This paper will explore organizational communication and its application within my work environment. I will explain the main types of communication within each organizational structure. I will also analyze communication in my personal work environment to include amount, types, options, location, and speed.
The essay, Sharing Organizational Messages Through Effective Lateral Communication, by John E Spillan, Mary Mino, and M Susan Rowles (2002), focuses on studying and improving organizational communication. This essay highlights vertical and lateral communication while clarifying organizational structure and characteristics. According to the authors, organizational communication is broken down into two groups, vertical and lateral communication.
Vertical Communication
Vertical communication is the flow of information from the top level down to the bottom of an organization. This is generally prevalent in a majority of companies but does not always bode well for employees or management. Within this structure, employees ' are often counterproductive, frequently wasting time awaiting direction from above while oftentimes, the information does not make it to everyone in the intended audience.
An example of vertical communication is a directive from the boss on Thursday for casual dress on Friday. Middle management passes the information along to supervisors who then pass along the directive to workers. Inevitably, someone will show up to work in business attire and wonder why everyone else is in jeans. This is a perfect example of a lack of information shared among workers.
Lateral Communication
Lateral communication is often ideal in most organizations because information sharing happens at all levels and keeps personnel informed on important issues. According to Thomas Thamara, "Lateral communication allows for a spirit of collaboration and teamwork by empowering employees at every level of the organizational hierarchy to work
References: Spillan, J., Mino, M., & Rowles, M. (2002). Sharing Organizational Messages Through Effective Lateral Communication. Retrieved October 08, 2006