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Organisational communication
 WEEK 3

Outcomes:

 Differentiate between the different types of communication

 Define the terms “organisation”, “organisational communication” and “corporate culture”
 Differentiate between external and internal communication in the workplace
 Differentiate between different leadership styles
 Directions of communication
D I F F E R E N T T Y P E S O F C O M M U N I C AT I O N
This section describes the different types of communication that you may encounter during your working days. The communication has been
broken down into different categories to help you differentiate them.
-Extra personal : This takes place between a human being and an animal or object e.g. When someone talks to their cat or dog.
-Intrapersonal : This takes place within an individual/ self-talk e.g. When you contemplate how you are going to answer an exam question.
-Interpersonal : This takes place between individuals e.g. Talking to your friend.
-Mass media : This takes place when a message is sent to a large number of receivers e.g. This covers a large geographical area
-Social media : This takes in many forms including Internet forums, weblogs, social blogs, wikis, social networks, and podcasts e.g. Facebook,
Google+, tumblr, Mxit and Twitter
-Small group: A small group is defined as: “… a collection of four to 12 individuals who are involved in face-to-face interaction to achieve a
common goals e.g. A group of engineers who are working together towards erecting a new building.
-Intercultural : Intercultural communication refers to the communication practices of different cultures e.g. If a manager belongs to a culture in
which it is unacceptable to be late, he will expect all his employees to be punctual.
-Public communication : Public communication focuses on making speeches and the principles for speaking effectively.
O R G A N I S AT I O N A L C O M M U N I C AT I O N
Organizational communication is how organizations represent, present, and constitute their organizational
climate and culture—the attitudes, values and goals that characterize the organization and its members.
Corporate climate and culture, context and culture indicators
• Organisational climate
Members in an organization have certain norms of behavior, attitudes and feelings that will determine how
they do things in that organization daily. This is referred to as organizational climate.
• Organisational culture
This is a unique image or “personality” that an organization has and that creates a shared understanding
among members as to what the organization is and how its members should behave.
E X T E R N A L A N D I N T E R N A L C H A R A C T E R I S T I C S O F C O R P O R AT E
C U LT U R E
To help people to identify the organisation and to differentiate it from its competitors, an
organisation has certain external and internal characteristics.

What are external characteristics?

The external characteristics of corporate culture are those elements of an organization that people
who do not form part of the organization, such as clients, customers and the general public, can use
to identify the organization and distinguish it from its competitors.
 logo

quality of
communicat slogan
ion

external
characteris
tics

colours on
apeearance logo, staff
of the uniforms,
interior company
cars

architecture
of the
building
What are internal characteristics?
The internal characteristics are those elements of an organisation that employees
of an organisation can identify as unique characteristics to the organisation and
its functioning.
management
's style

quality of
communicati
on and management
openness of 's attitude
communicati
on channels

Internal
characteri
stics

support the degree of

employee freedom the
receives employees
enjoy

reward or
compensatio
n related to
results
The following can be used to strengthen the corporate culture of an organisation:
 symbols such as the logo and staff uniforms
 rituals such as duration breaks, year –end functions
 the language in which the company conducts business
 stories regarding the practice within the organisation
 the relationships that exist between members of the organisation
LEADERSHIP STYLES
Leadership is “any behaviour that influences a group.” The leadership style leaders in
an organisation implement will affect the management style, as well as the
communication style, and will have an impact on the corporate culture of an
organisation.
Autocratic/authoritarian style of leadership
 Autocratic leaders carry most of the authority.
 They dominate their employees.
 They usually make decisions and announce them, without considering their
employees’ opinions.
 They are task-orientated.
 They are not very good listeners and are not empathetic.
Democratic/participative/consultative style of leader
ship
 Democratic leaders encourage their employees to participate in the decision-making
process.
 They guide rather than direct employees.
 They are people-orientated, good listeners and have empathy for their employees.
 Groups working under such a leader are usually very creative and good at solving
complex problems.

Laissez-faire/free rein/“let-it-happen” or “hands off

” style of leadership
 This is the most informal type of leadership.
 The leader provides general goals and guidelines but takes no further initiative and
allows employees to develop and progress on their own.
 They are not productive with the outputs.
 They are weak, inefficient, not dynamic and lazy.
EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL COMMUNICATION

External communication
External communication happens when the organisation
communicates with people in the outside world, such as
clients, suppliers, shareholders, the media and so on. There are
two types of external communication; public relations and
marketing.

Internal communication
Any communication that takes place within the organisation
(with branches, staff and employees). The primary function of
the internal communication is to keep employees informed
about the daily operations of business, as well as to inform
them about new policies.
DIRECTIONS OF COMMUNICATION

Communication in an organisation may take place as formal or

informal communication. In this unit we will learn more about
the directions of communication such as vertical, horizontal,
diagonal and informal communication.

Formal Vertical Horizontal Diagonal

communica communica communica commuicati
tion tion tion on
Vertical communication
This takes place up and down the organisation’s chain of
command between superiors and subordinates.
Example: Upwards communication takes place when
management communicates assignments, employees.
Downwards communication takes place when employees
communicate enquiries, ideas, grievances and reports to
management.
Horizontal communication
Horizontal/lateral communication takes place between peers
on the same level of authority and with the same status in an
organisation. Example: when the marketing team of an
organisation discuss a new marketing campaign
Diagonal communication
Diagonal/cross-wise communication does not take place
along the normal lines of authority, but across the different
levels of authority. Example: when the marketing manager
instructs a group of accountants to compile a budget for a
marketing campaign, and these accountants then provide the
marketing manager with such a budget
 Informal Informal Phatic
The
communicat social communicat
grapevine
ion gatherings ion
Informal social gatherings
Informal social groupings occur when employees get together
over lunchtime, or after or during work hours to discuss work-
related matters informally. Example : a group of marketers who
get together during lunchtime to discuss a new marketing
campaign over a sandwich and a cup of coffee.
The grapevine
The grapevine is an informal and system of communication in
which information is based on rumours. It is important to note
that this form of communication is not reliable. Example:
management often uses the grapevine to test what employees’
reaction would be towards certain decision before they are
made or implemented.
Phatic communication
Phatic communication includes the use of words to convey
feeling rather than meaning. The purpose of phatic
communication is built and maintain good interpersonal
relationships between members of an organisation. Example:
when you greet colleagues and ask them how they are doing.
END OF SLIDES