LATERAL COMMUNICATION: CHARACTERISTICS, ADVANTAGES, DISADVANTAGES, EXAMPLES - JOB - 2024

The lateral communication is a bidirectional way to transmit information between members of a company that 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.

Lateral communication occurs between members of a company who have the same rank. By Werner Heiber

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 who make up the departments is capable of achieving better coordination of tasks and resolving conflicts typical of working together.

Lateral communication characteristics

Today, lateral communication predominates in companies 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.

In 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 the members of a group.

- Generates that the information reaches its destination without distortions and in real time.

Advantages and disadvantages

One of the advantages of lateral communication is that it encourages teamwork. By mohamed Hassan

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.

- Advantage

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.

Uniformity of the message

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.

Quick dissemination of the message

When there is information exchange between team members, 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

Exchange of ideas

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.

Encourage group activities

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. It leaves as a result the achievement of the objectives in an optimal way and in a reduced space of time.

- Disadvantages

An excess of horizontal communication can also trigger a series of complications, therefore it is necessary to establish a balance between lateral and vertical dialogues. The latter refer to messages sent from the personnel with the highest hierarchy to those with the lowest rank and vice versa.

Here are some of the disadvantages of only establishing lateral communication:

Too much information

In this type of communicational schemes, messages have fewer filters, therefore a large amount of data is transmitted that then needs to be ordered, classified and specified.

Lack of understanding

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.

Lack of motivation

If the members of a company are not willing to give an extra in their functions, the lateral communication chain 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.

Ignorance of authority

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.

Examples of lateral communication

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:

Departmental and interdepartmental meetings

Depending on the nature of the company, they can be done once a week, every fortnight and even daily. In this way, all staff are kept abreast of progress, goals, projects, and the entry of new staff.

Emails

The use of e-mails allows information to reach all staff in real time. Even in some organizations, boards and files can be dispensed with and only electronic media can be used to facilitate communication.

If this method is chosen, it is essential to create rules to encourage the correct use of mail.

References

1. Sara Diez Freijero (2006). Communication techniques.
2. Luis Puchol, Luis Puchol Moreno (2007). Management and human resources management
3. Jay Elliot Steve Jobs (2013) The Leader of Apple: Management Lessons from a Controversial Genius.
4. Roger D'Aprix (1999) The Communication for Change.
5. Delgado, Xavier Roca Pérez (2005). Internal communication in the company.