Routes of communications and their advantages and disadvantages

Communication has been defined as exchange of information creating and maintaining relationship as well as sharing understanding with those around us. Also communication is defined as process in which people share information, ideas and feelings. It involves spoken and written words, body language personal mannerisms, styles and anything that adds meaning to a message. Therefore, Communication is a transfer of information to achieve a goal.

Organizational communication is the process by which information is shared within organizations such as businesses. Outside of informal social interactions, individuals in an organization typically communicate with coworkers in their departments who have attained the same status they have, or they communicate with their direct superiors or subordinates.

Routs of Communication are ways in which information transfer from one place/person to another, these are:

Lateral/Horizontal communication is communication between different individuals and, departments, or organisms on the same organizational level.

The term lateral communication can be used interchangeably as horizontal communication. In his text entitled “Organizational Communication,” Michael J. Papa defines horizontal communication as “the flow of messages across functional areas at a given level of an organization” (Papa and Daniels 55). With this system people at the same level are permitted “to communicate directly without going through several levels of organization”

Specifically, lateral communication occurs among coworkers, during staff meetings and informational presentations, throughout shift changes, and among employees regardless of peer types. In short, lateral communication’s purpose is to keep organizational personnel informed of all current practices, policies, and procedures” (Spellman and Mino 100)

Advantages of lateral communication:

 Members within an organization have an easier time with problem solving, information sharing across different work groups, and task coordination between departments or project teams

 The use of lateral or horizontal communication in the workplace can also enhance morale and afford a means for resolving conflicts.

  It is time saving. It does not require complex procedures in transferring information from one individual to another, as no different organizational levels are involved.

It facilitate cooperation among the team members

It provides emotion and social assistance to the organizational members.

Disadvantages of lateral communication;

 Territoriality .This often occurs when members of an organization “control task-related activity within a defined and fixed jurisdictional area” and as a result “regard others’ involvement in that area as territorial encroachment.” “Departments value their turf and strive to protect it. This problem may be compounded through interdepartmental rivalries that arise from win/lose competition for rewards and resources”.

Rivalry, this occurs within organizations occurs for example when the different levels of an organization fail “to cooperate with one another. For example, Papa gives an example of “corporate executives in a national department store chain” who “encountered territorial rivalry when they discovered that local stores within each of the company’s major sales districts refused to cooperate with one another on sales promotions”. “Stores within the same sales region literally were in competition with one another as well as with other department store chains”.

Specialization.this is a problem that often happens when organizations do not have uniformity within departments, causing communication difficulties. Specialization can occur with procedures or vocabulary used by different departments. For example when “different specialties use the same terms in different ways,” this can create confusion and miscommunication. When this occurs organizations have trouble functioning properly and do not run smoothly.

Lack of Motivation. “Horizontal communication often fails simply because organization members are unwilling to expend the additional effort that it requires.” “Horizontal communication may require contact with people in units that are well removed from our own. The channels and rules of interaction may be unclear. We do not really know these people.

Vertical/Downwards Communication

In an organization, vertical communication is communication between those who are on different levels of authority within the company. This is communication that flows from higher level in an organization to lower level.

 Examples are: manager to employee, general manager to managers, foreman to machine operator, head of the department to cashiers, etc.

Advantages of vertical communication

1.     It helps to provide feedbacks on employees’ performance.

2.     Give specific directives about the job instructed to workers

3.     Providing a complete understanding of employees’ job as well as communicating with them on how job related to jobs in organization.

4.     It provides communicating organization’s mission and vision to the employees

5.     It helps in explaining organizational policies.

Disadvantages of vertical communication

1.     Under or over communication. Information provided may be more or less sufficient regarding particular issue.

2.     Delay of information as information passes on different levels.

3.     Exaggeration of information.

4.     It built in resistance as no questioning on information delivered.

Grapevine Communication

Grapevine communication is the informal communication network within an organization. The grapevine is used to spread information by passing the formal communication structure. Just like the grapevine plant: it spreads in random ways and it goes where it can.
The grapevine is formed by individuals and groups in an organization. The people in the groups have something in common that links them together.

Examples of Grapevine Network of Communication

1. Suppose the profit amount of a company is known. Rumors is spread that this much profit is there and on that basis bonus is declared.
2. CEO may be in relation to the Production Manager. They may have friendly relations with each other.

Advantages of Grapevine Communication

1. Grapevine channels carry information rapidly. As soon as an employee gets to know some confidential information, he becomes inquisitive and passes the details then to his closest friend who in turn passes it to other. Thus, it spreads hastily.
2. The managers get to know the reactions of their subordinates on their policies. Thus, the feedback obtained is quick compared to formal channel of communication.
3. The grapevine creates a sense of unity among the employees who share and discuss their views with each other. Thus, grapevine helps in developing group cohesiveness.
4. The grapevine serves as an emotional supportive value.
5. The grapevine is a supplement in those cases where formal communication does not work.

6.     Grapevine communication creates a social bond where none existed. People like to talk to one another; whether they talk about work or family, or anything.

7.     Teams become more cohesive when members talk to one another outside of the project or assignment they may be working on. Informal communication lends itself to bonding. 

8.     The grapevine fills in a gap that is left when official information is missing. Even in organizations where management is very proactive about keeping employees informed, the grapevine helps to fill in the blanks. 

9.     The grapevine in many ways helps keep people honest; it can dissuade people from engaging on behavior that they don't want others to know about. This is a two edge sword. On one hand, people will think twice about taking what they know is a wrong course of action. On the other hand, they may also think twice about taking a necessary risk and doing the right thing, fearful those appearances that may give rise to rumors.

Disadvantages of Grapevine Communication

1. The grapevine carries partial information at times as it is more based on rumors. Thus, it does not clearly depict the complete state of affairs.
2. The grapevine is not trustworthy always as it does not follows official path of communication and is spread more by gossips and unconfirmed report.
3. The productivity of employees may be hampered as they spend more time talking rather than working.
4. The grapevine leads to making hostility against the executives.
5. The grapevine may hamper the goodwill of the organization as it may carry false negative information about the high level people of the organization.

A smart manager should take care of all the disadvantages of the grapevine and try to minimize them. At the same time, he should make best possible use of advantages of grapevine.

Upward communication

This is communication that flows to higher level in an organization. The subordinates use upward communication to convey their problems and performances to their superiors, and tell how well they understood the downward communication.

Examples of upward communication: suggestion box, letters from employees, employee to manager discussion.

Advantages of upward communication

1.     It provides feedback from employees to make good use of resources.

2.     It provides constructive suggestions, promote welfare and improve management.

3.     It creates harmony and togetherness

4.     It helps the subordinate to convey their problem and performance to their superiors.

5.     It leads more committed and loyal workforce in an organization.

Disadvantages of upward communication

1.     There is chance of distortion deliberately.

2.     Trend to pass, tendency of bypassing the immediate boss, can be created among the employees.

3.     Delays may take place to decide whether to inform management or try further to solve the problem

4.     Employees lack confidence to initiate just implement orders.

5.     Workers become too bold and fear to face top management.

Hence, all this kind of communication help in promoting management, transferring of information from one worker to another worker, bridging the gap from manager to the audience which results into improving working capability of the worker