One hundred fifty human resource professionals responded to survey questions on communication effectiveness within their business organizations. Their responses on formal and informal communication patterns, communicating change, small group communication, and superior-subordinate communication were supplemented by interviews with 58 professionals. Findings included the following: (1) respondents perceived upward communication as least effective, reflecting, perhaps, current interest in participatory management and decentralization; (2) they saw downward and horizontal communication as the dominant forms of formal communication; (3) 91% reported a great degree of change in their organizations, ranging from mergers to the relocation of employees; (4) 59% rated communication information about changes as somewhat or very effective; (5) 74% rated communication in small group settings as either somewhat or very effective; and (6) 32.7% found superior-subordinate communication somewhat ineffective while 51.3% found it somewhat effective. With few exceptions, no clear differences appeared in the responses of professionals who did or did not conduct inservice communication training programs. Communication training programs could help business organizations in their shift to horizontal communication patterns. (Tables quantifying questionnaire results are appended.) (MM)