Communication is defined as the exchange of information through symbols. There are three types of communication flow within organizations: downward, upward, and lateral. Downward communication refers to messages from higher levels of management to lower levels, such as directives passed down the chain of command. Upward communication involves information moving from lower to higher levels, like feedback or grievances. Lateral communication occurs between peers of the same level who are not in a superior-subordinate relationship. Effective communication is important for coordination within organizations and helping people work together.

1. COMMUNICATION
communication is the process of transmitting and receiving
information. it is the process of exchanging significant symboling. it
is the conveyance or interchange of intangibles-thoughts, opinions,
ideas or instruction – by spoken or written messages.
communication can be defined as the chain of understanding that
laterally. it will be noticed that this definition contains the following
ingredients : (1) an act of making oneself understood, (2) a
measures of passing information among people, and (3) a system
for communicating between individuals the definition also
distinguishes the three types of communication flow, namely, (1)
downward (2) upward (3) lateral.

2. DOWNWARD COMMUNICATION:
downward communication refers to the directives and other
messages that originate the officials at the top of the organization
and are transmitted dwon through the hierarchy – through the
intervening level of supervision – until they reach the lowest ranking
workers in the chain. among the various channels available to carry
information downward are the followings : (1) chain of command (2)
posters and bulletin boards (3) company pamphlets (4) information
racks (5) loudspeaker system (6) grapevine (7) annual reports (8)
labour union. there are doubtlessly many other channels that are
used every day by management in attempting to communicate with
subordinates. middle and lower managers are usually contacted
personally and through such written devices as memoranda, policy
manilas and authorized schedules.

3. eternal means such as radio, television and the press, can be used
to contact employees as well as the general public. management
should judiciously choose the subjects to be communicated,
determine the characteristics of the intended audience, and select a
restricted number of channels most likely to reach the minds of that
audience.
DRAWBACKS:
the use of these downward channels is potentially damaging to
effective communication. a fundamental source of difficulty is that of
differing cultures. management personnel with a bias toward
efficiency might attempt to establish understanding with
subordinates who are biased toward personal or economic security.
often only the manager understands what he is saying. this
terminology reflects both his background and his scale of alues,
which can serve to confuse subordinates or engender resistance.

4. MANAGEMENT PEOPLE SHOULD BE FULLY AWARE OF THE
LIKELIHOOD OF BEING MISUNDERSTAOOD WHILE ATTEMPTING
TO USE THESE DOWNWARD CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION.
UPWARD COMMUNICATION :
where massages are passed from the lower levels of the harriers
upto the management, it signifies upward communication. there are
many channels to choose for the upward flow of information,
feelings and attitudes, some of which are : (1) the chain of command
(2) grievance procedure (3) complaint system (4) counseling (5)
moral questionnaires (6) open-door policy (7) exit interview (8)
grapevine (9) labour union (10) the informer (11) ombudsman. there
are many other specific avenues of communication that can be set
up from subordinates to supervisors. there are also certain
subtleties of which the manager should be aware.

5. LATERAL COMMUNICATION
LATERAL OR HORIZONTAL COMMUNICATION TAKES PLACE
AMOUNT WORKERS OF THE SAME LEVEL IN THE HIERARCHY, OR
AMONG INDIVIDUALS OF DIFFERENT LEVELS WHO ARE NOT IN A
SUPERIOR – SUBORDINATE RELATIONSHIP.
LATERAL RELATIONSHIP WILL FREQUENTLY GO FROM ONE
AGENCY TO ANOTHER, AND ARE NOT RESTRICTED TO INTER-
AGENCY RELATIONSHIPS. THE COMMUNICATION DOWN THE
HIERARCHY ARE LIKELY TO BE CRITICAL AND COMMUNICATION
UP THE HIERARCHY ARE LIKELY TO BE COMMENDATORY.
UPWARD DOWNWARD LATERAL

6. communicaton is important in an organization because it is one of the
chief means by which its members work together. knowledge of the
communication pattern in an organization is indispensable for a proper
understanding of how if functions. a proper comsystem is the basis for
coordination. it also helps to centralize the harmful effects of bureaucracy
by mitigating somewhat the interpersonal relationship that characterize
large enterprises, for it is partly through com. that people may be kept in
an institutional setting. com. helps to determine the span of control of an
administrator.
ELEMENTS OF COMMUNICATION :
a communication system was five major elements : (1) the source – the
senders, speaker, issued or suggest of a communication (2) the message
and its form – an order, regulation, manual letter, report, circular, rating or
other designation, (3) the channel or the transmission procedure, (4) the
recipient or the receiver (5) the desired response.

7. every communication act is a cycle of interrelated events which starts
with (1) an abstract idea or mental impression which (2) is encoded or
put into symbols they then (3) are transmitted to someone also who (4)
receives them (5) decodes them back into an idea which should
approximate the meaning originally con dived by the communicator.
FEEDBACK
yet communication is not computed until there is some form of
response. this “feedback” may be assent, dissent or some type of
action which shows the communicator that the idea has been received.
in the preverbal state, the idea is wordless, it is merely a conception,
notion, thought, perception, sentiment. operation, reflection,
consideration or abstraction that must be translated into symbols such
as words, hands or gestures before it can be shard with another person.

8. the process by which this idea is transferred into some form of
laguage(written, spoken or gesture) is called encoded.
AN ABSTRACT IDEA
IS
ENCODED IN
SYMBOLS
RETRANSLATE INTO
IN IDEA
RECEIVED, AND
FEEDBACK
TRANSMITTED