ORGANIZATIONAL

COMMUNICATION

Dr. Wasim Hassan

• Effective communication is the cement that
binds an organization together. It is the
foundation upon which successful teamwork and
good relationships are built.

- Connie Podesta
Organization?
• An organization is an entity where two or more
persons work together to achieve a goal or a
common purpose.

• An organization is a social arrangement which

pursues collective goals, controls its own
performance, and has a boundary separating it
from its environment.
Formal Organization
• A formal organization refers to the structure of
well-defined jobs, each bearing a definite
measure of authority, responsibility, and
accountability.
• Formal organization is a fixed set of rules of
intra-organization procedures and structures.
Informal Organization
• Informal organization refers to the relationship
between people in an organization based on
personal attitudes, emotions, prejudices, likes
and dislikes, etc.
• Relations in informal organization are not
developed according to procedures and
regulations laid down in the formal organization.
Flow of Communication
1. Internal Communication
2. External Communication
3. Grapevine Communication
Internal Communication
• The communication takes place within an
organization
• Internal Communication is the dialogic (in the
form a dialogue) process between employees and
employer, and employees and employees.
• It works as a bond among all working forces
within the organization
Internal Communication
• Downward Communication
• Upward Communication
• Horizontal/Lateral Communication
• Diagonal Communication
Downward Communication
• Communication that flows from higher level to
lower levels
• Employees need this information to perform
tasks and meet expectations
• Staff meetings, Job Instructions, Performance
Appraisals, Circulars, Memos etc.
Purposes
• Implementation of goals, strategies, and
objectives
• Job instructions and rationale
• Provide feedback on employees performance
• Encourage participation
• Socialization
Reducing Pitfalls
• Avoid overbearing or patronizing attitude and
artificial warmth
• Bring clarity in information for its execution
• Mutual trust
• Be less authoritative to make it a two-way
Communication
Upward Communication
• The flow of information from lower level to
higher level
• It provides feedback how well an organization is
functioning
• Job satisfaction surveys, Complaint and
suggestion box, Grievance Redressal System,
Meetings, Reports, etc.
Purposes
• Report on activities or accomplishments
• Offer suggestions and opinions for improvement
• Increase participation
• Describe problems, grievances, and disputes
Reducing Pitfalls
• Develop mutual trust
• Avoid impolite, argumentative, or insulting tone
• Avoid details
Horizontal/Lateral Communication
• Communication between people at the same
hierarchical rank, but in different functional
areas
• It facilitates co-operation among peers
• Meetings, Inter-department memos, E-mails,
Telephone, etc.
Purposes
• Build co-ordination on various functions
• Provide emotional and social assistance
• Resolve conflicts or problem between or within
departments
Reducing Pitfalls
• Eliminate departmental isolation
• Tackle with lack of communication opportunities
• Jealousy or rivalry between persons/groups
Diagonal Communication
• Takes place between people who work in
different departments and at different levels.
• Generally does not appear on organizational
chart
• Often relies largely on co-operation, goodwill,
informal interaction, and respect between
parties concerned.
• The concept of diagonal communication was
introduced to capture the new communication
challenges associated with new organizational
forms, such as matrix and project-based
organizations.
• This perspective often keeps diagonal
communication out of the chart of the flow of
organizational communication.
External Communication
• Takes place outside the organization ---
between/among organizations involving
different audiences
• These external audiences may include suppliers,
dealers, vendors, prospective, current and
former customers, Govt. agencies, bureaus,
media, etc.
• It is mostly done in the form of letters.
Grapevine Communication
• An unofficial communication system which is
constantly changing
• It is informal channel of communication
• It stretches throughout the organization in all
directions irrespective of the authority level
• It results in the distortion of the correct lines of
communication
• Recession is the root cause
Advantages
• Grapevine channels carry information rapidly.
• Feedback obtained is quick compared to formal
channel of communication.
• Grapevine helps in developing group
cohesiveness.
• The grapevine serves as an emotional supportive
value.
• The grapevine is a supplement in those cases
where formal communication does not work.
Disadvantages
• The grapevine carries partial information at times
as it is more based on rumours.
• The productivity of employees may be hampered as
they spend more time talking rather than working.
• The grapevine leads to making hostility against the
executives.
• The grapevine may hamper the goodwill of the
organization as it may carry false negative
information about the high level people of the
organization.
Thank You For Your
Attention!