What are the Functions of Organizational Communication?


What is Organizational Communication?

Organizational communication is established as the passage and forms of communication in which organizations such as institutions, charitable, and executive capture, as well as both the central communications that take place within an organization, and outer-facing communications between an organization and its shareholder.

Enhancing organizational communication can have a significant result on the effectiveness of an organization. Individuals with a bachelor’s and/or master’s in organizational communication can work in human wealth, workers training and management, public interrelation and public incidents, retailing, communications authority, media management, strategy and defense, and investigation and direction, among other areas.

Major Functions of Organizational Communication

  • Control

  • Motivation

  • Emotional Expression

  • Information

Control

Communication acts to control member behavior in several ways. Organizations have power ranking and formal recommendations that employees are required to follow.

When employees, for example, are necessary to first communicate any job related objection to their instance head, to follow their job explanation, or to act in accordance with company strategies, communication is executing a control function. But informal communication also controls behavior. When work groups make fun or provoke a member who build too much (and makes the rest of the group look bad), they are casually communicating with, and supervising, the member’s behavior.

Motivation

A motivated person plays a useful and active character in an organization. Communication encourages motivation by simplifying to employees what they must do, how well they are doing it, and how they can enhance if performance is inadequate. Communication motivates and induces individuals to meet mutually united goals. Sharing success stories of the particular person who has controlled the arguing and have been able to fulfil their goals can do this. This function of communication, in spite of being appropriate in all walks of life, is more prominent in business and industry where communication is being progressively used as a tool for motivation.

The establishment of individual goals, opinion on development toward the goals, and benefit for desired behavior all refreshing motivation and need communication.

Emotional Expression

Emotional expressions are necessary to enhance messages, to convey authenticity and to develop trust. Humans need to show their feelings in two ways. It can be verbal and nonverbal, emotions are expressed like love, anger, joy, fear, hope or any other emotions.

Emotional expression by way of language comes in a form of exclamation point - for example − Yes!, Oh no!

Information

Organizations need to keep their employees informed of their goals, industry information, preferred processes, new developments and technology, etc., in order that they can do their jobs correctly and efficiently. This information might come to employees in formal ways, via meetings with managers, news and messaging via a centralized system (like an intranet site), or it could be informal, as when a team member on the assembly line suggests a quicker way to approach a task and gets his co-workers to adopt the method.

Direction of Communication in an Organization

Generally, communication flows in 3 directions in an organizational structure. They are as follows −

  • Downward Communication

  • Upward Communication

  • Lateral Communication

Downward Communication

Downward communication is when company heads and executives share details with junior employees. Unless requested as part of the message, the dealer doesn't normally expect (or particularly want) to get a reaction.

An example may be a statement of a new CEO or notice of an amalgamation with a former candidate. Other configurations of high-level downward communications include speeches, blogs, podcasts, and videos.

The most frequent types of downward communication are everyday instructions of department executives or line managers to employees.

These can even be in the form of instruction manuals or company guidebooks.

Upward Communication

Details moving from junior employees to high-level employees is upward communication (also sometimes called vertical communication).

An example, upward communication happens when workers communicate to a manager or when team leaders report to a department supervisor.

Items commonly communicated upward include progress reports, scheme for projects, budget approximate, offenses and grievances, proposal for improvements, and schedule concerns.

Lateral Communication

Lateral communication in an organization describes the exchange between separate and groups on the same ranked intensity in an organization. Compared to other less formal communication positions, lateral communication at the workplace implicit a more focused objective.

Usually, the flow of messages between groups or individuals involving the same basic areas in an organization is executed with a clear purpose — to acquire information, exchange ideas, synchronize tasks, achieve common goals, or settle conflicts.

What is Interpersonal Communication?

Interpersonal communication is the process of exchange of information, concept and emotions between two or more people through verbal or non-verbal methods.

It frequently comprises face-to-face exchange of information, in the form of voice, facial expressions, body language and gestures. The level of someone's interpersonal communication skills is sustained through the advantages of conducting messages to others.

Frequently used interpersonal communication within an organization include everyday internal employee communication, customer meetings, employee performance analysis and project exchange. Additionally, online conversations today form a large portion of employees’ interpersonal communication in the workplace.

Types of Interpersonal Communication

  • Oral Communication

  • Written communication

  • Non-verbal communication

Oral Communication

Oral communication implies communication through the lips. It contains individual talks with each other, be it direct conversation or telephonic conversation. Speeches, introduction, and conversation are all forms of oral communication. Oral communication is endorsed when the communication matter is of interim kind or where a direct exchange is required.

Written communication

When you fetch a message via written symbols, you are preparing written communication. From emails and text messages to more formal communication and reports, written communication is the basis of most information sharing in business.

When information particularly composite or long-lasting needs to be shared, it is normally transferred through written communication. Knowingly, written communication is often considered more authorized than spoken words are. Thereby it often serves as an “official” mode of communication. Written communication can also include emoji, which can help fetch more emotional information and circumstances that can be hard to conclude from the words themselves.

Non-verbal communication

Getting meaning across without using words either written or spoken is the essence of non-verbal communication. This can be attained through everything from facial appearance, to certain gestures (“jazz hands,” anyone?) to body language and certain postures.

Besides, non-verbal communication frequently complements spoken communication. Gestures like “imaginary quotes” or shoulder snatching add further if not totally different meanings to as being said.

Conclusion

We have covered all the methods that organizations might use to address issues related to the way people behave at work. Besides, you must be close with the large number of elements, both surrounded by an individual and within the environment, that may affect a person’s behaviors and point of view.

Updated on: 24-Jun-2022

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