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Final exam of organizational psychology
Final exam of organizational psychology
Objectives of downward communication
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INTRODUCTION
Communication which flows from the superiors to subordinates is known as downward communication means a process of starting communication process from upper level to lower level. Group leaders and managers use it to assign goal, provide jod instruction, explain policies and offer other feedback about performance. Managers can do this in various ways such as via speeches, messages in newsletter, e-mails, leaflets, bulletin boards, memos and others. When the managers of the organization assign goals to their employees, they are using downward communication. The downward communication occurs when information and messages flow down through an organization's formal chain of command or hierarchical structure. In other words, messages and orders start at the upper levels of the organizational hierarchy and move down toward the bottom levels. Responses to downward communications move up along the same path.In an organization structure, the superiors utilize their abilities to attain the desired targets which mean that they may be engaged in issuing commands, directions and policy directives to the persons working under them at lower levels. When engaging in downward communication, managers must explain the reason why a decision was made. One study found employees were twice as likely to be committed to changes when the reasons behind them were fully explained. Although this may seem like common sense, many managers feel they are too busy to explain things or that explanations will “open up a big can of worms.” Downward communication is to provide relevant information, orders, instruction to subordinates. Downward communication is called as instruction type communication system.
There are some purposes of downward communicati...
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• Organizational psychology (online). Available from [20 January 2014]
• Upward communication (online). Available from [10 February 2014]
• Downward communication (online). Available from [10 February 2014]
• Difference between upward and downward communication (online). Available from [18 February 2014]
• Difference between downward and upward communication (online). Available from [18 February 2014]
For this paper, we will be talking about relational communications and Goffman’s terms. The definition of relational communication is “communication processes in personal relationships such as romantic, family, and friendships. We assess the role of communication in developing, maintaining, and dissolving relationships, how communication impacts partners and their relationships, and how to improve relational quality or individual well-being through communication. Recent topics examined include conflict mediation, relational standards, relational uncertainty in dating relationships, and communication environments in families” (n.d.). As it has said, it is about the relationships in our life. Goffman also stated that there was a front and
I am a qualified solicitor and in this role I have developed my communication skills. On one occasion I was representing a mother who was a victim of domestic violence. The father wanted to see his children but the mother was not allowing it due to the domestic violence. I acknowledged her concerns regarding the contact and explained that I understood why she would not want contact to take place. I also explained to the mother the courts view in terms of contact and domestic violence cases. I highlighted the fact that if she allowed contact without going to hearing she would still retain a level of control. I suggested that contact take place at a neutral location and be supervised by a friend or family member until she was comfortable with this arrangement. The client was reluctant but highlighted that the court would want some form of contact and she would have to adhere to this. However, by reaching an agreement outside of court she is not bound by it and will be in control. The client agreed to
Kroger’s formal communication structure or flow utilized within the chain of command defined by the organizations CEO uses the three formal channels and types of information that is conveyed in a downward, upward, and horizontal communication style. This is used by the top CEO, Rodney McMullen, in a downward style through the numerous chains of command, finally reaching all the way to the various store brands and store level management. Downward communication, comes from the top CEO level and is communicated down through the chains of command. An example of how culture has influenced Kroger’s downward communication can be seen in the use of videos posted by Kroger’s CEO. Upward communication is when messages come from the subordinate levels to higher in the organization’s management pyramid (Daft, 2012, p.579-580). An example of an upward and downward communication tool can also be seen on Kroger’s intranet in the form of a company blog.
Looking at IKEA’s organisational structure, the chain of command shows a clear line for messages within functional departments, so therefore; it leads to good communication. For example, looking at the organisational structure of IKEA, there is a clear communication within a human resources department. However, the chain of command is very long from the top to the bottom of the organisation because, there are too many levels of management. This will lead to poor communication. For example, it takes decisions a long time to reach the workers at the bottom of the organisation structure.
For any type of organization, communication between every department is crucial to achieve the goals it is pursuing. Effective and accurate information is essential for any organization in order to create a cultural bond among its members, operate efficiently, measure results, and develop a strong strategy. In addition, it is beneficial for an organization to develop and promote an effortless flow of communication between all its different levels. This paper will focus on the importance of the accuracy of communication between middle management and top management. It will also offer some alternatives on how promote and reinforce effective and ethical communication between middle level management and top level management.
Promote communication within an organization vertically and horizontally while balancing various management and operational elements;
Communication between supervisors, peers, and subordinates can be misconstrued. It is our job as leaders to properly channel the flow of information between the ranks. Course 15 states “Organizations lacking effective channels of upward, downward, and lateral communication limit the quality of service they can provide to their customers.” If we as
In interpersonal communication there are many theories that are similar yet different in many ways. The theories can be combined to describe people and how those people interact and communicate with each other. Many of these theories help explain how people in society form impressions of others, how they maintain these impressions, why people interact with certain people in society, and how people will use these impressions that they have formed later on in life. These theories also help people to better understand themselves, to better understand interpersonal communication, and to better understand people in general. There are two theories in interpersonal communication that, despite their differences, can go hand in hand. The first is interaction adaptation theory and the second is emotional contagion theory. These two theories’ similarities and differences and their relevance to my everyday life will be discussed in this paper. These two theories are very important in understanding how people interact with others and why people do the things they do sometimes.
With communication, there are many factors that could affect the interpretation of the message and its intentions. The one factor that is perceived as a difficult factor to analyze is demonstrative communication; nonverbal and nonwritten communication. Nonverbal communication transpires through tone, body language and facial expressions that occur during communication.
-it’s obvious that communication is important in all relationships. Regardless of the fact, I question whether it is possible to have successful friendships when there is a lack of communication, and to what extent. I found interest in this topic in particular because according to my own personal experiences, solid and stable long-term friendships are hard to come by without communication, more specifically self-disclosure. Because I, for one, struggle with the idea of emotional intimacy and tend to avoid discussing personal information about myself, I also question if my lack of self disclosure is a significant contribution to my limited amount of developed friendships.
Proposed by Douglas McGregor, Theory X-Theory Y is a unique way to distinguish between the Scientific Management (Theory X) and Human Behavior Perspectives (Theory Y). Theory X focuses on human nature, particularly concerned with hierarchical structure, management, decision making, and performance; whereas Theory Y details assumptions concerning motivation, satisfaction, and productivity (Shockley-Zalabak, 2012, p. 78). Depending on the stance of the those in charge of the organization, it can have different associated communication implications. In other words, if the leaders are more geared towards Theory X, the organization will have unambitious organization members that avoid work and responsibilities so they must be directed and guided. Theory Y leaders, on the other hand, will have organization members that are ambitious and want responsibilities (Shockley-Zalabak, 2012, p. 79). Thus, the organizational communication is influenced by Theory X-Theory Y as communications will either need to be purposeful and provide directions, or the communication will need to be more assuring and affirmative in accordance with either the Theory X or the Theory Y
As in all aspects of personal and professional life, having effective communication is a key element of success. Effective communication can benefit your relationships with people. By conveying your message and integrating them as a member of the team and not just a subordinate leads to better production. By effectively communicating you can clearly define job responsibilities and expectations. The better you are able to communicate the less likely organizational turnover of personnel will occur. Supervisors and leaders in the professional workplace find that the most important factor in advancement and retain ability is effective communication. Senior level executives and human resources managers are stressing the importance of communication and providing more training for mid-level management. Emphasis is placed on communication being clear by being transmitted strongly.
When working at Borders Books as an assistant manager I experienced a lot of downward communication. The president, vice president, top-level managers, etc. would communicate a decision to my general manager. My general manager would then communicate that decision to the assistant managers, which I am one of. Our job would be to install this communicated decision to all of the employees. If the decision was communicated well, this form of communication worked well, if not it did not.
There is a need for the creation of effective and efficient communication channels and procedures within the various departments in the organisation. Researchers categorize the communication types in the organisation in two main classes and these are the top-down communication systems and bottom-up communication systems (Conrad, 2014). The top down communication involves communication of commands and instructions from the top management to the bottom line employees in the organisation. Given that lack of a well defined system of communication in the organisation, it is possible that some employees are bound to defy certain orders and instructions from the top management based on the differences in age as well as academic achievements and deteriorates respect for the authority endowed with the responsibility of running and managing the organisation (Hastings & Payne, 2013). Such kind of defiance of top orders by employees of lower ranks demoralizes the management inflicted them of inferiority. There is need for the organisation to adopt a bottom up communication system. Using this channel of communication, the employees at the lower ranks are entitled to ensure an effective organisation of all the reports in time. That is to mean that all the required reports have to be prepared early enough and communicated to the authorities in
Kyle Marrero stated, “communication by itself without tactical outcomes does not work” (K.Marrero, personal communication, April 27, 2015). He understands that there can be an inadequacy to downward communication. In his vision for UWG he notes that an, “organization must foster an environment of upward communication” (K.Marrero, personal communication, April 27, 2015). In higher education there can be a culture where faculty and staff do not feel they can speak up. This is where inadequate communication can infect the overall organizational communication. For example, when someone asks a question that we didn’t quite hear we ask for clarification. However, this often does not come into play with a downward communication focused organization. Is a plan or action item is not communicated correctly or is not well defined, no one speaks up. One other negative impact of a downward system of communication may be reflected by Marrero when he said, “would rather complain than to solve” (K.Marrero, personal communication, April 27, 2015). Perhaps those in a lower level fail to care or feel connected when communication is primarily