Class interview project HU3840 Organizational Communication Spring 2010 Interview Guidelines Defining a professional S alaried employee or licensed contractor Position requires specialized education ID: 420209
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Slide1
How are professionals using communication technologies in the workplace?
Class interview project
HU3840 Organizational Communication
Spring 2010Slide2
Interview Guidelines
Defining a professional
S
alaried employee or licensed contractor
Position requires
specialized education
Works in a designated workplace
Communication is central
to the job
30-minute interview
Class questions
Questions specific to group’s topic
Informed consent Slide3
Class Questions
Which
technologies do you use to communicate in your workplace
?
Please walk me through a typical day’s communication activities
.
How
have communication technologies affected
…
The types of work you do
?
Your
workload
?
How
have communication technologies changed from the time you started in this field?
Was
there initial resistance to the communication changes
?
How
have these changes affected your work experience
?
Are
there any specific technologies your office plans to incorporate in the near future
?Slide4
Group Topics
Facebook
at work
Effects on collaboration and mobility
R
estrictions on usage in the medical office
Blackberry addiction?
New and old technologies: hinder or help?
Supervisory uses
Effects on face-to-face interactions
Personal and professional risks of usageSlide5
Participants
24 professionals interviewed
4 Medical
7 Academic
11 Other
Positions
Managers, directors, supervisors
Most had specialized careers
All had advanced education and/or experienceSlide6
Communication Technologies Most Often in Use
Most frequently identified: Email & cell phones
Also
f
tf
, landlines, regular mail, fax, collaboration tools
Identified by 1-3 participants
2-way radio, IM, meeting softwareSlide7
Most Used: Email
Pro’s
F
acilitates interaction
Difficult co-workers
Professional collaborators
Intimidating others (“big-wigs”)
Organizes and documents messages
Con’s
Email never closes or goes home at the end of the day (“It’s like you’re always working”)Slide8
Effects on Work and Workloads
Email has become “work”: reading, responding, organizing, forwarding
More multi-tasking
E
-recordkeeping in the medical office
Patient files
Filing Insurance Claims
Internal Electronic IM Notification System
Email Prescriptions
Phones and email enhance travelers’ mobility and access
Hazards of driving and cell phone use
Improves scheduling and meetingsSlide9
Confirmation for Rich/Lean Media Model
Participants report that types of communication differ with importance or size
Large and important tasks are generally discussed in person
Mediocre tasks are delivered via memos or email but rarely in person
Final decisions are conducted in personal meetingsSlide10
Observed Changes Over Time
Spatial shifts: beyond location toward virtual
Facilitating more interpersonal communication and collaboration across long distances
Video conferencing; Google Docs/Wave;
Drupal
Time shifts: immediacy, urgency
Email facilitates quick response
Online info transfer is faster
Online gossip can out-pace a formal response that must go through the chain-of-command
Media shifts: from snail mail to email to
i
-options
Email is widely used but is beginning to be phased out
Increase in
smart
phones,
itouch
, IM, social networkingSlide11
Resistance to Change?
Two-thirds reported little resistance
Uneven reception and adoption (“at their own pace”)
One-third reported problems
IM and email as distractions/Inappropriate use
Changes not as accepted by older coworkers
Resistance to availability outside office
Learning curve and compatibility issues with collaboration and work-process software systemsSlide12
Anticipated Changes
Enhanced video conferencing capabilities
Standardizing software systems across a national
company
Text-messaging to publicize events
Moving to “paperless” offices
Sharing information
Google Docs
Drupal
Using
iphones
for IM and intranet accessSlide13
Ftf and Work Relationships
Ftf
enhances workplace efficiencies
People that work together tend to have closer human to human relationships
Most participants report regular
ftf
meetings
People who communicate electronically don’t share the same closeness
Electronic media increase informality and decrease face time
Social networking, IM
One participant warned of “faceless people departments” because so much communication is online and personal connections and skills are becoming obsoleteSlide14
Facebook
P
articipants started using
Facebook
due to workplace pressure
A
n informal substitute for email
Professional accounts are often separate from personal accounts
Many organizations now have
Facebook
pages
Impact on work relationships
Participants make an effort to treat co-workers the same after viewing co-workers’
Facebook
profile
Some participants mention actively separating themselves from co-workers after seeing compromising content
Overall participants agreed that it would be difficult to effectively do their job without
FacebookSlide15
Research on Facebook Use
50% of Americans use
Facebook
Workers who browse
Facebook
saw a 9% increase in productivity
20% of companies check prospective job candidates’ profiles
10% of companies say that they plan to check prospective job candidates profiles
43% of companies worldwide say they have banned
Facebook
in the workplaceSlide16
Reported Regulations
on Personal Use
Personal calls and internet use
Restricted for some, especially lower-level employees
Specific prohibitions regarding:
Pornography
Facebook
Shopping
Chain Letters
Religious, Political, or Racist messagesSlide17
Blackberry Use
Pro’s
Increases flexibility
Increases convenience
Facilitates prioritizing
Increases efficiency
Simplifies messages
Increases productivity
Con’s
24/7 availability
Blurs life boundaries
Increases stress
Increases workload
Limited wireless service
Limited applicationsSlide18
The Work Day Is No Longer 9 to 5
Work and home being phased together due to communication technology
Participants are
almost constantly available for contact
by clients, co-workers, or employees
One participant noted a “fuzzy barrier between work time and personal time”; another said, “I think people work 24-7.”
Most participants seemed to find email, cell phone, and IM contact with work necessary during off-work hours.Slide19
What’s Old? What’s New?*
Old: Email, fax, landline phones, beepers
These are still present
Written documents retain bureaucratic and legal importance
New: Text messaging,
smart
phones
Often overlooked: computers
Technology transparency: Has this technology become so familiar and integrated into our lives that we fail to recognize it as mediating communication?Slide20
A paradox?
Utopian view: Most professionals see technological changes as ultimately beneficial for tasks and relationships
Endorsing the urgent organization: more and faster communication connections; multi-tasking; transparency in supplier and customer interactions
Negative impacts: Most
professionals also reported
negative effects
Technologies themselves add work; work/life out of balance; creates professional and personal risksSlide21
Future Research
Communication technologies as work in themselves?
Communication technologies blurring work life and personal life—how much is too much?
Communication technologies and multitasking: how does this shape work processes and relationships?
Differences between professionals and non-professionals in communication technology uses?
Social networking technologies: what do these add to workplace cultures
and communication?