Formal Channel of Communication

In the workplace the important factor is related with communication in which it has been seen that it is important to be managed.It has been seen that top management should focus on taking into consideration the process of communication so that it can be easy to attain the targets. If in the workplace there is effective communication then managers can easily manage the overall activities of the company in the right manner. It is necessary for the company to focus on proper channel of communication so that it can be simple to transfer the information.  There are many concepts which are concerned with communication and it can be easy to exchange the overall information (Austin and Pinkleton, 2015). There are various models of communication which are related to formal and informal.

Communication in the organization

Communication is considered as the essential factor and it has been seen that flow of communication takes place in formal and informal manner. The message can be easily transferred if proper channel of communication is considered. Through communication it can be easy for the employees to maintain clarity of the information in the workplace. Also it has been examined that if proper communication is not there in the workplace then it can be difficult to achieve success in the competitive market (Canary, Blevins and Ghorbani,  2015).

Formal channel of communication

In this communication channel it has been seen that the process of communication takes in a formal manner. In this proper process is followed to communicate with each other. It is known as the authorized communication channel that should be managed so that it can be easy to control the entire chain of communication (Tenhiälä and Salvador, 2018). The message which is conveyed by one person to other person is in a formal manner and it also reduces duplication of work in the workplace. In this channel there are various sources which are considered like reports, orders and memos. In this the communication flows from up and down in a proper hierarchy (Chmielecki, 2015).

Characteristics of Formal communication

It has been examined characteristics in context to communication is done in a formal manner.  It has been seen that formal communication channel takes place among the top management. The communication which takes place between the top management can be oral or written. The communication through this process can be done in a professional manner and there is proper hierarchy which is considered, it means that communication is done in a formal manner (Banerjee, Adhikari and Nigam, 2016).  If channel of communication is considered then it has been analyzed that there are many drawbacks that can create issues.

Characteristics of Formal Communication

The drawback is related with the formal channel of communication in which the focus is given on the entire hierarchy of the process of communication. It is important to focus on the hierarchy so that it can be easy to utilize the time in a proper manner. In formal channel of communication it has been seen that there are many information which is important for the company to be maintained (Manuti et al., 2015). The issue that can arise is related with the hierarchy which takes place in a process of communication in a formal manner. In this the communication process takes place with higher management and subordinates and also the focus is maintaining on managing the overall activities (Farmer, 2017).

Advantages

There are many advantages which are concerned with the top management and it helps to make the overall process of communicate effective.  It can be analyzed that the process of communication which is formal can help the organization to focus on maintaining the goodwill. It can also give impact on the overall employees who are working on the top management as they focus on maintaining the concept of decision making.

Informal channel of communication

This is channel of communication is not structured and also it takes place in an informal way.  It is not taken into consideration by the business as it focuses on the requirement of the people in the company. It has been seen that information which is given can be informal and also it is not accepted on the official platform.  In this channel of communication the communication which takes place is related with gossips and rumors.  By focusing on this chain it has been seen that it is known as Grapevine and it is managed by the individuals who are managing their routine work in the company. In this there are no rules and regulations which are considered. It has been analyzed that by taking into grapevines it can be easy to transfer the information in an easy manner (McQuail and Windahl, 2015).

Informal communication features

There are factors which are related to channel of informal communication.  In this communication channel it has been seen that middle and lower level is taken into consideration.  In this the communication is related with the people and it has been seen that activities can be managed in a proper manner.  In this channel of communication the interaction which takes place between the people who control the entire activities of the company (Quintanilla and Wahl, 2015).

Advantages of Formal Communication

In informal channel of communication the communication do not take place in a proper manner and also this interaction is done between the friends in the workplace. When people interact then issue can take place related to discipline and also it indirectly affects the overall work in the workplace of the employees. Channel of communication should be maintained by the managers so that it can be simple to focus on managing the entire activities of the company.

Strategies and tactics

It is necessary for the managers to focus on considering the overall flow of communication so that it can be easy to communicate the message in a proper manner. The strategies that should be considered are related to downward, upward and horizontal. These strategies can help the top management to manage the overall activities of the company and also it emphasizes on achieving success in the high level of competition.

Downwards communication

In this process of communication it has been seen that proper flow of message take place from the formal chain of command and also the message is given by focusing on proper hierarchical structure. In this flow of message take place from the top management of the company to the employees.  In this type of communication the message is transferred from the top management to the subordinates. This type of channel of communication also helps to grow in the market where high level of competition exists. It is analyzed that leaders and managers focuses on giving the message to the subordinates then it can also be stated as the downward communication (Barak, 2016).

The process of communication which takes place through the downward platform can help the employees to have proper understanding of the information. This communication channel is also taken into consideration by the managers so that it can be easy to manage the overall channel of communication. In the downward channel of communication it has been analyzed that top management give direction to the subordinates so that it can be simple to manage overall activities of the company. Motivation is also considered as one of the factor which is given by the senior management and also if it is taken into consideration by the top management then it can be simple to minimize the entire issues.

Upward communication

In this channel of communication it has been seen that messages are given by the line employees to the top management. This is one of the best strategies that should be taken into consideration so that it can be simple to maintain effective channel of communication. The benefits which are related to this are feedback and trust.

Informal Channel of Communication

It has been seen that managers should focus on considering the process of feedback so that it can be easy to focus on overall development of the organization.  This can also help to maintain the trust between the higher authorities and also it can be easy for them to feel comfortable towards the assigned activities (Shockley-Zalabak, 2014).

Horizontally

This is the overall data which take place among the people and different departments. It has been seen that information can be transferred to different hierarchies. This is the best method on which the managers should focus so that it can be easy to motivate the employees who are managing their routine activities. Through this it can be simple to achieve positive results which can help to attain results which are positive.

Recommendations

There are two channel of communication formal and informal that can resolve the issues which exist in the workplace. So, it has been recommended that the problems can be resolved of the managers by considering the strategies related to upward communication, horizontal communication and downward communication.  It is essential to focus on the strategies so that it can be easy to the overall activities of the company and it will help to manage the overall process of communication.

Conclusion

By focusing on the all the aspects in the report it has been stated that managers should emphasize on the proper channel of communication so that it can be simple to manage the overall operations in the workplace. 

References

Austin, E.W. and Pinkleton, B.E., 2015. Strategic public relations management: Planning and managing effective communication campaigns (Vol. 10). Routledge.

Banerjee, P., Adhikari, B. and Nigam, R., 2016. Dynamics of workplace communication: A new age model. International Journal of Management, IT and Engineering, 6(12), pp.1-16.

Barak, M.E.M., 2016. Managing diversity: Toward a globally inclusive workplace. Sage Publications.

Canary, H.E., Blevins, M. and Ghorbani, S.S., 2015. Organizational policy communication research: Challenges, discoveries, and future directions. Communication Reports, 28(1), pp.48-64.

Chmielecki, M., 2015. Factors influencing effectiveness of internal communication. Journal of Management and Business Administration. Central Europe, 23(2), pp.24-38.

Farmer, N., 2017. The invisible organization: How informal networks can lead organizational change. Routledge.

Manuti, A., Pastore, S., Scardigno, A.F., Giancaspro, M.L. and Morciano, D., 2015. Formal and informal learning in the workplace: a research review. International journal of training and development, 19(1), pp.1-17.

McQuail, D. and Windahl, S., 2015. Communication models for the study of mass communications. Routledge.

Quintanilla, K.M. and Wahl, S.T., 2015. Business and professional communication: keys for workplace excellence. Sage Publications.

Shockley-Zalabak, P., 2014. Fundamentals of organizational communication. Pearson.

Tenhiälä, A. and Salvador, F., 2018. When Communication Should Be Formal. MIT Sloan Management Review, 59(4), pp.1-6.