Communication and Cooperation

The Second Dimension
  • Communication between every management level.

  • People cooperate across department lines.

  • People are encouraged to ask questions.

Cooperation and communication help individuals and organizations act on the best available information. But do people talk to each other effectively? Do they talk to each other at all?

When someone needs to know something, does the corporate culture encourage them to ask?

How often do colleagues break down barriers of communication and talk with people outside their immediate circle of influence?

When it comes to communication and cooperation, every industry and business environment would like to see high scores.

As we did with ‘command and control’, let’s examine ‘communication and cooperation’ in these three ways: height, width, and depth:


  • Height: Communication up and down the hierarchy between every level of management
  • Width: Wide cooperation across department lines
  • Depth: An atmosphere that encourages clear communication

We asked respondents to comment on these three statements about cooperation and communication:

  • I see communication between every level of management.
  • People cooperate across department lines.
  • People are encouraged to ask questions.

Keep Alicia in mind while reading analysis of the Third Dimension. Alicia is the perfectionist and insists on doing everything herself. “It must be done right, and it must be done properly,” says Alicia. “And that means I’m the one who needs to do it, even if it’s late. No one else can meet my standards.”

Already taken the survey? Check out the results that can help your corporate culture.