Browsing by Author "Balunywa, Wasswa"

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    Interagency collaboration for graduate employment opportunities in Uganda Gaps in the structure of organizations
    (Education+ Training, 2020) Ntale, Peter; Ssempebwa, Jude; Musisi, Badiru; Ngoma, Muhammed; Musoke Genza, Gyaviira; Kimoga, Joseph; Byalusaago Mugimu, Christopher; Mpeera Ntayi, Joseph; Balunywa, Wasswa
    The purpose of this paper is to identify gaps in the structure of organizations that hinder collaboration of organizations involved in the creation of graduate employment opportunities in Uganda. Design/methodology/approach – Data was collected from staff and leaders of 14 organizations that were purposely selected to represent government, private, and civil society organizations. These organizations were selected based on their mandates, which touch on the employability of university graduates in the country in very direct ways. This was a cross-sectional survey design—based on a self-administered questionnaire, key informant interviews, and documentary analysis. Findings – Organizations were found to have “Tell”/directive decision-making, high power distance between employees, and jobs were not coded in a way that gives employees freedoms to interact and build collaborative relationships. Finally, rules and regulations were very restrictive, disorienting employee’s abilities to collaborate. Research limitations/implication – This research concentrated on the gaps that exist in the structure of organizations from which the results point to inadequate relational, interactional, inclusive, and democratic space among different stakeholders. It would be useful for future research to examine the extent to which the structure of organizations not only impacts collaboration but also measures the level to which it affects organizational performance. Practical implications – The knowledge economy of the twenty-first century demands for collaborative engagements with different stakeholders if they are to survive the competitive business environment. Collaborative engagement helps in the sharing of knowledge, expertise, and resources, development of more coherent services, facilitation of innovation and evaluation, avoiding duplication of work, and minimizing conflicts and competition while creating synergy among partners. Originality/value – Unlike previous studies, which have examined employability of graduates from a supply side perspective, this study investigates organizations from both the supply and demand perspectives and identifies synergy that is as a result of bringing organizations to work together.
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    Lessons from Uganda’s Successful Combat of Ebola Scourge: The Strategic Communication Approach
    (Journal of Culture, Society and Development, 2018) Bashir, Hassan; Ngoma, Muhammad; Balunywa, Wasswa; Ntayi, Joseph; Munene, J. C.
    This case focuses on how Ugandan health sector players (both public and private) under the leadership of the ministry of health managed to combat the Ebola scourge that hit the nation in the year 2000 in comparison to the Ebola scourge in West Africa in 2014. The case starts with a brief background of the then state of health in Uganda that comprised of a relatively weak health system with inadequate health and wellbeing promotion campaigns. This challenge has continued to the extent that up to date, 75% of the disease burden in Uganda is preventable through health awareness campaigns. The case study shows that with the weak health system in 2000, the health sector managed to use strategic communication approaches like relational cohesion, information adequacy and interaction quality to combat the Ebola scourge that had spread to nearly the whole country within only 144 days, claiming over 224 lives. The case ends with a discussion of the lessons that can be drawn from Uganda’s successful combat of Ebola basing on the understanding of social network theory and a conclusion that sets direction for future studies.
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    Measuring Strategic Communication from the Audience’s Point of View (Evidence from a Specific Sector in a Developing Economy)
    (Organizational Behaviour Elixir Org. Behaviour, 2018) Bashir, Hassan; Ngoma, Muhammad; Ntayi, Joseph; Balunywa, Wasswa; Nangoli, Sudi
    In this study we adopted a cross sectional descriptive research design to define and measure strategic communication in the Ugandan health sector organizations. We argue that strategic communication is a center piece in making or breaking organizations and thus must be well managed. And that, to manage strategic communication effectively, it must be measured effectively. We used an analytical survey design with mixed methods to measure strategic communication. We collected quantitative data in two phases. In phase one, we used a sample of 170 organizations to test and refine the designed measurement model. In phase two, we used a sample of 223 organizations in the same population to confirm the validity and reliability of the refined instrument. We collected qualitative data to compliment the quantitative data. The findings of the study revealed that strategic communication is defined as cognitive awareness and emotional attachment to the purpose for communication. The study contributes to literature by providing a valid and reliable tool for assessing the level of strategic communication in organizations.