Communication in the Organization - Guiding Principles

1. People are not mind readers. They judge you by their behavior & not by your intent We cannot communicate. The very attempt not to communicate communicates something. Through not only words, but through tone of voice and through gesture, posture, facial expression, etc., we constantly communicate to those around us. Through these channels, we constantly receive communication from others.

2. A word is like an arrow, once out of the bow never returns You can't really take back something once it has been said. The effect must inevitably remain. Despite the instructions from a judge to a jury to "disregard that last statement the witness made," the lawyer knows that it can't help but make an impression on the jury.

3. We don’t exchange ideas; we exchange symbols that stand for ideas Words (symbols) do not have inherent meaning; we simply use them in certain ways, and no two people use the same word exactly alike.

Mediated communication

This level of communication occurs when two (or a few) people use some intermediate means for carrying their messages. They do not communicate face to face and thus do not have direct feedback. Mediated communication often uses a mechanical or electrical device to transmit or receive messages. Examples include the telephone, closed-circuit television, radio, radar, and the communication satellite. Mediated communication also occurs through letters, reports, forms, and interoffice memoranda.

Person-to-Group Communication

The person-to-group level involves one speaker and audience. The speaker usually faces the audience, and the audience usually contains people with similar interests. A small, private person-to-group situation often has some of the characteristics of interpersonal communication. However, for large public groups, the person-to-group level lacks the benefits provided by interpersonal exchanges. The traditional speaker and audience setting may include microphones, projectors, and tape player.

Mass Communication

Mass communication includes messages sent to large, public, dissimilar, anonymous, distant audiences using some intermediate instrument of transfer. The instruments include electronic (for example, radio, television, tape, and film) and print (for example, newspaper, magazine, book, pamphlet, brochure, direct-mail campaign). The restricted opportunity for feedback is the most serious barrier to effective mass communication.

The "mass media," as they are often called, have grown to include the print media of books, newspapers and magazines, the electronic media of television, radio, and audio/video recording, and the new media of computers and computer networks. While these media differ in many ways, they all share the characteristics by which scholars define mass communication.

COMMUNICATION IN THE ORGANIZATION

Communication is used extensively in the managerial functions of planning, organizing, staffing, directing and controlling. Virtually every task that a manager performs requires the use of communication in one form or another.

The nature of communication in the modern organization can be studied by examining the direction of communication flow and the destination of the communication. While communication in the modern organization flows downward, upward, and the horizontal, its destination can be either internal or external.

Downward Communication
Downward communication flows from people at higher levels to those at lower levels in the organizational hierarchy. The primary function of downward communication is to inform employees about things important to them such as:

Information about their jobs
Organizational policies and procedures
Feedback about their performance
Organizational goals and objectives

The types of downwards communication may include instructions, speeches, meetings, announcements, memos, notifications, letters, hand-books, pamphlets, company newsletters and periodicals, bulletin boards (notice boards) policy statements, and procedures. For downward communication some use written communication, others use oral communication.

Why is this needed?
When employees receive appropriate downward communication from management, they can be better motivated and become more efficient. While the employees need clear job directions and safety rules, they also need to know facts about organizational strategy, products, and viewpoints on important controversial issues. Employees want to know about their benefits - health care, insurance, promotions, pensions, training, work environment, retirement, etc. etc. In a way the employees, through their collective pressure, force their employers to be accountable for their decisions through effective downward communication.

Upward Communication

Upward communication travels from subordinates to superiors and continues up the organizational ladder. Upward communication is extremely important, as upper management needs to know specifically about:

Production performance, marketing information, financial data, what lower-level employees are thinking, and so on. The better the quality of information they receive, the more useful and effective it will be in their decision-making efforts.

Unfortunately, this flow is often hindered by people in the communication link who filter the messages
and do not transmit all the information, especially unfavorable news to their bosses.

Types of media used to direct information upward are reports, interoffice memos, supervisor subordinate conferences, suggestion systems, and grievance procedures.

Upward internal communication is becoming increasingly important day by day. Today many executives sincerely seek frank comments from employees, in addition to the usual periodic reports. Successful managers listen closely to opinions, complaints, problems, and suggestions especially when they are clearly and effectively stated. As a response to increasing global competition, some companies are developing new management styles, which make input form employees an integral part of important decisions affecting the company.

Lateral Communication

It includes horizontal flow of information, with people on the same or similar organizational levels, and diagonal flow, with people at different levels who have no direct reporting relationships. The lateral communication is used to speed up information flow, to improve understanding, and to coordinate efforts for the achievement of organizational objectives.

Effective lateral communication between peers is essential in organizations to solve problems, perform
job duties, prepare for meetings, listening to and making requests, writing notes and memos, and discussing and writing about projects.

Most lateral communication is of an oral nature, involving a conference between the participants. In some instances the conference is conducted by telephone.

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