Summarize the below reading and include how it relates to project management as a whole.

Communication

In traditional, formal organizations, employees usually claim that communication is poor. Senior managers, however, usually think that communication in their company is just fine. Why the disparity? In most companies, executives are inundated with information communicated to them through frequent meetings and dozens of weekly status reports coming from every functional area of the business. The quality and frequency of information moving down the organizational chart are less consistent, especially in more formal companies. But whether it is a problem with the information flowing up to the executive level or down to the staff, the problem usually originates somewhere upstairs. Senior managers are the usual suspects when it comes to requiring reports and meetings. And many of those reports and meetings are unnecessary and redundant.

Most project managers prefer to communicate verbally and informally. The cost of formal communication can be high. Project communication includes dispensing information on decisions made, work authorizations, negotiations, and project reports. Project managers in excellent companies believe that they spend as much as 90 percent of their time on internal interpersonal communication with their teams.Figure 9-3illustrates the communication channels used by a typical project manager. In project-driven organizations, project managers may spend most of their time communicating externally to customers and regulatory agencies.

Upward Communication to Sponsors and Executives Project Manager Lateral Lateral Lateral Communication Communication to Formal Communication to Customers and Peer and Informal to Project Organizations Team Groups