The lateral communication It is a bidirectional way of transmitting information between the members of a company who have the same hierarchical level. It can occur between people in a group or from different departments. For example, two customer service people calling for work use this type of communication.
It fulfills the fundamental objectives of communication within an organization. It can be carried out through official channels and others of less conventional use. The good flow of information has advantages within companies, since it promotes employee motivation and is key in the productivity process.
The so-called horizontal communication allows decision-making to be more effective, since it gives workers confidence in the processes carried out. This way of having contact between all the people that make up the departments is capable of achieving a better coordination of tasks and resolving conflicts typical of work coexistence..
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Today, in companies lateral communication predominates to promote teamwork and camaraderie. In this way, communication acts as a social component to improve the organizational climate..
Companies have changed and hierarchies are increasingly left aside to give way to communicative work and the engagement of all staff alike.
On this premise, the Apple company can be cited as an example. Its CEO, Steve Jobs, explained in an interview that the success of the brand was due to the fact that they are "an incredibly collaborative company (...) we have incredible teamwork"
Lateral communication allows this and also makes workers feel free to express their opinions. A well-used internal communication strategy serves as a way to retain human talent.
This is possible because staff feel comfortable with the work performed and create corporate identity. Under this concept, the characteristics of horizontal communication are very specific:
- Has collaborators of the same level regardless of whether or not they belong to the same department.
- It allows the exchange of information and tasks in a simple and fast way.
- Contributes to the development of empathy between members of a group.
- Generates that the information reaches its destination without distortions and in real time.
When lateral communication is put into practice within a company, people with the same rank achieve an effective cooperation process and are more open to collaborate in all processes. This way of being in contact with each other has advantages and disadvantages.
Dialogue directly influences the success of an organization, since close and direct lateral communication has a series of advantages that are present as soon as it is put into practice.
As this type of communication occurs between employees with the same hierarchy level, the message is prevented from being distorted. In this way there is greater transparency and security in the actions of an organization.
This also reduces the possibility of generating bad comments and improves the understanding of all members..
When there is exchange of information between the members of a team, avoiding bureaucracy, the message is disseminated in a transparent way. This allows everyone involved within the group to receive the data quickly.
This means that processes are streamlined and work groups interact more effectively
As it can occur through informal channels, the discussion of proposals, projects is facilitated and empathy is generated among the members of the organization to carry out activities that improve not only the productivity of the company, but also the organizational climate of work..
This communicational method allows the departments to get to know each other better thanks to the rapid dissemination of the message and a teamwork environment is created. As a result, it leaves the scope of the objectives optimally and in a short space of time.
An excess of horizontal communication can also trigger a series of complications, so it is necessary to establish a balance between lateral and vertical dialogues. The latter refer to messages sent from the highest ranking personnel to those of lower rank and vice versa..
Here are some of the downsides to only communicating sideways:
In this type of communicational schemes the messages have fewer filters, therefore a large amount of data is transmitted that then it is necessary to order, classify and specify.
In the absence of a leader, a poor understanding of the message can originate, lack of clarity in the strategies and, therefore, slow down the processes within the organization.
If the members of a company are not willing to give an extra in their functions, the chain of lateral communication is broken and the efforts of the rest of the staff in the search to achieve the objectives fail. This results in a lack of productivity.
Although lateral communication predominates in a company, it is also essential to let the sending of messages flow vertically.
If there is a misunderstanding of the operation of both, the workers of the same rank will give greater importance to the management of information among themselves, and may become unaware of those who are above their jobs..
To start lateral communication, a series of tools such as emails, telephone lines or meeting spaces are needed. These are some examples of the transmission of information horizontally:
Depending on the nature of the company, they can be done once a week, every fortnight and even on a daily basis. In this way, all staff keep abreast of progress, goals, projects, and the entry of new staff..
The use of emails allows information to reach all staff in real time. Even in some organizations, boards, files and only electronic media can be dispensed with to facilitate communication..
If this method is chosen, it is essential to create rules to encourage the correct use of mail..
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