January 2020 Assignment Bbgo4103
January 2020 Assignment Bbgo4103
BBGO4103
ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR
Title: Discuss and explain on formal and informal communication within groups and
teams.
MATRICULATION NO : 900324025102001
IDENTITY CARD NO : 900324-02-5102
TELEPHONE NO : 016-3062407
E-MAIL : [email protected]
LEARNING CENTRE : Shah Alam
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Communication Channels
Formal communication involves the flow of official information along with relevant,
predefined networks and directions in an organization designed by the management. The flow
of information follows the hierarchical structure of the chain of command but is limited to
work-related matters and communication. Typically, the structure is top-down, between
superior and subordinate, and vice versa. Such communication is usually in writing and may
take any forms such as policy, procedures, manuals, rule books, memorandum, records,
official meetings, and others. Formal communication is regarded to be effective because of
the timely and systematic flow of conversation.
On the other hand, informal communication refers to the mode of communication that goes
in every direction or moves freely within the organization. The unofficial communication
channel that occurs in the workplace is mostly referred to as "grapevine." This can be spoken,
written or even expressed by gestures, facial expression, silence and body language. Informal
communication creates an environment in which different workers interact with each other
regardless of their formal roles, positions and relationships. According to Skill Maker (2014),
informal communication aims to share information, to create personal contacts, to make
friendships, to influence and inspire others, to supplement official channels, to resolve
conflicts, to relax, to seek relief from the monotony of work, and others. Many managers
prefer informal communication methods to figure out what workers are genuinely talking
about or to promote meaningful social interaction in the workplace. Some workers also use
friendly interaction approaches to persuade their superiors of their concerns, without having
to put them in writing or talk to them face to face.
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Formal communication networks in groups and teams
Most of us have worked in teams at some point in our lives. Communication among all
members is crucial within such groups, regardless of the position each individual play. Be it
for two friends on a college team or two executives in a corporate office; the interaction is
crucial to success. Three or even more people working together on a project are far more
successful than one person spending all his effort doing the same stuff. However, to work
effectively, team members need to interact efficiently with each other and with the
management of the company. The more engagement your tasks need, the more proactive and
meaningful your communication needs to be. Professionals in the communication field have
divided the formal communication into four types as below:
i) Wheel Network
This is the most centralized types of a
communication network in which all
information flows from one central person,
typically the leader. The other members have
little or no contact connection with each
other. In this type of structure as shown in
the image on the left, Leader A has direct
control over the other four workers, since the
information comes straight from her to those
employees, and they directly connect back to her.
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dedicated or responsive, the entire company will fail due to lack of
decision-makers.
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iii) Circle Network
Circle network is similar to a
chain network except that the
information flows in a circular
direction rather than in a linear
form or route
(SubjectQuery.Com, 2019). So,
each person can easily interact
with his or her colleagues, who
are present next to him or her.
This pattern has no leader, and all
the members of the circle have almost the same authority or power to influence
the team. Thus, it helps members of the group to engage with people with similar
experiences, interests, skills, background, office location, and so on. Many of the
building societies have community networks that are designed in this way.
Although the flow of communication is very slow, every individual has an equal
opportunity to get involved in the discussion. As a result, participants experience
the highest satisfaction as this kind of network offers a platform for individuals to
provide feedback and even allows fast and right decisions on complicated tasks.
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managers at all levels, their subordinates and other members of the organization to
meet their objectives. The all-channel network is perhaps the most decentralized
of the networks, where each individual can interact with the user on either side.
Communication through these channels also happens frequently but not always
face-to-face. Messages can be written in the form of informal memos, WhatsApp,
e-mail or reports. The main feature of this communication pattern is that it
encourages better, more productive and reliable group communication for
complex tasks.
Types of informal Networks
Team members of organizations that struggle to hold a conversation end up not knowing
what makes them more functional because they can't get input from everyone else in the
group and there's nobody else, they can compare their work. In this section, we will discuss
the various kinds of informal communication in the workplace and discuss some of the
advantages and disadvantages of such communication.
i) Grapevine
Grapevine is an informal
workplace communication
channel. It is named because it
reaches across the organization
in all directions, regardless of
the level of authority.
Information flows through the
grapevine in various directions connecting almost everyone in the organization.
Usually, it takes place in multiple locations such as cafeteria, meetings, management
discussions, company events, Skype chat or during and after working hours as a result
of rumours, gossip, secret sharing and also to serve the self-interest of the people.
Thus, grapevine spreads like fire, and sometimes it is not easy to identify the source
of such contact.
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Subordinates chat about the behaviour and attitude of their superiors and
share opinions with their colleagues.
Discussion about the rumours regarding the promotion, termination,
suspension and transfer of other employees.
Gossips regarding the affair between the staff and the supervisor or
relationship bond with other internal workers.
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ii) Gossip Chain
In the gossip chain, one individual
shares information to everyone. A
chain is much like a circle where one
person remains in the middle, and the
details move through the spins of the
wheel to the others. People in groups
have something in common that ties
them together, and the person may
belong to one or several groups. In the following diagram, ' L ' is in the middle
and forwards the information to others on the wheel rim. Usually, such
information is not related to the job but used to relay interesting or exciting news.
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Since grapevine communication is part of the workplace, it cannot be avoided. The smart
manager should take care of all the disadvantages of the grapevine by reducing them and, at
the very same time, find the best way to make use of the advantages of the grapevine for the
success of a company.
i) Use of online forums or discussion portals such as Slido and Prosper Forms.
This is an online platform where employees or groups can raise any questions to their
employer about rumours, address their concerns or feedbacks on company policy
matters, preferences and highlight on any wrongdoing at their workstations by fellow
members. This gives the user better confidentiality since they can post everything
anonymously. Even, the management can prepare a simple poll or team satisfaction
survey to ensure that everyone is in the right direction. Later, all can get to the same
page by discussing the results of the poll and addressing any concerns during a Q & A
session. Help Scout (2020) says that Prosper Forms ensures a two-way conversation
and puts an end to dull and one-way presentations. It further energizes the team with
live polling and comments that will keep their attention from start to finish. No matter
where the team members work, Slido offers everyone a fair opportunity to participate.
No interruptions to phone calls, no more feeling left out of the critical discussions.
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Slido (2020), makes it simple to obtain immediate feedback and find areas for
improvement without using a single piece of paper.
iii) Hold a town hall session to discuss current issues and to update groups on the
latest news
Keep your members aware of the good and bad news that comes along the way. There
is nothing worse than being blindsided by the company's decision to make cuts when
you were in no way prepared for these reforms. Allow both the involved parties to
attend the session and make official announcements to understand and clarify specific
issues to avoid further false circulation of information. The venue must be accessible
by everyone, even for those who are working or studying remotely.
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unsystematic communication. Nothing can be better than communicating the actions
and solutions directly to the respective group members in the decision-making
process.
Summary
As we know, communication plays a significant role in our lives as people exchange ideas,
knowledge, emotions and thoughts through communication. Formal and informal discussion
is important among groups and teams as it contributes to the productivity of an organization
whereby formal communication follows a systematic flow of information through the pre-
defined channels with verified and accurate information. Mainly, the teams and groups able
to complete their task in a shorter period by understanding their job roles very well with this
effective communication.
While informal communication is driven by social and personal relationships rather than by
officially recognized rules and formalities and most of the interaction within the company is
carried out this way and, in many cases, the messages exchanged through the grapevine are
accurate. At the same time, the presence of informal communication is vital to support the
efficient functioning of the organization. If properly managed, the informal communication
will turn into a healthy supplement to formal discussions which will undoubtedly allow them
to make the right policy decisions.
Nowadays, many major multinational companies have initiated an open-door policy in which
any employee of any department may communicate directly with the head of the organization
about their issues, concerns, disputes and demands to reduce the difficulty of formal
communication. As such, the use of online forums, namely Slido and Prosper Forms act as a
new way to brainstorm ideas from the team members on projects or key learnings from a
critical situation. Other than this, Information dissemination plan, town hall session and also
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involving people in decision-making process does not only make the leader more transparent,
it can also help them to come up with a better decision for the organization.
Before ending this topic, we can say that good communication, combined with strong
organizational support, integrity among team leaders and consistent development plans, will
contribute to the maximum level of the team's success.
(2815 words)
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