CHAPTER THREE

PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNICATION

Chapter Objectives:-

At the end of this unit, students will be able to:

 Explain the meaning of principles of business communication and communication in general.

 Understand the different principles of communication

Introduction

To compose effective messages you need to apply certain specific communication principles.
These principles tie in closely with the basic concepts of the communication process and are
important for both written and oral communications. They provide guidelines for choice of
content and style of presentation-adapted to the purpose and receiver of your message. Called the
“seven C’s,” they are completeness, conciseness, consideration, concreteness, clarity, courtesy
and correctness.

1. COMPLETENESS

Your business message is “complete” when it contains all facts the reader or listener needs for the
reaction you desire. Remember that communicators differ in their mental filters; they are influenced
by their backgrounds, viewpoints, needs, experiences, attitudes, status, and emotions.

Completeness is necessary for several reasons: First, complete messages are more likely to bring the
desired results without the expense of additional messages. Second, they can do a better job of
building goodwill. Third, they can help avert costly lawsuits that may result if important information
is missing. Last, papers that seem inconsequential can be surprisingly important if the information
they contain is complete and effective. In high-level conferences, in courtrooms, and in governmental

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hearings, the battle often centres on an ordinary-looking message that becomes important because of
the complete information it contains.

As you strive for completeness, keep the following guidelines-in mind:

 Answer all questions asked. The first important guideline to make your message
complete is to answer all questions that are asked. Whenever you reply to an
inquiry, try to answer all questions-stated and implied.

 Give something extra, when desirable.

 Check for the five W’s (who, what, where, when and why) and any other
essentials.

Answer All Questions Asked

The first important guideline to make your message complete is to answer all questions that are
asked. Whenever you reply to an inquiry, try to answer all questions-stated and implied. A
prospective customer’s reaction to an incomplete reply is likely to be unfavourable. The customer
may think the respondent is careless or is purposely trying to conceal a weak spot. In general,
“omissions cast suspicions, whether you are answering an inquiry about your product or
recommending a former employee for a new job. If you have no information on a particular question,
say so clearly. If you have unfavorable information in answering to questions, handle your reply with
both tact and honesty.

Give something extra, when desirable

This is the second commonly recommended guideline that makes your message complete. The words
“when desirable,” in the above heading, are essential. At times it might not be at all important for you
to give extra message for a question that is asked. Doing so might even complicate the situation and
the message may not be addressed in an effective way. But in some instances you must do more than
answer the question. For instance you might be required to give additional information to a
customer’s specific questions. The customer may not know what she/he needs, or their questions may
be inadequate.

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Check for the five W’s and any other Essentials

The third way to help make your message complete is to answer, whenever desirable, the “five W”
questions who, what, where, when why-and any other essentials, such as how. The five-question
method is especially useful when you write requests announcements, or other informative messages.
For instance, to order (request) merchandise from a supplier, make clear what you want, when you
need it, to whom and where it is to be sent, and how payment will be made. To reserve a hotel hall,
specify the accommodations needed (what), location (where), sponsoring organization (who), date
and time (when), event (why), and other necessary details (how).

2. CONCISENESS

Conciseness is saying what you have to say in the fewest possible words without sacrificing the other
C qualities. A concise message saves time and expense for both sender and receiver. Conciseness
contributes to emphasis. By eliminating unnecessary words, you help make important ideas stand out.
To achieve conciseness it is recommended to observe the following suggestions:

 Eliminate wordy expressions

 Include only relevant statements

 Avoid unnecessary repetition.

Eliminate Wordy Expressions

The elimination of unnecessary words from your statements is the first thing that helps your message
to be concise. This important guideline can be explained by emphasizing on five points.

1. Use single – word substitutes instead of phrases whenever possible without changing
meanings. Have you ever realized that some messages communicated could have been
shorter and yet more meaningful? here below are some examples

2.

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 Wordy Concise

 Consensus of opinion Consensus

 Date of the policy Policy date

 During the year of During

 In accordance with your request As you requested

 In due course Soon

 In spite of the fact that Although

Have you noted how concise we can be by using the words in the second column as
replacements to the phrases in the first column?

3. Omit trite, unnecessary expressions, such as “allow me to say,” in reply I wish to

state,” please be advised,” Also, instead of “please find attached” (or “enclosed”), use
concise statements like “attached are,” “enclosed is,” or “the enclosed list includes.”

4. Omit “which” and “that” clauses whenever possible. As much as possible you should
avoid these two clauses in your statements as they making it more understandable to
the receiver of the message. Look at the simple example below.

Wordy: She bought desks that are of the executive type.

Concise: She bought executive – type desks.

5. Avoid overusing “It is,” “It was,” “There is,” “There was,” “There are,” There
were” at sentence beginnings. The example below shows how a wordy (long)
sentence can be made concise.

Wordy: It was known by Ato Abebe that we must reduce the price by 12 birr per unit.

Concise: Ato Abebe knew we must reduce the price by 12 birr per unit.

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 Wordy: There are four rules that should be observed.

Concise: Four rules should be observed.

6. Whenever possible, use a verb in the present tense and active voice using present
tenses and active voices will make your messages to be over simple and
understandable. Remember! The objective of communication is to make the receiver
of the message understand what is said perfectly, not to make your message long and
complicated.

Business people are not impressed by speakers who use difficult words and
expressions but are rather interested in the content of the message. They want short
and precise messages. Example:

Wordy: The total balance due will be found on page 2 of this report.

Concise: The balance due is on page 2 of this report.

6. Include only Relevant Statements

The effective, concise message should omit not only unnecessarily wordy expressions
but also irrelevant material. To be sure you include only relevant facts. Observe the
following suggestions:

 Stick to the purpose of the message.

 Prune irrelevant words and rambling sentences

 Omit information obvious to the receiver; do not repeat at length what that
person has already told you.

 Avoid long introductions, unnecessary explanation, excessive adjectives and

prepositions, pompous words, gushy politeness.

 Get to the important point tactfully and concisely.

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 Wordy: At this time I am writing to you to enclose the post paid appointment card for
the purpose of arranging a convenient time when we might get together for a personal
interview. (30 words; 5 prepositions)

Concise: Will you please return the enclosed card and name a convenient time for an
interview? (15 words; 1 preposition)

Avoid Unnecessary Repetition

Do you easily get fade up with somebody’s talk if she/he repeats the message over and over again?
Sometimes repetition is necessary for emphasis. But when the same thing is said two or three times
without reason, the message becomes wordy and boring. Here are three ways to eliminate
unnecessary repetition:

 Use a shorter name after you have mentioned the long one once: Instead of the “Arba
Minch Textile Factory”, “Arba Minch factory”,

 Use pronouns or initials rather than repeat long names: instead of “Ethiopian Electric
Power Corporation” “EEPCO”, Instead of “The Federal Inland Revenue Authority”
“FIRA”

 Cut out all needless repetition of phrases and sentences

3. CONSIDERATION

As discussed in chapter two, the interrelationship of the message sender and receiver profoundly
affects communication effectiveness. Consideration means that you prepare every message with the
recipient in mind and try to put yourself in his/her place. Try to visualize your readers (or listeners)-
with their desires, problems, circumstances, emotions, and probable reactions to your request. Then
handle the matter from their point of view. This thoughtful consideration is also called “you-attitude,”
empathy, the human touch, and understanding of human nature. It does not mean, however, that you
should overlook the needs of your organization.

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In a broad but true sense, consideration underlies the other six C’s of good business communication.
You adapt your language and message content to your receiver’s needs when you make your message
complete, concise, concrete, clear, courteous, and correct. However, in all four specific ways you can
indicate you are considerate:

 Focus on “you” instead of “I” and “we.”

 Show reader benefit or interest in reader.

 Emphasize on positive, pleasant facts.

 Apply integrity & ethics.

Focus on ‘you’ instead of ‘I’ & ‘we’

Your receivers are usually more concerned about themselves than about you or the company you
represent. They are more likely to read your message when they see their name and the pronoun
“you” rather than “I,” “we,” or “us.”

Usually it is very desirable to get the attention of your reader into the first paragraph or the attention
of the person hearing you in the first few minutes or even seconds. If psychologically desirable, begin
with “you” or “your,” and keep your reader in the message (tactfully) until you finish. The opposite
of you-attitude is we-attitude, in which the writer views every matter from his or her own (or the
organization’s) standpoint rather than from the reader’s. Examples below contrasts the “we” attitude”
and the “you – attitude”.

Show Reader Benefit or Interest in Reader

Whenever possible and true, show how your readers will benefit from whatever the message asks or
announces. They will be more likely to react favourably and do what you suggest if you show that
benefits are worth the effort and cost. In situations where actual direct reader benefit is impossible or
irrelevant to the subject matter, the message should at least show interest in and concern for the
reader’s needs or viewpoint.

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Even a simple request gets better response when a reader-benefit plug accompanies it. For example,
an insurance company that wanted to update its address files sent to half of its policyholders a double
postcard with this message.

Emphasize the positive, pleasant Facts

A third way to show consideration for your reader (or listener) is to emphasize the positive. This
means:

 Stressing what can be done instead of what cannot be done. And

 Focusing on words your recipient can consider favourably.

The reader (or listener) wants to know what you can do for him/her. For most people negative words
like no, wont, cannot, never, impossible trigger unpleasant emotional reactions. By making clear
what you can or will do, you (by implication) often make clear what you cannot do, without using a
single negative word. Furthermore, whenever possible and helpful, tell why or how.

Sometimes you will have to be very careful in your word choice. Some people may find some words
to be impolite when your intention was not to create such a perception. Be very careful not to offend
your customers (or any individual for that matter) by the words you have chosen. Among the positive
words to which people react favourably are: cordial, happy, help, generous, loyal, pleasure, thanks,
thoughtful. Words with negative connotations that often arouse unfavourable reactions include blame,
complaint, failed, fault, negligence, regret, reject, trouble, unfair, and many others. For example, in
the following opening of a letter the negative words (underlined) focus on ideas you’d rather not have
the reader think about. We regret that, since you closed your account, your name will be missing
from our long list of satisfied customers. We sincerely hope that. Despite the best efforts of our fine
staff, there were no occasions on which you felt we failed to serve you properly.

A better opening expresses appreciation for the customer’s patronage in the first paragraph, as shown
below. Then the second paragraph welcomes him/her to other services. Having you as a member of
XYZ Savings Bank was a pleasure. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to serve you. We noticed
recently that you closed your account with us. Perhaps you reached that particular goal for which you
were saving, or it may be that an emergency arose which called for a large outlay of cash. Whatever

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the reason, we were happy to have some small part in your financial program. You are cordially
invited to use our other profitable, timesaving services that can provide benefits for you in various
ways.

Apply Integrity & Ethics

To be truly considerate, you need also to apply integrity – high moral standards, personal honour,
truthfulness, & sincerity – to your written & oral messages. Integrity is indispensable in our jobs, in
business transactions, in social & political activities, in everything we-do. Without it business
communications would prove worthless, & our confidence in people would be shattered.

Ethics is concerned with what is right human conduct. Codes of ethics provide standards enabling us
to determine the fundamental distinction between right & wrong human behaviour.

Because you are an agent of your company, you help build your company’s image. To make this
image one of integrity & ethical conduct required consistently fair standards & honesty in
communications with persons outside & inside your organization.

When you show consideration for your customers, you try to let them know you are aware of & are
doing something about their interest & needs. This does not mean that, however, you yield to the
temptation of showing favouritism, allowing deviation for one customer that you would not allow for
all other customers in similar circumstances, or arranging money kickbacks & bribes to obtain
government or commercial business. Studies have shown that the behaviour of superiors & pressures
from top management to meet competition & increase profits were the chief factors influencing
executives to make unethical decisions. Typical examples include misrepresenting contents of
products, substituting materials without customer knowledge after the job contract has been awarded,
scheduling inaccurate delivery dates to get a contract, so on. Therefore, an ethical boss can be an
important influence for ethical employee communications.

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4. CONCRETNESS

Communicating concretely means being specific, definite and vivid rather than vague and
general. The following guidelines should help you compose concrete, convincing messages

a) Use specific facts and figures

If possible, try to substitute an exact fact or figure for a general word to make your message
more concrete and convincing using specific facts and figures whenever possible adds up to
the content of your message. The receiver of your message would be very comfortable with
your speech when you can support some of your ideas with facts. For instance you will lend
your ears more to a person who tells you that currently around 10 million people in Ethiopia
are in need of food assistance than a person who tells you a lot of people in Ethiopia are
facing drought.

b) Put Action in your verbs

Strong verbs can activate other words and help make your sentences definite. Generally use
active rather than passive verbs, because active verbs help make your sentences more specific,
personal, concise and emphatic. Look at the following comparison between active and passive
verb.

Comparison of Active and Passive verbs

C) Choose Vivid, Image- Building words

Among the devices you can use to make your messages forceful, vivid, and specific are
comparisons, figurative language, and concrete instead of abstract nouns. Sometimes adding a
comparison helps your recipient build a meaningful picture.

E.g. Vague: - There are a great many solder joints in the space craft, and each must
have just the right amount of solder.

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 Clear: - The spacecraft has 2.5 million solder joints. If an extra drop of solder had
been left on these joints, the excess weight would have been equivalent to the payload
of the vehicle.

Still another way that makes your message concrete is to use concrete nouns instead of
abstract nouns, especially as subjects of your sentences concrete nouns represent subjects your
recipient can touch, see, smell, feel, hear, or taste.

Abstract nouns as subjects designate intangible concepts. They bring only vague “pictures,” if
any, to a person’s mind.

Abstract – Consideration was given to the fact that…..

Concrete – The committee considered……..

5. CLARITY

Clarity means getting your messages across so that the receiver will understand what you are
trying to convey you want that person to interpret your words with the same meaning you
have in mind.

Accomplishing that goal is difficult because, as you know, individual experiences are never
identical and words may have different meanings to different persons. Some ways that help
you make your message clear include:

a) Choose short, familiar, conversational words

When you have a choice between a long word and a short one, use the short, familiar word
that your reader or listener will quickly understand. Also, use synonyms instead of Latin
terms if they, though short, may be unfamiliar to your message receivers.

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b) Construct effective sentences and paragraphs

Arranging your words in well constructed sentences and paragraphs is also an essential task
that requires adaptation to your reader. Important characteristics to consider are length, unity,
and coherence.

Short sentences are preferred. The suggested average sentence length should be about 17 to 20
words. Because of pleasing variety of length is desirable, you can have a range of from 3 to
30 or more words. But when a sentence exceeds 40 words, try to rewrite it in to more than one
sentence. Please also note that it is important that your sentences are not too short either.

In a sentence – Whether simple, compound, or complex unity means that you have one main
idea and any other ideas in the sentence must be closely related to it.

In a coherence sentence the words are correctly arranged so that the ideas clearly express the
intended meaning. Place the correct modifier as close as possible to the world it is supposed to
modify.

c) Include Examples, Illustrations, and other visual Aids, when desirable

When you have a complicated or lengthy explanation in a letter, speech, or report, you will
often find you can improve the clarity by giving your recipients an example, analogy, or
illustration. Furthermore, visual aids, such as headings, tabulations, itemizations, pictures,
charts-are definite aids to clarity and easy understanding. Also, typographical aids can be
useful some important statements may be underlined, numbered, or typed in all CAPITALS or
italics or on short lines with wider margins.

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 6. COURTESY

Courtesy messages help to strengthen present business friendships, as well as make new
friends. Courtesy stems from sincere you-attitude. It is not merely politeness with mechanical
insertion of “pleases” and “thank- you.” To be courteous, considerate communicators should
follow a number of guidelines these guide lines are:

a) Be sincerely tactful, thoughtful and appreciative

Tact instead of Bluntness

Though few people are intentionally abrupt or blunt, these traits are a common cause of
discourtesy. Sometimes they stem from mistaken idea of conciseness, sometimes from
negative personal attitudes. Avoid expressions like

Tactless /Blunt Tactful

Your letter is not clear at all: I can’t understand it. If I understood your

Letter correctly it seems that it

Needs some clarification.

b) Omit expressions that irritate, hurt or belittle

The thoughtful business communicator should avoid expressions that might offend the reader
or listener. Such expressions are discussed here in two groups: irritating, and questionably
humorous.

Irritating expressions questionably

humorous

We don’t believe you should know

We are amazed you can’t you are delinquent

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 Why have you ignored you failed that

c) Grant and apologize good-naturedly

Whenever you grant a customer’s request, begin your letter with the best news first and inject
a courteous, ungrudging tone.

7. CORRECTNESS

The correctness principle comprises more than proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling. A
message may be perfect grammatically and mechanically but still insult or lose a customer
and fail to achieve its purpose. The term correctness, as applied to a business message, means
the writer should

Use the right level of language

As you may probably know, the English language is becoming a world language. It is very
important for you to have the right level of the language to communicate (oral or written)
correctly. The three levels of language- formal, informal and substandard overlap because of
our ever changing language. English with almost a million words has the richest largest
vocabulary on earth. Some words once considered substandard have moved into the informal
level, and some once-informal words are now acceptable on a formal level.

Maintain acceptable writing mechanics

Acceptable writing mechanics include correct punctuation, capitalization, syllabication, and

spelling-plus correct sentence and paragraph structure. The two common weaknesses in
writing mechanics that deserve special though brief, attention are incorrect spelling and
careless omissions.

Business executives and customers expect you to spell correctly and may begin to question
your overall ability if you misspell-especially the customer’s name and everyday words like
convenience, questionnaire, stationery, personnel and accommodation. Another way to
maintain correct writing mechanics is to double-check for any careless omissions of
punctuation marks or words needed for grammatical accuracy.

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Choose non-discriminatory expressions

Another important requirement for correctness is “equal treatment of the sexes” and
nonbiased toward people of different races, ethnic origins, and physical features.
Conscientious business communicators (as well as authors) should be continually alert to use
non-discriminatory expressions whenever possible. Try to choose non-discriminatory
language when you refer to occupational roles and achievements, personal characteristics,
physical and mental attributes humanity at large, names and various title designations.

Check accuracy of figures, facts and words

Absolute accuracy is essential for effective writing and oral messages. When figures, facts
and some words are incorrectly used, they can cause serious problems. To be sure of the
accuracy of facts, communicators should verify all statements before writing and again before
signing or approving, messages. One erroneous digit-creating for instance, Birr 100,000
instead of 10,000 makes a difference of birr 90,000 and may result in lawsuit. In addition a
wrong figure in account number muddles up records and leads to untold problems.

Apply all other pertinent C qualities

We need two use the other C’s in the communication process to keep the correctness of our
message to have the right response from the receive.

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 CHAPTER FOUR

TYPES OF COMMUNICATION IN ORGANIZATIONS

INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL COMMUNICATION

Each organization has its own approach to transmitting information, both within the
organization and to the outside world. Depending on where the business communication
occurred we can categorize communication into Internal and External.

Internal Communication

Internal communication involves transmission of information within the organization. Among

various ways of communicating with companies are memos, Reports, Meetings, face-to-face
discussions, teleconference, videoconference, notices, etc. Internal communication is a vital
means of attending to matters of company concern.

External Communication

External communication is communication with people outside an organization. It is the

organization’s means of establishing contact with the outside word. External communication
could include business letters, press releases, advertisements, leaflets, invitations, telegrams,
proposals, etc. Messages to persons outside the organization can have a far-reaching effect on
its reputation & ultimate success. The right letter, proposal, or personal conversation can win
back a disgruntled customer, crate a desire for a firm’s product or service, help negotiate a
profitable sale, encourage collections, motivate performance, in general create good will.

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 FORMAL AND INFORMAL FLOW OF COMMUNICATION

To maintain a healthy flow of information, effective managers use both formal and informal
communication channels.

FORMAL FLOW OF COMMUNICATION

The formal communication is communication that flows along the organization’s lines of
authority. Formal channels of communication are intentionally defined & designed by the
organization. They represent the flow of communication within the formal organizational
structure. Typically, communication flows in four separate directions: downward, upward,
horizontal, & diagonal.

A. Downward Communication

Communication that involves a message exchange between two or more levels of the
organizational hierarchy is called vertical communication. It can involve a manager & a
subordinate or can involve several layers of the hierarchy. It can flow in a downward or an
upward direction.

Formal messages that flow from managers & supervisors to subordinates are called downward
communication. Usually, this type of communication involves job directions, assignment of
tasks & responsibilities, performance feedback, certain information concerning the
organization’s strategies & goals. Speeches, policy & procedure manuals, employee
handbooks, company leaflets, briefings on the organization’s mission & strategies, staff
meetings, & job descriptions are all examples of downward communication.

Higher level management communicates with lower level employees through such means as
memorandums, conferences, telephone conversations, company newsletters, policy manuals,
bulletin, board announcements and video tapes. One of the problems with written downward
communication is that management may assume that what is sent downward is received and
understood. Unfortunately that is not always the case.

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Most downward communication involves information in one of five categories:

 Job instructions – directions about what to do or how to do it. “When you stock
the shelves, put the new merchandise behind the old stock.”

 Job rational-explanations of how one task relates to other tasks. Explaining the
relationship between a task & other organizational tasks. “We rotate the stock like
that so the customer won’t wind up with state merchandise.”

 Policy & procedures: practice of the organization or rules, regulations and benefits
of the organization. “Don’t try to argue with unhappy customers. If you can’t
handle them yourself, call the manager”

 Feedback-Information about how efficiently a person is performing. “You are

really catching on fast. If you keep up the good work, you’ll be an assistant
manager by the end of the year”.

 Indoctrination- Information aimed at motivating employees by impressing the

organization’s mission upon them and specifying how they should related to it.
Efforts to encourage a sense of mission & dedication to the goals of the
organization. “If everyone will put in a little extra effort, we can become the
number one producer of X components.”

Downward communication across several levels is prone to considerable distortion. As much

as 80% of top management’s message may be lost by the time the message reaches five levels
below. There are usually three main reasons for the distortion. One reason is that faulty
message transmission may occur because of sender carelessness, poor communication skills,
& the difficulty of encoding a message that will be clearly understood by individuals at
multiple levels. Another is that managers tend to overuse one-way communication methods,
such as, memos, manuals, & newsletters, leaving little possibility for immediate feedback
regarding receiver understanding. Finally, some managers may intentionally or
unintentionally filter communications by withholding, screening, or manipulating
information. A major problem with managers & downward communication is their
assumption that employees don’t need or want to know much about what is going on.

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Intentional filtering typically occurs when a manager seeks to enhance personal power over
subordinates by tightly controlling organizational information.

B. Upward Communication

Formal messages also flow upward from subordinates to supervisors and managers. Without
upward communication, management would never know how their downward messages were
received & interpreted by the employees & would miss out on valuable ideas; workers would
not get the chance to be part of the company. To solve problems & make intelligent decisions,
management must learn what’s going on in the organization. Because they can’t be
everywhere at once, executive depend on lower-level employees to furnish them with
accurate, timely reports on problems, emerging trends, opportunities or improvements, etc. It
is very important because it provides higher management with the information needed for
decision making. It also cultivates employee loyalty by giving employees an opportunity to be
heard, to air their grievances, and to offer suggestions. Finally up ward communication
provides the feedback necessary to let supervisors know whether subordinates received and
understood messages that were sent downward.

The following types of messages are valuable when communicated upward:

 What subordinates are doing: highlights of their work, achievements, progress, &
future job plan. “We’ll have that job done by closing time today”.

 Outlines of unsolved work problems on which subordinates now need aid or may
require help in the future. “We are still having trouble with the air conditioner in
the accounting office”.

 Suggestions of ideas for improvements with in departments in the organization as

a whole. “I think I have figured a way to give people the vacation schedules they
want and still keep our staffing up”

 How subordinates think & feel about each other and their jobs, their associates &
their organization. “I am having a hard time working with Getachew. He seems to

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 think I am mad at him. Or “I am getting frustrated. I have been in the same job for
over a year now, and I am seeking for more responsibility”.

Forms of upward communication include one – to – one meeting with one’s immediate
supervisor, staff meetings with supervisors, suggestion systems, grievance procedures,
employee attitude survey, progress reports, inquiries, etc.

The distortion that characterizes downward communication also plagues upward

communication. First, individuals are likely to be extremely selective about the information
that they transmit upward. Information favorable to the sender is very likely to be sent
upward. In contrast, information that is unfavorable to the sender will probably be blocked,
even when it is important to the organization. Subordinates are more likely to filter
information when they do not trust their superiors, perceive that their superiors have
considerable influence over their careers, & have a strong desire to move up. Second,
managers do not expend sufficient effort in encouraging upward communication. Managers
often behave in manners that exacerbate the situation, usually through punishing the bearer of
bad news or allowing themselves to be isolated from subordinates at lower levels.

C. Horizontal Communication

Horizontal communication involves exchange of information among individuals on the same

organizational level, such as across or within departments. Thus, it generally involves
colleagues & peers. Horizontal information informs, supports, & coordinates activities both
interdepartmentally & interdepartmentally. Considerable horizontal communication in
organizations stems from staff specialists, in areas such as engineering, accounting, & human
resources management, who provide advice to managers in various departments. Horizontal
communication is important to help coordinate work assignments, share information on plans
and activities, negotiate differences and develop inter personal support, thereby creating a
more cohesive work unit. The more that, individuals or departments within an organization
must interact, with each other to accomplish their objectives the more frequent and intense
will be the horizontal communication. Horizontal communication is especially important in an
organization for the following purposes:

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  To coordinate task when several employees or departments are each working on
part of an important project.

 To solve problems such as how to reduce waste or how to increase the number of
items assembled each hour.

 To share information such as an easier way to perform a task or the results of a

new survey.

 To solve conflicts such as jealousy or disagreements between co-workers.

 To build rapport: peer support.

Three major factors tend to impede necessary, work-related horizontal communication. First,
rivalry among individuals or work units can influence individuals to hide information that is
potentially damaging to themselves or that may aid others. Second, specialization may cause
individuals to be concerned mainly about the work of their own unit & to have little
appreciation for the work & communication needs of others. For example, scientists in
research and development unit that is focused on long-term projects may find it difficult to
interrupt their work to help with current customer problems identified by the sales
department. Third, motivation may be lacking when subordinate horizontal communication is
not encouraged or rewarded.

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D. Diagonal Communication (cross channel communication)

Cross channel communication is the exchange of information among employees in different

work units who are neither subordinate nor superior to each other. Staff specialists use cross
channel communications frequently because their responsibilities typically involve many
departments within the organization. Because they lack line authority to direct those to whom
they communicate, they must often rely on their persuasive skills, as for instance when the
human resource department encourages employees to complete a job satisfaction
questionnaire. Some organizational structures employ teams comprised of members from
different functional areas, even different levels of the hierarchy. With more & more firms
reducing the number of management layers & increasing the use of self managed work teams,
many workers are being required to communicate with others in different departments & on
different levels to solve problems & coordinate work. For instance, a team might be formed
from all functional areas (accounting, marketing, operations, & human resources) to work on
a specific product project to ensure that all points of view are considered.

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INFORMAL COMMUNICATION (GRAPEVINE)

Formal organization charts illustrate how information is supposed to flow. In actual practice,
however, lines and boxes on a piece of paper cannot prevent people from talking with one
another. Every organization has an informal communication network –a grapevine-that
supplements official channels.

As the following examples, show not all informal messages are idle rumors. Informal
communication can serve several useful functions:

Confirming- some informal communication confirms formal messages. You have probably
heard this sort of confirmation yourself. The boss is really serious about cutting down on
long-distance calls this time. I heard him yelling about it when I walked past his office.”

Expanding- Information communication can fill in the gaps left by incomplete formal
messages. You might say to an experienced co worker “the invitation to the office party says
‘casual dress ‘what mean –jeans and T- shirt or sport coat and tie?”

Expediting- Informal networks can often deliver messages more quickly than official
channels can. Canny job hunters, for example, often use personal contacts to learn about
openings within an organization before the vacancies are published.

Contradicting- sometimes informal networks contradict official massages. You might learn
from a friend in accounting that the deadline for purchases on this year budget is not as firm
as it sounded in the comptroller’s recent memo.

Circumventing- Informal contacts can sometimes help you bypass official channels that are
unnecessary cumbersome and time consuming. Your tennis partner who works in duplicating
might sneak in an occasional rush job for you instead of putting it at the end of the line.

Supplementing-sometimes even management realizes that informal communication can get

the job done better than the more formal variety can. Paradoxical as it seems, many
companies elevate informal communication to an official policy by encouraging open,
unstructured contacts between people from various parts of the organization.

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