Diagonal communication?

Question

In what ways does diagonal communication make an organization more flexible?

Answer 1

Diagonal comm makes an organization more flexible by allowing faster communication of information in both directions, from the lower levels of the company to the top, and vice versa. It takes away the rigid command structure that can bog down companies in "red tape" (commonly known as procedures) and can aid in efficiency by employees getting quick answers to questions that might otherwise take a week or maybe even two. It allows cross communication between departments which in theory, helps disseminate information faster and helps people do their jobs quicker and more efficiently. The idea is that it empowers people more and allows them to have better control over their jobs and breaks down barriors between upper management and the lower echelons.

Personally I don't like diagonal communication, because in my direct experience it works in theory only. Managers get bypassed and they get angry. Information that should have been told to everyone only gets told to the certain individual and he doesn't always forward that information on, causing people to be in the dark. It can cause chaos in a company. It's a theoretical model. It IS put into practise but as I said, I've never seen it work the way it is supposed to.

If you think your teacher likes and supports diagonal comm don't tell her what I said just use the first paragraph!