Question

Define social networks. Define upward and downward networks. Describe a previous position you held within an organization (e.g., academic, social, or professional). When you worked in this position, were upward networks effectively utilized? How did you know this? How did the utilization of upward networks influence organizational climate and/or culture?

Answer 1

Social networks:

Social network is defined as a website which allows people with same interests to come together & share information, photos & videos. People may engage in social networking for their personal or business endeavors. People may use various types of Medias to discuss their lives & interests. Some of the popular social networks are facebook, Google, twitter etc.

Upward networks:

Upward networks are those that carry information from subordinates to superiors. The value of upward networks is that people at lower levels are privy to information that upper levels need information about equipment failures & other problems which are need to be addressed quickly for smooth operations. In this network, employees may have valuable suggestions for improvements. There would be expertise & knowledge at all levels which can be tapped as a resource.

Downward networks:

In this communication, information flows down through an organization’s formal chain of command or hierarchical structure. To be specific, messages & orders start at the upper level & move down towards the bottom level.

Example of previous position:

My previous position was as a tax analyst in one of the big 4’s. Here upward networks were utilized effectively as the messages from our level travel to the seniors & to the managers. I know this because we have every quarter family meeting which discusses all the issues & doubts that were raised by us.

Generally employee satisfaction with upward communication tends to be lower because they rarely exist & are not used to capacity. People also fear of being bearer of bad news. People also dislike criticism & also fear rejection.