Employee perceptions of internal communication in culturally diverse workplaces in South Africa: A systematic literature review

Abstract

Workplace conflict remains a crucial challenge amongst organizations and may adversely affect employee motivation and the achievement of organizational goals. However, evidence shows that internal communication may effectively address workplace conflicts by improving relationships among employees and senior management. The paper examines the implications of internal communication in culturally diverse workplaces in South Africa. Using the PRISMA guideline, we identified and evaluated 24 studies on employee perceptions of internal communication in culturally diverse workplaces. The emerging themes were analyzed inductively and deductively to understand how internal communication influences employee relationships and an organization's eventual performance. The findings indicate that workplace conflict is prevalent and occurs naturally in multicultural business environments. Employees perceived internal communication as effective in addressing workplace conflict, motivating them, and helping them attain organizational goals. The results also indicated that managers paid limited attention to the role of internal communication in strengthening employee relationships, highlighting the need for cultural training to raise their awareness of its impact. Furthermore, the findings will be valuable for employees and managers as they provide actionable insights that strengthen communication, improve organizational culture, support employee engagement, and ultimately contribute to the organization's success.