COMMUNICATION INSIDE AN ORGANIZATION

DOWNWARD COMMUNICATION: Within an organization you will probably

find a great deal of downward communication ─ that is, information flowing from
higher to lower levels. Examples of such communication includes: staff meetings,
manuals, procedures, policy statements, instructions, job descriptions, newsletters,
announcements, letters to commemorate occasions or achievements, memos,
telephone conversations, performance appraisals, counseling sessions, interviews,
and even chance meetings in the hall.
All this downward communication is typically used for four purposes:
1. To explain set standards, such as informing an employee about specific
job instructions or general company policies.
2. To provide feedback to employees, such as giving a performance
appraisal.
3. To encourage participation, such as eliciting new ideas or upward
feedback on current policies, and
4. To motivate or inspire, such as showing how an employee’s job fits into
the bigger picture or the company’s general mission.
One of the biggest dangers in downward communication is that information may
get garbled on the way. One study of downward communication in 100 firms
determined how much of what top management said actually permeated the
organization. The researchers found that vice-presidents understood 65 percent of
the message, general supervisors 56 percent, plant managers 40 percent, foremen
30 percent, and production line workers only 20 percent. Other studies show that
there is a loss for each level a message descends.
How can you reduce this loss of meaning in your downward
communication? First remember that just because communication is downwards
does not necessarily mean it is one-way. In some situations, you will be conveying
information ─ such as when you are explaining specific instructions or announcing
a meeting. In these cases, you might ensure two-way communication by requesting
that the instruction sheet be initialed and returned, or by asking your subordinates
to call and confirm if they’ll be attending the meeting. In other situations, you will
be trying to elicit information from other people. For example, you might be
holding a brainstorming session to discuss new products, or sending around a
questionnaire to uncover potential problems. Remember that to increase two-way
communication in these situations, you may need to ask for a response;
traditionally, downward communication will not receive a response unless it is
specifically requested. Finally, beware of subordinates’ natural tendency to tell you
what they think you want to hear.
Second, your tone is crucial. On one hand, you want to avoid an overbearing
or patronizing attitude towards people who work for you; on the other hand, you
want to avoid an artificial warmth or friendship. Also avoid insults, references and
inappropriate sarcasm, since you are representing management, and perhaps the
organization itself.
Third, downwards communication must be clear. Here I am talking about
something beyond clear sentences or visual aids. I mean that your desires, wishes,
or required actions must be clearly understood. If you are, for example, instructing
subordinates about a task, you must clearly identify the procedure you want them
to implement. As another example, you must clearly explain to your audience
whether you are looking for minor suggestions or for complete revisions.
Finally, downward communication must be based on natural trust. I you
don’t trust your employees, your prejudice will stand in the way of true
communication with them. If your employees don’t trust you, they may not try to
understand you; they may lose their job enthusiasm; they may purposely delay
action.
UPWARD COMMUNICATION: One of the most noticeable changes in business
communication environment in the past few years has been the increased emphasis
on upward communication: the flow of information from subordinates to their
superiors. The most typical forms of upward communication are reports, memos,
meetings and interviews. Upward communication is typically used to accomplish
three purposes:
1. to report on activities or accomplishments of a person or division,
2. to offer suggestions and opinions, and
3. to increase participation in management functions, such as planning and
controlling.
Your boss (and, in turn, this he organization itself) will benefit from your ability to
communicate upwards: he or she will be able to make better decisions, learn from
past mistakes and successes, exercise more efficient control, and plan more
effectively for the future.
 The biggest problem to overcome in honest upward communication is that
of trust. Various studies have shown that employees tend to conceal their opinions,
ideas and problems from their supervisors. One study showed people felt they
would get in ‘a lot of trouble’ if they were honest with their supervisors. Another
showed that employees fear their bosses might perceive them as lacking
independence. A third study demonstrated employees’ fear of being ‘penalized’ for
honesty. And a final study showed people’s belief that managers are not really
interested in their problems.
In order to overcome these kinds of problems, you must establish a
relationship with your boss. If you have a supervisor who doesn’t want to hear
your opinions or your problems, that’s one thing. But you shouldn’t assume all
bosses are like that. Establish guidelines with your boss; find how much she or he
wants to know, how often, and under what circumstances. It’s just as important to
manage this relationship as it is to manage your relationship with subordinates.
Once you have established how much upward communication you and your
boss want, be aware of the two most common pitfalls of this kind of
communication: tone and detail. Avoid on one hand an impolite tone ─ too brisk,
argumentative, or insulting. On the other hand, avoid being smarmy, showing too
obvious a desire to please. Be sure to include the appropriate amount of detail.
Consider how much detail your boss wants, based on the specific assignment and
on his or her personality.
LATERAL OR HORIZONTAL COMMUNICATION: Communication between
people at the same hierarchical rank, but different functional areas such as a
supervisor in the marketing department and a supervisor in the research and
development department, is called horizontal or lateral communication. This flow
of communication is becoming increasingly important as businesses become more
large, complex, and specialized. Even in small companies, however, lateral
communication is essential in order to coordinate various functions by encouraging
teamwork among peers. Major blocks to lateral communication include:
departmental isolation, lack of time and communication opportunities, and jealousy
or rivalry between groups. These problems are certainly surmountable, especially
when you consider the benefits of teamwork: coordinating tasks, solving problems,
sharing information, resolving conflicts, and increasing interpersonal rapport.
The main thing to keep in mind is that it’s in your best interest ─ and the
best interest of your company ─ to keep this flow of communication open. Very
often, young people starting their business careers neglect this form of
communication, because lateral flow is not a part of the usual structured pattern of
reports and meeting. Imagine, for example, that you have been hired in the
accounting department and that your group is designing a new set of travel expense
forms. How might your ability to communicate laterally help you? For one thing,
you might want to discuss the forms with your peers in other departments. After
all, they are the people who will be filling them out. For another, you might join
with people in other departments that have large printing orders coming up, and
save money by having everything printed at the same time. Finally, you might
avoid possible conflicts and bottlenecks in printing if you have already established
a relationship with your peers in the printing department.