Communication Networks

3.1 Formal Networks — Bavelas-Barrett Experiments

Alex Bavelas (1950) and Dwight Barrett (1951) at MIT conducted classic experiments on communication network structures — placing people at different positions and testing how network shape affects:

• Speed of problem-solving
• Accuracy of information
• Satisfaction of members
• Emergence of leadership

Five classic network patterns:

Network	Structure	Speed	Accuracy	Satisfaction	Leadership
Wheel	All communicate through central hub	Fastest	High	Low (periphery members)	Clear (hub person)
Chain	Linear: A-B-C-D-E	Moderate	Moderate	Low	Moderate
Y (Fork)	Combination of chain and wheel	Fast	High	Low	Clear
Circle	Each communicates with 2 adjacent members	Slow	Low	High	Unclear
All-Channel (Comcon)	Everyone communicates with everyone	Slow	Low	Highest	None

Applied to public administration:

• A District Disaster Management Committee in a crisis uses Wheel (collector at centre) for speed
• A policy design workshop uses All-Channel for creative input and buy-in
• A hierarchical government office typically operates on Chain (file → section → officer → SDM → collector)

3.2 Informal Networks — The Grapevine

Keith Davis (1953, HBR) coined the term grapevine for informal communication in organisations, based on the Civil War image of tangled telegraph wires resembling grapevines. Key findings:

• Grapevine information is 75–95% accurate but selectively omits context
• Fastest in anxiety-producing situations (restructuring, transfers, budget cuts)
• Managers dismiss grapevine but cannot eliminate it

Four grapevine patterns (Davis):

1. Single Strand: A → B → C → D (like telephone) — least accurate; distortion accumulates
2. Gossip Chain: One person tells all — effective for personal items
3. Probability Chain: Random transmission — usually unimportant information
4. Cluster Chain: Key people share with selected others — most common in organisations; most accurate

Management implication: Rather than suppress grapevine, effective administrators use it. Transparent official communication reduces anxiety-driven grapevine distortion. Senior IAS officers deliberately "leak" non-sensitive positive information through grapevine to build morale.

3.3 Direction of Formal Communication

Direction	Description	Example	Risk
Downward	From higher to lower hierarchy	Policy circulars from department to field staff	Filtering, distortion at each level
Upward	From lower to higher hierarchy	Monthly performance reports from tehsil to district	Suppression of bad news
Horizontal/Lateral	Between same-level positions	Inter-department coordination meetings	Territorial conflicts
Diagonal	Across hierarchy and departments	Task force communication	Bypassing authority concerns
External	Organisation to external stakeholders	Press releases, citizen portals	Reputational risk

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