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 Comparing
actual results against a plan 

 
Rules or procedures 

Communication about the 
organisation structure 
and job descriptions 
6.2 Direction of communication 
Communication in an organisation 
flows
downwards, upwards, sideways and diagonally. 
Communication links different parts of the organisation. 
(a) 
Vertical
 
communication
flows up and down the scalar chain from superior to subordinate and 
back. 
(b) 
Horizontal or lateral communication
flows
 
between people of the same rank, in the same section 
or department, or in different sections or departments. Horizontal communication between peer 
groups is usually easier and more direct then vertical communication, being less inhibited by 
considerations of rank. It may be part of a 
formal 
work relationship,
 
to co-ordinate the work of 
several people, and perhaps departments, who have to co-operate to carry out a certain 
operation. Alternatively, 
informal 
communication may furnish emotional and social support to an 
individual.
(c) 
Interdepartmental communication by people of different ranks may be described as 
diagonal 
communication
. Departments in the technostructure which serve the organisation in general, 
such as Human Resources or Information Systems, have no clear line authority linking them to 
managers in other departments who need their involvement.
6.3 Communication patterns (or networks) 
A 
communication pattern 
channels communication between people.
 
One of the purposes of a 
formal 
organisation structure 
is the design of a communications pattern for the organisation. 
Leavitt (1951), in a series of experiments, examined the effectiveness of four communication networks 
for