Why do managers choose one communication medium in preference to another? Early studies relied on rational-choice theories to model how managers select media. Recent research, however, has proposed a role for social factors in media selection. Employing a large sample collected in the field, this study finds strong support for Information Richness Theory, a rational-choice model connecting managers' choice of media to task characteristics such as variety and analyzability. Also tested were variables indexing the rank and functional area of the managers, with the intent of measuring the impact of group socialization on media choice. These rank and functional area variables, although sometimes significant, did not materially expand the explanatory power of a model that also included rational-choice variables.
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