Friday, January 3, 2014

Communication - Communication Technologies & Behavior 2

In the last byte, we began our discussion on looking at how communication technology affects behavior. In today's byte, we continue this discussion.

As mentioned in the last byte, it is clear that the modern communication means break the implication of hierarchy etc. In a group interaction settings too - this acts as an equalizer for the participants. The charismatic or higher status members have equal power as that of another member with a less power/authority. So it is possible that better decisions might emerge out of these discussion where everyone is on an equal footing, however it has also been found that computer-mediated groups take longer to decide, i.e. reach consensus compared to the face-to-face interactions.

The ease of access to information at the click of a button also has another implication to the decision maker (let’s call a manager). This could just create a potential overload of information! The manager would now need to be more selective about the information accessed through these technologies!

Another issue that arises through the use of this technology is the danger of intruding into the personal lives - managers can no longer get away from their offices unlike in the past - through modern technology they are more accessible to their coworkers, subordinates of bosses. The pleasure of an 8 to 5 job is not present any more!

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