Information Media Richness

1
Information (Media) Richness

• Definition Capacity of a communication approach
  to transmit cues and provide feedback
• Two Popular Measures of Information Richness
• Speed of Personalized Feedback
• Variety of Cues and Languages

2

• FTF Dialogue

Speed of Personalized Feedback

• Videoconference

• Telephone conversation

• Voice mail

• E-mail

• Informal letters/memo

• Organizations own video

• Organizations web site

• Formal written document

• Formal numerical document

Cues and Language
3
Why or Why Not Information Rich Medium?

• Cost Consideration
• Circumstances that require information-rich
  medium
• Complex tasks
• Social and emotional issues involved
• Uncertainty
• Ambiguity

4
Barriers to Effective Communication

• Interpersonal Barriers
• Attitude in communication
• Noise
• Semantics (Special meaning assigned to words)
• Directing You should
• Suggesting I suggest
• Requesting Can I?
• Informing There is
• Questioning Is it true?
• Lying
• Distortion
• Intercultural Barriers

5
Nonverbal Cues in Communication

• Body motion
• Personal physical characteristics
• Body shape
• Posture
• Body and breath odors
• Height, weight, and skin color
• Paralanguage ah, um, and yawning, and so on
• Use of space
• Time Late, early or keep others waiting
• Formal organizational position
• Status symbol
• Office size
• The floor on which the office is located
• Number of windows
• Location of a secretary
• Access to senior-level management

6
Technology-mediated Communication

• Decreases Status Effects
• Equalizes Participation

7
Implications for Practice

• Choose appropriate medium for communication
• Richer media needed where task or goals are
  equivocal
• Thinner media okay where time and turnaround are
  predominant concern
• Successful users work toward transparency