Communication

Horizontal Communication is the Wave of the Future

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Course Info Horizontal Communication is the Wave of the Future

Good communication is essential to the success of any organization While it does not guarantee that a business will be effective , it is certain that an effective business must have good communication practices . In the past , large corporations faced barriers because the technology of the time created opportunities for the communication barrier of distortion and omission . However , improved efficiency in businesses relies on greater communication between departments on the

same hierarchical level

Zimmerman (1999 ) gives a good overview of the developments in interactive technologic communication . Not only has technology influenced how fast information can be communicated but it also how information is interpreted . It removes the physical barriers as well as some of the contextual barriers . This means that subordinates are able to communicate more quickly and effectively with their managers and shorten the time required for decision making . Nevertheless , Ostroff and Smith (1992 ) made the following discovery during their study

Vertical organizations structure work functionally . Managers can however , shift the focus of performance by organizing the flow of work around companywide processes that ultimately link to customer needs This can be done within the confines of a single function -- or by cutting across functions

This is central to purpose of the business - finding better solutions for their customers

Thus we see that efficient communication , that is , reducing omissions and particularly distortions that hinder the effective operations of any business requires more than the simple utilization of new technology within existing organizational hierarchies . Without reorganization , the business faces greater redundancy without improvements in how decisions are taken or how goals are met . Instead , in to take advantage of better communication opportunities , a company needs to reorganize their hierarchy to make greater use of horizontal communication in to become for efficient in today 's economy .References

Organizations : Structures , Processes , and Outcomes , Chapter 7

http /www .mindtools .com /page8 .html

Ostroff , F Smith , D (1992 . The Horizontal Organization . The McKinsey Quarterly (1 , 148 . Retrieved September 25 , 2006 , from Questia database : http /www .questia .com /PM .qst ?a o d

Zimmerman , D . H (1999 . Horizontal and Vertical Comparative Research in Language and Social Interaction . Research on Language and Social Interaction , 32 (1-2 , 195-203 . Retrieved September 24 , 2006 , from Questia database : http /www .questia .com /PM .qst ?a o d

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