Organizational behavior and communication

Organizational Behavior - Communication

How are new technologies affecting the way we manage & communicate?

Technology will continue to exist so long as people continue to exist. In fact, the methods of forming tools are taken as the principal confirmation of the commencement of human culture. In general, technology has been a dominant force in the growth of civilization, especially so as its connection with science has been forged. (Chapter 3: The Nature of Technology) Simon and Koppel termed the last decade as the age of globalization and believed that the uprising of communication technologies as one of the forces steering the globalization process. It is understandable that setting up overseas offices, international collaboration and joint ventures, growing global market and employing transnational labor force are highlighted as elements of globalization. In such state of affairs, business communication also becomes global and intercultural. (The influence of using electronic mail on internal intercultural corporate communication) Similar to language, custom, principles, business, and the arts, technology is also an inherent element of a cultural system and it both molds and mirrors the system's principles. (Chapter 3: The Nature of Technology)

In the present world, technology is a multifaceted social endeavor that comprises not only of research, design, and crafts but also finance, manufacturing, management, labor, marketing, and maintenance. In a wider sense, technology enlarges our skills to alter the world: to slice, form, or arrange materials; to shift things from one place to another; to reach beyond with our hands, voices, and senses. We utilize technology to attempt to alter the world to go well with us. The alterations may be linked to survival needs such as food, shelter, or defense, or they may be linked to human ambitions such as knowledge, art, or control. However, the consequences of altering the world are time and again convoluted and fickle. They can comprise of unforeseen gains, unforeseen expenses, and unforeseen dangers, any of which may descend on different social groups at different times. Foreseeing the effects of technology is thus as imperative as improving its potentials. (Chapter 3: The Nature of Technology)

The extensive spread and use of information and communication technologies is due to their expansion and progress that resulted in their enhanced economic and social influence. (Information and Communication Technologies) A range of communication functions from an e-mail for a coworker to a tutorial lesson for a group of students is achieved by strong tools offered by technology. Communication is an essential aspect of technology application, and similarly, technology has had a vast influence on how we correspond. Though technology tools permit us to correspond more, in less time, over larger distances, and to larger numbers of people, similar to any tool, technology needs to be comprehended to fulfill our uses. For instance, with a hammer, we can give ourselves a very aching thumb, or we can force a nail into a board. (Technology provides tools to communicate and to empower learners)

Likewise with technology, we can rapidly baffle or mislead our audience and possibly make ashamed ourselves, or we can communicate a good idea rapidly, to a huge number of people. So, while we might be enthralled with the capability of these new communication tools, we have to give our mind to using these tools suitably and to preserving quality in our communication so that it is useful. From the time our ancestors spoken their first words, useful communication has been a challenge. The familiar factors that we consider in conventional communication are applicable to electronic communication, for instance, bearing in mind the audience, setting the preferred tone, selecting words cautiously, and setting an objective purpose for communicating. (Technology provides tools to communicate and to empower learners)

A completely new set of work habits is shifting organizations under our own eyes and fingertips. (Gender and "Virtual Work": How New Technologies Influence Work Practices and Gender Equity) The workplace has witnessed a vast growth in the application of information and communication technology over and above fast changes in the type of technology used, together with computer networks, electronic data interchange and the Internet. This has resulted in a completely new set of electronic business dealings and work practices using e-mail and the Internet. (Information and Communication Technologies -ICT) Electronic media can do a great deal to facilitate exceedingly active processes, contractual contacts, porous limits, and reconstruct-able structures. (Communication Processes for Virtual Organizations)

Therefore, computer-mediated communication together with teleconferencing, video-conferencing, Intranet and e-mail within a global corporation becomes more and more famous with the help of computer technology. More and more corporations acquire its mailing address in the cyberspace, as the growth of Internet has been so swift in the past few years. As the use of Internet for business purpose becomes more expanded, enhanced dependence on e-mail is anticipated. The significance of using e-mail is so important that e-mail has turn into a common channel of internal communication in global corporations. (The influence of using electronic mail on internal intercultural corporate communication)

In the majority of work places, "Virtual work," that is, work carried out with new information technologies, without conventional view to time, place, or organizational boundaries is a fact. Nowadays, employees though in different time zones, offices, or companies can use their laptops to remain connected on vacation or work jointly on a project team. Email, Internet and other online collaboration tools that facilitate workgroups to pursue discussions or work on shared documents make these new ways of working feasible. (Gender and "Virtual Work": How New Technologies Influence Work Practices and Gender Equity) Thus, one of the bases of international business is the well-organized and dependable communication between members of an office or organization. When the different members of the group come from different business cultures, it turns out to be even more vital to set up efficient communication procedures. The majority of international offices here have their own e-mail accounts and many have set up Intranets to assist communication among their own employees. Huge success in using e-mail to assist communication inside their offices has been reported by many international companies. (Business Across Cultures: E-mail's Influence)

The rule of using e-mail is to react concisely and promptly. The survival of e-mail leads to a new model of communication. Large number of people tackling a machine most of the day may become the rule in many corporations. Dependence on e-mail as a way of internal communication has both positive and negative effects. Additionally, cultural divergences may lead to certain extent of misinterpretation. Personal relations may not be totally replaced with by e-mail because the need for a casual communication network even now survives. Decisively speaking, e-mail communication will be one of the major channels for internal corporate communication instead of a dominant channel. Also, the use of e-mail may not be able to lessen misinterpretation produced by cultural divergences. Alternatively, e-mail in certain degree fetches new problems to intercultural communication inside corporation. (The influence of using electronic mail on internal intercultural corporate communication)

Roger and Shuter, on the organization level, exchanged equivalent view that computer technology altered the arrangement of communication within a corporation. The effect of organizational ladder on communication models is diminished. Komsky has carried out a research on use of e-mail and independence. She found that e-mail could link hierarchical breaks and surmount conventional obstacles within organization. Even though the analysis has not ascertained a plain causal relationship that e-mail could produce independence, the outcomes exposed the likely involvement of e-mail to independence within organization. O'Connell, with regard to performance level, has branded high tech communication as an exact, high speed, low context, and highly ordered process.

Roger reiterated O'Connell's observation that the process of computer-mediated communication was interactive, asynchronous, and comparatively fast. Barnes and Greller thought that e-mail would produce a communication condition that had no common physical space or common sense of time. E-mail communication would modify the models of notice and social contact. Employees must have understanding and talents that allow them to make use of the new communication technology. Communication style is anticipated to be plain, brief, and to the point. On the interpersonal level, Contractor and Eisenberg pointed out that the sense of separation among employees would be diminished by acceptance of new medium. They also understood that using computer-mediated communication to send messages to superiors would be a substitute to straight individual contact. Further, communication and unification across geographic divisions may improve because of the opening of computer-mediated communication. Through e-mail, a message can be sent to several recipients at different geographical locations at nearly the same time. Computer files that include graphics, audio and video that are transmitted through e-mail can be stored, edited and retrieved. As the rate and occurrence of contact rise with the help of e-mail, the time required for taking verdict is condensed. (The influence of using electronic mail on internal intercultural corporate communication)

Usage of e-mail enhances the effectiveness of internal communication and the unification among offices throughout the world. Companies that have set up electronic communication between the employees state that the system has become very famous frequently to the level that the system is used for private and other non-business information. When a choice is given, many employees worldwide would preferably talk to their computer than to their supervisor. The impersonal character of e-mail communication permits for the employees to suggest his or her opinion without instantaneous consequences like inquisitive questions or fury from the superior. It is difficult to shout through e-mail. (Business Across Cultures: E-mail's Influence) Assistants can thus communicate with the top management circumventing the hierarchical structure. Therefore, on the organization level, the effect is optimistic. (The influence of using electronic mail on internal intercultural corporate communication)

Online work will relieve gender prejudices is one of the foresight. The way of thinking is that gender tactics that assists men are upset by asynchronous communication, when the turn taking in the back-and-forth of email messages alleviates intermissions and misattributions of ideas. People can discover some time and security to raise queries and get to understand one another's details, breaking down identity blockades by enhancing meeting across differences. Gender and other characteristics are more than physical characteristics established in-person encounters; they are characteristics that take cultural experiences and viewpoints and these can, and certainly will, come across in online communication style and content. In addition, in a strange way, the distance of online communication may assist more friendly exchange that reduces biases. (Gender and "Virtual Work": How New Technologies Influence Work Practices and Gender Equity)

As per this foresight, in both cases, whether the Internet is faceless or gets new faces more evidently into view, a person's gender and other characteristics should not be barriers to insertion and admiration when work is done virtually. The outcome should be that more voices are heard and the quality of work is thereby enhanced. More time for consideration and likeness before giving out an idea online might raise newer and keen ideas, permit a group to go after more threads, decrease "group think" and the inclination to jump to agreement, and thereby improve originality. For both men and women employees, detaching work from the stiff limits of time and place may give superior agility in establishing a life that combines work, family, and civic obligations. Additionally, the agility provided by new technologies may decrease stress by permitting more perfect movement between work and home and producing better feelings of being in control. (Gender and "Virtual Work": How New Technologies Influence Work Practices and Gender Equity)

Lot of views about mobile telephones are typified by the technologically determinist view of the technology influencing us and the non-technologically determinist view of the user determining how the technology will be put to use. In the course of the study of mobile phone users, there becomes obvious a huge number of ways in which people treat the mobile telephone, giving rise to a relationship where the technology is mainly being used and controlled, rather than the other way around. Opinions about new technology are put to gender analysis, and when watching communication practices, it is essential to appreciate the different ways in which male and females regard the telephone in general. Men are conventionally anticipated to have technological capability and knowledge, talents and liking. Even though this obviously does not relate to all men and neglects the fact that many women are technologically minded, it does emphasize the belief that many advertisements play upon. Lohan portrays the 'female' style as person-oriented contrary to the task-orientated usage that typifies the 'male' use of the telephone. (Mobile Phone Users: A Small-Scale Observational Study)

'Chatting' is frequently a word used to express 'what women do' on the telephone. Many confess to 'calling for the sake of it' that is in itself a very attractive statement, for it implies a male point-of-view has been dominant. But Ann Moyal puts forward that these types of calls play a vital part to the strength and happiness of the community. This can be appreciated if one understands that many of these calls 'for the sake of it', are, in fact, about 'ringing to see how you are'. Setting away gender differences, developments in the technology have facilitated many people to build up a way of using the mobile telephone that go with them independently. More than ever before, the responsibility on the individual is more, as people give out their number for getting in touch with them instead of, for instance, the family or office number. Communication between individuals who possess mobile telephones can undertake new dimensions, with many factors inspiring this versatile technique of communication. (Mobile Phone Users: A Small-Scale Observational Study) It is different in the long run than in the short run. New group of people with probably conflicting viewpoints and social actualities from those of present day are expected to come out as more persons read and write on computer networks. Electronic classrooms, for instance, have been proved to change their own communication patterns that are kindred to yet considerably different from conventional classrooms. (Communication Processes for Virtual Organizations)