Lateral communication is the exchange, imparting or sharing of information, ideas or feelings between people within a community, peer groups, departments or units of an organization who are at or about the same hierarchical level as each other for the purpose of coordinating activities, efforts or fulfilling a common purpose or goal Lateral communication in organisms or animals can give rise to collective intelligence, or the appearance of collective intelligence.
Given this elasticity, members of an organization have an easier time with "problem-solving, information sharing across different work groups, and task coordination between departments or project teams".
Specifically, lateral communication occurs among coworkers, during staff meetings and informational presentations, throughout shift changes, and among employees regardless of peer types.
In short, lateral communication's purpose is to keep organizational personnel informed of all current practices, policies, and procedures".
[6] "Organizational culture refers to the organization's shared visions, values, beliefs, goals, and practices (Gilsdorf, 1998).
In many cases, a strong positive organizational culture or climate can encourage employees to communicate effectively laterally when sharing achievements and disappointments.
In sum, lateral communication allows for a spirit of collaboration and teamwork by empowering employees at every level of the organizational hierarchy to work effectively together (see, for example, Thamara, 2000)".
[5]: 57 "Horizontal communication often fails simply because organization members are unwilling to expend the additional effort that it requires."