Most important messages are supposed to travel on these channels, which include official memos, internal letters, email, internal reports, financial statements and newsletters. .
Most formal messages are in print and are sometimes complemented by a phone call or face to face communication. The reason that most formal messages are in print is so that they can be sighted by those in authority and so copies can be kept. Some verbal communications fall into the formal area, but these are often recorded in writing. (Eg - the text of a speech is recorded, or minutes are kept of the meeting).
Informal communication systems.
But as well as the formal methods of communication all businesses have informal communication networks that are not controlled by senior management. People talk, they pass information on, they have colleagues that they trust and that they discuss issues with. All of this leads to informal passing of information.
The grapevine (or bush' telegraph') has no definite structure; you cannot draw a diagram of it as you can of the path taken by an official message. Yet every organisation has its grapevine system. A chance meeting in a corridor or a phone call is all it takes to exchange grapevine messages, but these messages are inevitably distorted.
Although the grapevine can convey some kinds of information with reasonable accuracy, the effect of passing the message through a lengthy communication chain is bound to cause distortion. .
Messages about other people's motives, attitudes and feelings are particularly open to misinterpretation. People view situations from their own standpoints. For instance, its true that Trevor is to be the new manager. What's not correct is the rest of the grapevine version about how Trevor won the promotion.
Although incorrect, grapevine messages often seem very believable. People talk about what is really happening even when there is uncertainty.
