Based on your reading of Chapter Two of the text Fundamentals of Organizational Communication...

William Malik Kincheloe
COM425: Communication in Organizations (BCC1131A)
Instructor: Charles Kaye
Date 7/28/11
Based on your reading of Chapter Two of the text Fundamentals of Organizational Communication, discuss which of the following communication channels are used in your organization and how effective they are. Formal communication networks, including downward, upward, and horizontal communication Informal communication networks such as the grapevine, personal networks, and mentors Face-to-face communication How does one determine the most appropriate channel to use for a particular message?
The organization that I deal specifically with is the within the transportation industry. Formal communication networks are informed to you upon hiring. The transportation business uses upward and downward methods of communication. It is required that you make notes of each call that you make to any superior and to any co-worker. This allows no room for miscommunication unless someone does not inform another department on purpose and tries to get away by saying they told “such and such.” At the organization that I work with, upward communication happens daily in order to ensure the business is running smoothly. Downward communication happens when our managers have a solution or better technique. Their goal anytime they exhibit downward communication is to help increase sales or relay information from the president of the company. Much of the communication within the organization has to happen and when it does not happen we are able to find where the communication error occurred. This usually ends with the termination of employment for the company due to a lack of effort. Our company does not use horizontal communication much; there is more upward and downward communication majority of the time. In regards to informal communication like the grapevine; this is one form of communication that will get you terminated from the organization. The grapevine is considered to be a rumor and there is a zero-tolerance for this type of informal communication because there is not originator to that the statements are being stated. Personal networks such as Myspace, Facebook, and Linked in are used casually on breaks. This is not part of our organizational communications because of how social these forms of communication are and due to the lack of work completed when using these forms of communication. However, a mentor is something in my organization that would be looked upon as a manager or training instructor. These are used in order to help increase sales or production when a person is consistently not hitting their goal set forth by the company.
Face to face communication occurs at the organization in brief spurts. This is because everyone is too busy working trying to stay far away from the unemployment lines as possible. Usually when there is face to face communication, the manager is usually reprehending you, praising your work efforts or sales, or asking for suggestion or concerns. Most of the time, I try to avoid this form of communication because the best thing about business is minding my own.
It is hard to determine what the best form of communication is but the first step in my eyes would be a self evaluation of the company through the eyes of the employees. Based on their response I would then bit by bit tweak the methods of communication until a medium is reached. Everyone communicates differently and this is why I feel communication will always be ever changing.
I feel as though the most effective method of communication within our organization is downward communication because everyone reacts to what is stated by upper management. Horizontal communication is the worst form of communication due to the fact we just do not use this form.