messages can be distorted if they are sent over a great distance from their sender to the ultimate receiver down through the formal organizational hierarchy and may ultimately affect job performance. Communication for Effective Job Performance Simply put, communication is the deliberate act of conveying a message via a systematic channel from a source to a receiver with accompanying feedbacks (Baran, 2010). All communication and PR activities in an organization such as tertiary institutions of learning are mobilized and geared towards achieving effective performance by employees (Samuel, 2019). Simply put, performance is the way in which somebody does a job, judged by its effectiveness or the manner in which somebody functions, operates and behaves. Performance is also seen as the act of carrying out or accomplishing a task, or an action in an efficient manner for the fulfilment of its intended purposes (Samuel, 2019). The essence of effective communication and PR activities is to achieve understanding that has to do with employee performance. This activity involves getting accurate and adequate message passed across from the 275 Muhammad Nura Nguru , Public Relations and Employee Performance In Nigerian Institutions of ... management to members of staff of the organization (Otubanjo et al., 2010). One key factor that has been emphasized as crucial to effective communication is information adequacy, which according to Millicent (2013) refers to the degree to which members of the organization receive needed information on their job. The literature has identified three types of information that are needed by members of staff to carry out their responsibilities efficiently. These are task, human and maintenance information. Bruning and Lambe (2008) briefly explained and gives example of each of the information types as follows: (1) Task or job-related information refers to information needed to meet day to day responsibilities by employees, e.g., to achieve job goals, how to actually perform a job and the quality and quantity of work expected; (2) Human or personal information refers to information needed to meet individual employees’ needs. From example, provision for in-service training, promotion and other motivational benefits to be enjoyed by individual employees; and (3) Maintenance or organizational information refers to information needed to sustain the functioning of a unit or the organization itself. For example, success or failure of the organization or a unit, also how decisions that might affect employees’ job are made. Organizational Public Relations Tools Communication skills training: Staff training is a motivational tool used by management to enhance job condition and encourage employees to perform better. Employees usually feel recognized and appreciated when they are given the opportunity to participate in training programs. Training also makes employees to gain recognition by their superiors, which in turn could take them closer to influencers and key decision-makers in the organization (Alfonso & Suzanne, 2008; Grunig, 2002) Employees usually develop considerable anxiety as to who should report or do what in the organization. Therefore, in order to assign specific roles and portfolios as well as to avoid duplication of responsibility, both management staff and employees need regular appropriate training. Staff that are trained usually appreciate the value of the training better and put it into use; and it enhances their performance in the organization (Guth, 1995). Functional dialogue with staff union leaders: To achieve optimum performance in any tertiary institution of learning, dialogue between staff union leaders and the management should be encouraged. This could be during labor tussles, or periodically to create room for interaction (Suchan, 2006). These PR tools could yield positive results: courtesy calls, merit awards/prizes, honesty, staff involvement, cooperation, sharing of information and open communication (Yahaya & Abubakar, 2017). Therefore, if at this juncture dialogue is employed, PR approach is evolved. Hence, it is likely to encourage workers to perform optimally (Alfonso & Suzanne, 2008; Guth, 1995). Organizational communication media: Organizational goals of effective employee performance can only be optimally achieved if articulate and veritable PR tools are employed and strategic media of communication used and harnessed (Guth, 1995). The scholars observed that effective communication needs a variety of media to meet employees’ basic information needs and facilitate free flow of information and ideas. PR professionals use their specialization in communication to make sagacious choice that suits the objectives and time-frame for transmission of a type of information in any of the media (Samuel, 2019). There are several media that suit internal communication, and they include house journal, news bulletin, newsletter, induction amongst others (Grunig, 2002). This article concisely discusses some of these media/publications below. Organizational Communication Media House journal: This type of publication offers one of the best ways to reach staff in an interesting way. Even though the common 276 INFORMASI Kajian Ilmu Komunikasi Volume 48. Nomor 2. Desember 2018 objective of using house journal is to reach out to the employees for the realization of the institution’s goals, sometimes the content of this publication significantly differs from one organization or institution to another. House journal usually cover such topics as work ethics, quality production, housekeeping rewards, achievements, etc. Occasionally, house journals feature editorial content (Grunig, 2002; Suchan, 2006). News bulletin: This type of publication is made to be consistent publication that provides information on the institution’s activities. The bulletin also covers major developments in the organization (Cutlip et al., 2000; Grunig, 2002). Management newsletters: Periodically management staff use this publication to communicate important information to staff along the organizational hierarchy. Newsletters are an effective medium of communication for management to get in touch with middle and junior staff cadre. The publication contains news of interest in the institution, which is circulated periodically among members of staff (Cutlip et al., 2000; Grunig, 2002). Posters: A Poster is a low-cost organizational communication medium. Posters are highly visual means publications and are therefore more very effective. Sometimes tertiary institutions use posters to break significant news events, e.g., accreditation visits, matriculation/ convocation ceremonies, symposiums, etc. Posters are usually kept simple with brief messages (Cutlip et al., 2000; Grunig, 2002). CONCLUSION AND RECOMENDATIONS This literature review has underscored that as far as organizational or corporate publication relations and organizational communication are concerned, the single most important thing in any educational institution has been and will always be the internal publics, i.e., members of staff (Grunig, 2002, 2000), particularly management staff (Cutlip et al., 2000). PR activities and organizational communication are crafted, prepared and executed by professional staff. Hence, the circulation of effective communication between management staff and employees as well as utilization of robust PR tools in an organization could enhance job performance (Otubanjo et al., 2010; Samuel, 2019). Furthermore, effective communication and PR in any tertiary institution of learning can facilitate smoother ways of eliminating misunderstanding, hatred, rumor and grapevine. Generally, employees want to know what is happening in their organization. Hence, employees usually feel motivated and are therefore happier when good communication climate exists between them and the management (Falola et al., 2018). In other words, when employees are not informed about matters in the organization, they make their own assumption, which may be false, or they rely on outside sources which may provide inaccurate information (Ngozi et al., 2016). With the conclusion reached above on the role communication and PR play in an organization, including institutions of learning in the enhancement of employee performance, following recommendations have been proffered to public educational institutions’ PR professionals and communication experts to adopt the following: (1) This article recommends that communication policy, which clearly spells out what managements hope to do regarding communication and PR in the institution should be formulated. Availability of such a communication policy will ensure effective communication across the entire communication channel in the institution; (2) It is also recommended that PR professionals and expert working with educational institution should ensure that proper communication methodologies are strictly adhered to when communicating with staff and other employees. Correspondingly, this makes it mandatory for tertiary institutions’ management to be genuinely willing to share information with the staff; (3) Given that effective communication requires that messages should be factual 277 Muhammad Nura Nguru , Public Relations and Employee Performance In Nigerian Institutions of ... and accurate, relevant media should be employed for dissemination of information to both internal and external publics; (4) To ensure unadulterated communication, any formal communication in the institution should be delegated to the PR staff (see Adagala & Michael, 2017); and finally, (5) PR professionalism should include the need to study not only the rudiments of mass communication (or communication), but also theories and research methodologies, because PR relies on factual and accurate information and data, which are often obtainable through some form of research. REFERENCES Adagala, N. & Michael, B. (2017). 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