LESSON 3: Workplace Communication

In many ways, effective communication begins with mutual respect,

communication that inspires, encourages others to do their best .

-Zig Ziglar

In the workplace, good communication skills are essential. One of the challenges in
the workplace is learning the specific communication styles of others and how and
when to share your ideas or concerns.

FLOWS OF INTER-ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION

Communication networks represent the way communication flows in an organization.

These networks may be formal or informal.

A. FORMAL

1. UPWARD FLOW

The purposes of upward communication flow are to provide managers with

information to make decisions, identify problem areas, collect data for performance
assessments, determine staff morale, and reveal employee thoughts and feelings
about the organization.

The hierarchical structure (chain of command) is the main channel for upward
communication in healthcare organizations.

• Grievance procedure
• Open door policy
• Counselling, questionnaires, and exit interview
• Participate decision-making techniques
• Ombudsperson
2. DOWNWARD FLOW

Downward communication involves passing information from supervisors to

subordinates. These include meeting with employees, written memos, newsletters,
bulletin boards, procedural manuals, and clinical and administration information
systems.

3. HORIZONTAL FLOW

The purpose of horizontal flow, also called lateral communication is the

sharing of information among peers at similar levels to keep organizational staff
informed of all current practices, policies, and procedures.

4. DIAGONAL FLOW

The diagonal flow is especially useful in the sharing of information among

different structural levels within a business.
B. INFORMAL

The messages that flow along an informal path is also known as the
grapevine. The type of information the grapevine carries depends on the “health” of
the organization. Grapevine refers to the informal way of spreading information or
rumors through conversation: a person-to-person means of articulating information
or gossip.

If the managers are open with the employees and send all necessary
information through formal channels, the grapevine usually carries personal interest
items. When the channels, however, fail to do the job (the message delivered is not
understood or not accepted by the employees), the grapevine begins to carry
information about the organization.

Let’s Respond
A. Read the text Communication Flow and do the task that follows.

COMMUNICATION FLOW
Sara Lang is a charge nurse at Sunny Nursing Home and has worked under
the same president, Lisa Davis, for five years. In fact, the two have become good
friends. They frequently socialize after office hours. Rick Walters, Director of
Nursing, is a capable person who has been working there for three years. Four nurses
(Anna, Barbara, Charles, and Dan) report directly to Sara. Anna, one of the nurses,
was having personal difficulties. She asked Sara if she could change her work
schedule from the usual 8-hour shift of days with 3 consecutive days off to 16-hour
shifts for two days and 5 consecutive days off. Sara thought that was not a problem
and told Anna that she would enter the information into the computerized scheduling
system, and that she would tell Lisa Davis of the change, since they were getting
together for a drink after work.

Barbara overheard the conversation between Sara and Anna, and she
immediately went to see Rick Walters and complained that Anna was getting
preferential treatment and she wanted the same schedule. Rick, who always wanted
to make sure that nursing staff were happy and got along, approved Barbara’s change
in schedule. He made this change through the computerized schedule and did not
tell anyone else. Barbara, who is a good friend of Charles, told him of her new
schedule. Charles, who works closely with Chief of Staff, Dr. Goodman, told Dr.
Goodman of the change in Barbara’s schedule and asked Dr. Goodman to change
his. Dr. Goodman thought it was a good idea and emailed Charles’ new schedule to
his assistant, Susan Stevens, to enter into the scheduling system.

On the next Monday morning, changes were implemented to Anna’s,

Barbara’s, and Charles’ schedules. Yet, no one had discussed these changes with
anyone else. When the schedule was printed out and posted, it showed that Anna,
Barbara, and Charles were all off for 5 days that week from Monday to Friday and all
three began work on Saturday. In the meantime, the only nurse left working was Dan.

Source: Cuerda, F. & Pilapil, E. Purposive Communication in the New General

Education Curriculum, c2017.