Organizational Communication

By Prof. Medha Mehta

Success for YOU in the new
global and diverse
workplace requires excellent
communication skills!
 Organizational communication
 Organizational communication is the specific process
through which information moves and is exchanged
throughout an organization.
 Complex and varied but important for organizational
functioning and success
 Variation across type and structure
 Impact of communication technologies and capabilities
on effective organizational forms and processes
 Communication at micro, meso, and macro levels
 Formals and informal communication practices
 Externally directed communications
Organizational communication (contd..)

 Channel richness.
– The capacity of a communication channel to convey
information effectively.
– Richest channels — face-to-face communication.
– Moderately rich channels — telephone, electronic chat
rooms, E-mail, written memos, and letters.
– Leanest channels — posted notices and bulletins.
 Channels of Communication
 Channels between departments or functions
involve lateral communication
 As well as formal channels of communication,
information also passes through an organisation
informally
 Communication is not complete until feedback
has been received
 Key functions of communication
 Basic function of communication is to effect
receiver knowledge or behavior by informing,
directing, regulating, socializing, and persuading.
 compliance gaining, leading, motivating, and
influencing, sense making, and decision making,
conflict management, negotiating, and bargaining
 Coordinating and regulation of production
activities; socialization; innovation
 Three perspectives on communication:
Technical, contextual, and negotiated perspectives

 Communication as Mechanistic system: How can an information

source get a message to a destination with a minimum of distortion
and errors?

 Contextual approach:
It focuses not just on content (accurate exchange of information or
convey the meaning), but on the larger context of communication-
verbal and nonverbal cues, relational context between the sender and
receiver within a larger social, organizational and cultural context

Negotiated View:
Looks at the overall body of communication.
It seeks to exploit how the creation and maintenance of social relations
materialize in talk.
 What forces influence communication
in the high performance workplace?
 The explosion of new communication technologies is one of the
greatest contemporary challenges.
 Effective communication skills are essential for career success.
 Everyone must stay current on information technologies and
organizational communication issues.
 Advances in information technologies enable organizations to:
– Distribute information much faster.
– Make more information available.
– Allow broader and more immediate access to information.
– Encourage participation in the sharing and use of information.
– Integrate systems and functions, and use information to link with the
environment.
 Forms of Business Structure
 Entrepreneurial - decisions made centrally
 Pyramid - staff have a role, shared decision
making, specialisation is possible
 Matrix - staff with specific skills join project
teams, individuals have responsibility
 Independent - seen in professions where
organisation provides support systems and little
else
 Illustrating Structures 1
The Pyramid Traditional
view of
organisations

Decisions pass
down formal
Information flows up
channels from
formal channels from
managers to
staff to management
staff
 Illustrating Structures 2
Entrepreneurial
Key Key
Quick to act but
worker worker
pressure on
decision makers

One or two
Most small Decision people make
businesses maker decisions
have this
structure
Great reliance on
key workers
Key Key
supporting decision
worker worker
makers
 Illustrating Structures 3
Matrix
Marketing Production Finance

Project A
Project teams Staff with
created specialist skills

Project B
 Illustrating Structures 4
Independent
Not suited to most
Dr A businesses due to
lack of control Dr B

Support systems
to professionals
such as doctors

Dr D Dr C
 More on Business Structure
Centralisation Decentralisation
 Managers keep control  Empowering and
 Decisions are made in the motivating
interests of the whole
business  Freeing up senior
 Costs can be cut by managers’ time
standardising purchasing  Better knowledge of those
and so on closer to customers
 Strong leadership  Good staff development
 Channels of Communication
 Communication in organisations follows
paths or channels
 Communication between managers and
subordinates is known as vertical
communication
 This is because the information flows up or
down the hierarchy
 Communication Flowing
Through Formal Channels

Downward Horizontal Upward

Management directives Task coordination Employee feedback
Job plans, policies Information sharing Progress reports
Company goals Problem solving Reports of customer
Mission statements Conflict resolution interaction,
feedback
Suggestions for
improvement
Anonymous hotline
Forms of Communication Flowing
Through Formal Channels

Written Oral Electronic

Executive memos, letters Telephone E-mail
Annual report Face-to-face conversation Voicemail
Company newsletter Company meetings Instant Messaging
Bulletin board postings Team meetings Intranet
Orientation manual Videoconferencing
 Type of communication in
organisation
 Formal communication
– Vertical
– Horizontal
– Lateral/Diagonal
 Informal communication
– Grapevine
Vertical/Lateral Communication
Organisation chart shows vertical (black
arrows) and lateral (green arrows)

Board of Directors

Finance Marketing Production

Finance Marketing Factory

Officers Assistants Operatives
Vertical, horizontal, and diagonal :
Hierarchical communication
 Hierarchical Communication: exchange of information
between managers and employees
 Managers provide five types of information through
downward communication
 Job instructions
 Job rationale
 Organizational procedures and practices
 Feedback about performance
 Indoctrination of goals

 Employees in turn communicate information about

 Themselves
 Co-workers
 Problems
 Organizational practices and policies
 What needs to be done and how to do it
 Upward communication
 The flow of information from lower to higher levels of the organization.
 Upward communication informs higher level personnel about lower level
workers’:
– Problems.
– Results.
– Suggestions.
– Questions.
– Needs
 Enhanced through surveys, suggestions, grievance programmes and
employee participation
 Reasons for poor upward communication:
Fear of appraisal
Filters- ideas/concerns get modified as they get transmitted upward
Time- impression that managers don’t have time to listen
 Downward Communication
 The flow of information follows the chain of command from top to bottom.
 Top managers should directly communicate with immediate supervisors
 Immediate supervisors should communicate to lower level personnel about
• Strategies.
• Objectives.
• Instructions.
• Policies.
• Feedback.
 On issues of importance top managers should then follow up by
communicating with employees directly.
 Communicate orally, then follow up in writing
 Message Distortion
Downward Communication
Through Five Levels of Management

Message Amount of message

written by board of directors 100%
 Message Distortion
Downward Communication
Through Five Levels of Management

Message Amount of message

written by board of directors 100%
received by vice-president 63%
 Message Distortion
Downward Communication
Through Five Levels of Management

Message Amount of message

written by board of directors 100%
received by vice-president 63%
received by general supervisor 56%
 Message Distortion
Downward Communication
Through Five Levels of Management

Message Amount of message

written by board of directors 100%
received by vice-president 63%
received by general supervisor 56%
received by plant manager 40%
 Message Distortion
Downward Communication
Through Five Levels of Management

Message Amount of message

written by board of directors 100%
received by vice-president 63%
received by general supervisor 56%
received by plant manager 40%
received by team leader 30%
 Message Distortion
Downward Communication
Through Five Levels of Management

Message Amount of message

written by board of directors 100%
received by vice-president 63%
received by general supervisor 56%
received by plant manager 40%
received by team leader 30%
received by worker 20%
Lateral and Diagonal communication
 Lateral- Involves communication among persons who do not stand in
hierarchical relation to one another
 Lateral communication enables persons and work units to
coordinate:
– Problems.
– Needs.
– Advice.
– Feedback.
 Very important in high performance organizations.
• Serving external customers.
• Serving internal customers.
 Organizational ecology.
• The study of how building design may influence communication and
productivity by improving lateral communication.
 Diagonal- refers to communication between managers and workers
located in different functional divisions
 Informal Communication
 Grapevine- The informal transmission of information,
gossip, or rumor from person to person.
Management Level Top Middle Lower
Aware that grapevine exists 70% 81% 92%
Conditions associated with 60% 69% 92%
increased grapevine activity:
Important subject
Lack of formal management 54% 60% 88%
communication
 Key Distinctions
 Levels:
Interpersonal communication-Micro
Group level communication-Meso
Organizational level communication-Meso
Inter-organizational level communication- Meso
Mass Communication-Macro
 Interpersonal communication
 Major form of communication

 Focus on improving communication skill of members (speaking and

writing). Topics include-

Active non-evaluative listening-The skill to receive messages is as

important as the skill associated with the messages
Skill incompetence- the tendency on the part of the professionals to
preserve their reputation by not admitting what they don’t know, and
on the part of most persons to duck tough issues and avoid conflict
‘Flamming’ Effect of computer mediated communication- Ignorance
of social context and free expression as receivers don’t have
nonverbal cues

 Distinctions within interpersonal communication include:

Sending /receiving (listening), oral/written/electronic, and verbal and
nonverbal
Meso level: Group, organizational and inter-
organizational level

 Formal Vs Informal communication

 Say- do matrix
-managers say one thing but do another
-Ideal is high say-do quadrant- there is
sufficient communication and management
actions match their communication
 High say low do- culture of informal and
formal communication conflict
 Internally Vs. Externally directed
communication
 When organization increases the range and
centrality of their interactions with suppliers,
customers and the public, communication
competencies of the organization become
important.
 Done through organizational alliances,
partnerships, networks, participative
management, employee and stakeholder
involvement
 Benefits of Email
1) Reduces the cost of distributing information to a large
number of employees
2) Increases teamwork
3) Reduces the cost and time associated with print
duplication and paper distribution
4) Fosters flexibility
 Benefits of Telecommuting

1) Reduction of capital costs

2) Increased flexibility and autonomy for workers
3) Competitive edge in recruitment
4) Lower turnover
5) Increased productivity
6) Tapping nontraditional labor pools
 Some questions
 What current communication needs and challenges are
not being adequately addressed?
 Do critical/formal communication conflicts exist?
 What new communication needs and challenges are most
likely to be faced by the organization?
 How could communication technologies and computer
aided communication rich environments enable and
facilitate communication across boundaries and
geographical distances?
 Can new communication technology improve the
effectiveness and efficiency?
 GUIDELINES FOR IMPROVING ORG.
COMMUNICATION

 Develop trust, cultivate it.

 Communicate openly. Share information and
feelings.
 Be specific.
 Supply background information.
 Be honest with all employees.
 Talk to an employee on one adult to another.
 Avoid sarcastic remarks.
 Always solicit employees ideas, suggestions and
reactions.
 IMPROVING INTERPERSONAL AND
ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION

Ind. Factors •Active listening

•Providing feedback
•Leveling

Org. Factors •Reducing noise

•Encouraging informal
communication
•Balancing information load and
information processing capability
THE SEVEN Cs OF ORGANIZATONAL
COMMUNICATION
 Completeness (includes all five Ws: what, when, who,
where and why of any message.
 Conciseness (no repetition, only relevant informations).
 Consideration (Focus on positivity i.e. what can be done
and on personal honor, truthfulness and sincerity).
 Concreteness (use of specific facts and figures and
avoiding uncertainty).
 Clarity (it requires short, familiar conversational words,
use of examples and illustrations).
 Courtesy (thoughtfulness immediate reply etc).
 Correctness (informal language, non discriminatory
words)