Social constructivist theories of communication technology in organizations propose that interactions with social agents influence technology-related cognitions and behaviors. Empirical evidence of such influences was found for a sample of 65 research and development personnel. Each individual's communication partners were identified using communication network measures. In an analysis using LISREL VII, individuals' cognitions of their combined network partners' attitudes and behaviors in using electronic mail predicted the individuals' own attitudes and behaviors. Implications of these findings for social constructivist and media richness theories of communication technology are discussed.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Archer, M. S. (1982). Morphogenesis versus structuration: On combining structure and action. British Journal of Sociology, 33, 455-483.
2.
Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
3.
Barley, S. R. (1986). Technology as an occasion for structuring: Evidence from observations of CT scanners and the social order of radiology departments. Administrative Science Quarterly, 31, 78-108.
4.
Barley, S. R. (1990). The alignment of technology and structure through roles and networks. Administrative Science Quarterly, 35, 61-103.
5.
Burkhardt, M. E. (1994). Social interaction effects following a technological change: A longitudinal investigation. Academy of Management Journal, 37, 869-898.
6.
Contractor, N. S. , & Eisenberg, E. M. (1990). Communication networks and new media in organizations. In J. Fulk & C. Steinfield (Eds.), Organizations and communication technology (pp. 143-172). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
7.
Contractor, N. S. & Seibold, D. (1993). Theoretical frameworks for the study of structuring processes in group decision support systems: Adaptive structuration theory and self-organizing systems theory. Human Communication Research, 19, 528-563.
8.
Culnan, M. J. (1984). The dimensions of accessibility to online information: Implications for implementing office information systems. ACM Transactions on Office Information Systems, 2, 141-150.
9.
Culnan, M. J. , & Markus, M. L. (1987). Information technologies: Electronic media and intraorganizational communication. In F. M. Jablin, L. L. Putnam, K. H. Roberts, & L. W. Porter (Eds.), Handbook of organizational communication. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
10.
Daft, R. L. , & Lengel, R. H. (1984). Information richness: A new approach to managerial behavior and organization design. In B. Staw & L. L. Cummings (Eds.), Research in organizational behavior (Vol. 6, pp. 191-233). Greenwich, CT: JAI.
11.
Daft, R. L. , Lengel, R. H., & Trevino, L. K. (1987). Message equivocality, media selection, and manager performance: Implications for information systems. MIS Quarterly, 11, 355-366.
12.
Festinger, L. (1954). A theory of social comparison process. Human Communication Relations, 7, 114-140.
13.
Fulk, J. (1993). Social construction theory of communication technology. Academy of Management Journal, 36, 921-950.
14.
Fulk, J. , & Boyd, B. (1991). Emerging theories of communication in organizations. Journal of Management, 17, 407-446.
15.
Fulk, J. , Schmitz, J. A., & Steinfield, C. W. (1990). A social influence model of technology use. In J. Fulk & C. Steinfield (Eds.), Organizations and communication technology (pp. 117-142). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
16.
Fulk, J. , Steinfield, C. W., Schmitz, J., & Power, J. G. (1987). A social information processing model of media use in organizations. Communication Research, 14, 529-552.
17.
Giddens, A. (1979). Central problems in social theory. Berkeley: University of California Press.
18.
Griffin, R. W. (1983). Objective and social sources of information in task redesign: A field experiment. Administrative Science Quarterly, 28, 184-200.
19.
Hayduk, L. A. (1987). Structural equation modeling with LISREL: Essentials and advances. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
20.
Jöreskog, K. G. , & Sörbom, D. (1989). LISREL 7 user's reference guide. Mooresville, IN: Scientific Software.
21.
Kerr, E. B. , & Hiltz, S. R. (1982). Computer-mediated communication systems. New York: Academic Press.
22.
Kerr, S. , Von Glinow, M. A., & Schriesheim, J. (1977) Issues in the study of professionals in organizations: The case of scientists and engineers. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 18, 329-345.
23.
Miller, K. I. , Ellis, B. H., Zook, E. G., & Lyles, J. S. (1990). An integrated model of communication stress, and burnout. Communication Research, 17, 300-326.
24.
Orlikowski, W. J. (1992). The duality of technology: Rethinking the concept of technology in organizations. Organization Science, 3, 398-427.
25.
Poole, M. S. , & DeSanctis, G. (1990). Understanding the use of group decision support systems: The theory of adaptive structuration. In J. Fulk & C. Steinfield (Eds.), Organizations and communication technology (pp. 173-191). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
26.
Poole, M. S. , Holmes, M., & DeSanctis, G. (1991). Conflict management in a computer-supported meeting environment. Management Science, 11, 1-36.
27.
Rice, R. E. (1992). Task analyzability, use of new media, and effectiveness: A multi-site exploration of media richness. Organization Science, 3, 475-500.
28.
Rice, R. E. , & Aydin, C. (1991). Attitudes toward new organizational technology: Network proximity as a mechanism for social information processing. Administrative Science Quarterly, 36, 219-244.
29.
Rice, R. E. , Grant, A. E., Schmitz, J., & Torobin, J. (1990). Individual and network influences on the adoption and perceived outcomes of electronic messaging. Social Networks, 12, 27-55.
30.
Rogers, E. M. , & Kincaid, D. L. (1982). Communication networks: Toward a new paradigm for research. New York: Free Press.
31.
Salancik, G. R. , & Pfeffer, J. (1978). A social information approach to job attitudes and task design. Administrative Science Quarterly, 23, 224-253.
32.
Schmitz, J. (1988, August). Electronic communication: A longitudinal view. Paper presented at the conference of the Academy of Management, Anaheim, CA.
33.
Schmitz, J. , & Fulk, J. (1991). Organizational colleagues, information richness, and electronic mail: A test of the social influence model of technology use. Communication Research, 18, 487-523.
34.
Stryker, S. , & Statham, A. (1985). Symbolic interaction and role theory. In G. Lindsay & E. Aronson (Eds.), New handbook of social psychology. New York: Random House.
35.
Trevino, L. K. , Lengel, R. H., & Daft, R. L. (1987). Media symbolism, media richness, and media choice in organizations: A symbolic interactionist perspective. Communication Research, 14, 553-574.
36.
Weick, K. E. (1990). Technology as equivoque: Sense making in new technologies. In P. S. Goodman, L. S. Sproull, & Associates (Eds.), Technology and organizations (pp. 1-44). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
37.
Yates, J. , & Orlikowski, W. J. (1992). Genres of organizational communication: An approach to studying communication and media. Academy of Management Review, 17, 299-326.
38.
Zalesny, M. D. , & Farace, R. V. (1986). A field study of social information processing: Mean differences and variance difference. Human Communication Research, 13, 268-290.
