There are various interpretations of the term communication, while everyone reco gnises it only a few can define

it. One of the simplest definitions of communica tion is social interaction through messages (Fiske, 1990). In contrast another s tudy argues that communication is always a persuasive two way process, where the sender usually has an intention of influencing the receiver (Kalla, 2005). Internal communication is the exchange of information and ideas within an organi sation. This is an important aspect in every organisation because evidence sugge sts that companies with effective internal communication are usually successful (Kalla, 2005). Internal communication can take two fors this is formal and infor mal communication. In the case of Karens Wood Fired Pizza the organisational restructure should be c learly communicated to the employees. This is done through formal and informal c ommunication to avoid confusing staff and to lay clear guidelines as to how to b ring about the work in the new structure. Formal communication Formal communication will normally be part of a well thought out strategy. It in cludes forums, workshops and publications. Most organisations have hierarchical (layered) formal communication network channels (ProZ.com, 2009). One such examp le is when the managing director of Karens Pizza decides to restructure the orga nisation this policy change is first passed on to the supervisors, then the supe rvisors will convey the messages to the shift leaders, from there to the line st aff. There are three forms of formal communication. This is Downward communicat ion, Upward communication and Horizontal communication. These three types of for mal communication are as illustrated below. Figure 1 Adapted from Marcbowles (2009) Downward Communication Downward communication is one of the most important communication channels for t he managers. In the diagram above the arrow no1 represents downward communicatio n. This type of communication reinforces the hierarchical nature of the organisa tion. It is vital for organisations to accurately establish a good downward comm unication channel in order to establish a positive climate (Hiam, 1999). Functions of downward communication There are five main functions of downward communication. These are elaborated be low. Function Application 1. Giving job instructions These include employee tasks being communicated. Some examples are contr acts, operating manuals, union contracts, job descriptions and the main goal of the organisation is communicated. If we do that we will all come out ahead. In th e case of Karens Pizza it is important for the managers to clearly communicate th e new job instructions following the organisational restructure. One such way wo uld be to train the employees to work under new working conditions. 2. Job rationale This is the reason behind the organisation procedures. A lso includes explanations as to how the job and tasks relate to other individual s. This is more like providing the Big picture for an organisations activities. A w ord which could be used to explain this is Indoctrination. Which is defined by D ijk and Bryant (2009, p260) as People can buy stuff we sell at other places, but we can bring them in here by giving them what they want quickly and pleasantly. 3. Procedures, Policies and Practices The various policies, benefits, customs, processes and rules are explained and often reconfirmed. A clear commun ication to the employees regarding a organisational restructure could be achieve d through the following. These are bulletin boards, memos, employee hand book an d small formal meetings. Training manuals could also be used to explain the new procedures, while employee hand book outline policies and operating manuals pres ent practices.

4. Performance feedback Feedback occurs when a specific task is not bein g accomplished well for a specific job requirement. This should be given to the employees continuously and not only when something goes wrong. Performance evalu ation is said to be a critical part of managers job. Employees would always need to know whether the job is being done to the organisations standards, where to c orrect if there are any in accuracy and what is lacking in the work. One form of feedback which could be used by managers at Karens Pizza is performan ce appraisals. This appraisal should be designed to improve the subordinate thro ugh a system of constant, specific and related to performance. In addition the m anagers should always keep in mind the correct time to give feedback. One obvio us example is that when a manager constantly evaluates the way a staff member ma kes pizza this person may feel intimidated. 5. Information regarding the organisations mission and goals Becoming familiar with the organisations culture is important to the employees. This is because employees need to know why the organisation does what it does. Excellent companies make sure every employee understands the specific goals of the organi sation. In order to achieve this it is vital for the managers of Karens pizza to increase the information flow downward. It could be started and successfully ach ieved in the orientation and training process. Karens Pizza managers could use or ientation and training to communicate the new structure to new employees and cou ld use workshops to train the current employees. Strengths of Downward communication Most used type of communication out of the three. The importance of clear, accur ate downward information flows can be seen in every hierarchic structure (Anders on, Level & Dale, 2008). This is mainly because of the many benefits owned by th is method of internal communication. Firstly downward communication leads to better coordination between employees. O nce clear instructions are laid down to the workers, the work can be performed t o a good standard. Secondly morals of individuals are improved through this typ e of communication. Imporved morals lead to better customer relations. Finally l eading onto creating better industrial relations between other Pizza franchises (Anderson, Level & Dale, 2008). Greater job satisfaction could also be achieved through downward communication (Dijk & Bryant, 2009). This is further confirmed by Steven and Hisle (1996) by stating that downward communication can act as a l ever by which managers effect productivity and competence. In addition a study also suggests that task relevant downward communication can improve task performance and thus job satisfaction (Anderson, Level & Dale, 200 8). Task relevant downward communication are job instructions, feedback and perf ormance appraisals. Administrative relevant downward communication are effective when communicating policies and procedures (Anderson, Level & Dale,2008). Topics such as wages, pro motions and vacations could be communicated using this method. Weaknesses Many managers find certain drawbacks in downward communication. One study has re cognised three key problems faced by managers with downward communication. These are difficulty in communication through layers of middle management, lack of fe edback for their own messages and cross cultural obstacles (Stevens & Hisle, 199 6). This study is further confirmed by Dijk and Bryant(2009) by stating that ins ufficient or unclear messages, message overload and message distortion are commo n problems associated with downward communication. The study by Stevens and Hisl e (1996) suggests that information as much as 80 percent is lost after travellin g downward through five layers. Specific problems may arise for managers at Karens Pizza through downward communi cation. These may include layers of management making communication difficult, e mployees not responding with their opinion on the organisational restructure, a distorted message of the organisational restructure being transmitted which migh t lead to a confused message to the employees and some messages may not actually be received by certain employees (ex-part time staff). These should be avoided when using downward communication.

Upward Communication Messages flowing from subordinate to superiors are defines as upward communicati ons (Dijk, Bryant, 2009). In figure one arrows numbered 2 & 4 are examples of up ward communication. Upward communication provides a sound base for four types of messages. These are as follows Message Application Suggestions for improvement Many organisations has now realised that the per son on the job is most likely to provide useful information about improvements. In the case of Karens pizza company frontline staff directly come into contact wi th the pizza making equipment, processes and customers. Thus these individuals a re more likely to make suggestions regarding improvements to the system. Subordinates activities Managers need to know the success or failures of the emp loyees work. Upward communication can provide information about progress on a pa rticular job, achievements and problems faced. It could also be a means of givin g feedback on how accurately the downward messages have been received. Unresolved work problems If there are problems completing the work then s upervisors need to know about these. One example could be if the dough baking ma chine takes an extraordinary time to bake the dough, then the superiors out to k now about this. Issues ranging from equipment break down to economic problems ca n cause frustration that inturn decrease motivation and productivity. Superiors should also have an open mind about messaged received from subordinates. How subordinates feel about each other and the job Issues such as inequitie s in treatment, harassment, bullying, safety problems require effective communic ation opportunities between subordinates and superiors. Two extreme examples cou ld be sexual harassment and violence. These issues could be solved through upwar d communication by encouraging confidential private meetings to those who are co ncerned. Lack of carrier advancement and unfair pay issues could be addressed th rough anonymous suggestion boxes. Strengths Potential benefits of upward communication are important for an organisation. Th ese are prevention of problems and solution to new problems. One example of such a situation is elaborated in the table above. In addition to this increased acc eptance of management decisions is also achieved through upward communication (D ijk, Bryant, 2009). Upward communication is said to improve decision making in o rganisations. This is because when the subordinates continuously give feedback o n their job and work related issues the management can come up with better ways to improve the working conditions and situations. One way of achieving this is b y staff meetings where one study states that this was seen as one of the best wa ys to discuss issues and resolve problem situations (Hunt, Tourish, Hargie, 2000 ). Furthermore through upward communication managers would know how effective th e downward communication is to the employees this is because upward communicatio n is basically giving feedback to the managers of how well the job is being done . Weaknesses In upward communication there are several weaknesses. These maybe due to superio rs discouraging or downplay the important importance of subordinates messages. A lso managers might unfairly blame subordinates for unpleasant news ( Dijk, Bryan t, 2009). Thus it is possible to say managers should listen to the subordinates with an open mind. One study suggests that not all information received should b e implemented filtering of information is important by the manager. Hence this p lace inconvenience to managers and is a drawback to upward communication (Hunt, Tourish, Hargie, 2000). Another limitation explained in the latter study is tha t layers of management frequently caused problems of receiving information from bottom layers. Some subordinates may also complain saying it is hard to reach th e superiors with the busy schedule thus it is important for Karens pizza to have small meetings and chats to facilitate upward communication.

Horizontal Communication This type of communication consists of messages between members of the organisat ion with equal power (Dijk, Bryant, 2009). Arrow 3 in figure 1 illustrates this type of communication. This usually occurs between members in the same departmen t or with co workers. There are five main functions of Horizontal communication. These are task coordination, problem solving, sharing information, conflict res olution and building rapport. Horizontal communication is said to be a valuable asset in many cases for getting the work done effectively. Allowing people at th e same level to communicate regarding ongoing issues increases the ability to re solve potential conflicts. The corporation increases job satisfaction and can in crease efficiency because issues can be resolved at the level at which it occur.

Strengths Horizontal dimension of communication and interaction between the collegues and the atmosphere based on human relations have several benefits. Good relationship s are considered as the precondition of the functionality of communication in or ganisations (Tukiainen, 2001). In addition another study suggests that horizonta l designs of communication are said to flatten hierarchy, integrates the many ta sks of a business, and focuses on creating a more effective organisation (Ostaff , 1999). Such situation where creativity is used is to increase cooperation amon g employees with different duties and generate a greater understanding of organi sations mission. In the case of Karens pizza for example if a machine broke down then the employees can directly contact the mechanical engineers of the company rather than contacting the senior managers and thus can gett the job done effici ently. Furthermore one study states that team work is one measure of horizontal communication (Nurmi, 1996). Thus better horizontal communication would result i n good team work in the organisation. Weaknesses Weaknesses of horizontal communication are as follows. Firstly rivalry may occur between employees in different departments because all operate in the same leve l. There maybe more competition rather than corporation. This may occur due to a threat for a promotion, raise or other resource. One such example is marketing department and sales department competing with each other in the same organisati on for high sales figures. In addition specialization may make understanding mes sages from one department be difficult to the other. Some technical terms used b y the engineers at Karens pizza may not be understood by the marketing managers and vice versa. Furthermore information overload and physical barriers may disco urage communication between employees (Dijk, Bryant, 2009).