Communication Process
 It is the frequently discussed dynamics in the entire
field of Organisational behaviour
 It is (effective communication) a basic pre-requisite
for attainment of organisational goal.
 However, communication is often cited as being at
the root of practically all the problems of the world.
Perhaps, the heart of the world’s problem related to
human being is –Man’s inability to communicate as
well as he thinks he is communicating.
 Accurate communication may be effective in solving
all the problems of conflict & lack of motivation.
 The world communication has been derived from the
Latin word ´Communis´ which means ‘Common’.
Communication therefore refers to the sharing of ideas,
facts, opinions, informations & understanding.
 It is the transfer or transmission of some information
& understanding from one person to another.
Historical background : Earlier in organisational level
communication was considered as a management function of
command
&
structural
principle/organisational
hierarchy.
No informal
communication was
considered.
Henry Fayol gave a detailed analysis & explained meaningfully
solution to the problem of communication. The figure shows a
simple version of formal
organisation:
 If a formal channel in the organisation strictly followed & F wants
to communicate with P, the communication would have to go
through F-E-D-C-B-A-L-M-N-O-P & back. In other words F have
to complete 20-positions to complete the communication..
 On the other hand if F could lay a ‘Gangplank’ to P means if two
employees F & P are allowed to deal in one sitting for few hours
with some questions, can solve their problem with more satisfaction
by avoiding the scalar chain with 20-transactions, inconveniencing
many
people,
masses
of
papers,
long
time.
 Thus gangplank (walking on to a long flat piece of timber) concept
has directly implications for horizontal communication system in
modern formal organisation.
Fayol’s gangplank concept :
Chester Bernard : He had meaningfully developed communication
as a vital part of organisational behaviour. As per Bernard 3- major
components of effective communication are – Meaning,
Understanding & Authority in an organisation from the superior to
subordinate.
Bernard listed 7-specific communication factors for effective
transmission in an organisation, like The channels of communication should be definitely known.
 There should be a definite formal channel of communication to
every member of the organisation.
 The line of communication should be as direct & short as formal.
 The complete line of communication should normally be used.
 The person serving as communication center should be
competent.
 The line of communication should not be interrupted while the
organisation is functioning.
 Every communication should be authenticated.
Definition : Communication is the process which involves
transmission & accurate replication of ideas reinforced by feedback purporting to stimulate actions to attain organisational goal.
OR
Communication is the transmission & reception of ideas, feelings,
attitudes, both verbally or non-verbally which gives rise to a
response.
Major Categories of Communication that are especially
relevant to the study of O:B. :



Information theory.
Interpersonal communication process.
Organisational communication process.
Information theory : It is concerned with the transmission aspects
of the communication process. It emphasized the transmission
concepts of encoder (sender) & decoder (receiver) in terms of both
their functional roles & their contribution to the achievement of a
given level of performance. The theory recognize entropy in the
analysis of a communication system, for example it try to measure
& control noise entropy that may arise from distraction, distortions
or the electrical static occurring when a message is transmitted
over a communication system.
It emphasizes communication from a mathematical perspective.
The study of messages as a means of controlling machinery &
society. The development of computer & other automations, certain
reflections upon psychological & nervous system & a tentative new
theory of scientific method.
Interpersonal communication :
 It is behaviorally oriented. Communication in this respect is
looked upon as a basic method of effecting behaviour changes,
and it incorporates the psychological process ( perception +
learning + motivation) on one hand & languages on the other hand.
 Listening sensitivity & non-verbal communication are also
closely associated with this approach.
 There must be both a sender & a receiver in order for
interpersonal communication to take place. The sender is obviously
important to communication but so is the receiver who gives
feedback to the sender.
 The importance of feedback can not be over- ruled because
effective interpersonal communication is highly dependent on it.
Characteristics of feedback for effective & ineffective interpersonal
communication in Human Resource Management for employee
performance :
Effective feedback
1. Intended to help the employee.
the employee.
2. Specific
3. Descriptive
4. Useful
5. Timely
6. Employee readiness for feedback.
7. Clear
8. Valid
Ineffective feedback
1. Intended to be little to
2. General
3. Evaluative
4. Inappropriate
5. Untimely
6. Makes the employee
defensive.
7. Not understandable
8. Inaccurate
1. Intension : Effective feedback is directed toward improving job
performance & making the employee a more valuable asset.
2. Specificity : Effective feedback is designed to provide
recipients with specific information so that they know what must be
done to correct the situation. While ineffective feedback is general
& leave questions in recipient’s mind.
3. Description : Effective feedback can be characterized as
descriptive rather than evaluative. It tells employees what he has
done in objective terms.
4. Usefulness : Effective feedback is information that an
employee can use to improve performance.
5. Timeliness : There are also consideration in timing of
feedback properly. As a rule, the more immediate the feedback –
the better is the result.
6. Readiness : In order to feedback be effective, employee must
be ready to receive it.
7. Clarity : Effective feedback must be clearly understood.
8. Validity : In order for feedback to be effective, it must be
reliable & valid.
 Besides feedback other variables like Trust, Expectations,
Values, Status & Compatibility greatly influence the interpersonal
aspects of communication.
 People who do not trust each other do not communicate.
Specially for superior – subordinate communication. If subordinate
does not trust boss, there will be no effective communication.
LASWELL’S PARADIGM :
WHO SAYS
WHAT IN WHICH CHANNEL TO WHOM WITH
(sender)
(content)
(media)
(receiver)
WHAT EFFECT
(feedback)

Communication is both Art & Science.

Sender should understand the receiver & the capacity of the
receiver. His personality, age, gender, experience, emotion, voice,
presentation, demonstration, perception (about self & audience) are
also important for a successful communication.

Channel may be verbal, written & visual. It includes gesture,
facial expression, eye contact, touch, silence, paralanguage etc.
Organizational communication process :

Usually, the organisational structure was viewed as a network
over which there were linear information flows.

The organisational structure provides the path of inputs that
form intricate circuits of communication.

In classical organisational structure communication consisted
simply as –
a)Instructions & commands to do or not to do flows downward the
chain of command & from one person to another person directly
below him in the hierarchy.
b) Reports, enquiries & requests are always communicated up the
chain of command & to the one person directly above the
communicator in the hierarchy.
c) One sub-group can not communicate directly to other sub-group
at their level on the chart, but instead communicate up the chain of
command until the message arrives at an office where both subgroup shares a supervisor, then down the chain of command to
recipient sub-group.
d) Staff plays role in controlling the collection & dissemination of
informations considering his ranks.
 Over the years traditional concept of organisational
communication has been very influential but has lot of limitations
specially with respect to Dynamic & Personal aspect.
BERLOW’S Dynamic Process Model : By David Berlow
 Widely recognized model presenting communication as a
Dynamic, Interactive process.
 He countered linear & step by step information approach with the
idea of this model.
 As per him if communication is a process then there must be
Events & Relationships as Dynamics (mathematical studies of
motion & forces), on going, ever changing & continuous.
 When ever we label something as process, we mean that it does
not have a beginning, an end, a fixed sequence of events. It is not
static or at rest. It is moving.
 The ingredients within a process interact, each affects all the
others.
 A model is a visual representation that names, describes &
classified the separate parts of the process & also shows how
separate parts content, interact & influence each other.
Source(I)--Encoder(II)--Message(III)--Channel(IV)-- Decoder(V)-Receiver(VI)
Source : Some idea or information has to be created i.e sender
realise the need to convey some something to someone else. He
should have some information, guidelines, motivational material or
coordinative concepts that may be important to the receiver.
There is a say –‘Don’t start talking until you being thinking’.
Encoder : The source initiate a message by encoding a thought.
The sender puts the ideas & thoughts into some form of a logical &
coded message – which may be oral or written or in physical or
some other format of expression.
4- conditions affects the encoded message : Skill, Attitude,
Knowledge & Socio-cultural system. A person’s success in
communication is dependent upon his written skills, and his
speaking, reading, listening & reasoning skills as well. Attitudes,
too, substantially influence one’s behaviour. Communication activity
is restricted by the extent of knowledge on a particular topic.
Finally, one’s position in the Socio-cultural system in which he
exists influences the communicative source.
Message : Is the actual physical product from the encoding source
speech, writing, picture (for painting), movement of arms (gesture).
Message is affected by the code or group of symbols used to
transfer meaning the content of the message itself.
Channels : For transmission of message some medium or carrier
is required. It may be directly or through proper channel. Medias
may be – face to face conversation, typed or written, in the form of
gesture. Channel bridges the gap between the source & the
receiver.
Decoder : The burden of interpretation lies on the receiver. He
takes the message and attempts to discover it’s meaning by
analyzing the sender and his intent by looking at the sender’s role,
knowledge, experience & authority. He translates the symbols,
ideas into a form that can be understood by him.
Receiver : He must be skillful in reading or listening & must be able
to reason. Receiver’s predisposed attitudes & cultural background
can distort the message being transferred.
Extension of Barlow’s Dynamic Process has been down by
contemporary scientists – they considered communication as a
Transactional process. ‘’Trans’’ – means mutually & reciprocally
instead of ‘Inner’ – means between. As per them in process
approach of communication ‘ All persons are engaged in sending &
receiving messages simultaneously’ means each person is
constantly in the encoding & decoding process, and each person is
affecting the other.
 The perspective is in line with the social learning process to O.B.
 Reciprocal determinism of social learning is very similar to what
is called here a dynamic transactional approach.
Feedback : Means whether understanding has been achieved. It is
the check on how much successful one has been in transferring his
message as originally intended.
Responses likely to be perceived as rewarding (smiles or nods of
agreement) are called +ve feedback. Those perceived as punishing
(sign of inattention) are called –ve feedback.
Superior – Sub-ordinate Communication (Top Down) : It is a
vertical communication. The dynamics, transactional perspective
replaces a linear information flow perspective.
Purposes –
 To give specific task directives about job instructions.
 To give information about organisational procedures & practices.
 To provide information about rationality of the job.
 To tell subordinates about their performance.
 To provide (ideological type) informations to facilitate the
importance of goals.
Downward communication system rely on many types of media
e.g.
 Written – Organisational Handbooks, manual, magazines, poster,
information display, letters for promotion, memos etc.
 Verbal – Verbal orders or instructions of superior, speeches,
meetings, closed circuit T.V. sets, Public address system,
telephone, Lan systems etc.
Problems of downward communication – Lost, Distorted,
Misinterpreted or ignored by organisational participants.
Measure for Effective communication :

By careful analysis of intended receiver.

By using combination of media & method.

By careful monitoring of feedback.

By a continual effort to communicate.
Downward flow of information can affect receivers in the following
ways:

People’s interpretations of communication follow the path of
least resistance.

People are more open to messages, which are consonant
with their existing image, their belief & values.

Messages, which are incongruent with values, tend to
engender more resistance than do messages, which are
incongruent with rational logic.

To the extent that people positively value need fulfillment,
messages, which facilitate need fulfillment, are more easily
accepted than messages, which do not.
 As people see the environment changing, they are more open to
incoming messages.
 The total situation affects communication, a message interpreted
as congruent in one situation may be interpreted as incongruent in
other.
Subordinate initiated communication (Bottom up) :
 Such communication is from the workers to the immediate
superior & from the later to the higher management level.
 Top management will be isolated if there is poor upward
communication. (As the management is interested with
improvements & higher productivity, wants to know the reactions of
employees to certain policies or procedures & effectiveness of
orders that have been issued.)
 While downward communication is highly directive giving –
order, instruction, information & procedure, the upward
communication is characteristically non-directive in nature.
 A free, participative supervisory approach is necessary for subordinate
initiated communication.
 When subordinate initiate communication upward, the content is often
meaningless because they send up only what they think the boss wants to
hear or reports that are distorted or manipulated so that they contain only
informations that makes subordinate look good.
Effective subordinate initiated communication can be achieved by :
 The Grievance procedure – Allows employees to make appeal upward
without considering immediate superior. Individual protection from
arbitration.
 Open door policy – Superior’s door is always open to subordinates. He can
come & talk about anything that is troubling him.
 Counseling, Attitude questionnaire & exit interview (during the
individuals who leaving the organisation.)
 Participative Techniques – Informal involvement of subordinate or
Formal participation programme like Union-management
committee, Suggestion boxes etc.
Interactive Communication in organisation (Horizontal
Communication) :
 There is a need for supplement the vertical system of
communication with some form of Horizontal system, as Henry
Fayol did with his Gangplank concept.
 Horizontal comm. is required to make a co-coordinated effort in
achieving organisation goals. As, the organisations are become
large they are more complex & more subject to dramatic change.
Thus this type of comm. becomes more apparent.
 However, the success of horizontal comm. mainly based on the
people & their behaviour.
 Because of dynamic, personal aspect of comm., the vertical
comm.( upward & downward) seems more appropriate & horizontal
flows of information remains only a part of comm. process.
 With respect to job e.g. In a mechanized, assembly line because
of nature of work i.e. assembly is highly structured & largely
dependent upon the speed of the line, encouraged horizontal
comm.. There is little need for directives, instructions or orders from
above, but there is a necessity to communicate along the line to get
the job done.
 Again, with respect to the Individuals & their behaviour there
are many behavioural implications contained in the interactive
process. Comm. with Peers ( i.e. those persons of relatively equal
status on the same level of an organisation) provide needed social
support for an individual. People can more comfortably turn to a
Peer for social support than they can to those above or below
them. The result can be good or bad for the organisation.
 In case the support is expressed in terms of task co-ordination to
achieve over all goals, horizontal comm. is good for organisation.
On the other hand where there are no such support is required for
task co-ordination the horizontal comm. is irrelevant to or
destructive for organisational functions.
Purpose & method of Horizontal Communication:
Important purposes are :
 Task co-ordination : Departmental heads may meet monthly to
discuss how each department is contributing to systems goal.
 Problem solving : The members of a department may assemble
to discuss how they will handle a threatened budget cut, they may
employ brain storming techniques.
 Information sharing : The members of one department may meet
with the members of another department to give them some new
data.
 Conflict resolution : Members of one department may meet to
discuss a conflict inherent in the department or between
departments.
 Interaction between Line & Staff function : Horizontal comm.. is
very much effective between line & staff units of organisation.
Managers of same level in an organisation co-ordinate their
activities without referring all the matters to their superior & solve
the problems at a speedy manner relieving superior unnecessary
problem.
Dimock remarks – ‘ The influence an executive has with other
executive is partly a matter of his position in the hierarchy, partly a
question of his competence & partly dependent upon a complete &
sensitized comm. system’.
Informal Messages :
 The comm. chain formed by friendship groups or casual
associations which carry gossip & news of work are more
frequently used forms of GRAPE-VINE – the word derived from the
ramifications (sub-division) of the grape tree & its fruits.
 They carry informations that are not or cannot be transmitted by
formal means.

Forms or pattern are –
i) Straight chain pattern – For top secret message rumors passes
from A—> B —> C & so on.
ii) Informal star pattern – Rumors is disclosed by one person to
many others who come in contact to him.
iii) Probability pattern – The comm. usually made accidentally &
casually. When some message may be accidentally communicated
to B & C who, in turn communicated to others, while some
members may be left out because of their absence, lack of
opportunity, inadvertence or any other reason.
iv) Cluster net : In this case A says some thing to his 3 close friends
(B,C,D) one of them passes the information to another, who tells
the others in a straight chain or in star pattern (based on selection).
 In this type of comm. the information actually transmitted may be
inaccurate, distorted, a half-truth, a rumor, a gossip or a primate
interpretation. It spreads with amazing speed.
Useful purpose :
 It satisfies a need employees have to enjoy friendly relations with
their fellow-employees.
 It helps workers to make some sense out of their working
environment especially in interpreting unclear orders from superior.
 It acts as a safety valve. When people are confused & unclear
about what is going to happen to them, they use the grapevine to
express their anxiety.
 When people gossip about someone who is not present, they
often pass judgments. Some people pass judgments on others to
find out where they stand. It is a way of dealing with self-doubt &
insecurity.
 A manager can utilize the grapevine as a +ve. aid. For a
‘Grapevine may turn out to be a barometer for the management as
to what is ailing the employees & what ought to be done about it’. It
may be utilized to clarify & spread messages which the
management whishes to convey rumors & ½ truths by feeding them
the real facts.
Importance of Communication in Management :
 Modern managers are communicators. Besides communicating –
speaking, listening, reading, writing & thinking (interpersonal
comm.)the top executives devote a great deal of their time on the
process 6 problems in comm.
 M.B.O. Long term objectives setting, policy formulation, strategic
planning & allied management jobs revolve around communication
system.
 Organisational development & organisational effectiveness
involve the network of comm. process in some kind of information
system for attainment of effective results in the organisation.
 Control system in organisation depends largely on comm. system.
 Decision making & comm. system are inter-dependent to each
other.
 Productivity of an organisation is largely dependent on comm. by
maintaining good human relation in the organisation. By
encouraging suggestions & encouraging them whenever feasible.
 Comm. is a tool in problem solving approach. By sharing of
information , management takes employees into its confidence,
prepares them for change, avoids misunderstanding, & make the
subordinates more knowledgeable about the problems & policies of
the organisation.
 It is the mechanism through which human relations have
developed essential ingredients in management-employee
relations.
 Comm. is the basic tool for motivation. An increase in the moral of
the employees largely depends upon the effectiveness of comm.
Objectives of Communication : Management depends upon
comm. to achieve organisational objectives. Since managers works
through others, all their acts, policies, rules, orders & procedures
must pass through some sort of comm. channel. Thus the
objectives of effective comm.. may be listed as follows –
 To develop information & understanding which are necessary for
group effort.
 To foster an attitude which is necessary for motivation, cooperation & job satisfaction.
 To discourage the spread of misinformation, rumors, gossips & to
release the emotional tension of the workers.
 To prepare workers for a change by giving them the necessary
information in advance.
 To encourage ideas, suggestions, from subordinates for an
improvement in the product & work conditions, for a reduction in the
time or cost involved & for the avoidance of the waste of raw
materials.
 To improve labor- management relations by keeping both in
contact with each other.
 To ensure such free exchange of information & ideas as will assist
all the employees in understanding & accepting the
reasonableness of the status & authority of everyone in the
organisation.
 To satisfy such basic human needs, as the needs for recognition,
self-importance & sense of belongingness.
 To serve anxiety functions such as entertainment & the maintenance
of social relations among human beings.
 In brief, a good comm. system not only ensures the transmission of
information & understanding among individuals & groups but unifies
group behaviour, which provides the basis for continuing group cooperation. The efficient functioning of any organisation depends on how
well its comm. channel operates.
Management ways of Communication : Following are the probable
ways of effective comm. from management side –
 Mgmt. must think clearly before communicating with respect to
attitude of receiver.
 The purpose of comm. must be clearly known as to what is to be
achieved & how to achieve.
 The audience must be thoroughly known, as also the timing &
media of comm.
 Before communicating, it is always better to consult some one
who knows about proper comm.
 Proper attention be given on language used, tone of voice,
expression & emotion.
 The mgmt. should be prepared to help receiving audience &
make the information clear to it.
 It should encourage comments, ask questions, follow-up &
encourage feedbacks from receiver.
 Comm. should be based not only on present requirements but
also on future needs.
 Comm. should always be supported with appropriate action for.
 The mgmt. should cultivate the habit of listening.
Barriers in Communication : Communication, when it is impeded
& does not reach receiver, is often some what ineffective &
impediments are known as barriers. These barriers can be broadly
classified in 3 categories –
i)Human/Personal : Barriers arising from the fact that individuals
are involved in communication and they differ from one another
depending on their varied backgrounds in respect of geographic,
economic, social, educational & occupational. This type of barriers
can again be sub-divided into several group e.g.
 Personal emotions – Many a time instead of listening in a rational,
objective manner to what is being said, one occasionally becomes
emotionally involved. Accordingly judgments are being biased
rather than logical.
 Biases – If receiver mind is free of bias, optimist & forward
looking, the comm. & interpretation of messages is more likely to
be objective & accurate.
 Perceptual variations – If perceptions on a particular subject are more
or less close between sender & receiver, comm. will be more effective.
 Competencies
 Operation of senses – Variation in sensation level from person to
person.
ii)Semantic : Arise due to the differences in meanings which different
people attach to different things. A poor choice of symbols, confused
meaning of symbols, or the ignoring of non-verbal one could distort
comm. Semantic can be divided in following ways –
 Wrong word interpretations
 Gesture wrong decoding
 Erroneous language translation
 Wrong sign & symbol
iii)Technical : Arise due to non-proper technical support e.g.
 Geographical distance
 Mechanical failure – Arising out of organisational structure, where
responsibility & authority are not properly assigned resulting
chaotic & non-existent comm. as channels are not clear.
 Physical obstruction – Which are due to environmental factors,
such as weather disturbances, physical distance, distracting noise
etc.
 Time lags – If the message reaches the receiver at a time when
he is not ready to utilize the message or the message is too late to
be helpful or the message is received at a time when the receiver is
preoccupied with some other matters and therefore, misinterprets
the meaning.
Removal of Barriers :
 Identify & analyze the barriers.
 Top mgmt. should be convinced of the need of comm.
 Emphasis upon the written statement of policies.
 Recognize that comm. is a 2-way process.
 Consistency & coherence are essential for successful comm.
 Overcome distance barriers – use physical devices e.g.
telephone, intercom.
 Comm. is a continuing process.
 Empathetic speaking & hearing are essential – speaker should
know the audience, their needs 6 feelings otherwise short circuit.
 Optimum timing – When the receivers are ready to a mood of
problem solving, messages be transmitted.
 The use of feedback improves comm. process.
 Reception of message may be helpful in conveying the intended
thoughts.