Communications of Influence through Technology-Enabled Media

摘要

Theory and research regarding interpersonal influence and communication media have conceptualized both in terms of contextual or a priori factors, situated action and interaction, or behavioral outcomes. Given the primacy of influence in collective action and the increasingly pervasive role communication technologies play in organizational settings, the goal of this study 'was to examine the relationships between influence and media from all three perspectives. Perceptions of the context of media use in collaborative settings were described using self-guided focus groups and survey response data. A series of structured group experiences was then administered to create a collaborative problem-solving environment using one of three media capabilities: face-to-face, voice conference, and chat. Behavioral indices of influence were recorded during the structured group experiences to explore effects attributable to media. Finally, in-depth perceptual data was collected through semi-structured interviews to determine how media in use during the structured group experiences impacted interpersonal influence and the context in which that influence was expressed.