This week I had an opportunity to interview Bruce Dang of
Orange County Credit Union. He
supervises the IT department at the company.
Mr. Dang discussed the various ways in which the employees at the
company use IT connected networks to communicate within the organization
(Personal Communication, March 18, 2012).
For example, the employees use IM/chat software to connect with one
another (Personal Communication, March 18, 2012). They also have host software that allows them
to ping, which allows them to broadcast a question to a group within the
organization (Personal Communication, March 18, 2012). I found this later feature to be particularly
useful as it allowed employees to seek advice from all members of a group in
one ping, rather then just one individual.
In this week’s reading, Levin and Cross (2004) noted in
their scholarly research that “[w]ork dating to Pelz and Andrews (166),
Mintzberg (1973), and Allen (1977) indicates that people prefer to turn other
people rather than document for information” (p. 1477). However, this was the case for much of the
earlier research, but nowadays this process is changing. Levin and Cross (2004) further explain how
employees are using the web and the intranet within the company to seek out
information. In other words, advice can
be sought by many mediums, which includes employees’ use of technology to
gather from their networks.
The advent of modern technology certainly has changed the
way we communicate. A traditional
network within an organization might require a lot more face time. However, meeting with people in person is
often inconvenient and time consuming.
And, it is generally not appreciated when you constantly stop by and
interrupt a person throughout the day to ask them a question. However, with modern internal IT
communications networks, like the IM and Ping features mentioned by Mr. Dang,
it is a lot easier to ask questions with less intrusion on the other person
(Dang Personal Communication March 18, 2012). As such, it seems only natural
that human beings will continue to find more efficient and better methods to
use technology to build stronger personal relationships at work.
References
Dang, B. March 18, 2012. Personal Communication.
Levin, D.Z., and Cross, R. (2004) The strength of weak ties
you can trust: The mediating role of trust in effective knowledge transfer. Management Science, 50, 1477-1490.
This is an interesting write-up, Joshua. I've been amazed, and sometimes alarmed, at how individuals in some organizations are replacing face-to-face interaction with technology. I've sat in boardroom meetings and watched as two people in the same room sent IMs back and forth to each other's phones passing ideas and thoughts during boardroom conferences. One thing I've wondered, because I do it to some extent, is how much to you think people are starting to replace face-to-face communications with technology-based communications simply because of the ability of technology to document communications? In other words, if someone tells me something via text message, they can't deny that they gave me that information. How much of this reliance on technology for communication do you think is to simply cover our behinds?
ReplyDeleteJoshua, thank you for your write up. It's amazing how we have moved from a person to person method of communicating to IMs. Honestly, I prefer IMs when I am just answering questions, but when I am working in groups I prefer the personal interaction. I do not like meeting with SKYPE and FUZE, I rather meet in person. With technology we all have moved away from the personal interactions that I appreciate the most. People believe that IM, Skype and other technology saves time because you don't have to travel to meet, but in fact sometimes it's better to meet in person to iron out many other issues that may come up. I wonder what would happen if tomorrow we didn't have internet and cellular connectivity. What would we do then? It's a different world and it keeps changing as technology advances, I sound old school, but just imagine, what are we to do if cell phones and internet didn't exist anymore. YIKES!!! Xio
ReplyDeleteVery interesting. You talk about how employees use IM/chat software to communicate with one another, or to ping the entire group and pose a question. Such technologies can certainly save time and minimize distractions in the workplace. Do you think that the utility of such technologies is limited to strong ties? Can employees communicate equally effectively with weak ties via mediated communication, or could face to face contact be more important in these situations? Can ties be formed purely online, or is initial face-to-face interaction needed?
ReplyDeleteKen,
ReplyDeleteI always appreciate your thoughtful remarks on these assignments. I am not one to believe technology will ever replace face-to-face conversations. But, too much face time is a real time waster. I have never been big on long meetings. I quick IM is often times better than someone who stops by your office to chat for 30 minutes when you have work to do. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind socializing, just not too much of it at work.
As far a technology as a means to cover yourself. That is a tough one. I say it's always best to get things in writing. Just be careful what you write.
Xiomara,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment. I can appreciate meeting in person to work on projects. Using technology can be, at times, difficult to manage. I know that during some of our group assignments, it would have been easier if we were meeting in person. I guess the real advantage, is that we were able to meet at all since everyone lives so far away.
Having worked with you, I know that you are very focused and like to get projects done. Meeting in person with someone like you is easy, because it is productive. Unfortunately, not everyone is focused during meetings. For me, days full of meetings often meant I would have to work late. So, I don't mind so much the IM.
Dr. Gould,
ReplyDeleteYou bring up an excellent point regarding relationship ties. I do believe that it is important to first establish a strong relationship upfront. By doing so, you then are able to take advantage of convenient technologies such as IM. Without any rapport built up with colleagues, it is unlikely you will get much of a response should you ping them to answer a question.
Relationship building takes time. There is a lot of work up front that needs to occur before the relationship is a strong one. Technology will never eliminate that from the occasion. I see technology as only enhancing what is already there.