Thursday, July 22, 2010
Informal Channels vs Formal
We learn about the different modes of organizational communication, and their usefulness in chapter 8. One of the things that stood out for me was the variation between formal and informal channels of communication. I was interested mostly because I have been doing some research about formal versus informal communication with organizations as it pertains to identifying competencies. The text says, “Both forms of communication are essential to the life of the organization.” (p. 218) However, what I have found is that while both obviously take place, and they each have different types of information base through them, informal communication tends to be more popular amongst those at lower levels. Also, it is interesting how much legitimacy informal information carries. Often we find these rumors to be truer than not, even though the classic “water cooler” conversations can be deemed gossip. So, I would agree that both informal and formal channels are essential to the operation of any organization.
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It seems like only formal relationships shold be made at work but the need for informal relationships is evident as well. Whenever you take a break at your job it's not uncommon for a person in charge to also be in the break room. This gives an employee and a manager a chance to catch up on things that they otherwise would not be able to talk about or wopuold take away from their work. I agree that this type of commuication is important because it allows people to talk about things they normally wouldn't talk about. It also gives two people a chance to socialize when they wouldn't normally talk to each other. This strengthens communication between employees and creates a much more pleasant work environment.
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