Topic > Formal and informal communication in the organization

In an organization, the flow of communication can be formal or informal. Communication flowing through normal channels can be ascending, horizontal or descending. Communication that flows through informal organizational channels is generally referred to as a grapevine. Previously, informal communication served as a hindrance to an organization's operations, but this is no longer the case as it is now applied to enhance organizational operations (Johnson et al., 1994). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Informal communication does not follow any particular channel but flows in all directions. Informal communication, sometimes called informal communication, spreads throughout an organization in the form of single-stranded messages, rumors, and gossip. It mainly spreads quickly and effectively in an organization that has access to personal or individual interpretation. Informal communication is normally more direct and faster than formal communication. Employees are classified into two categories of informal communication and are dead-end or isolated employees. A dead end is an employee who does not pass on information to others after receiving it in large quantities. An isolate is an employee who receives less than half of the available information. Informal communication can cause devastating miscommunications that can partially or completely paralyze an organization's operations. On the contrary, informal communication can be useful as it allows employees to express their emotions or complaints without any limitations. Therefore, employees tend to be motivated when they are allowed to express themselves freely resulting in improved performance and productivity (Johnson et al., 1994). Top-down or bottom-up communication is a category of precise information. Top-down communication is a strategy applied by executive management to communicate with employees in lower organizational positions. Downward communication is used to implement management directions and company policies. In downward communication, distortion of the information conveyed by executive management usually occurs. Downward communication can be made more effective by allowing feedback from employees in lower organizational positions. For downward communication to be most effective, executive management must be respectful of subordinate employees and employees must be obedient to commands or messages conveyed to them using the communication channel. Downward communication facilitates the achievement of leadership development goals because the leaders of the organization can convey information to the employees under them and can guide them easily using the formal form of communication.