Measurement of communication satisfaction: Evaluating the Communication Satisfaction Questionnaire as a communication audit tool

Despite the number of publications about auditing organizational communication, scholars have paid little attention to the reliability and validity of individual audit techniques. This study examines the merits and restrictions of the Communication Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ) by comparing CSQ results with results gathered with the critical incident technique. The authors used both instruments to assess the quality of internal communication within three organizations. They found that the two techniques converge and that the CSQ appears to have criterion-related validity. However, the CSQ fails to explicitly address issues of decision making, top-down and bottom-up communication, responsibilities, and the extent to which organizations keep rules and agreements. The authors conclude that the CSQ is an appropriate instrument for gaining overall insights into the way employees evaluate aspects of organizational communication but that the method is less suitable for diagnosing specific communication problems and formulating recommendations.