ACCA BT Syllabus E. Personal Effectiveness and Communication in Business - Methods and Patterns of Communication - Notes ^{2 / 8}

When we look beyond two person communication to the linkages among work groups, departmental or organizational members, we are concerned with communication networks, which are systems of communication lines linking various senders and receivers.

The flow of information is regulated by several factors:

1. the proximity of workers to one another

2. the rules governing who communicates with whom

3. the status hierarchy

4. other elements such as job assignments and duties.

Five major types have been studied in depth:

1. wheel or the star

2. circle

3. all channels

4. chain or the line

5. “Y”

There has been extensive research on communication networks. 

The results of these studies indicate that each of the different networks has different strengths and weaknesses:

• In the centralised networks (chain, wheel and ‘Y’), group members have to go through a person located in the central position in the network in order to communicate with others. 

  This leads to unequal access to information in the group.

• In decentralised networks (circle and all channels) information can flow freely between members without having to go through a central person.

The main conclusions of the experiment were:

• The wheel is always the quickest way to reach a conclusion, and the circle the slowest.

• For complex problems, the all channel is the most likely process to reach the best decision.

• The level of satisfaction for individuals is lowest in the circle, fairly high in the all channel, mixed in the wheel, with the central figures usually expressing greater satisfaction, and the rest feeling isolated.

• Under time pressure the all channels system either restructures, to become a wheel, or disintegrates.