2.0 Organisational Communication

Business communication accounts for all forms of official interactions. The interaction may be within an organisation or between individuals outside the official setting and an organisation.

Types of Organisational Communication

Internal communication

Internal communication captures all aspects of communication that take place between staff and management of an organisation. Examples of such communication are memorandum, circulars, oral and written information, proposals, reports generated and consumed within an organisation.

External communication

This involves messages an organisation receives from or sends to external bodies. Examples of external communication includes letters, reports, proposal, etc.

Internal communication

Communication network

Communication network shows how communication moves in an organisation, also known as communication flow.

There are different hierarchies and positions in organisations. Communication network explains how staff in different positions, departments or ranks communicate.

---

2.1 Types of Communication Network

Vertical Network

Vertical network accounts for how staff in different hierarchies and departments interact. Types of vertical network include: upward vertical network and downward vertical network.

Upward Vertical Network

Here, messages flow from senior staff to their subordinates, or from management to staff of different ranks.

Advantages of Vertical Network:

• It helps management to communicate with staff on different levels.
• It encourages teamwork.
• It encourages delegation of duty.
• It helps to maintain law and order.
• It encourages sharing of responsibilities hence overload of tasks is avoided.
• It connects staff in different hierarchies and cadre.

Disadvantages of Vertical Network:

• It encourages senior staff to exert undue control over junior personnel.
• Its bureaucratic nature may result in delay in implementation of decisions.

Downward Vertical Network

Messages flow from junior staff to senior personnel.

Lateral (Horizontal) Network

This accounts for flow of messages between and among staff of similar positions. Examples are communication between heads of departments/units, between managers.

Horizontal – Advantages:

• It connects units and departments.
• Tasks involving all the departments are jointly executed.
• It enhances spread of information and decisions in the organisation.

Horizontal – Disadvantages:

• It advances spread of conflict among units/departments.
• Bad decisions or misinformation may affect all the units.
• It also advances spread of rumour.
• Inefficiency of one department may affect other departments.

Diagonal Network

Staff communicate diagonally when the communication participants are in different hierarchies and departments. For instance, when a head of a particular unit writes to a secretary in another unit.

Diagonal – Advantages:

• Specialists from different units can easily be reached irrespective of rank and cadre.
• It sometimes unclogs some administrative bottlenecks.
• It helps management to deal with staff directly involved in an issue.

Diagonal – Disadvantages:

• It encourages boycotting of staff on a network.
• It is a source of conflict especially when the staff that is being bypassed feels neglected.
• It is also a source of spreading of rumour in organisations.

---

2.2 Leadership

Leadership involves articulating, organising and executing visions or goals. It is, therefore, the act of helping a group to articulate, understand and implement set goals for positive results.

A Leader:

A leader is one selected, appointed or elected or who volunteers to direct a group in articulating and executing set tasks for positive results.

Characteristics of a Good Leader:

• Good communication skills: Possesses good communication skill, especially speaking and listening skills.
• Accountability: Accountability is the hallmark of leadership. It involves explanation of process, how fund is being received and spent; to execute tasks and report the procedure accordingly.
• Adaptability: This helps the leader to accept change; study new concepts and lead by example.
• Consistency: Consistency will help a leader to build trust.
• Honesty: Honesty demands the leader to be truthful and sincere.
• Team work: Every leader should be a team worker.
• Evaluative: Assessment of ideas, events and situations to separate facts from opinion, to consider and select better options.

Types of Leadership:

Elected Leadership

Elected leadership is the leadership promoted and elected into office by membership. Such leadership comes into office by majority votes of members of the group/organisation. There are set rules that qualify aspiring candidates for election and rules that disqualify them even after assumption of office.

Appointed Leadership

Appointed leadership is the leadership appointed by an authority. The authority may be the president or chairman of a group, government, village head, etc. There is also a set of rules that stipulates the qualities a candidate for appointment into office must possess. The appointed leader is often loyal to the authority that appoints him.

Authoritarian Leadership

This type of leadership is neither appointed nor elected. Candidates force themselves into power either by overthrowing existing leadership or when there is no existing leadership. Authoritarian leadership does not want to be elected or appointed. Even if he is elected or appointed, he is not loyal to any authority.

Transition Leadership

Transition leadership most often is by appointment. Such leadership is appointed to hold office temporarily awaiting proper election or appointment of a substantive candidate into office.

Leadership Styles:

Autocratic Leadership Style:

• Autocratic leadership style is not participatory but imposing.
• The leader adopting this style of leadership imposes his decision and will on the people.
• He is result-oriented and exerts punishment when he deems it necessary.

Democratic Leadership Style:

• Democratic leadership may be appointed or elected.
• It is participatory as the leader adopts inclusive principles, that is, including members in decision-making and seeking members’ opinions from time to time.

---

2.3 Meetings

Definition

Meeting means people coming together to share ideas, to deliberate on matters, to take decisions and to fashion out ways of progress.

Requirements for Meetings:

• Chairman: He calls for and moderates meetings.
• Secretary: Prepares circulars for meetings; takes minutes of meetings, prepares agenda.
• Agenda: List of issues to be discussed.
• Minutes: Minutes of previous meeting(s).
• Quorum: Minimum number of membership that should be present before starting the meeting.
• Venue: Where the meeting will take place.
• Time: Time for the meeting is usually stipulated in the circular.

Types of Meeting:

General Meeting (GM):

• General meetings are for all members and probably including visitors, although only members cast votes during voting.
• General meetings are held quarterly, annually, and biennially.
• It requires a special quorum, most often 2/3 of membership.
• A minimum of two weeks’ notice is required.

Special General Meeting:

• Special General Meeting takes the form of General meetings.
• The difference is that it is held when there are special issues or occurrences that require membership’s attention.

Executive Meeting:

• It is for Executives made up of Chairman, Secretary, PRO, Welfare Officer, Treasurer, Financial Secretary, Vice Chairman, Internal Auditor.

Functions of Meetings in Organisations:

• It is a decision-making forum.
• An avenue to sample opinion.
• Helps to establish group identity.
• A means of building and conveying information.
• A means of advancing interpersonal relationships.
• A means of improving staff welfare.
• A means of fostering team spirit on staff.

Minute Writing:

• Minute writing involves taking notes during meetings and developing them to form a report.
• It is an accurate and objective record of meeting proceedings.
• It is the duty of the secretary or their assistant to take minutes of membership’s deliberations.

Importance of Minutes:

• It serves as a reference document.
• It reminds members of their deliberations at previous meetings.
• It contains decisions of members on certain issues.
• It helps to remind members of tasks assigned to an individual or any office.
• It reports on meeting proceedings.
• It serves as a reference document.
• When adopted, it becomes a legal document.