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How are professionals using communication technologies in t How are professionals using communication technologies in t

How are professionals using communication technologies in t - PowerPoint Presentation

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How are professionals using communication technologies in t - PPT Presentation

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

communication work technologies email work communication email technologies facebook personal participants workplace professionals phones professional relationships workers time effects

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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?