WHAT IS ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION?

This is communication that occurs in a business, government or educational context.

It relates to messages travelling up, down and around a large collection of
individuals. It may involve any of the other types of interpersonal communication,
such as small group, public or mass communications.

When we think of organisational communication we are reminded of various work

environments. The school or college you attend is an example of an organisation but
we also can refer to : banks, the post office, the supermarket, the electric company,
the water company The study of organisational communication is paramount as it
contributes to the effectiveness of an organisation.

CHARACTERISTICS OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION :

■ Central: that is, of great importance to the running of the company

■ Pervasive: meaning there is a significant amount of communication taking place

■ Complex: there are several patterns of communication all taking place at the same

time.

ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION HAS SPECIFIC PATTERNS :

■ Downward ■ Upward ■ Horizontal ■ Grapevine

Downward communication, as the name implies, refers to directives or other

information coming from management to employees.

Upward would describe information that is passed up the management chain.

Horizontal communication is the sharing of information across the levels of the

organisation/institution
The ‘grapevine’ is the informal passage of information in the office or organisation.
The grapevine is sometimes deliberately used in order to pass new information.
 INFORMAL VS FORMAL ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION

Organizational communication can be formal or informal, however each types of

communication is only appropriate in certain circumstances.
In context , not every communication in the workplace has to be documented and ,
sometimes oral means are used to share information.

An example (2) : Asking a friend at work if they are joining you for lunch
Suggesting to a new intern the best way to make coffee or where is
the best place for some fresh on company grounds .
In order to facilitate informal communication , then these methods would be used :
■ Face to face
■ Grapevine
■ Telephone

However, in some cases staff need to be formally given notice of information.

An example : A change in company policy

Action to be taken in light of an impending hurricane are situations
where staff may need to revert to the written document.

For these purposes more formal means of communication may be used.

Hence why some companies make use of the worldwide web to pass on messages
using the employee’s choice of email address, but other companies create an intranet
that services their company.

Therefore the employees automatically have an email address with their name and
the company’s name making up their email address , for e.g an address may appear as
JaneDoe@biscuits.com. (Jane Doe works at a company called Biscuits.) This makes it
easy to identify employees , thus allowing messages to be passed more efficiently
within the organisation.

Some formal means of communicating in organisational contexts include:

■ Email (Internet and intranet)
■ Memos
■ Newsletters
■ Policy documents
■ Job descriptions.

N.B Written correspondence is more often considered formal communication while

Spoken is often considered informal. Communication may be directed at an
individual, a small group or all employees.
Therefore the appropriate channels must be used. Information can be communicated
through:
■ Briefings ■ Staff meetings ■ Project meetings.

QUIZ TIME
1. What is the context of communication?
2. What is the Organization context of communication?
3. List the three characteristics of Organizational Communication ?
4. List and Describe the four specific patterns of Organization context of
communication?
5. Give two examples of informal and formal Organizational communication , and list
two mediums each which could effectively transmit the information ?
6. You are the manager of a small company and some of your employees are always
late. What means would you use to inform them that this tardiness must stop as it is
affecting the efficiency of the company?

DEMOSTRATING OGRANIZATIONAL CONTEXT OF COMMUNICATION

1. Have a board meeting with persons about the launch of a new product (Employer
and Employees)
2. Show a teacher’s staff meeting
3. Show a classroom in session
4. Show the government in a meeting , planning for highway 2025 or for green
engineering (anything plausible).
OTHER SUGGESSTIONS ARE WELCOME
Public Communication (Cecilia will add )
This occurs where one person talks to several others and is the dominant focus of the
communication In a public setting. It is characterized by having a speaker and an
audience. Here, the speaker is the primary sender of messages, while others function
primarily as receivers of those messages. The number of the audience is not important
here.

Other ideas
Use a certificate to the winning group
Have a few bags of candy
Powerpoint
Printed script with what each person is to speak on