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Home » Management » Downward Communication: Importance, Types & Advantages

Downward Communication: Importance, Types & Advantages

June 9, 2023 | By Hitesh Bhasin | Filed Under: Management

Downward communication is the procedure in which information or chain of command circulates from an organization’s upper level of hierarchy to the lower level. It occurs when information and messages flow down by using the formal chain of command or hierarchical structure of an organization.

In level management of communication downward, messages and orders start from the top-level management of the company and move down toward the lower-level employees. The superiors responsible for upper management like managers, directors, or CEOs convey organizational goals, procedures, policies, orders, decisions, instructions, etc., to their subordinates through downward communication.

For example, a manager of an organization channelizes business communication issuing any instructions to his or her assistant manager or supervisor providing directions to his workers.

Table of Contents

  • What is Downward Communication?
  • How Does Downward Communication Work?
  • Downward Communication vs Upward Communication
  • Purpose of using Downward Communication
    • 1. Finding the right ways to implement goals, strategies, and objectives
    • 2. Sharing job instructions and rationale
    • 3. Communicating procedures and practices
    • 4. Sharing progress reports and performance feedback
    • 5. Improving socialization
  • Types of Downward Communication
    • 1. Oral or Verbal Method
    • 2. Written Method
    • 3. Other Methods
  • Importance of Downward Communication
    • 1. Providing an Idea
    • 2. Motivating with Objectives
    • 3. Maintaining a Discipline
    • 4. Explaining about Change
    • 5. Giving Direction and Assigning a Job
    • 6. Evaluating Works
  • Examples and Mediums of Downward communication
  • Tips on How to Make Downward Communications Successful
  • Advantages of Effective Downward Communication
  • Disadvantages of Downward Communication
  • Conclusion

What is Downward Communication?

What is Downward Communication

Definition: Downward communication is defined as a formal process of passing information from top-level management to employees through a chain of instructions. The downward communication flow starts with someone at the helm issuing information or message, and the following lower person in the hierarchy passes it to those who report to the higher one.

In other words, it can be understood as an effective communication style in an organizational setup that takes place from superiors to subordinates. This flow goes on down the line. The management of any organization relies on downward communication for most of the communications.

Effective downward communication plays an essential and crucial part in an organization’s success. It helps in establishing and disseminating the goals of an organization.

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How Does Downward Communication Work?

Downward communication refers to the process of sharing information with a lower-level employee. It’s a way of providing information that helps the person in question perform their job more effectively or efficiently.

For example, if you’re a manager at a company, you might have to communicate down to your employees and tell them what’s going on with their job or what they need to do next.

Here’s how it works:

1) Think about the information you want to communicate downward.

2) Decide on the best way to deliver that information—whether it’s face to face conversations, over email, or through another medium.

3) Make sure that you have clear communication goals in mind before reaching out to your audience; for example, if you’re sending an email, be sure that it contains all of the necessary information for them to understand what’s going on and what they need to do next.

Downward Communication vs Upward Communication

Downward Communication vs Upward Communication

As the name suggests, in upward communication, the information flowing process starts from the lower level of a hierarchy and ends at the top-level management. For instance, in a company, it will start with an employee.

While communication downward is the exact opposite of the process in which information and messages flow from managers and leaders to the followers and employees. For example, in a team, written communication will start with a leader.

Purpose of using Downward Communication

Five general purposes because of which an organization should choose downward communication are

1. Finding the right ways to implement goals, strategies, and objectives

It helps the organization in communicating the mission, vision, messages, and objectives decided by top-level management to the lower-level employees using the internal channels of communication in an organizational environment.

2. Sharing job instructions and rationale

It assists in the process of sharing directives concerning how to perform a job or coordinating individual as well as departmental objectives.

3. Communicating procedures and practices

Businesses or organizations use different policies, regulations, rules, benefits, guidelines, structural arrangements, etc, and share it using communication downward from top to lower levels. It ensures some degree of uniformity in organization practices.

4. Sharing progress reports and performance feedback

Organizations or companies use this form of communication for sharing departmental progress reports as well as individual performance feedback and appraisals. Managers share feedback to employees about how well they are performing as per their performance goals and standards.

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5. Improving socialization

Organizations incorporate strategies to motivate employees and they use downward communication for sharing those strategies. The mission and cultural values of organizations are shared with staff members. They are also asked to participate in special ceremonies and events that help everyone to socialized and familiarize themselves by having a sense of belonging and unity of direction.

Types of Downward Communication

Types of Downward Communication

While transmitting pieces of information, principally used communications are oral and written communication. The segment of media depends on its nature and urgency.

1. Oral or Verbal Method

Mainly, Downward Communication occurs by an oral method. The higher authority gives instructions to their subordinates through telephonic conversation or face-to-face. The managers also can exchange relevant information with their subordinates through conferences, meetings, lectures, etc.

2. Written Method

Organizations, irrespective of their size and nature, send important messages and information to their employees in written forms through circulars, manuals, letters, bulletins, posters. Usually, letters communicate necessary organizational directives; Manuals, circulars, and bulletins communicate procedures and policies.

3. Other Methods

Inclusions to oral and written methods, audio, visual and audio-visual media are also used in downward communication. Television, radio, poster, signal, graphs, etc., are some of the commonly used mediums that transfer information to the subordinates. In this digital era, emails, PPT, messages (SMS), WhatsApp, etc., can be included here.

Importance of Downward Communication

In an organization, employing Downward Communication channels are crucial and effective.

1. Providing an Idea

A superior person sitting at the helm of an organization can give and transfer a complete understanding to his/her subordinates through downward communication regarding rules, policies, objectives, decisions, and many more.

2. Motivating with Objectives

An organization can resort to downward communication to encourage lower-level workers or employees. It motivates the employees to work more and perfect for an organization to achieve goals and objectives.

3. Maintaining a Discipline

Downward communication follows an organizational hierarchy. Every department follows the set rules or procedures. In this way, discipline is maintained in an organization.

4. Explaining about Change

When there is any change in respect of works, plans, procedures, policies, rules timings, etc., downward communication is the most looked forward communication that explains changes.

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5. Giving Direction and Assigning a Job

Superior can direct any assignment, work-related things, tasks through downward communication to their subordinates. Assigning jobs to the employees can be given through Downward Communication by the superiors.

6. Evaluating Works

Downward communication helps superiors to evaluate works performed by their employees. Through Downward communication, employees are informed of their evaluations.

Examples and Mediums of Downward communication

Examples and Mediums of Downward communication

Here are a few examples of the downward communication

  • A manager sending an email to inform employees, outlining the company’s new strategy and how it will affect workers’ jobs.
  • A supervisor telling an employee that he/she needs to improve his/her performance or else he/she will be fired.
  • A boss telling an employee that he/she will be working on a new project for the next few months.
  • A manager telling employees about the company’s new benefit plan and how it will affect their healthcare costs.

Tips on How to Make Downward Communications Successful

If you’re someone who’s in charge of making sure that downward communication flows happen effectively, here are some tips for how to make it successful:

1) Make sure you’re talking about the right things — When you’re having a conversation with your team members, make sure you talk about what they need to know (and not just your own opinions).

2) Make sure they understand why they’re doing something — If you’re asking your team members to do something new or different, then you have to make sure they understand why they’re doing it. If there’s something specific that needs changed, explain it clearly and succinctly so everyone understands why it matters.

3) Be respectful — Always treat others with respect and do your best not to interrupt or talk over them during these conversations.

Advantages of Effective Downward Communication

Advantages of Communication Downward

1. Efficiency

Downward communication provides effectiveness and coherence because information and instructions came from the sources in power. It enables the coordination of activities from the higher part of the organization, thus maintaining the efficiency of the employees.

2. Easy and effective delegation

The delegation becomes so easier and effective coming from the superiors to the employees representing a chain of commands.

3. Organizational Control and Discipline

As downward communication follows the organization’s hierarchy, control, discipline, and members’ compliance become much easier to preserve.

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4. Builds Good Relationships

Downward communication builds good relationships between the hierarchy. A strong feeling of participation happens in this communication for the subordinates.

Disadvantages of Downward Communication

1. Distortion

As information proceeds through different levels of the organization from the vertical communication structure, chances of distorted information and messages can be there.

2. Loss of Information

The possibility of losing information is quite there in this type of communication.

3. Time Consuming

It takes time for information to be transferred from one stratum of employees to another, so feedback can be slow, resulting in time loss.

4. Lowers Morale

Downward communication, in some ways, can have a negative impact when supervisors misuse their position and power, so it can result in lowering the morale of employees.

Conclusion

Now, it is clear that downward communication is crucial for supplying information, assigning work, explaining policies/pans, and directing subordinates in an organization.

It is also useful in distributing interdepartmental duties and responsibilities, explaining the changing environment, sharing performance evaluation, delegating authority, and establishing discipline.

How important do you consider downward communication for sharing ideas and completing tasks in an organization?


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About Hitesh Bhasin

Hitesh Bhasin is the CEO of Marketing91 and has over a decade of experience in the marketing field. He is an accomplished author of thousands of insightful articles, including in-depth analyses of brands and companies. Holding an MBA in Marketing, Hitesh manages several offline ventures, where he applies all the concepts of Marketing that he writes about.

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  3. Upward Communication – Definition, Types, Advantages and Differences Structure
  4. Vertical Communication – Definition, Types, Advantages and Disadvantages
  5. Nonverbal Communication: Uses, Types, Importance And Role
  6. Grapevine Communication: Meaning, Types and Importance
  7. Visual Communication: Definition, Importance and Types
  8. Interpersonal Communication: Meaning, Types, Importance, Elements and Examples
  9. Verbal Communication – Definition, Types, Importance and Difference from Non-Verbal
  10. Public Communication – Definition, Importance and Types
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Comments

  1. Vernon Snell says

    I learned a lot about leaders, different types of leadership that is very important in this line of career and communications and techniques how too maneuver in life.

    Reply
  2. LIMBU says

    How the reference of communicationis

    Reply

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Types of Communication
Types of Communication - 1
  1. Types of Communication
  2. Internal Communications
  3. External Communications
  4. Upward Communication
  5. Downward Communication
  6. Two Way Communication
  7. Horizontal Communication
  8. Vertical Communication
  9. Marketing Communication
  10. Business Communication
  11. Group Communication
Types of Communication - 2
  1. Crisis Communication
  2. Organizational Communication
  3. Online Communication
  4. Public communication
  5. Intercultural Communication
  6. Mass Communication
  7. Interpersonal Communication
  8. Oral Communication
  9. Written Communication
Types of Communication - 3
  1. Visual communication
  2. Verbal Communication
  3. Nonverbal Communication
  4. Miscommunication
  5. Grapevine Communication
  6. Assertive Communication
  7. Asynchronous Communication
  8. Communication media
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