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In a unique group interview managere cited their communication problems and proposed solutions to overcome them.&dquo;We spent ten weeks producing a resistor for the experimental department that could have been taken out of stock if they had made clear to us what they wanted. They could have explained their problem to us instead of overstating their requirements and then complaining about the time it took us to deliver.&dquo; So said a factory superintendent in a unique investigation of the problems in communicating effectively between departments.About 50 managers representing the production, maintenance, engineering, research, sales, office, and administrative functions of a large manufacturing company came together to discuss their experiences in communicating with each other. It was soon discovered that communicating between departments in an organization is a much more difficult problem than intra-departmental communication. In an organization striving to maintain profits in a highly competitive industry, the need to work iii harmony is essential. Working in harmony depends on how well each department contributes its share to the enterprise and understands how to contribute to the smooth functioning of otlier departments. Coordination without communication is impossible.In two two-hour sessions, with 25 managers in each, the material for this article was developed. A group interview might well be the best label to give the experiment in which these men sought to analyze the problems of interdepartmental communication and what can be done within the organization to improve a difficult situation at best. To have a group of managers analyze their successes and failures in this vital area, allowing for free exchange of opinions and ideas, is generally more productive than having them respond to questionnaires. ' Rehrinted by permission, from 7'< r.

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