| This case study explored the nature of the communication process within the governance system in a community college and illustrated the ways that this process, , supported the fulfillment of the mission of the institution. Guided by systems theory, this study examined how governance system relationships contributed to institutional communication to provide insight into how the communicative process supports institutional decision-making. Current literature lacks an examination of communication systems in community colleges. Without such an examination, community colleges will not be aware of systematic deficiencies in the communication system and ways to improve them, affecting the function of the institution. A community college was selected based upon the similarities of the institution in demographics and governance to other community colleges. Multiple data sources, including in-depth interviews of 3 groups of people in governance, and governance document review, were used to triangulate the data and enrich the findings. Axial coding was used to analyze the data. This study found that when communication is not disseminated or received without a feedback loop, the result can be an ineffective governance process which in turn results in lack of fulfillment of the mission of the organization. Often the feedback loop was missing because the sender assumed receipt of the message or the receiver saw no need to confirm receipt. Improving the communication process in a community college's governance system supports the mission of the college, which in turn supports the students, faculty, and staff at the institution. Positive social change results from enhanced communication, allowing the institution to guide students in achievement of their academic goals, enriching the local community where the institution is based. |
