Formal & Informal Channel of Communication

Formal and Informal Channels of
Communication
Andrew Triganza Scott
MBA (Maast.), M.Ed (Leadership), Bpsy (Hons), PGCE.
Communication
Behavior in Organizations, p.289

Formal and Informal Channels of Communication
Andrew Triganza Scott MBA (Maast.), M.Ed (Leadership), BPsy (Hons), PGCE.-
The Role of Communication in

Organizations
key purposes:
direct action: to get others to behave in
desired fashion
achieve coordinated action
systematic sharing of information
+ interpersonal side with the focus on
interpersonal relations between
people
Andrew Triganza Scott MBA (Maast.), M.Ed (Leadership), BPsy (Hons), PGCE.
Communication
the social glue that continues to keep

the organization tied together
the essence of organization
a key process underlying all aspects of
organizational operations
properly managing communication

processes is central to organizational
functioning
Organizational Structure:
Directing the Flow of Messages
Organizational structure:
the formally prescribed pattern of
interrelationships existing between the
various units of an organization
dictating who may and may not
communicate with whom
abstract construction
depicted in Organizational Charts
Organizational Charts
Source: Skript BWL II

Formal Communication
The process of sharing official

information with others who need to
know it
according to the prescribed patterns
depicted in an organizational chart.

Copyright 2002 by Prentice Hall, Inc.
Information
Vice
President
Manager
Vice
President
Manager
Manager
Efforts at coordination
Manager
Instructions and directives
President
downward communication:
upward communication:
instructions, directions, orders

feedback
data required to complete projects
status reports
suggestions for improvement, new ideas
horizontal communication:
coordination of cooperation

Centralized Networks
One central person
Unequal access to information
Central person is at the crossroads of

the information flow

Communication Structures
Centralized
Y
Centralized
Wheel
Centralized
Chain

Decentralized Networks
Information can flow freely
No central person
All members play an equal role in the

transmittal of information

Decentralized
Circle
Decentralized
Comcon


Communication Networks
Network Performance

Gatekeepers

Informal Communication
Structures
Deviation from the planned

communication structure
Direction of the flow of information

Leaving out people in the communication line
Integrating people into the communication
line

2004 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Informal Networks
G
F
I
J
D
J
B
B
Probability
Gossip
A
Chain

D
C
Cluster
F
A
Network Roles
Bridge
Liaison
Isolate
Isolated
Dyad
Cosmopolites
Formal Structure vs Informal

Networks
???
Behavior in Organizations, ch. 15
Communities of practice:
informal collaborative networks
Text: E-mail reveals real leaders
Informal Organization
[Buchanan, 2000, p. 463]

Informal Communication
information shared without any formally imposed
obligations or restrictions
if an organizations formal communication represents its
skeleton, its informal communication constitutes its
central nervous system
(Behavior in Organizations, p. 307)
eng. grapevine
An organizations informal channels of communication,
based mainly on friendship or acquaintance
origin: American Civil War [grapevine telegraphs]
Grapevine
1.
2.
a secret means of spreading or

receiving information
the informal transmission of
(unofficial) information, gossip or
rumor from person-to-person -> "to
hear about s.th. through the

grapevine"
3.
a rumor: unfounded report; hearsay

Grapevine Characteristics
oral mostly undocumented

open to change
fast (hours/minutes instead of
weeks/days)
crossing organizational boundaries

Grapevine Characteristics
inaccuracy:
levelling
deletion of crucial details
sharpening
exaggeration of the most dramatic details
while the grapevine generally carries the

truth it seldom carries the whole truth
Grapevine Figures
70% of all organizational communication

occurs at the grapevine level
estimated accuracy rates: 75-90%
the incorrect part might change the
meaning of the whole message though
an estimated 80% of grapevine
information is oriented toward the
individual while 20% concerns the
company

Factors Influencing Grapevine

Activity I
According to Gordon Allport:
importance of the subject for both listener and
speaker
ambiguousness of the facts
Formula:
R=ixa
R:
i:
intensity of the rumor

importance of the rumor to the persons
a:
ambiguity of the facts associated with the rumor

Factors influencing Grapevine

Activity II
Employees rely on the grapevine when:
they feel threatened,
insecure,
under stress
when there is pending change
when communication from management
is limited
Positive Aspects of the Grapevine
social function
reduction of anxiety
release mechanism for stress
identification of pending problems
early warning system for organizational change
vehicle for creating a common organizational
culture
desired information can be circulated quickly to
a large group of subordinates (inofficially!)

Coping or Managing the

Grapevine
the grapevine cannot be abolished, rubbed
out, hidden under a basket, chopped
down, tied up, or stopped
(Managing the Grapevine, p.222)
dont try to control or restrict it

use it to supplement formal channels

Tapping the Grapevine
identify and make use of key

communicators ( bridgers)
monitor what is happening in the
organization
use the grapevine to give new ideas a
trial run

Preventing Rumors
provide information through the formal

system of communication on the issues
important to the employees
supply employees with a steady flow of
clear, accurate and timely information
present full facts
keep formal communication lines open
and the process as short as possible

Formal Media
Company newsletters
Employee handbooks
Company magazines
Formal meetings

Formal Media
Letters
Flyers and bulletins
Memos
Faxes
All-employees mailings

Informal Media
Face-to-face discussions
Telephone
Voice messaging (voice mail)
E-mail
Instant messaging (chat)

Informal Dialogues
Characteristics:
often no formal opening or closing
first utterance often assumes a common reference

to a previous interaction or issue
conversations generally last only a few minutes

Example Dialogue
A tracking request made by Maureen to Bina about Ian
(BOffice35, 9secs).
Maureen pops her head over the wall of Bina's
cubicle.
1 M: Bina you don't know when Ian's due- oh
here's Jane now- know when Ian's back?
2 B: Tomorrow I expect
3 M: Ahh
4 B: Oh yeah he's out today yeah

Example Dialogue
An intended interaction leading to unprompted advice (ROffice 66, 28sec
of 1min:36sec)
Frank is on the phone across the office from Richard. Frank puts down
phone.
1 R: Is he alright?
2 F: Yeah
3 R: Which one's he's got? there's a restaurant
4 F: I said that I'll do this one initially and then further afield
5 R: Which one's that?
6 F: That's: eighty two whiteladies road it's the offices
7 R: Oh, yeah we act for the landlord on that one. I did a rent review
against him on that
8 F: Right ()
9 R: His shop it might be worth checking out he's got a sub-tenant
downstairs who's got a clothes shop
10 F: Yeah
11 R: Might be worth trying to get in with them as well
12 F: Yeah alright
Informal Communication and

Physical Proximity
physical proximity
is crucial for
informal
communication
trends towards
telework, mobile
work and the
globalisation of
business are
geographically
separating workers
Can long distance informal communication

be supported by technology?
The Nature of Informal

Communication I
mostly brief interactions

mainly opportunistic ( coordination,
initiation)
often time-lags between informal
interactions ( maintenance and reestablishment of context)
occur between frequent interactants who
often share large amounts of background
knowledge

The Nature of Informal

Communication II
communications in offices more frequent than in

public areas
majority of roaming interactions self-initiated
interruptability (importance of prior activity)
interactions are very often terminated by a third
party joining an existing conversation
role of deixis
documents involved in 53% of all Own Office
interactions

Literature I
Ball, Philip (2003): E-mail reveals real leaders. Network analysis maps
companies informal structure. Nature News Service/Macmillan
Magazines Ltd, 20 March 2003.
http://www.nature.com/nsu/030317/030317-5.html
Beger, Rudolf, Grtner, Hans-Dieter, Mathes, Rainer
(1989):Unternehmenskommunikation. Wiesbaden:Gabler,
Frankfurt(Main):Frankfurter Allgemeine.
Bhle, Fritz, Bolte, Annegret (2002): Die Entdeckung des Informellen.
Mnchen: ISF.
Buchanan, David; Huczynski, Andrzej (2000): Organizational Behaviour.
An introductory text. London : Prentice Hall.
Crampton, Suzanne M.; Hodge, John W.; Mishra, Jitendra M. (1998):
The Informal Communication Network: Factors Influencing Grapevine

Activity. Public Personnel Management, Vol. 27, No. 4, Winter 1998.
Greenberg, Gerald; Baron, Robert A. (1997): Behavior in Organizations.
New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Literature II
Kesten, Ulrike (1998): Informale Organisation und MitarbeiterLebenszyklus. Wiesbaden: Deutscher Universitts-Verlag.
Kraut, Robert E., Fish, Robert S., Root, Robert W., Chalfonte,
Barbara L. (1990): Informal Communication in Organizations:
Form, Function and Technology. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage
Publications.
Mishra, Jitendra (1990): Managing the Grapevine. Public
Personnel Management, Vol. 19, No. 2, Summer 1990.
Whittaker, Steve; Frohlich, David; Daly-Jones, Owen (1994):
Informal Workplace Communication: What is it like and how

might we support it? Human Factors in Computing Systems,
Boston, Massachusets, USA.

Literature III
http://openacademy.mindef.gov.sg/OpenAcademy/Cent
ral/HTML%20Folder/KM/bcp/tools_SocialNetWork.htm#
Top
http://www.izix.com/pro/lightweight/video.php
http://www.utexas.edu/courses/speclass/courses/350/n
otes/struc350.html
http://www.affordableemployeehandbook.com/SampleE
mployeeHandbook.cfm
http://www.revisionguru.co.uk/business/communication
3.htm
http://highered.mcgrawhill.com/sites/0072400722/student_view0/chapter1/cha
pter_overview.html


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Formal and Informal Channels of

Andrew Triganza Scott

MBA (Maast.), M.Ed (Leadership), Bpsy (Hons), PGCE.

Behavior in Organizations, p.289

The Role of Communication in

the social glue that continues to keep

properly managing communication

Source: Skript BWL II

Formal and Informal Channels of Communication

The process of sharing official

Formal and Informal Channels of Communication

Copyright 2002 by Prentice Hall, Inc.

Instructions and directives

instructions, directions, orders

Formal and Informal Channels of Communication

One central person

Unequal access to information

Central person is at the crossroads of

Formal and Informal Channels of Communication

Formal and Informal Channels of Communication

Information can flow freely

All members play an equal role in the

Formal and Informal Channels of Communication

Formal and Informal Channels of Communication

Behavior in Organizations, p.305

Formal and Informal Channels of Communication

Behavior in Organizations, p.306

Behavior in Organizations, p.320

Deviation from the planned

Direction of the flow of information

Formal and Informal Channels of Communication

2004 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Formal and Informal Channels of Communication

Formal Structure vs Informal

Behavior in Organizations, ch. 15

[Buchanan, 2000, p. 463]

Formal and Informal Channels of Communication

a secret means of spreading or

hear about s.th. through the

a rumor: unfounded report; hearsay

Formal and Informal Channels of Communication

oral mostly undocumented

Formal and Informal Channels of Communication

while the grapevine generally carries the

70% of all organizational communication

Formal and Informal Channels of Communication

Factors Influencing Grapevine

intensity of the rumor

ambiguity of the facts associated with the rumor

Formal and Informal Channels of Communication

Factors influencing Grapevine

Positive Aspects of the Grapevine

Formal and Informal Channels of Communication

Coping or Managing the

dont try to control or restrict it

Formal and Informal Channels of Communication

Tapping the Grapevine

identify and make use of key

Formal and Informal Channels of Communication

provide information through the formal

Formal and Informal Channels of Communication

Formal and Informal Channels of Communication

Flyers and bulletins

Formal and Informal Channels of Communication

Formal & Informal Channel of Communication

Formal & Informal Channel of Communication