COMMUNICATION FLOW IN ORGANIZATION

In an organization, communication flows in 5 main directions.

Downward

Upward

Lateral

Diagonal

External

1. Downward Flow of Communication 

Communication that flows from a higher level in an organization to a lower

level is a downward communication. In other words, communication from

superiors to subordinates in a chain of command is a downward communication.

This communication flow is used by the managers to transmit work-related

information to the employees at lower levels. Employees require this information

for performing their jobs and for meeting the expectations of their managers.

Downward communication is used by the managers for the following purposes -

Providing feedback on employees performance

Giving job instructions

Providing a complete understanding of the employees job as well as to

communicate them how their job is related to other jobs in the organization.

Communicating the organizations mission and vision to the employees.

Highlighting the areas of attention.

Organizational publications, circulars, letter to employees, group meetings etc

are all examples of downward communication. In order to have effective and

error-free downward communication, managers must:

Specify communication objective

Ensure that the message is accurate, specific and unambiguous.

Utilize the best communication technique to convey the message to the

receiver in right form

Downward communication advantages are;

a. Useful for management

Downward communication is the backbone of an organization. The

management finds it useful to communicate necessary official information or

plan of work to employees.

b. Good organization

In downward communication, there is a clear-cut division of responsibility and

accountability. Discipline, satisfaction, harmony and co-operation follow

automatically.

c.Useful for employees

Downward communication is useful for employees as they are well informed

about their work from time to time. It gives them motivation and raises the

morale of employees.

d. Superiors well informed

Downward communication keeps the superiors well informed about the

development of the work as communication takes place along the well-defined

lines.

e. A Sense of belonging

In downward communication, the employees carry a strong feeling of

participation in the management of the organization. They regard themselves as

important employees.

Downward Communication disadvantages are;

a. Time consuming

Downward communication is time consuming communication because it moves

along the line of command of the hierarchy. It results in waste of time as the line

of communication is long.

b. Distortion

Downward communication has to pass through many levels of authority, so

there is a delay as well as distortion of the message.

c. Authoritarian approach

In downward communication, there is too much concentration of authority at the

higher level. As people in the lower levels are merely receivers of decisions. So

they unconsciously receive such message and miscommunication results.

d. Over and under Communication

Downward communication suffers from over communication or under-

communication. In over-communication supervisors talk too much and merely

waste the time of his subordinates. Due to this, the juniors are not respecting the

seniors and there is indiscipline among the juniors. In under-communication, the

supervisor does not talk enough and leaves his subordinates to his guessing

about what he wants them to do.

e. Different priorities

In downward communication, the employees seek information about job

security, salary, promotion and other beneficial schemes, but the management

prefers to pass down orders and directions only. The gap between their priorities

leaves the employees and employers dissatisfied.

f. No confidential matter In downward communication, confidential matter

cannot be disclosed at lower levels.

2. Upward Flow of Communication

Communication that flows to a higher level in an organization is called

upward communication. It provides feedback on how well the organization is

functioning. The subordinates use upward communication to convey their

problems and performances to their superiors.

The subordinates also use upward communication to tell how well they

have understood the downward communication. It can also be used by the

employees to share their views and ideas and to participate in the decision-

making process.

Upward communication leads to a more committed and loyal workforce in

an organization because the employees are given a chance to raise and speak

dissatisfaction issues to the higher levels. The managers get to know about the

employees feelings towards their jobs, peers, supervisor and organization in

general. Managers can thus accordingly take actions for improving things.

Grievance Redressal System, Complaint and Suggestion Box, Job

Satisfaction surveys etc all help in improving upward communication. Other

examples of Upward Communication are -performance reports made by low level

management for reviewing by higher level management, employee attitude

surveys, letters from employees, employee-manager discussions etc.

Upward communication benefits are;

a. Fosters Friendly Relations

Upward communication helps to bring about co-operation, goodwill and understanding

among employers and employees. This stimulates friendly relations.

b. Provides Valuable Feedback

Upward communication provides a valuable feedback. The superiors come to know how

their plans and policies; orders and instructions are being received and executed.

c. Encourages Participation

By encouraging employees to make suggestion, upward communication helps to bring

in elements of participative management in the organization.

d. Two-Way Process

Upward communication is a part of a two-way process which promotes better

understanding between management and employees.

e. Making Suggestions

The employees are encouraged to make suggestions in the interest of the organization.

Some of these suggestions prove useful, and the employees are suitably rewarded.

f. Introducing New Projects

Upward communication creates a healthy relationship between the management and

the employees and this in turn makes it convenient for the management to introduce

new schemes or projects.

g. Employee Morale

Upward communication develops and improves employer-employee relations and

promotes employee morale.

Upward communication disadvantages are;

a. Resistance From Employees

Employees rarely initiate upward communication as they are afraid of being ignored.

Such communication often meets with improper recognition, so they hesitate to initiate it

again.

b. Fear of Incompetence

The subordinates communicating with the superiors fear that their colleagues or work

may be regarded by their superior as a reflection on their own competence.

c. Indecisive Superiors

If the superiors do not take any decision in the light of upward communication, the

employee's loss confidence in their superiors.

d. Messages Not Heard

Often messages do not travel upwards; they merely rest with the inactive or indifferent

superior. Some managers are poor listeners, some simply 'hear' messages without

taking any action.

e. Unwillingness to Admit Failure

Many employees in lower hierarchy are insecure about their jobs and uncertain about

their future prospects. They, therefore, feel unwilling to discuss their on-the-job

problems with their superiors.

3. Lateral / Horizontal Communication

Communication that takes place at same levels of hierarchy in an

organization is called lateral communication, i.e., communication between peers,

between managers at same levels or between any horizontally equivalent

organizational member. The advantages of horizontal communication are as

follows:

It is time saving.

It facilitates co-ordination of the task.

It facilitates co-operation among team members.

It provides emotional and social assistance to the organizational members.

It helps in solving various organizational problems.

It is a means of information sharing

It can also be used for resolving conflicts of a department with other

department or conflicts within a department.

Advantages of horizontal communication are;

a. Informal and sweet relationship

This is same status level’s communication system. They exchange ideas,

knowledge and thoughts. So, an informal and sweet relationship can be

maintained.

b. Co-ordination of activities

For the achievements of the expected result of an organization inter

departmental co-ordination system must be developed which is a criteria of

horizontal communication.

c. Departmental communication

Horizontal communication is the best system of communication in

departmental communication.

d. End of misunderstanding

There is no chance of misunderstanding in horizontal communication among

employees. So, it is helpful to management for enhancing mutual

understanding and good decision making.

e. Hindering bureaucracy

No change of a rise bureaucracy in Horizontal communication running

organization which is helpful to make a good relationship among themselves.

f. Dynamism at work

If horizontal communication is established in organizational dynamism at work

will increase among workers.

g. Group activities

IN this system of communication a department is well known to other

department and can exchange their affection. So, group activities and

direction of the sound work program will be easier.

h. Quick communication and solution of problems

Horizontal communication allows quick transmission of messages and solves

complex problems in the organization.

i. Linking with different areas of expertise

Science same level of employees exchange information in this

communication, they create good link with different areas of expertise.

j. Guarding against distortion message

Horizontal communication takes place among the employees of the same

level, information reaches directly from one employee or executive to another

which acts as a guard against distortion messages.

Disadvantages or limitations of Horizontal communication

are;

a. Overloaded by information

Since information is less filtered in horizontal communication, one must sort

through a greater amount of data which may lead to overload.

b. Wastage of time

Such communication involves excessive sorting of data which can kill the

useful and valuable time of superiors.

c. Positional problem

For positional problem, horizontal communication must fail to fulfill the

organization’s goal.

d. Lack of understanding

For lack of understanding among employees this communication may not be

successful.

e. Procedural problem

Sometimes horizontal communication disrupted for procedural problem.

f. Damn-care

It takes place between equal ranking staffs. So damn-care spirit is likely to be

encouraged because of unclear channels and rules of interaction.

g. Over specialization

Specialization is a problem that often happens when organizations do not

have uniformity within departments, causing communication difficulties.

Specialization can occur with procedures or vocabulary used by different

departments. When this occurs organizations have trouble functioning

properly and do not run smoothly.

h. Lack of motivation

Horizontal communication often fails simply because organization members

are unwilling to expend the additional effort that it requires. It may require

contact with people in units and the channels and rules of interaction may be

unclear. Sometimes we do not really know these people. The need to

communicate with them makes us uneasy or takes too much time.

i. Rivalry

Rivalry within organizations occurs for example when the different levels of an

organization fail to cooperate with one another.

j. Ignoring vertical communication

In horizontal communication same level of organizational members are

contacted or exchange information with each other. Most of the cases they do

not inform managers of the hierarchy which break down or ignore the vertical

communication.

k. Low productivity

Horizontal communication often fails simply because of organizational

members are unwilling to expend the additional effort that it requires and its

wastage useful and valuable time of superiors which lead to low productivity.

4. Diagonal Communication

Communication that takes place between a manager and employees of

other workgroups is called diagonal communication. It generally does not appear

on organizational chart. For instance - To design a training module a training

manager interacts with an Operations personnel to enquire about the way they

perform their task.

Advantages of diagonal communication: Diagonal communication has the

following advantages; 

a. It is a most direct method of communication. 

b. It is a most selective method of communication. 

c. It is one of the fastest methods of communication. 

d. In critical situations, it would seem to be the most essential and logical type of

communication. 

Disadvantages of diagonal communication: The major disadvantages of

diagonal communication include the following; 

a. It can destroy lines of authority and formal chains of command. 

b. It can leave immediate superiors uninformed of what their subordinates are

doing. 

c. It can lead to conflicting orders and hence to further confusion. 

d. It is usually verbal, and thus is untraceable if things go wrong.

5. External Communication

Communication that takes place between a manager and external groups

such as - suppliers, vendors, banks, financial institutes etc. For instance - To

raise capital the Managing director would interact with the Bank Manager.

COMMUNICATION AVENUES

You offer communications to yourself through many avenues, inwardly and

outwardly. All of your outer senses are communication devices. They are mechanisms.

To provide you with information. All of your inner senses are mechanisms to provide

you with information, communications. Your emotions are communications. They are

more obvious, for they also employ signals, feelings. The feeling that you experience in

association with that you define as an emotion is a signal. That is signaling that your

telephone is ringing.

EMOTION

Now; identifying what the signal is in one word indicates to you what to be

evaluating in association with what the communication is. Intuition, impressions,

impulses, these are also avenues of communication. Your physical body consciousness

also offers you communications. Your imagination is another avenue of communication

imagination is not fantasy, it is real. Whatever you can imagine actually exists. It may

not in your physical reality, but it exist. This are all avenues of communication. That is

one factor which is important to pay attention to.

Remember, thought is NOT a communication. Thought is a translating mechanism.

What you think is associated with where your attention is focused. It is translating some

communications and where your attention is focused. That is the function of thought.

ACTION

Also paying attention to what your actually doing is another significant factor.

Therefore, you are paying attention to what you are communicating to yourself and you

are also paying attention to what you are actually doing or what you are not doing,

paying attention to whether your attention is being flexible or not. Whether it continues

to focus in specific directions that are actually generating obstacles or hindrances in

association with what you are doing, figuratively speaking. If you continue to

concentrate your attention upon a wall that exists before you, you merely continue to

collide with it over and over again.

IMAGINATION

There are man factors to be aware of yourself and what you are actually doing.

Many times individuals are not aware objectively of what they are actually diong until the

point that they do actually generate some type of uncomfortable scenario or

manifestation. But this is the point. That actually can be avoided if you are paying

attention. This is not to say that you shall never again create an uncomfortable situation

intentionally. That would be difference, rather than creating an uncomfortable situation

in association with ignoring or not paying attention.

In all of this, you have expressed many different situations which are occuring or

potentially occuring but not actually occuring within your experience, in your world, in

your environment. The significant element is to evaluate what actually IS occurring and

what is not, what actually is being expressed in the now and what is being anticipated

and is not actually occuring, or what you are speculating in relation to but is also not

actually occurring, and being aware of what you are actually doing, for many times,

what you are NOT doing is also a doing.

IMPRESSION

Now, you are generating considerable cgurning in your energy in many different

directions, whaich also creates somewhat of a scatterdness. For itt generates less

clarity and more confusion if you are creating many different directions simultaneously

but not actually focusing clearly upon any of them. That creates a considerable volume

of communications that are expressinginformation to you that are not generating clarity,

that you are generating considerable scatterdness, that you are not focusing your

attention. But you are not listening, and therefore, you create a physical manifestation.

The ringing becomes a siren.

INTUITION

In all of this action, as you continue to generate that scatterdness and you

continue to move your energy to many directions simultaneously but not actually

accomplishing what you want in any of them, for you are not directed enough in any of

them that generates another atomatic response of tension, which you may not actually

even at times physically feels because it becomes so familiar that it is unnoticed. It

becomes notices if you generate actions that intentionally create a relaxation. Thusly,

you begin to notice how much energy you have been holding in tension.

I may express to you, first of all, it may be quite benificial for you to evaluate

these different directions, and in that evaluation, view the importance, measure of each

scenario, of each situation. Subsequent to that action, allow yourself to evaluate the

measure of value that you associate with each of these scenarios. That will allow you to

move in more of a balance and to choose which scenario you wish to focus upon, and

move from one to another but not to be distracting yourself.

Once you have chosen one subject to address to, be presented to yourself in the

now and allow yourself to hold your attention directedly with that one subject, not

distractions yourself with projections of all the other subjects, but allow yourself to follow

on and accomplish some action with it. Even if you are not actually completing a

direction, allow yourself to generate some actual accomplishment, some product of

each one before moving to the next. You are incorporating very much distraction, but

not productive distractions.