INFORMAL&FORMAL COMMUNICATION

In an organization, there are basically two ways of COMMUNICATION namely:

Formal and
Informal communication

FORMAL COMMUNICATION
Communication takes place through the formal channels of the organization struct
ure along the lines of authority established by the management.
Such communications are generally in writing and may take any of the forms; poli
cy; manuals: procedures and rule books; memoranda; official meetings; reports, e
tc.
Advantages & Disadvantages of Formal Communication:
The advantages of formal communication are:
They help in the fixation of responsibility and
Maintaining of the authority relationship in an organization.
The disadvantages of formal communication are:
Generally time consuming, cumbersome and
Leads to a good deal of distortion at times.
INFORMAL COMMUNICATION
Communication arising out of al those channels of communication that fall outsid
e the formal channels is known as informal communication.
Built around the social relationships of members of the organization.
Informal communication does not flow lines of authority as is the case of formal
communication.
It arises due to the personal needs of the members of n organization.
At times, in informal communication, it is difficult to fix responsibility about
accuracy of information. Such communication is usually oral and may be covered
even by simple glance, gesture or smile or silence.
What Is Informal Communication?
Informal communication arises out of all those channels that fall outside the fo
rmal channels and it is also known as grapevine. It is established around the so
cietal affiliation of members of the organization. Informal communication does n
ot follow authority lines as in the case of formal communication.
Informal communication takes place due to the individual needs of the members of
an organization and subsists in every organization. Normally, such communicatio
n is oral and may be expressed even by simple glance, sign or silence. Informal
communication, is implicit, spontaneous multidimensional and diverse. It oftenly
works in group of people, i.e. when one person has some information of interest
; he passes it on to his informal group and so on.
An organization can make efficient use of informal channels to fortify the forma
l channels of communication. It acts as a valuable purpose in expressing certain
information that cannot be channeled via the official channels. It satisfies th
e people desires to identify what is happening in the organization and offers an
opportunity to express dreads, worries and complaints. Informal communication a
lso facilitates to ameliorate managerial decisions as more people are involved i
n the process of decision-making.
Inspite on many advantages, informal communication has certain disadvantages. In
formal communication contains facts, deceptions, rumors and unclear data. The in
formal channels of communication may transmit completely imprecise information t
hat may harm rather than help an organization. In addition, it is impossible to

fix the responsibility for its origin or flow of information. However, for the e
fficient working of any organization both formal and informal communications are
required.
What Is Formal Communication
The messages which are circulating on regulated, preset channels, of an organiza
tion are creating the formal communication. The content of the communication is
related to the organization s activity, to the work and to anything which is relat
ed to those. The formal communication can consist in verbal messages, nonverbal
messages, written, under the shape of letters, telephone messages, radio message
s, printed, internal notes. Even some gestures can consist in formal communicati
on. The messages are transmitted by the authorized ones: on official channels, t
hese arrive to the ones who need to react, to people or machines which need to k
now the content of these messages.
Usually, all formal communications are recorded and kept in the organization s evi
dence. Are retained copies of these by the transmitter, by the receiver, by all
of the desks from the organization which need to know and keep the information.
Examples of formal communications are given by work commands, reports and financ
ial evidence, reports over sells / inventory, statements referring to the compan
y s policies, post descriptions, etc.
The formal communication can sometimes take place on the horizontal, along the p
arallel directions of authority. The formal communication network from an organi
zation along with the keeping spaces of these communications, are serving to mor
e purposes. It defines the channel on which will be sent important messages. It
will be created a transmitting plan of this information, both for the transmitte
r and for the receivers. It will be indicated the direction towards the persons
who will react and to the persons who need to be informed about these actions, t
heir steps and result. It offers an information storage space which will be nece
ssary on planning the operations and control. It is created an ordered system fo
r the superiors and subordinates, in order to keep each other informed constantl
y.
The formal communication network is formed out of formal channels, created by se
tting a formal system of responsibilities according to the hierarchical structur
e of the organization. The perfect network is the one which contains communicati
on channel from bottom up, downwards and horizontally. Often the direction of ho
rizontal communication is missing or it is inefficient and in this way the accur
acy of the information decreases. The situation is appearing because of the lack
of permanent circulation of the information between departments, although this
is vital for the organization in conditions of existent competition, or the lack
of specialists in organizational communication.

The downwards communications, from top to bottom, is performed by the manager to

the subordinates. There are transmitted provisions and instructions, are identi
fied the employees responsibilities. In an efficient organization, this type of
communication has its purpose in motivating the employees, their continuous info
rmation about policy, goals and organization strategy. The periodicity is import
ant because it ensures the constant communication. Sometimes this type of commun
ication is gaining a preferred tempt, moving only towards the employees, conside
red as having priority responsibilities. It can have place even when only the ma
nager is transmitting orders and instructions to the employees, without being to
o preoccupied about their information.

If the organization is in changing, the downwards communication must be used to

change opinions, attitudes, to waste restrictions and fear towards misinformatio
n in order to support the employees to comply with these changes. This type of c
ommunication requires a feedback. That is why it is completed with bottom up com
munication, from the employees to the manager. These, as they understand the dow
nwards communication, can communicate their answers. The manager must pay attent
ion to the information he receives, thanks to the employees tendency to say only
good stuff to the boss: it may appear the deliberate misinformation.