Chapter 1: Introducing

Organizational Communication

Effective communication is a building block of successful organizations, In other

words, communication acts as organizational blood.

All managers and employees need to be aware of how people behave in order to
provide the best working environment. Organizational behavior is about how people
may be motivated to work together in more effective ways. The interaction required to
direct a group toward a set of common goals is called organizational communication.

In each of these interactions, we are occasionally satisfied but sometimes frustrated by

incompetence, insensitivity, lack of coordination, and red tape, all of which result
from ineffective organizational communication. A deeper understanding of
communication permits us to better comprehend the factors that contribute to a
successful organization.

It is difficult to come across a job advertisement which does not mention eligibility
criteria such as “communicativeness” or “communication skills.” Concepts such as
“organizational communication,” “corporate communication” or “business
communication” long ago became key terms for management, entrepreneurship and
human resources.

What is meant by “organizational communication”? What are its major functions and
types? What are the most important communication skills in the workplace? What are
the most common barriers and obstacles to contemporary organizational
communication? The answers to these and other questions throughout this course will
give you a better understanding of the phenomenon and process of organizational
communication.
 The importance of communication in an organization can be summarized as
follows:

1. Communication promotes motivation by informing and clarifying the employees

about the task to be done, the manner they are performing the task, and how to
improve their performance if it is not up to the mark.
2. Communication is a source of information to the organizational members for
decision-making process as it helps identifying and assessing alternative course of
actions.
3. Communication also plays a crucial role in altering individual’s attitudes, i.e., a well
informed individual will have better attitude than a less-informed individual.
Organizational magazines, journals, meetings and various other forms of oral and
written communication help in molding employee’s attitudes.
4. Communication also helps in socializing. One cannot survive without
communication.
5. Communication also assists in controlling process. It helps controlling organizational
member’s behavior in various ways. There are various levels of hierarchy and certain
principles and guidelines that employees must follow in an organization. They must
comply with organizational policies, perform their job role efficiently and
communicate any work problem and grievance to their superiors. Thus,
communication helps in controlling function of management.

An effective and efficient communication system requires managerial proficiency in

delivering and receiving messages. A manager must discover various barriers to
communication, analyze the reasons for their occurrence and take preventive steps to
avoid those barriers. Thus, the primary responsibility of a manager is to develop and
maintain an effective communication system in the organization.

So, organizational communication refers to the forms and channels of communication

among members of organizations such as corporations, nonprofits or small businesses.
Studies have found a strong relationship between the levels of communication in an
organization and job performance and satisfaction. Organizational communication can
be formal or informal, flow in various directions and make use of various media.

Directions of Communication

Organizational communication takes place upward, downward and horizontally.

Downward communication flows from the managerial and executive levels to the staff
through formal channels such as policy manuals, rules and regulations and
organizational charts. Upward communication is initiated by staff and directed at
executives; it frequently takes the form of a complaint or a request. Horizontal
communication occurs when colleagues meet to discuss issues of common interest,
resolve problems and share information.

Leading

CCO Public Domain

In the book “Organizational Communication: Challenges of Change, Diversity, and

Continuity,” William Neher (1997) identifies the five primary functions of business
communication as leading, rationalizing, problem-solving, conflict management and
compliance gaining. The function of leading is important to enable management to
issue instructions in a clear, specific manner so that workers are able to follow them
without difficulty. This is generally downward communication.

CONNECT: William Neher: Professor Emeritus at Butler University (LinkedIn)

https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-neher-4742b41a/

Rationalizing

CCO Public Domain

This function enables management to explain the reasons for instructions in a way that
workers can understand. In this context, it is downward communication; however,
rationalizing is also important for enabling workers to bring issues to the attention of
management, using upward communication to do so. If a worker identifies a
motivation problem, for example, he may communicate this upward formally to
management and use rationalization to highlight the potential impact of the problem
on profitability.

Problem-Solving
 CCO Public Domain

Most companies hold regular meetings to discuss issues such as production cycles,
delivery times, price margins and other areas where unusual situations could arise that
may affect the performance of a business. In these meetings, organizational
communication plays an important role in tabling problems, brainstorming potential
responses and finalizing solutions. In this way, a company obtains maximum benefit
from the abilities of those involved in the communication, which flows horizontally
and often informally.

Conflict Management

CCO Public Domain

Conflict in the workplace can lead to the loss of talented employees, the lodging of
grievances and possibly lawsuits. Managing conflict by bringing all parties together to
discuss their differences in a safe, moderated environment is an important function of
organizational communications. This type of communication usually involves all three
directions of communication, and, although discussions may be informal, the final
decisions are usually communicated formally.

Gaining Compliance

CCO Public Domain

Gaining the compliance of employees is necessary for them to adhere fully to
instructions. To do this, management needs to listen to feedback from the staff and to
take account of their ideas and comments. Feedback or two-way communication can
be both upward and downward or horizontal and may be formal or informal, but it is
important for a company to enable open communication channels to motivate and
achieve the best performance from employees.

References

Balzer, W. K. & Gillespie, J. Z. (2007). Job satisfaction. In Rogelberg, S. G. (Ed.).

Encyclopedia of industrial and organizational psychology Vol. 1 (pp. 406-413).
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Barnlund, D. C. (2008). A transactional model of communication. In. C. D. Mortensen

(Eds.),

Communication theory (2nd ed., pp47-57). New Brunswick, New Jersey: Transaction.

Gatti, Maria (2011). “The Language Of Competence In Corporate Histories For

Company Websites”. Journal of Business Communication: 482–502.

Miller, Katherine (2005). Communication Theories: Perspectives, Processes, and

Contexts (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill Higher Education.
https://granite.pressbooks.pub/organizationalcommunication/chapter/chapter-1/

1.4 Characteristics of
Organizational Communication
Scott T. Paynton (Ph.D) & Laura K. Hahn (Ph.D)

Page Attibution

Like defining communication, many definitions of organizational communication

exist. Deetz argues that one way to enlighten our understanding of organizational
communication is to compare different approaches. However, for the purpose of this
class, we want to provide a definition of organizational communication so you have a
frame of reference. Our definition is not definitive, but creates a starting point for
understanding this specialization of communication study.
 We define organizational communication as interactions among a stable system of
individuals who work together to achieve, through a hierarchy of ranks and divisions
of labor, common goals. This definition includes the following  key features of
organizations that affect communication:

1. Organizations are systemic: They are large, have many parts, and have both internal
(e.g., employees) and external (e.g., customers, competitors, vendors) constituents.
2. Organizations are hierarchical: Because of their size and complexity, organizations
have identifiable reporting structures.
3. Organizations have divisions of labor: Organizations hire individuals to do jobs
related to the mission of the organization.
4. Organizations must have collective action by employees: The employees’ and their
jobs must all work together to perform the business of the organization.
5. Organizations have layers of goals: Organization have mission statements, policies
and procedure to help with collective action, departmental goals, and even personal
goals set during employee annual performance reviews.

Organizational communication helps us to 1) accomplish tasks relating to specific

roles and responsibilities of sales, services, and production; 2) acclimate to changes
through individual and organizational creativity and adaptation; 3) complete tasks
through the maintenance of policy, procedures, or regulations that support daily and
continuous operations; 4) develop relationships where “human messages are directed
at people within the organization-their attitudes, morale, satisfaction, and fulfillment”
(Goldhaber 20); and 5) coordinate, plan, and control the operations of the organization
through management (Katz & Kahn; Redding; Thayer). Organizational
communication is how organizations represent, present, and constitute their
organizational climate and culture—the attitudes, values and goals that characterize
the organization and its members.

Organizational communication largely focuses on building relationships and

interacting with with internal organizational members and interested external publics.
As Mark Koschmann explains in his animated YouTube video, we have two ways of
looking at organizational communication. The conventional approach focuses on
communication within organizations. The second approach is communication as
organization — meaning organizations are a result of the communication of those
within them. Communication is not just about transmitting messages between senders
and receivers. Communication literally constitutes, or makes up, our social world.
Much of our communication involves sending and receiving relatively unproblematic
messages and acting on that information. Other times things are a bit more complex,
such as when you need to resolve conflict with a close friend or family member. There
is much more going on in these situations then merely exchanging information. You
are actually engaging in a complex process of meaning and negotiating rules created
by the people involved.

For organizations to be successful, they must have competent communicators.

Organizational communication study shows that organizations rely on effective
communication and efficient communication skills from their members. A number of
surveys (Davis & Miller; Holter & Kopka; Perrigo & Gaut) identify effective oral and
written communication as the most sought after skills by those who run organizations.
The U.S. Department of Labor reported communication competency as the most vital
skill necessary for the 21st century workforce to achieve organizational success
(Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills). The Public Forum
Institute maintained that employees need to be skilled in public presentation, listening,
and interpersonal communication to flourish in an organization.

Organizations seek people who can follow and give instructions, accurately listen,
provide useful feedback, get along with coworkers and customers, network, provide
serviceable information, work well in teams, and creatively and critically solve
problems and present ideas in an understandable manner. Developing organizational
communication awareness and effectiveness is more than just having know-how or
knowledge. Efficient organizational communication involves knowing how to create
and exchange information, work with diverse groups or individuals, communicate in
complicated and changing circumstances, as well as having the aptitude or motivation
to communicate in appropriate manners.

How the Field of Organizational Communication Began

As you now know, communication study is deeply entrenched in the oral rhetorical
traditions of ancient Rome and Greece. Similar to the many of the early concepts that
shaped the discipline, some of the founding principles of organizational
communication originated in the East. As early as the fourth century, Chinese scholars
concentrated on the “problems of communicating within the vast government
bureaucracy as well as between the government and the people” (Murphy,
Hildebrandt & Thomas 4). Ancient eastern scholars focused on information flow,
message fidelity, and quality of information within their governmental bureaucracy
(Krone, Garrett & Chen; Paraboteeah). These still remain areas of focus for
organizational communication that you will learn in your classes today.

Organizational Communication and You. Good

Communication
The New York Times: Strikes Can Come Easier Than Words. Major League Baseball is
trying to ease the language barrier, adopting a new rule that permits interpreters to
join mound conversations when pitchers aren’t fluent in English. This example shows
just how important communication is for the success of a team.

Good Communication Skills Maybe the Only Skill You Need?! The 10 Skills Employers
Most Want In 2015 Graduates, a news article from Forbes demonstrates the
communication skills desired by most organizations.

Like most of our field’s specializations, organizational communication began in the

mid 20th century with the work of P. E. Lull and W. Charles Redding at the
University of Purdue (Putnam & Cheney). During the industrial age, the focus of
organizational communication was on worker productivity, organizational structure,
and overall organizational effectiveness. Through this work people were interested in
higher profits and managerial efficiency. Follett is often referred to as the first
management consultant in the United States (Stohl). She focused specifically on
message complexity, appropriate channel choice, and worker participation in
organizations. Bernard placed communication at the heart of every organizational
process, arguing that people must be able to interact with each other for an
organization to succeed.

As a specialization in our field, organizational communication can arguably be traced

back to Alexander R. Heron’s 1942 book, Sharing Information With Employees that
looked at manager-employee communication (Redding & Tompkins; Meyers &
Sadaghiani). Putnam and Cheney stated that the specialization of “organizational
communication grew out of three main speech communication traditions: public
address, persuasion, and social science research on interpersonal, small group, and
mass communication”(Putnam & Cheney, 131). Along with public-speaking training
for corporate executives as early as the 1920’s (ibid), early works like Dale Carnegie’s
How to Win Friends and Influence People in 1936 focused on necessary oral
presentation and written communication skills for managers to succeed in
organizations.

Redding and Thompkins identify three periods in the development of organizational

communication. During the Era of Preparation (1900 to 1940) much of the
groundwork was laid for the discipline that we know today. Scholars emphasized the
importance of communication in organizations. The primary focus during this time
was on public address, business writing, managerial communication, and
persuasion. The Era of Identification and Consolidation (1940-1970) saw the
beginnings of business and industrial communication, with certain group and
 organizational relationships being recognized as important. During the Era of
Maturity and Innovation (1970-present), empirical research increased,
“accompanied by innovative efforts to develop concepts, theoretical premises, and
philosophical critiques” (Redding & Thompkins, 7).

As with other specializations over the last century, organizational communication has
evolved dramatically as dialogue between business and academic contexts. Redding
and Thompkins conclude that “by 1967 or 1968, organizational communication had
finally achieved at least a moderate degree of success in two respects: breaking from
its ‘business and industrial’ shackles, and gaining a reasonable measure of recognition
as an entity worthy of serious academic study” (pp. 18).

Organizational Communication Today

As communication evolves, research continues to develop, and organizational
communication continues to redefine itself. In the early stages, this area focused on
leaders giving public presentations. More recently emphasis has focused on all levels
of interaction in organizations. Because interpersonal relationships are a large part of
organizational communication, a great deal of research focuses on how interpersonal
relationships are conducted within the framework of organizational hierarchies.

Modern organizational communication research has been summarized into eight

major traditions (Putnam and Cheney; Kim):

1. Communication channels
2. Communication climate
3. Network analysis
4. Superior-subordinate communication
5. The information-processing perspective
6. The rhetorical perspective
7. The cultural perspective
8. The political perspective

Since the 1980s, this specialization has expanded to include work on organizational
culture, power and conflict management, and organizational rhetoric. If you were to
take an organizational communication course at your campus, much of the time would
be spent focusing on developing your skills in organizational socialization,
interviewing, giving individual and group presentations, creating positive work
relationships, performance evaluation, conflict resolution, stress management,
decision making, and communicating with external public’s.
 https://
textbooks.whatcom.edu/
cmst245/chapter/1-4/

A guide to organizational
communication
Andy Cheng
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10 min read

Whether you’re running a large corporation or a small nonprofit, communication is

essential. Your customers, clients, and stakeholders want to see a professional attitude
and clarity in your messages. The best business leaders create open and honest
working relationships and build trust through organizational communication.

But workplace communication isn’t just about your customers. It’s about your
employees, too. Employees are at their best when they have transparent relationships
with each other and their managers. Being able to express views, share thoughts, and
trust in the information received is the bare minimum in a workplace.

For most of us, communication is becoming more complicated than ever. Wide-scale
remote work means many teams are working away from the office. Face-to-face
communication feels like a thing of the past, and we’re relying more on email, instant
messaging, and social media channels to communicate. As such, it’s important for all
teams to use the best possible technology, like RingCentral Glip™, to ensure that
communication doesn’t let them down.  

Organizational communication is important in all industries. But what exactly is it, and
how can it help you? 

What is organizational
communication? 
Organizational communication is the term used to define communication that takes
place in business environments. But there’s a bit more to it than that. 

The roots of organizational communication lie in a field of study that has fascinated
researchers for years. Works by Herbert A. Simon and W. Charles Redding have paved
the way for further analysis and set communication theory in motion. 

Those interested in the academic field of communication study can take it to a doctoral
level. While this could lead to a career as a professor of communication, it can also lead
towards a career in the following business roles: 

 Consultants
 Marketing directors
 Areas of project management
 Human resources
This is because communication is essential in business. Organizational communication
isn’t just academic: it’s prevalent in any workplace. Most job adverts will mention
communication skills as a requirement, and human resources should hold
communication workshops and training to ensure effective communication occurs in
every role. 

What are some examples of

organizational
communication? 
There isn’t one simple answer when it comes to organizational communication. If there
was, organizational communication research wouldn’t be necessary. 

Organizations with effective organizational communication have a number of techniques

to get it right. Here are some examples of effective organizational communication:

Team meetings

Team meetings are an important part of organizational communication. All teams should
regularly share ideas, ask for feedback, and freely voice their opinions. 

While team meetings more commonly happen in person, they can also take place
virtually. At RingCentral, we focus on helping employees work effectively from
anywhere. Because of this, we’ve made video meetings easier than ever with
RingCentral Glip. 

With HD meetings for up to 200 participants, enterprise-grade security that encrypts all
your conversations, and carrier-grade infrastructure that keeps you online all the time,
team-building meetings feel as natural as possible. Plus, you can easily screen share so
everyone is on the same page. Don’t let distance stop you from uniting your team. 

Remote work training

Business communication can be more difficult when employees aren’t sharing the same
workspace. As such, the best companies provide remote work training to ensure that all
employees know how to communicate. 
Feedback

A successful business creates an environment where employee communications are

prioritized. As such, they are always looking to improve organizational communication
techniques and encourage feedback. They use qualitative and quantitative data to
better the company and improve communications systems. 

Social events

Effective communication can’t take place if colleagues are awkward or uncomfortable

around each other. Social events such as team-building exercises help to create open,
honest, and professional relationships and show employees effective ways to
communicate. 

A successful organization builds employees’ attitudes by organizing social events and

encouraging them to interact. Social events create positive organizational cultures and
lift employee spirits. 

What are the types of

organizational
communication? 
Organizational culture can be split up into the following four categories: 

 Formal and informal communication

 Directional communication
 Internal and external communication
 Oral and written communication
 Source

And, within each organizational structure, there are a number of subcategories that
come into play. Let’s take a look at the main types of communication.

Formal and informal communication

This category is quite simple. It’s all about the language and tone an organization uses
when communicating. Corporate communication calls for the ability to assess what level
of formality is required in a particular situation. 

Formal communication
Formal communication is often used when communicating with customers and clients,
especially during an official press release. Formal communication tends to follow a
specific organizational structure, such as mass communication in a carefully crafted
email campaign or at a meeting. It may be used in the following circumstances:

 Press releases
 Job offers
 Company-wide emails

The key to formal communication is professionalism. It calls for careful wording and a
communication strategy. Strategic communication makes miscommunication unlikely
and organizational success likely. However, formal communications can sometimes feel
stilted and impersonal.

Informal communication

Informal communication, also known as “grapevine” communication, is equally

important, as it is the most common way internal organizational communication occurs.
Employees use informal communication to connect with each other to:

 Meet face-to-face in team meetings

 Ask questions over messaging apps
 Share work via email

Many organizations favor informal over formal communication as it can help employees
feel more in control of their own workload. However, miscommunication is more likely as
informal communication is less strategic. As such, it’s important for organizations
regularly using informal communications to have guidelines or employee handbooks for
communication practices.

Directional communication
 Source

Organizational communication is directional. This means that the way we communicate

changes depending on the position of the person we’re talking to. There are three types
of directional communication: downward, upward, and horizontal/lateral.

Directional communication—downward

Downward communication refers to an employee communicating with another

employee in a lower-ranking position. Downward communication is most commonly
used in an instructional sense, such as:

 A supervisor discussing work performance with a frontline employee

 The CEO sending a mass email about upcoming changes
  A manager delegating tasks in a team meeting

In most workplaces, downward communicators will take place via email or messages.
However, they can also take place via video call or face-to-face.   

Directional communication—upward

Upward communication is the reversal of downward communication. It’s most

commonly used in the following workplace situations:

 A frontline employee asking a manager for advice or guidance on a task

 An employee giving feedback to a supervisor or manager 
 A frontline employee sharing information with a supervisor

Upward communication is effective because it can help build a more equal workplace.
When an organization encourages employees to speak about their experiences to
senior management and make suggestions for improvement, it’s likely to see more
engaged employees and a boost in productivity. 

Directional communication—horizontal

Horizontal communication refers to the communication of employees on the same

hierarchical level. It might occur in the following situations:

 A team meeting to share ideas 

 An employee asking a colleague for advice or support
 Managers reporting to other managers on the results of their teams’ tasks

Horizontal communications often occur face-to-face. However, with more companies

working remotely, employees are needing to find fast and effective ways to
communicate through a screen. Communication channels such as team
messaging services enable employees to chat horizontally throughout the day, no matter
where they’re based.

Internal and external communication

Communication in organizations can also be split into internal and external

communication. This refers to the types of people employees communicate with.
 Source

Internal communication

Internal communications focus on the way employees interact with one another. This
workplace communication may involve the following:

 Professional collaboration via numerous communication channels such as video,

email or live chat
 Employee training modules such as decision-making courses or two-way reviews
 Messaging around an organization’s mission
 Interpersonal communications between management and employees
 Workplace social activities

Internal communication focuses on employee engagement and employee

communication. Businesses need to ensure that employees can bond and make
effective professional connections. This can be more challenging for large organizations
or those that encourage employees to work from anywhere. 

External communication

External communication applies to the way an organization communicates with the

outside world. This includes:

 Public relations announcements, for example by social media, TV, or radio

 Marketing materials
 Branding of products or services
 Job posts and hiring, including LinkedIn adverts or recruitment drives
  Communication with stakeholders
 Customer support

External communication is important for building a brand, as well as maintaining strong

customer relationships. There should be an overarching tone to all external
communication in order to show a cohesive organizational image. It needs to fit with the
organization’s mission, ethics, and industry. Additionally, having clear guidelines on how
to communicate with customers ensures a consistent, high-quality customer experience.

Oral and written

communication
The final category when analyzing organizational communication is oral and written
communication. Both types are used regularly and play a big role in organizational
success.

Oral communication

Oral (spoken) communication is important. It’s the way a person communicates face-to-
face to their colleagues, employees, or customers. Interpersonal communication relies
on body language, eye contact, and gestures, as well as the words being said. An
employee may use oral communication in a one-to-one session, a small group meeting,
or in front of a large crowd of people. As such, oral communication helps us to form
stronger relationships and build trust. 

Remote working can mean that oral communication is more challenging. But,
considering its importance in building and maintaining professional relationships, it’s still
necessary. Many organizations rely on video calling to ensure that teams can stay
connected and have interpersonal communication.  

Written communication

Written communication is also important when running a business. It occurs via email,
instant messages, and social media, and can be both formal and informal.  

There are a number of benefits to written communication over oral communication. For
example, an employee has more time to think of their response and ensure it adheres to
the company guidelines. Written communication is less impulsive and therefore can be
more strategic. 
However, written communication can also have its drawbacks. It can be more difficult to
portray the company’s personality, and organizations risk losing a tone of voice if the
written communication is shared among many members of staff. This is where a
handbook is useful. 

Why is organizational
communication important? 
Organizational communication is essential in building a business. The downfall of an
organization is often a result of ineffective communication. 

Organizational communication should never be overlooked. Here are some reasons

why:

Employee engagement

Employees who feel their voice is heard are 4.6 times more likely to feel empowered to
perform their best work. Good organizational communication can help employees feel
more engaged with their work and the business as a whole. They are likely to find their
role more satisfying, feel trusted by their employer, and more motivated to reach goals
and please customers. Strong communication also means employees will have a
greater understanding of the business and of their role within it.

Public relations

There are no secrets within businesses, whether it’s a large corporation or a nonprofit.
When a customer hears something negative, it reduces the credibility of the business
and can drive them away. Having effective internal and external communication can
reduce the chances of such negativity and, if a problem does arise, deal with it well.

Reducing misunderstandings: Organizational communication ensures that all

organizational members are on the same page. This reduces the likelihood of any
miscommunications or misunderstandings. Employees know how to communicate with
their customers and won’t accidentally share incorrect information. As such, a business
is less likely to lose customers, receive legal disputes, or earn a bad reputation.
How do you manage
organizational
communication? 
All businesses should have an organizational communication plan. A communication
strategy relies on everyone in the business to play their role and contribute. This
includes:

The CEO and senior managers: Those at the top of the workplace hierarchy are
responsible for setting the tone and establishing the culture. These organizational
leaders should lead the way by example.

Human resources teams: HR professionals should set an example and create the
documents and guidelines for other members of staff. They should always be available
to receive feedback and must take any complaints or concerns seriously.

Managers and team leaders: Those responsible for managing teams must create
routes for effective communication, organize meetings, and be willing to listen as much
as speak.

All employees and frontline staff: Every other organizational member must

communicate, listen, and provide feedback when necessary. Those who sit back when
an issue arises cannot expect it to be resolved if they don’t communicate their concerns.
Employees’ attitudes can have a huge impact on the day-to-day operations of a
business, so make sure they’re being heard.

Each organization’s communication strategy will be different. However, all

organizational communication strategies should use the following elements: 

Training

Training is important in organizational communication. Employees should be trained in

company communication policies and both written and oral communication. And, when
it comes to remote working, they should know how to communicate via team messaging
apps and video calls. 

Employee handbook
Organizational communication also relies on the right resources. Employees should
have access to a handbook that has a code of ethics, guidelines on communicating with
customers and clients, and a clear social media policy.

Responding to issues

Effective organizational communication relies on action. Employees won’t trust their

managers if they repeatedly report issues and don’t see changes. So, an organization’s
communication strategy must include responding to employee and customer issues and
acting upon concerns. Otherwise, resentment will grow and employees won’t feel
valued.

Dealing with external media

Organizational communication isn’t just about your internal team—you also need to
think about external media. HR, public relations, and a content team should be able to
write press releases and develop formal policies for dealing with external media. If an
issue arises, the key is to respond quickly and make your stance clear.  

Measuring results 

Data is important in organizational communication. All organizations should be

measuring qualitative and quantitative data such as turnover rates and employee
satisfaction to create a more effective workplace. These results must always be acted
upon. Otherwise, surveys are pointless. 

Don’t overlook organizational

communication
Organizational communication is the backbone of any business strategy. Effective
organizational communication helps employees engage with their work and guarantees
organizational success.

So, now that you know exactly what organizational communication is and how to
implement it, make it your organization’s mission to communicate properly. With a little
help from the video and messaging products at RingCentral, you’ll get it right—every
time.  

Originally published Jan 22, 2021, updated Jan 26, 2021

https://www.ringcentral.com/us/en/blog/a-guide-to-organizational-communication/
https://pingboard.com/blog/organizational-planning-guide-types-of-plans-steps-and-examples/

Organizational Planning Guide: Types of Plans,

Steps, and Examples
4 minutes • Apr 27, 2020 General
Organizational planning is like charting your company’s path on a map. You need to know what
direction you’re headed to stay competitive.

But what exactly is organizational planning and how do you do it effectively? This guide will
cover:

 The Different Components or Types of Organizational Plans?

 The 5 Process Steps of Organizational Planning
 Organizational Planning Examples
 Organizational Planning Tools

What is Organizational Planning?

Organizational planning is the process of defining a company’s reason for existing, setting goals
aimed at realizing full potential, and creating increasingly discrete tasks to meet those goals.

Each phase of planning is a subset of the prior, with strategic planning being the foremost

There are four phases of a proper organizational plan: strategic, tactical, operational, and
contingency. Each phase of planning is a subset of the prior, with strategic planning being the
foremost.

Types of Organizational Planning

Strategic

A strategic plan is the company’s big picture. It defines the company’s goals for a set period of
time, whether that’s one year or ten, and ensures that those goals align with the company’s
mission, vision, and values. Strategic planning usually involves top managers, although some
smaller companies choose to bring all of their employees along when defining their mission,
vision, and values.

Tactical

The tactical strategy describes how a company will implement its strategic plan. A tactical plan
is composed of several short-term goals, typically carried out within one year, that support the
strategic plan. Generally, it’s the responsibility of middle managers to set and oversee tactical
strategies, like planning and executing a marketing campaign.

Operational

Operational plans encompass what needs to happen continually, on a day-to-day basis, in order
to execute tactical plans. Operational plans could include work schedules, policies, rules, or
regulations that set standards for employees, as well as specific task assignments that relate to
goals within the tactical strategy, such as a protocol for documenting and addressing work
absences.

Contingency

Contingency plans wait in the wings in case of a crisis or unforeseen event. Contingency plans
cover a range of possible scenarios and appropriate responses for issues varying from personnel
planning to advanced preparation for outside occurrences that could negatively impact the
business. Companies may have contingency plans for things like how to respond to a natural
disaster, malfunctioning software, or the sudden departure of a C-level executive.
The 5 Process Steps of Organizational Planning
The organizational planning process includes five phases that, ideally, form a cycle.
Strategic, tactical, operational, and contingency planning fall within these five stages.

1. Develop the strategic plan

Steps in this initial stage include:

 Review your mission, vision, and values

 Gather data about your company, like performance-indicating metrics from your sales
department
 Perform a SWOT analysis; take stock of your company’s strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities, and threats
 Set big picture goals that take your mission, vision, values, data, and SWOT analysis into
account

2. Translate the strategic plan into tactical steps

At this point, it’s time to create tactical plans. Bring in middle managers to help do the
following:

 Define short-term goals—quarterly goals are common—that support the strategic plan for
each department, such as setting a quota for the sales team so the company can meet its
strategic revenue goal
 Develop processes for reviewing goal achievement to make sure strategic and tactical
goals are being met, like running a CRM report every quarter and submitting it to the
Chief Revenue Officer to check that the sales department is hitting its quota
 Develop contingency plans, like what to do in case the sales team’s CRM malfunctions or
there’s a data breach

3. Plan daily operations

Operational plans, or the processes that determine how individual employees spend their day, are
largely the responsibility of middle managers and the employees that report to them. For
example, the process that a sales rep follows to find, nurture, and convert a lead into a customer
is an operational plan. Work schedules, customer service workflows, or GDPR policies that
protect prospective customers’ information all aid a sales department in reaching its tactical goal
—in this case, a sales quota—so they fall under the umbrella of operational plans.

This stage should include setting goals and targets that individual employees should hit during a
set period.

Managers may choose to set some plans, such as work schedules, themselves. On the other hand,
individual tasks that make up a sales plan may require the input of the entire team. This stage
should also include setting goals and targets that individual employees should hit during a set
period.

4. Execute the plans

It’s time to put plans into action. Theoretically, activities carried out on a day-to-day basis
(defined by the operational plan) should help reach tactical goals, which in turn supports the
overall strategic plan.

5. Monitor progress and adjust plans

No plan is complete without periods of reflection and adjustment. At the end of each quarter or
the short-term goal period, middle managers should review whether or not they hit the
benchmarks established in step two, then submit data-backed reports to C-level executives. For
example, this is when the manager of the sales department would run a report analyzing whether
or not a new process for managing the sales pipeline helped the team reach its quota. A
marketing team, on the other hand, might analyze whether or not their efforts to optimize
advertising and landing pages succeeded in generating a certain number of leads for the sales
department.

Depending on the outcome of those reviews, your org may wish to adjust parts of its strategic,
tactical, or operational plans. For example, if the sales team didn’t meet their quota their manager
may decide to make changes to their sales pipeline operational plan.

Organizational Planning Examples

These templates and examples can help you start thinking about how to format your
organizational plan.

Strategic
This is a single page two-year strategic plan for a fictional corporation. Notice that the goals
listed in the “Strategic Objectives and Organization Goals” section follow the SMART goals
model: They’re specific, measurable, actionable, relevant, and time-based.

Workforce Planning

Companies need to use workforce planning to analyze, forecast, and plan for the future of their
personnel. Workforce planning helps identify skill gaps, inefficiencies, opportunities for
employee growth, and to prepare for future staffing needs.

Use Pingboard as a tool to plan and unite your workforce. Start today for free!
Tactical
This is a two-year action plan for an administration, which could also be described as a tactical
plan. Organization-wide goals—aka strategic goals—that are relevant to this department are
listed in the top section, while the more tactical goals for the manager of this department are
listed below.

Operational
Check out this strategic plan template. You’ll notice that tasks for an individual employee fall
under operational planning. Note the space within each item for the manager to leave feedback
for the employee.

Contingency

Organizational Planning is Vital for a Successful Business

While organizational planning is a long and complex process, it’s integral to the success of your
company. Luckily, the process becomes more automatic and intuitive with regular planning and
review meetings.
Use Pingboard’s org chart software to help you plan and communicate your strategy. With
Pingboard users can build and share multiple versions of their org chart to help with succession
plans, organization redesigns, merger and acquisitions plans. Pingboard also helps with hiring
plans by allowing you to communicate open roles in your live org chart so employees understand
where their company is growing and what roles they can apply for. Pingboard’s employee
directory helps find successors for specific roles by allowing managers to search through their
workforce for the skills and experience needed to fill a position.

https://hr.psu.edu/sites/hr/files/GivingAndReceivingFeedbackSupervisors.pdf