Organisational Communication

NAME: LYNRO .K. MTISI

PROGRAM: HSOSS

COURSE: CSSS103 (Grp 1)

REG NUMBER: R1711008

LECTURER:

QUESTION: With special reference to an organisation of your choice explain how the following channels of communication can be utilised (a) upward communication (b) downward communication (c) horizontal (d) diagnal communication

Organisational communication refers to information sharing between people within and outside an organisation that is performed for the commercial benefit of the organisation. It can also be defined as the relaying of information within a business by its people, as mentioned by Billie Nordmeyer.. However the flow of information imposed by a organisational hierachy is not necessarily an optimal flow that meets the needs of employees like lecturers and chairpersons, or student since the University of Zimbabwe is going to be my example as an organisation of my choice. Instead the best available data at one level of the hierachy is not always the best data, or even all the data. Thankfully, the University of Zimbabwe added upward, downward, horizontal and diagnal communication to its data flow repertoire, in which everything is going to be fully expanded and explained in the body below.

To commence with, upward communication. This channel of communication originates from someone at the lower level conveying information to someone at the top position. This communication focus that everybody is capable of generating thoughts and ideas resulting into organisational progress. For example, the student at the University is supposed to show respect and submission to his or her lecturer, in both verbally and non-verbally. It also applies to a lecturer when conversing with the chairperson of any other department, he or she will be so submissive since the lecturer`s rank is lower than that of the chairperson. Upward communication increases motivation and make those who are at the top rank feel valued, for example, when the University of Zimbabwe Vice Chancellor is conversing with a lecturer. To add on, upward communication must involve objective listening and must be responded, hence the importance of creating a climate of trust is often promoted as a means of overcoming difficulties during the conversation. This means there would be at least a climate of shared experiences which promotes open communication between those who are at the top rank like the Chancellors and their surbordinates like the Chairpersons and lecturers at the University as suggested by Planty Machaver(1952;704-318). Sharma, 1979, argues that this type of communication is used to the feeling amoung students and other employees like the Deans of Students and chairpersons who are at the lower rank to regard the Chancellor and the Vice Chancellor who are at the top level as they are inaccessible and unresponsive to what their surbodinates say. McCelland (1988) found out one of the factors why upward communication led to be poor that is fear of reprisal (maybe a student to a lecturer). Henceforth, upward communication originates from low level management, through middle level management to high level management, that is, it involves communication of information from surbordinates to supervisors (from a student straight to the Chancellor).