1. WORKPLACE Communication Flows in an Organization

Communication Flows in an Organization
In an organization, communication flows in 5 main directions:
1. Downward
2. Upward
3. Lateral
4. Diagonal
5. External
1. Downward Flow of Communication:
 Communication that flows from a higher level in an organization to a lower

level is a downward communication.
 In other words, communication from superiors to subordinates in a chain of

command is a downward communication.
 This communication flow is used by the managers to transmit work-related

information to the employees at lower levels.
 Employees require this information to perform their jobs and to meet the
expectations of their managers.
Downward communication is used by the managers for the following

purposes:
 Providing feedback on employees’ performance.
 Giving job instructions.
 Providing a complete understanding of the employee's job as well as to

communicate them how their job is related to other jobs in the organization.
 Communicating the organization's mission and vision to the employees.
 Highlighting the areas of attention.
 Organizational publications, circulars, letters to employees, and group meetings

= are all examples of downward communication.
► In order to have effective and error-free downward communication, managers

must:
 Specify communication objective
 Ensure that the message is accurate, specific, and unambiguous.
 Utilize the best communication technique to convey the message to the receiver in
the right form.
2. Upward Flow of Communication:
 Communication that flows to a higher level in an organization is called upward

communication.
 It provides feedback on how well the organization is functioning .
 The subordinates use upward communication to convey their problems and

performances to their superiors.
 The subordinates also use upward communication to tell how well they have
understood the downward communication.
 It can also be used by the employees to share their views and ideas and to participate
in the decision-making process.
 Upward communication leads to a more committed and loyal workforce in an

organization because the employees are given a chance to raise and speak
dissatisfaction issues to the higher levels.
 The managers get to know about the employee's feelings towards their:
1. jobs
2. peers
3. supervisor
4. and organization in general.
Managers can thus accordingly take actions to improve things.
 A Grievance Redressal System, Complaint and Suggestion Box, and

Job Satisfaction surveys - all help in improving upward communication.
► Other examples of Upward Communication are:
 performance reports made by low-level management for review by

higher-level management
 employee attitude surveys
 letters from employees
 employee-manager discussions
3. Lateral / Horizontal Communication:
 Communication that takes place at same levels of hierarchy in an

organization is called lateral communication
 EXAMPLE:
 communication between peers
 between managers at same levels
 between any horizontally equivalent organizational member

► The advantages of horizontal communication are as follows:
 It is time saving.
 It facilitates co-ordination of the task.
 It facilitates co-operation among team members.
 It provides emotional and social assistance to the organizational members.
 It helps in solving various organizational problems.
 It is a means of information sharing
 It can also be used for resolving conflicts of a department with other departments or
conflicts within a department.
4. Diagonal Communication:
 Communication that takes place between a manager and employees of other

workgroups is called diagonal communication.
 It generally does not appear on the organizational chart.
 For instance - To design a training module a training manager interacts

with an Operations personnel to enquire about the way they perform their
task.
5. External Communication:
 Communication that takes place between a manager and external groups such as -
suppliers, vendors, banks, financial institutes, etc.
 For instance - To raise capital the Managing director would interact with
the Bank Manager.

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Communication Flows in an Organization

In an organization, communication flows in 5 main directions:

1. Downward Flow of Communication:

 Communication that flows from a higher level in an organization to a lower

 In other words, communication from superiors to subordinates in a chain of

 This communication flow is used by the managers to transmit work-related

Downward communication is used by the managers for the following

 Providing feedback on employees’ performance.

 Giving job instructions.

 Providing a complete understanding of the employee's job as well as to

 Communicating the organization's mission and vision to the employees.

 Highlighting the areas of attention.

 Organizational publications, circulars, letters to employees, and group meetings

► In order to have effective and error-free downward communication, managers

 Specify communication objective

 Ensure that the message is accurate, specific, and unambiguous.

 Communication that flows to a higher level in an organization is called upward

 It provides feedback on how well the organization is functioning .

 The subordinates use upward communication to convey their problems and

 Upward communication leads to a more committed and loyal workforce in an

Managers can thus accordingly take actions to improve things.

 A Grievance Redressal System, Complaint and Suggestion Box, and

► Other examples of Upward Communication are:

 performance reports made by low-level management for review by

 employee attitude surveys

 letters from employees

3. Lateral / Horizontal Communication:

 Communication that takes place at same levels of hierarchy in an

 communication between peers

 between managers at same levels

 between any horizontally equivalent organizational member

 It facilitates co-ordination of the task.

 It facilitates co-operation among team members.

 It provides emotional and social assistance to the organizational members.

 It helps in solving various organizational problems.

 It is a means of information sharing

 Communication that takes place between a manager and employees of other

 It generally does not appear on the organizational chart.

 For instance - To design a training module a training manager interacts

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