This study examined the impact of a computer-mediated communication system
(CMCS) on two "high tech" organizations. One hundred and twenty persons par
ticipated in semi-structured interviews or completed two critical incident forms.
Grounded theory was used to analyze the interviews and the critical incident data,
and naturalistic observations were used to provide depth and context to the discussion.
The analysis of the data indicates that organizational members tend to give CMCS
favorable reviews. However, the data also illustrated considerable variance in how or
ganizational members view the impact of CMCS on interpersonal relationships, mes
sage structures, task efficiency, the work environment, and information processing
characteristics of organizations. Secondary or unanticipated effects of CMCS are iden
tified and discussed as potentially having a significant impact on organizations.
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