Definition of communication
Communication is sending and receiving information between two or more people. The person sending the message is referred to as the sender, while the person receiving the information is called the receiver. The information conveyed can include facts, ideas, concepts, opinions, beliefs, attitudes, instructions and even emotions.
Types of organisational communication
Upward communication
Upward Communication is the process of information flowing from the lower levels of a hierarchy to the upper levels. This type of communication is becoming more popular in organizations as traditional forms of communication are becoming less popular. The more traditional organization types such as a hierarchy, places people into separate ranks.
Upward communication helps employees to express their requirements, ideas, and feelings. For the top management, upward communication is an important source of information for business decisions. It helps in alerting top management about the requirement of changes in an organisations. Upward contribution is the core contributor of business process re-engineering in many organisations.
Upward communication is widely used as part of whistle blowing policy in many large organisations. Under whistle blowing policy, each employee is permitted to directly communicate with top management about matters requiring examination on vigilance angle. Hence it is used as a fraud prevention tool as well.
Downward communication
Downward communication is that communication in which information flows form superior to subordinates. Through downward communication, managers communicate organizational goals, policies, procedures, orders, instructions, decisions etc. to their subordinates.
In the process of downward communication, messages of the top executive reach to the lower levels moving through the chain of hierarchy. Downward communication can be of written or oral. Written forms of downward communication are manuals, handbook, notices, electronic news displays etc. whereas, face-to-face conversation, telephonic conversations, speeches, meetings etc. are the oral media of downward communication.
Horizontal communication
Horizontal communication, also called lateral communication, involves the flow of messages between individuals and groups on the same level of an organization. Horizontal communication does not involve relaying information up or down across levels. Sharing information, solving problems, and collaborating horizontally is often more timely, direct, and efficient than up or down communication. Horizontal communication can produce a higher quality of information exchange since it occurs directly between people working in the same environment. Communication within a team is an example of horizontal communication; members coordinate tasks, work together, and resolve conflicts. Horizontal communication occurs formally in meetings, presentations, and formal electronic communication, and informally in other, more casual exchanges within the office.
Methods of communication
Various methods of communication used by managers, including interpersonal communication, nonverbal communication, written communication and oral communication. Communication, like spices, comes in a variety of types. While having a variety is nice, it is important to know which one to use and at what time to maximize your success. Let us take a look at the four most common types of communication used by managers, including interpersonal communication, nonverbal communication, written communication and oral communication.
- Interpersonal Communication
One of the most important – if not the most important – forms of communication a manager will engage in on a daily basis is interpersonal communication. Interpersonal communication can be described in a variety of ways, but when we examine what it means in the context of management, we can define interpersonal communication as communication between a small group of individuals, typically in a face-to-face setting, where participants engage in a minimally restricted dialogue with each other.
This is ‘minimally restricted’ is because individuals who engage in interpersonal communication share some level of familiarity with each other, making them more likely to self-disclose information, or provide more intimate details than one would with a stranger, for example. Interpersonal communication, essentially, breaks down barriers which people put up to protect themselves. You allow yourself to become vulnerable by putting yourself out there.
Managers who engage in interpersonal communication with their subordinates demonstrate that they not only care about the organization, especially one that uses teams, but also care about their employees. Taking the time to get to know who your employees are will make them feel valued. This is not to say that every employee will want to get to know you on a more personal level but it at least tells them that you would like to. The more valued the employee feels, the fewer barriers they feel they need to build around them and the more easily information flows. As barriers come down, relationships are formed that create value within the organization, job satisfaction increases and the workplace becomes a place where everybody likes to be.
It is equally important for a manager to communicate interpersonally with upper management, as well. Since managers serve as a gatekeeper of information between upper management and subordinates, an effective manager understands their role in keeping the lines of communication open. When organizational information fails to reach its intended recipient, the entire organization can suffer.
- Nonverbal communication
Majority of what you communicate to people on a daily basis is done without words at all. This is also true for managers. Put simply, nonverbal communication is anything besides words, such as gestures, actions, facial expressions, body language and other aspects of your physical appearance, that, when seen, communicate something. I am sure that you’ve heard the saying ‘it is not what you say, but how you say it’ or perhaps ‘actions speak louder than words.’ Managers send, receive and interpret nonverbal messages the same way they would oral or written communication.
Still, understanding the significance of nonverbal communication can be troublesome for managers because it is such a normal part of any managerial action. Our nonverbal communication is as automatic as breathing because we do it without thinking about it most of the time. Even though nonverbal communication accompanies oral communication as an extension of a particular message, the two do not always align. Because nonverbal communication is often used without consideration, inconsistencies between oral communication and nonverbal communication can occur. Effective managers understand and are aware of their nonverbal communication, ensuring consistency between their spoken communication and their nonverbal communication.
- Written communication
While managers spend most of their time communicating with their subordinates and upper managers in a face-to-face setting, they also spend a good deal of time writing memos, letters, e-mails and reports. Written communication refers to messages that are transmitted to receivers in writing.
What is effective communication?
Communication is about more than just exchanging information. It’s about understanding the emotion and intentions behind the information. Effective communication is also a two-way street. It’s not only how you convey a message so that it is received and understood by someone in exactly the way you intended, it is also how you listen to gain the full meaning of what’s being said and to make the other person feel heard and understood. More than just the words you use, effective communication combines a set of skills including nonverbal communication, engaged listening, managing stress in the moment, the ability to communicate assertively, and the capacity to recognize and understand your own emotions and those of the person you’re communicating with.
Effective communication is the glue that helps you deepen your connections to others and improve teamwork, decision making, and problem solving. It enables you to communicate even negative or difficult messages without creating conflict or destroying trust. While effective communication is a learned skill, it is more effective when it’s spontaneous rather than formulaic. A speech that is read, for example, rarely has the same impact as a speech that’s delivered (or appears to be delivered) spontaneously. Of course, it takes time and effort to develop these skills and become an effective communicator. The more effort and practice you put in, the more instinctive and spontaneous your communication skills will become.
How effective communication facilitate in achieving organizational growth and objectives
Upward communication
Upward communication facilitates the achieving of organizational growth and objectives in the following ways:
- Development of plan: The information received from subordinate plays important role to help development of planning of the organization.
- Providing suggestions and opinions: By upward communication system, subordinate takes necessary suggestions and opinions from superiors about the work related issues of the organization.
- Motivating to employees: Upward communication system allows lower level staff to express their attitude or opinion to upper level staff. As a result sub-ordinates are influenced to work more towards fulfilment to target.
- Providing constructive suggestion: All employees are supplied with constructive and important messages that can help to implement the goals or objectives.
- Providing feedback: The subordinate’s reaction is returned to the superior in this communication system. So, top level management can decide what to do and what not do clearly understand and followed.
- Creating favourable environment: Upward communication helps to develop a favourable working situation in an organization by creating a good relation among all employees.
- Promote harmony: Upward communication creates friendly environment in the organization which lead to peaceful and harmonious relationship among the subordinates and superiors.
- Decision making: Top level executives or superiors needed much information before taking a decision on a particular issue. Subordinates supply this information through the help of upward communication.
- Developing creative and innovative ideas: Upward communication facilitates easy excess of the employees or subordinate to the superiors in providing necessary constructive suggestions and opinions about the work related issues of the organization.
- Facilitating collective decision: Since upward communication is participative in nature. It communication allows the subordinates to convey their feelings, constructive suggestions and opinions and the work related in the decision making process.
Downward communication
Downward communication provides certain advantages to an organization:
- Organizational discipline: Downward communication follows the organization’s hierarchy, meaning that organizational discipline and member compliance is much easier to maintain.
- Efficiency: Downward communication offers efficiencies because instructions and information come from the sources in power that are able to coordinate activities from the top of the organization. Employees receive feedback from the supervisors who manage them.
- Effective communication of goals: Upper management can easily communicate goals and assign responsibilities regarding achieving those goals.
- Ease of delegation: Delegation is much easier if the delegation comes directly from the vertical communication structure representing the chain of command.
Horizontal communication
Horizontal communication presents some distinct advantages. It decreases misunderstanding between departments working on the same project, thereby increasing efficiency and productivity. It may result in better implementation of top-level decisions because employees on lower levels are permitted to coordinate directly with each other in the implementation of the decision made at the top. Horizontal communication facilitates teamwork if a project requires tasks from different people or departments. It may also increase job satisfaction and motivation by creating more employee empowerment in communication.
References
Mehrabian, A. (1972). Nonverbal communication. London:Transaction Publishers.
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Berlo, D. K. (2010). The process of communication. New York, New York: Holt, Rinehart, & Winston.
Schramm, W. (1954). How communication works. In W. Schramm (Ed.), The process and effects of communication (pp. 3–26). Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press.
