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In this installment of our guide to organizational management we look at organizational communications…

Communications play a key role in how quickly a decision can be made, whether it is accurate, and if it will satisfy those people involved in the outcome. There are standard patterns of communication, and these are labeled as: chain; wheel; star; and all-channel.

Formal information flow will generally follow a chain, such as with the military, and represents a hierarchal pattern.  An example of the wheel type of communications would be an autocratic organization, where there is one person making the rules and limited, or no, input from anyone else.

The star is similar to the basic formal structure of many organizations, whereby people within a group communicate (information flowing in both directions) with a few other people in the group but not all of them. The all-channel network is analogous to the free-flow of communication in a group that encourages all of its members to become involved in group decision processes.

In organizations that lean toward the star or wheel type of communications, the company can develop quickly around the individuals in such centrally-located position. This can have a positive benefit, in that the entity can be much more stable, and can decrease errors in performance.  This can also, however, have a negative impact by causing delays in the decision-making process. Another factor that can have a negative outcome on such decisions is the overall morale of the group providing the input – where morale is lower, the communications will take on a negative tone.

Companies that spread communications out more evenly among staff will see a higher employee morale. These companies understand that availing themselves of the knowledge, skills and experience of a more diverse group results in enriched job satisfaction.

Many organizations lean toward the star pattern of communication, which would indicate that it provides the best result in the long run. A company must take certain factors into account, however, in order to determine the best method to use. These factors include such things as how quickly decisions must be made, how accurate such decisions must be, and how much of a margin for error the company can realize.

Organizational communication are the topic for this part of our guide to organizational management…

The structure and pattern of communications within it has a significant influence on the accuracy of decisions, the speed with which they can be reached, and the satisfaction of the people involved. These are the standard patterns of communication: chain; wheel; star; all-channel.

Representing the chain type of communications would be a hierarchy, and a good example can be found in the top-down communication structure of the military – a very formal example. Wheel type communications are generally those found within an autocratic (one-man rule) organization and seeks little or no input from others.

The star is similar to the basic formal structure of many organizations, whereby people within a group communicate (information flowing in both directions) with a few other people in the group but not all of them. The all-channel network is analogous to the free-flow of communication in a group that encourages all of its members to become involved in group decision processes.

Communication patterns such as the wheel and the star depend on centrally-located positions, with the organization itself having a tendency to develop around the individuals in such positions.  While this plays a part in the organization being more stable, and lessening the likelihood of performance errors, this can also be affected by the overall group morale. Where morale is lower group-wide, this can result in delays in decision-making and negatively affect the accuracy of decisions.

In networks in which the responsibility for initiating and passing along messages is shared more evenly among the members, the better the group’s morale in the long run. They also draw on the skills, knowledge and experience of more people, which is preferable to the few people that have input in higher centrality patterns.

Many organizations lean toward the star pattern of communication, which would indicate that it provides the best result in the long run. A company must take certain factors into account, however, in order to determine the best method to use. These factors include such things as how quickly decisions must be made, how accurate such decisions must be, and how much of a margin for error the company can realize.