Communication is the most important thing in an organisation for without

communication , no organisation can function therfore employees and employers must be able to
communicate effectively.Communication was dfined by Stanley and Stanely,1992 as a dynamic
of transition of simultenously exchange of verbal and non verbal messages resulting in shared
between two or more people, msgs occur through formal and informal channels.In this context
paying attention to formal communication channels which include upward communication,
downward communication, horizontal communication andn diagornal communication, this essay
seeks to explain how these four channels of formal communication can be used in a business
orgarnization like Spar.It can be said that in ordr for the business to function well there is need
for all formal chanels of communication however these channels can be sometimes effective
sometimes not it all depends on how the people use them.

To begin with, upward communication, it another communication channel that is used in a

business organization. Daft mentions that this is the were employees suggest for improvement to
increase quality or efficiency, performance, reports that inform managers on how individuals
and departments are performing and grievances, disputes and financial information. Upward
communication consists of messages that start at the bottom of the organizational hierarchy and
are transmitted up the hierarchy to the highest positions of the hierarchy. It can be utilized in
business organizations to help employees to express their requirements, ideas and feelings in
regards to the organization. Furthermore it makes the managers aware of how employees feel
about their jobs, policies and procedures and the business in general. For instance, at Spar
supermarket, front line employees can convey their grievances about their jobs to the managers,
supervisors, and directors through channels like meetings, e-mails or anonymous surveys. This
makes employees feel like they are also an important part of the organization in that they would
be given a platform to present their problems and wishes in regard to the business, therefore, it
increases efficiency and ultimately the profitability of the business. Thus, it is clear that upward
communication can be used to convey employee grievances to the top management. Moreover
for upward communication to be successful the managers need to have time to communicate and
listen to their employees.

More over as upward communication is the flow of information from front line employees to
managers, supervisors and directors, it is very important though many scholars argue that it is
more effective in the business environment. For example in this context till operators,
merchandisers, guard and cleaners need to communicate with managers, supervisors, directors e
to have organized, productive and profitable business, so if there is shortage of mops for cleaners
the matter need to be reported to those at the top of the hierarchy but if the managers are busy to
listen . This affect the whole business as people would not like to buy anything in a dirty place.
Therefore one can note that the attitude of the managers plays an important role in upward
communication flow but if the administrator is really concerned and really listens then upward
communication improves. According to Cheney ,2011 managers fail to respond when staff
members, the employees bring up information or problems or they tend to be too busySo in a
business orgarnisation like Spar supermarket upward communication can be used to increase
profits and also to take of the needs of employees.

In addition, upward communication keeps manager aware of how employees feel about their
jobs,policies and procedurs and the orgarnization in general and also the managers can get
information from employees that can help improve the organisational dvelopment, like till
operators can suggest that the use of keyboard tills is slow and suggest for the use of touch
screens which are more faster.All this dominate to the advancement and profit increase to the
orgarnisation and accordind to Orgel, 2010 the eployees fel respected that they have a say in how
the orgarnisation is run

Employees can be instrumental in forming new policies or changing those that are outdated in an
organization. This is so because the employees do the work everyday and they know how the
business works, thus, they can usually tell the managers if something works or does not work. In
this regard, managers can get feedback from employees that can help improve organizational
development. For, instance the till operators would tell the manager if the tills are not working
and the guard can let the manager know if the light are no longer working, however this can be
impossible for the manager to see for him or herself. This contribution by employees may help in
increasing profitability and advancement in the organization. Hirokawa 1979 clarifies that,
upward communication is essential in an organization because it allows subordinates to
participate in the decision-making process and also facilitates the acceptance of those decisions
which they had a part in making. This in essence ensure the increase of efficiency and
productivity of the business.

Downward communication is the flow of information down through an orgarnisation s formal

chain of command or hierarchical structure, in other words messages and orders starts at the
upper level of the orgarnizational hierarchy and move to the bottom level.Daft, 2012 states that
formal communications are those that flow within the chain of command or task responsibility.
The messages are usually job instructions, job rationales. procedure and practises, infornation,
feedback and doctrination.Spar managers use downward communication to assign goals, provide
job instructions, explain policies and offer feedback about performance and they can do this
through various ways such as via speechs, messages in nesletter, emails ,leaflets, memos and
others.The responses to downward communication move up along the same path.However
downward communication can sometimes delay the information to reach the targated destination
in time thereby leading to uncomplete communication.

In an organization structure, the superiors utilize their abilities to attain the desired target which
mean that they may be engaged in downward communication, managers must explain the reason
why a decision was made for example the employees have to be told if the namager are decidind
on to move to another building and the reason why.One study founded out that the employees
were twice as likely to be commited when the reason were fully explained.However many
managers feel they are to busy to explain things.

The basic purpose of designing downward communication is to connect various subsystems of

organization and coordinating their functions for achieving orgarnazational goals.it is officially
and part of formal organization which operates through formal relationship of superior and
subordinate .As the communication flows downwards , traditionally this direction has been
emphasized and it is based on the assumption that the people working at higher level have the
authority to communicate to the people working at lower levels.Moreover this direction of
communication strengtherns the authoritarian structure of the orgarnisation however sometimes
managers may withhold some valuable information from the empoyees and in such situations the
employees become frustrated, confused and powerless and it may spoil the employer employee
relationship for example if the Spat manager does non tel the employees that there would be a
stocktake when ther is still time and decide to tell them on the day when it should be done,it can
frustrate and confuse employees.

To add, downward communication can be used in a business organization to communicate

feedback messages from higher management to the subordinates. Feedback can be conveyed in a
effort to inform the subordinates of the decisions, undertakings or opinions of the managerial
office in regards to the subordinates’ performance in an organization. For instance, Econet
Wireless may make use of departmental progress reports or individual performance appraisals to
tell departments or individuals how well they are doing at work with respect to performance
standards and goals. Feedback can be both negative and positive but the important thing is that it
serves a constructive purpose to the subordinates. Positive feedback occurs when a supervisor
explains to a subordinate what he or she is doing well, whereas negative feedback occurs when a
supervisor explains to a subordinate areas that need improvement. Redding 1972 propounds that
providing feedback to one’s subordinates is a very important feature of any supervisory position.
This is so because employees can only grow and become more proficient with their jobs if they
are receiving feedback from those above them, whether positive or negative. Thus, it is
justifiable for one to fully argue that downward communication can be utilized for the
conveyance of feedback from the employers to the employees in a business organization.

In addition, downward communication can be utilized in a business organization for employee

indoctrination. Employee indoctrination refers to the socialization of new employees in an
organization and the impartation of organizational rules and regulations to the new employees in
an organization. Katz and Kahn 1996 refers to employee indoctrination as the process of
instilling an employee with a partisan or ideological point of view. Business organizations try to
motivate new employees to adopt the organization’s mission and cultural values. Lunenburg and
Ornstein, 2008 points out that it is an attempt to get a commitment, a sense of belonging and a
unity of direction among employees. When new employees are hired at Econet Wireless, the
human resources group may do a comprehensive introduction to company procedures, making
the new members in the company feel welcome and part of the organization. Examples of
procedures to be included in training include steps necessary to request time off, to submit a time
sheet and to submit an employee’s tax filing status. This form of indoctrination may be done in a
meeting or through employee handbooks and internal newsletters in which formal
communication may be used or. Therefore, it is of paramount importance for one to note that
downward communication may be used in a business organization for the indoctrination of new
members and that it is effective in assisting new members to fit into the organization without
encountering any form of stress or unease. Horizontal communicatin is defined as the
transmittion of information between people, divisions, departments or units within the same level
of organizational hierarchy. Taylor 2005 points out that, horizontal communication occurs
between people of the same status. When people are working in the same department and on the
same project, conflicts and disagreements are likely to arise and horizontal communication may
be utilized to settle those disputes. When individuals are in conflict with each other, the easiest
way to solve the conflict is through direct interaction. For example, in a big organization like
Econet Wireless, a line manager and a stuff manager may be at loggerheads and in conflict over
their delegatory roles, it may be required that both parties talk their issues out and solve their
differences.

Horizontal communication is the transmission of information between people, divisions,

departments or units within the same level of orgarnisational hierachy. According to Cheney
(2011) It takes place between persons operating at the same level , people who do not stand in a
hierachical relation to one another.It can be distinguished from from vertical communication,
which is the transmition of information between different levels of the organizational hierarchy.

Horizontal communicationis also reffered to as literal communication and its main use is to
maintain coordination and review activities assigned to various subordinates. In this case these
are functional managers operating at the same level but in different departments. For example the
manager of Spar in Bulawayo and the manager of Spar in Harare when they meet they use same
and equal chairs which non verbally communicate that they are of the same power or authority,
no one is more important than the other unlike when a manager is addressing those that are at a
lower level ,usually he or she uses the higher and different chair compared to those of low level
thereby communcating non verbally that he or she is of higher level compared to them.Therefore
one can say that horizontal communication is used to show the level of authority in an
organization.

Furthermore horizontal communication is much important as all formal channels of

communication,as Pearson at al(2003) define communication as the process by which meaning
is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs or behavior, when
the managers use the the same chairs its a symbol which communicates that they are equal and it
present some distinct advantage.It reduces