the Adequacy of Information Exchange
Timing
Type of Info.
Load
gauge adequacy in 2 ways
most employees are sensitive to the fact that they do not get certain information, and they generally are willing to share their views with the auditor
employees are sometimes unaware of the existence of in- formation that could be useful
Aim of comm.:
Circulate information
Auditor should aware of this gap through their own observations.
Auditors need to search out what information is, and should be, made available to employees and not be tied to employees’ perceptions only
Does the information that the employees desire actually exist, or does it exist in the time frame that they desire?
information is only useful if it is received on time
the auditor can look for ways of developing a timely distribution system
Communication load can be an important variable in assessing the degree of adequacy of information exchange
An optimal load is dictated by the receiver’s ability to process some amount of information
different types
Underload
when people think they need or could use more information.
Overload
people have more information than they can possibly process
related
technology.
The rise of computers has aggravated this problem
People
Replying to employee suggestions took far more time for super- visors than anyone had predicted
Check the Directionality of
Communication Flow
Because hierarchy is an inherent part of every organization, it is common to analyze communication in terms of the direction in which it flows.
Types
Downward
Upward
Horizontal
message systems that proceed vertically down the chain of command from managers to subordinates.
situation
Employees receive a great deal of information from many different sources but how much of this communication is effective has always been disputed.
there has long been a difference between management’s perception of what employees need to know and what the employees say they need and want to know.
two functions of
downward communication
employees need to have the information necessary to do their jobs
good downward communication is not limited to immediate work assignments
May be informal as well as formal;
Managing information effectively is a truly monumental task. Yet, effective information management lies in supervising the knowledge base as well as the processing mechanism
Communication also flows from employees up the chain of command, either formally or informally.
some of the most important in- formation processing goes from employees at one level to their superiors
suggestion systems
teams, quality circles, goal setting, and techniques of participative management.
effective system
Without an effective system of reporting upward, no organization could possibly function for long.
sets the tone for the communication climate
Whether employees have the freedom to initiate communication with superiors characterizes
that employees filter their upward communication out of a need for self-preservation related to their mobility aspirations and their desire to gain their managers’ trust
Many of these horizontal interactions take place informally for social reasons
We have found that those interactions often stimulate organizational commitment