Convenience

horizontal
communication
Communication that
flows laterally within
the organization;
involves colleagues
and peers at the
same level of the
organization and
may involve
individuals from
several different
organizational units
370
Part 4:
Leading
Copyright 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
www.MyEbookNiche.eCrater.com

---

Digital Communication
An increasingly important form of organizational communication relies on digital com-
munication technology.
Information technology (IT)
consists of the resources used by
an organization to manage information that it needs to carry out its mission. IT may
consist of computers, computer networks, telephones, fax machines, smartphones, and
other pieces of hardware. In addition, IT involves software that facilitates the system’s
ability to manage information in a way that is useful for managers. Both formal informa-
tion systems and personal information technology have reshaped how managers commu-
nicate with one another. The Tough Times, Tough Choices feature, The Brutally-
Honest-Opinion Business, shows how some corporations are making use of blogs, one
form of digital electronic communication.
Information Systems
Advances in IT have made it increasingly easy for managers to
use many different kinds of information systems. In this section, we discuss the most
common kinds of information systems used by businesses today.