In this article, we'll discuss the communication flows within a company and how to identify them all. Communication is crucial for achieving goals, and it's paramount in any business . So, let's explore what this is all about. Let's get started!
A fluid communication benefits and enhances the operation within a company, discover the best for yours.
Communication Flows of a Company Get to know them!
Communication within a company is non-negotiable if it aspires to greatness, as effective corporate communication goes hand in hand with improved productivity, coordination, and efficiency. To make good use of communication, flows of information are implemented , since every company needs a channel for information flow. This flow is multidirectional and structured in organizational charts where we can observe, among other things, how each job position connects with the others. We will now proceed to analyze each of these flows.
Types of communication flows
As we said before, there are two types of communication; firstly, we have informal communication, which is handled outside the professional sphere; however, within companies it is common to see the treatment between colleagues and others with this form of communication, thus creating interpersonal relationships within the company, although there are undoubtedly many companies that prohibit this type of relationship since it can be detrimental to the company.
The second point is formal communication, where a neutral tone of voice is used a lot and respect and clarity are fundamental to carrying it out correctly; this is an explicit requirement within a company and has protocols and rules that must be respected.
However, even the most politically correct form of communication is insufficient for the proper functioning of a company. Therefore, we will now discuss communication flows , and it is necessary to understand them all to identify which one is used in your company and to apply it more effectively. We will show them to you below:
horizontal communication
Horizontal communication is the one that is used between areas of the same level within the company, they usually use a more informal communication, as we mentioned before, it depends on the company and its internal policies. Among the frequent official channels are emails, videoconferences, work team meetings, although there are also unofficial channels such as telephone calls, instant messaging applications and social gatherings.
vertical communication
Vertical communication can flow in two ways, ascending or descending and depending on which one is used, it will have different characteristics and different methods will be used, that is why we will divide them to analyze them:
upward vertical
This flows from the subordinate to his superior, and tends to be a formal and respectful communication, this implies that the employees take their ideas and impressions of the project to their leaders, both of the model and the decisions that have been made, and also give their point of view of what they should take as a priority.
In some companies, a little more informal communication is also allowed, holding meetings to discuss new ideas and create feedback between employee-employer, thus creating a lighter but more effective environment. In this way managers realize how their workers have adapted to the company's mission.
downward vertical
We have the vertical descending communication, much more classic and used by a good part of the companies, and it is the flow that goes from the managers or presidents, towards the employees and this consists of stipulating the direction that the company will take, the decision making and inform all workers, the company's policy and the attributions and delegations that will be taken for different activities.
For this, group meetings are held, whether informative or directive, and the most common communication channels are email, interviews and institutional publications.
Transversal and circular communication
This type of communication flow goes in all directions and the information flows without restriction by level of hierarchy, this allows the company a more integrated participation generally used by modern, flexible and decentralized organizations.
Similar to this we have circular communication, which flows freely among all workers and is more frequent in new or small companies with a low number of participants, and the main objective is to establish who will be the base to grow the company.
Which one should I use in my company?
Well, since we know the business communication flows, you should deeply analyze each and every one of them and see which one is best for your company and the one that you think will be beneficial for your company or project.
For example, if your company requires the participation of all collaborators to carry out the company's objective, the best thing would be a transversal communication since it can enhance the skills of all your workers. Using it is a more complicated task, but it is up to you to make it work correctly.
We're glad you made it to the end! If you enjoyed this article, we recommend visiting our website. We have many others like this one: " Company Objectives: 3 Great Examples!" We've also included this video so you can explore today's topic in more detail. We wish you the best of luck!