Merits and Demerits of informal Communication

 Merits of Informal Communication:

The merits of Informal Communication are given below:

1. Social Relations: Informal communication consists of the network of person-to-person relations. It therefore gives opportunity to people to form social groups and communicate with each other.

2. Speed :Informal communication is very useful when information is required to be communicated very quickly. Grapevine works faster than formal communication.

3. Feedback: Informal communication is very fast. It can be used by managers to get quick feedbacks from the subordinates.

4. Support for Formal Channel: Grapevine can be used to supplement the formal channels of communications. Whatever can not be transmitted through formal channel because of time or official constraints, can be successfully transmitted through informal channels.

5. Better Human Relations: Since informal channels cut across official positions and hierarchical relationships, they develop healthy human relations amongst people in the organization.

Demerits of Informal Communication:

The demerits of informal Communication are given:

1. Incomplete Information : There are occasions when the grapevine does not carry complete information. Information relating to dismissal of an employee is disseminated throughout the organization very quickly. But why dismissal took place will usually remain uncommunicated.

2. Distortion : Information communicated through the grapevine may get distorted. People add their personal interpretations and thus distort the facts.

3. Unreliability : Informal communication is generally unreliabie. There is not a guarantee of the information channels being always active.

So it can't be dependent upon for sending urgent messages.

4. Leakage: Confidential information often leaks out through informal communications. Thus the network of informal communication can be used by management only with due precaution.

5. Lack of Authenticity : Informal communication spread by word of mouth. It may not be supported by tangible facts. This would make the grapevine information

Informal incredible.

6. Problem in fixing responsibility : Origin of information flow cannot be ascertained in this channel. It is, therefore difficult to hold any body responsible for spreading false information.