Impact of Formal and Informal Communication on Employee Motivation and Transgression

Running head: Management Psychology
Management Psychology

Management Psychology 1
Impact of formal and informal communication at the workplace
on employee motivation and transgression
Communication has a very important role to play in analyzing whether the organization will
succeed in the long run or not. Motivation can be defined as a set of regulations and values
which create an impact on an employee to act in a specified direction. Human needs, wants and
desires form the basis of motivation. The employees have various needs and preferences and the
managerial personnel must be able to implement various motivational tools to satisfy those
necessities and desires (Cacciattolo, 2015).
Employee motivation is a crucial element in management of organization as it defines the
commitment, efficiency and usefulness of the employees. The employees feel motivated when
they feel that they are being recognized for their performance, when they are allotted proper clear
responsibilities, when they reach their desired level of accomplishments and when they progress
in the organization. So, it is the responsibility of the management to support the workers so that
they become highly productive individuals who remain motivated to provide creative solutions to
the problems of the firm. So, in this essay it would be discussed that how informal and formal
communication influences motivation and transgression of the employees at the workplace.
The structure of the organization has an impact on the communication patterns within its internal
environment. The communication patterns can be classified into various categories viz. verbal
and non-verbal .Verbal communication can be communicated with the help of speech which is
understood by all the parties involved in the communication whereas the nonverbal
communication can be communicated with the help of messages and various paralinguistics such
as pitch, tone, volume, intensity of speech, pronunciation , non-sound words , body movements,
gestures , touch , giving personal and professional space, quality and silence (Chatterjee and
Kulakli,2015).
Verbal communication comprises of formal and informal communication. Formal
communication comprises of downward, upward and horizontal whereas informal
communication comprises of lateral, diagonal and grapevine.

Management Psychology 2
In downward communication the flow of communication is from higher to lower levels of
management. The CEO and the board communicates to the lower level managers and workers
through speeches, e-mails, handbooks and policy manuals. In the upward communication, the
flow is from lower to upper management. It is essential to analyze if the staff has fully
comprehended the information and it also helps in meeting the ego needs of the staff. The
upward and downward communications flow in the formal hierarchy within the organization
whereas in the horizontal communication, there is a lateral or diagonal flow across the formal
chain of command (Eunson, 2015).
In horizontal flow, the information delivered is basically for coordination so that the activities
can be tied within or across the various departments within the organization (Nwogbaga,
Nwankwo and Onwa, 2015).
In the modern era, there have been various advancements in the methods of formal
communication. Use of smart phones is one of them. The managerial personnel is sending the
text messages, short emails through the personal digital assistants (PDAs). The PDAs with
internet capabilities have transformed the way emails work. As a result, the business associates
use mobile devices to communicate with their colleagues as well as many companies market
their products to the consumers using text messages.
Use of social media is another method to communicate within the organization in a formal way.
The companies promote their events and communicate with consumers with the help of
networking sites. The recruiters often seek their contacts through social media sites. For
example, the recruiters often search for candidates by connecting with the higher managerial

Management Psychology 3
personnel who are listed on the social networking sites. This helps them to access to the
prospective candidates in a fast and easy way (Riihimäki, 2017).
Email is an older form of communication but still it remains an important element of modern
communication. It can be used for clarifications and justifications, hold small group conferences,
information sharing, passing documents and make people aware of issues. In fact, the courts also
approve emails as legal evidences for contracts and transactions (Mallah, 2016).
Informal communication is just a casual talk amongst the employees of the organization. It is
conducted for social recognitions and face to face discussions amongst the members in the
organization. Usually, the informal communication is done using gestures and in an oral manner.
Unlike formal communication, it does not follow authority lines. It helps in creating relationships
amongst the members and helps in finding grievances as people express more frankly while
talking informally (Zivrbule, 2015).
There are various types of informal communication such as lateral, diagonal and grapevine.
Lateral communication can be defined as sharing, interchange and conveying of information,
feelings and ideas amongst the people within the peer group, departments, community and units
who are on the same hierarchical level for the purpose of coordination of activities, efforts and
fulfillment of a common goal and purpose (Bulduk, Özel and Dinçer, 2016).
It is used to promote team work and facilitating group efforts within the same group and
organization. It is less structured and is of informal nature. It takes place in the form of telephone
calls, informal discussions, gossips, tele conferencing and second life conferencing.
Another type of informal communication is cross functional communication. The cross
functional communication amongst the employees of various levels in the hierarchy can be
defined as diagonal communication. It helps in overcoming various barriers to communication in
the organization. It minimizes the chances of misinterpretation through initiating
communications within the relevant parties. It also helps in reducing the workload of the
combination of the managers as they do not have to act as intermediary between his department
and other managers (Huang and Yao,2017).