The information flow and the internal communication of your company

The communication or information flow inside a company refers to the movement of instruction and information within a company. 

There could be several directions in which it could take place including downwards, upwards, horizontally, diagonally, and external. This direction depends on the size, structure and nature of the business. In the case of most traditional organizations, information flow is produced in a vertical direction from the top to the bottom. In such situations, managers give workers instructions and, therefore, the information flow goes in a descending direction.

Then, we can also find the communication that takes place from workers to managers which results in an ascending information flow. In the case of non-traditional or informal business organizations, such as new technology companies, information flow happens mainly horizontally and diagonally. We can say that this type of information takes place in companies with a plane 

Se puede decir que esta forma de información ocurre en el caso de organizaciones con una jerarquía plana y existe la necesidad de alguna forma de colaboración. Además de este flujo de información, hay algunas comunicaciones no oficiales en varias organizaciones.

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The success of a company depends on effective communication or information flows taking place among both the internal and the external interested parties of the organization.  Therefore, there must be effective communicative strategies so that the company succeeds in terms of growth, profitability and sustainability. 

“Successful companies understand that allowing a free-flowing information flow inside of it creates a corporate culture where employees can express themselves, take possession of the brand and grow.”

The power of trustworthy employees

Trustworthy trained employees are one of the most important assets your company has. They know your company very well and represent it every day.

If you can create a culture in which your employees feel ready to act as ambassadors of the brand for another organization, then they will become a great force for positive marketing stories about the work that your company does.

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Allowing the information flow should be a key goal in any company. When the different areas really interact and listen to each other, they understand the mission of the company and create a shared group of values and references over time; this can only make your company stronger and tougher.

A sharing culture

As we stated before, when employees are well informed and trained, they began sharing their knowledge and take responsibility for the message they send and the image they project. Research has shown that individual employees have a stronger social influence on the companies they work for. People usually trust others more than they trust corporate structures. Therefore,   if employees share positive information about the work you do, then you have a powerful personal marketing campaign working for you.

Technology can do great things to facilitate and manage the information flow in a company. By using a service that helps you, managers can get and share information quickly.

The information inside the company

As you know, in a company there are many different types of data which can be: about strategies, about finance, about human resources, about the markets, the procedures, work and material orders, production and quality records, internal communication, legislation, etc. 

This is why it is very important that this information is managed by using an information flow so that you can avoid mistakes resulting from a lack of knowledge or because it never got to the corresponding area.

For instance, the sales area needs information from the production area. This information is gathered and sent daily to the sales area via email or through a system so that they can handle the stock of the company. It is possible that, sometimes, the sales area does not get the complete information or it is lost among so many emails.

You can implement the use of more up-to-date digital tools so that you do not have to be bothering the production area (constantly); the information flow can be integrated into the tool so you can monitor the person responsible, the status and the production process in real time. 

Therefore, when monitoring each process, there is a specific place where information can:

• Be stored and always available for the sales area and other areas in case they need it; this will bring order and transparency. 
• No longer be reported to the sales area because it is already in the tool that involves all the areas and eliminates the silos, so it is available automatically for the sales area with no need for the production area to produce or send a report.

Communication is a two-way street

Good communication makes employees feel appreciated, considered and understood. As a result, it makes their jobs more meaningful and they work harder. When the information flow travels both ways, employees get information about the management and its strategies as well as the work done in other areas and the goals of the company. It is a powerful combination that should create trust and loyalty inside the company. 

At the same time, the information given by the employees provides managers with knowledge about the corporate culture of a company and the personalities inside of it. The type of information that workers share and the one they get will add value and increase the return on investment. 

Trust is the basis of every healthy relationship and it depends a lot on a continuous process of good communication. When you achieve healthy communication in the DNA of your company, you are setting the grounds for a successful and fulfilling work environment. 

In order to guarantee an effective information flow inside a company, it is vital for the company to achieve the following success factors in the communication strategies:

• The communication process model has to be observed assiduously by all the people involved in it. These stages consist in: the sender develops an idea, conveys the message, chooses a means of communication, sends the message effectively through the means chosen to the desired addressee, who receives the message and decodes it; finally, he/she makes comments to the sender so that the communication cycle is complete.
• The sender of the message should also be an active listener. If the sender is not an active listener, he/she will not be able to convey the message effectively in accordance with the expectations of the addressee. It is very important to know the ideas and thoughts of the addressee and, then, convey the meaning accordingly so that it is sensible for the addressee and encompasses all his/her problems. 
• Any communication barrier should be overcome effectively to assure that the communication process has achieved the desired goals efficiently. The message should have a cooperative tone and the sender should empathize with the addressee of the message. 
• It is important that there is continuous learning about how to observe effective communication procedures with several interested people. Therefore, it is vital to learn from your previous mistakes so that you do not make them again and future communication processes can be more effective.