JOURNAL OF INFORMATION, KNOWLEDGE AND RESEARCH IN
COMPUTER ENGINEERING
TECHNOLOGY BASED EMPIRICAL DYNAMISM IN
ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION CLIMATE
(A case analysis of developing v/s developed country’s
organizations)
1 ARVIND
1 PhD
KUMAR BHATT, 2 DURGA PRASAD SHARMA
Scholar, S. Gyan Vihar University, Jaipur ,
CS & IT, AMIT, AMU, under UNDP,
2 Professor,
abhatt2001@gmail.com, dp.shiv08@gmail.com
ABSTRACT: The research is conducted to examine the usage of communication technology and the
communication climate of the developing nation’s organizations. Findings are based on the survey conducted in
the three organizations Arba Minch, Gamo Gofa zone, Ethiopia. Further the research considers secondary
sources of Information of organization in developed countries like USA and examines the effective use of
technology based communication climate. The comparative analysis i.e. primary information of developing
country versus secondary information of developed country organizations has been done. The research shows
that there is awareness about the communication technologies among the respondents and also there is
acceptance that use of technology is helpful and effective in comparison of other interpersonal communication.
The usage of the communication technology for interpersonal communication is not effective in comparison of
developed nation organizations. Although the organizations is having technological tools like internet, intranet,
desktops and other handheld devices at different level of management, but not frequently used for internal
communication amongst all level of the organization. The most common reason is the staff is not having the
necessary skills and another reason is disinclination of the organization to adopt or upgrade the latest tools and
technology for communication. There is closed communication climate in the organizations because employees
do not feel free to discuss the official or personal issues with their colleagues and employees do not receive any
information, which is necessary to perform their professional task through communication technology.
Key words: Internal Communication, Communication Technology, Communication Climate
INTRODUCTION:
Business communication is the comprehensive,
contemporary approach to communication for all
types of the organizations whether it is public or
private, large or small. The success of the
organization is dependent on the communication
effectiveness both internally and externally.
Technology is increasing in our society and globally
thus the need for communication efficiency become
more crucial. Technology based approach contains
the latest information regarding the technology of
communication. The greatest challenge of today for
the organizations is the proper use of technology. In
business setting to communicate effectively,
organizations must be familiar and ease with
technology.
Business process management (BPM) serves as the
master management layer controlling processes in
applications in "enterprises" with which it is
integrated. It lets business users design processes,
allows IT to execute them, uses business activity
monitoring tools to monitor them in marketing,
project management, production, and uses
simulation/optimization tools to test and upgrade
them. While still integration-intensive, BPM
promises to make business more agile, productive,
innovative, and customer-responsive on the track of
Converging management and Technology.
Managerial and technological aspects have emerged,
as an important yet insufficiently understood area of
convergence.
This
paper
develops
new
understandings in this area from a managerial
constructionist perspective by using narratives
elicited from technology-based management to
explore their implementation experiences. The whole
contents of paper are the emergent management in
the technology-based organizations.
The study
develops a framework for analyzing convergence
through in-depth analysis of converging management
experiences by using discourse analysis.
'Electronic management' is the term that is being used
as a synonym to describe an IT driven system of
business management and administration that works
better, costs less and is capable of servicing the target
users needs as never before. Recognizing the
enormous potential of IT, major initiatives are being
planned by most organizations in developed
countries. Ethiopia is one of the back-runners in the
use of IT in organizations. It is the intention of the
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JOURNAL OF INFORMATION, KNOWLEDGE AND RESEARCH IN
COMPUTER ENGINEERING
organization study to consolidate its efforts and to
focus its energies to leverage the benefits of IT for
the benefit of its stakeholders.
An information bomb is exploding in our midst,
showering us with shrapnel of images and drastically
changing the way each of us perceives and acts upon
our changing world. In shifting from a second wave
to third wave info sphere, we are transforming our
own psyches. In altering the info-sphere so
profoundly, we are destined to transform our own
minds as well, the way we think about our problems,
the way we synthesize information, the way we
anticipate the consequences of our own actions. We
are likely to change the role of IT literacy in our lives
of organization. We may even alter our organizational
brain chemistry.
The success of any organization depends on its
effective communication culture at all levels of
management irrespective of protocols privileges and
rights. It is mandatory that an effective downward
and upward communication between superiors and
subordinates is now getting changed in new cross
cultural environment where the bureaucratic
management flavour is now diluting. Moreover, a
healthy communication environment should be
created among the peer groups. This leads to a hitech open communication climate in an organization.
An open climate is essential for the smooth
functioning of any enterprise. Thus, a conducive
work environment can be created which helps
towards fulfilling the objectives of the organization.
Thus, a good communication climate is vital for the
survival of an organization in a very crucial,
competitive and global environment.
REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
We all human beings depend on good communication
for much of our social and physical survival. The
success of the organization also depends on effective
communication. “A manager who is able to respond
to the environment is much better equipped to
manage employees effectively than who is not”.
(Brien O Reilly, fortune1994)
Communication is the process of people sharing
thoughts, ideas, and feelings with each other in
commonly understandable ways.” Hamilton and
Parker (1987)
Bovee and Thill (2000) defined communication as
“the process of sending and receiving messages”.
They distinguished communication and effective
communication. According to Bovee and Thill,
effective communication occurs when individuals
achieve a shared understanding, stimulate others to
take actions, and encourage people to think in new
ways.
Organization member spend much of their time in
communicating. A study indicates that 5 percent of
such communication involves writing, 10 percent
reading, 35 percent talking and 50 percent listening(
Aurelius A. Abbatiello and Robert T. Bidstrup,
1969). An organization must be able to communicate
effectively with its environment and failure to do so
can be very costly. John B. Lawson of Philco
Corporation once commented, “Poor communications
costs companies billions a year in ill conceived action
based on misunderstandings and blameless rumuors”.
The top companies in today’s business world have
superior communication practices. Peter and
Waterman cite 3M, Texas Instruments, Delta
Airlines, Walt Disney Productions, Hewlett-Packard
and United Airlines as superior examples. (Thomas J.
Peters and Robert H, Walterman, 1982)
Business communication is the communication that
it includes interpersonal communication and
organizational
communication.
Interpersonal
communication is the process of conveying
information from one person to another. “Internal
communications- talk back and forth within the
organization, up and down the hierarchy will be more
important to a company’s success than external
communication. It is the free flow of information
inside the company that enables to identify and attack
problems fast, say, when customer service
representatives first get an earful glitch, or salesmen
in the field encounter a new competitor”. (Faye Rice,
fortune,1991)
Communication Technology in today’s Business
Organization
Technology has become such a part of our everyday
lives which make more convenient our lifestyle.
Technological developments have eliminated two
great impediments to communication- time and
distance. Some most dramatic changes have occurred
in communication and information technology,
which, of course had a major impact on the
communication within the office. Christopher H.
bunting, continental PIR Communication chairman
and CEO, belief that leading companies place a high
priority on both internal and external communication.
There are hundreds of communications and
information technology tools and software programs
that aid the communication process. From planning
and developing to information gathering, analyzing
and organizing, writing and editing, presenting,
storing, and distributing or sharing, technological
tools can simplify and expedite the process. These
tools can aid in preparing a written communication,
such as letter, memo, or report, an oral presentation
or any other type of communication project whether
we are working on an individual project or group
project.
Computer-Mediated Communication
Computer-mediated communication (CMC) is a
generic term outlined in the literature as any one, or
combination of, a set of telecommunications
technologies including electronic mail, listservs,
newsgroups, bulletin boards, and more recently, web
pages (Strate, Jacobson, & Gibson, 1996; Herring,
1996). Computer-mediated communication denotes
communication that is “processed” and transmitted
via a telecommunications network linking computers
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COMPUTER ENGINEERING
and people. In describing the characteristics of
electronic mail, Garton and Wellman (1995) provide
a reference list that is generally congruous with other
forms of computer-mediated communication:
asynchrony; rapid transmission and reply; textual
nature; dyadic and multiple connections; and,
capability for storage and manipulation of messages.
Newer forms of computer-mediated communication
are distinguished from older forms of computer
mediated communication by their capacity to provide
a richer sense of community and socially produced
space (Jones, 1995). Participants in new “cyber
societies” can more easily establish and sustain
identities, relationships, and behavioral norms
because of the increasing ease of use and
accessibility of computer-mediated communication
(Chenault,1998; Jones, 1995; Pew Research Center
for The People & The Press, 1999).
Computer-mediated communication technology
changes rapidly. For practical research purposes, any
lag longer than twelve to eighteen months is
equivalent to a new generation of hardware and
software, which often translates into studying a
computer mediated communication system that no
longer has empirical relevance. For example, a 1993
study of an e-mail system by the author focused on a
cumbersome
mainframe
application
(IBM
OfficeVision) that has since been replaced (twice)
with client-server email applications (Langhorst,
1993). The new e-mail system (Eudora Pro) is
significantly different in ease of use, connectivity,
and functional usefulness. More importantly, the
organizational setting in which the e-mail system is
deployed has evolved from a “hesitant, brave few”
into a computer-mediated communication community
that is now dependent on the tool to conduct daily
business. A new study would be a different study.
The notion of rapid technological obsolescence is not
new; the rate of change is likely to increase in the
near future.
Some
attributes
of
computer-meditated
communication abate organizational constraints,
while other attributes impose new ones (Rice, 1990).
For example, computer-mediated communication can
be used to overcome temporal and proximity
constraints to organizational communication through
asynchrony and wide area networking. By supporting
collegial communication relationships, computermediated communication may contribute to increased
social cohesion and healthier psychological climates
within higher education organizations (Odden & Sias,
1997). Yet computer mediated communication tends
to impose some social constraints not encountered in
face-to-face communication; the textual nature of
computer-mediated communication limits nonverbal, contextual cues for both the sender and
receiver, thereby restricting the emotive significance
of some messages (Rice, 1990; Kiesler and Sproull,
1992). By displacing social activity and strong
personal ties with weak personal ties, computer
mediated communication may actually reduce social
involvement and psychological wellbeing(Kraut, et.
al., 1998). On the other hand, lack of contextual cues
tends to reduce social inhibitions in group
communications, and invites participation by those
who might not ordinarily “speak up” in a face-to-face
exchange, resulting in greater equality of
participation (Bordia, 1997).
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The objectives of the study are as follows;
General Objectives:
The general objective of the research is to compare
the technology commonly used in the developed
nations and in developing country. It is recognised
that most managers spend between 50% and 80% of
their time in communicating. Whilst the content of
this communication may be important in getting the
management job done. The sole objective of this
research is focused upon the integration of IT based
communication systems in managerial activities for
phenomenon success in effective management.
Specific Objectives:
1. Identification and assessment of existing
communication climate in the selected organizations
in developing countries.
2. Identification and assessment of existing
communication infrastructure in the organizations.
3. Evaluation of effective utilization and deployment
of communication tools and technologies
4. Comparative analysis of technological usage and
deployment in the organization of developed and
developing countries.
5. Critical analysis of roles of communication tools
and technologies towards the dynamism of
contemporary communication climate changes in the
developed versus developing organizations.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The research methodology includes both qualitative
and quantitative research methodologies through
surveys of the existing systems used in the industry
and literature reviews of published work related to
the topic. Data required for the research were
collected from various governmental organizations,
observation, and secondary data collection. The
proposed systems performance will be tested by
various data sets to achieve optimal solutions.
The data for the study were collected from
employees/associates of three service sector
organizations at Arba Minch, Ethiopia; Commercial
Bank of Ethiopia, Ethiopian Telecommunications
Corporation and Ethiopian Insurance Corporation
through questionnaire. The sample frame comprises
97 employees from the above organizations. A
sample size of 50 employees/associates was collected
at randomly.
Secondary data of developed country was conducted
through the secondary data, journals, recently
published papers and related magazines and articles.
Hypothesis testing was be done with the help of Chisquare.
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Data Analysis and Interpretation
Majority of the respondents are male 70%.maximum
of the respondents are in the age group of 20-30
(58%) and work experience of the respondents
frequency fall in the category of 6-10that is (38%).
According to graph 72% respondents there is no
necessary skill with the employees of the
organization to use the communication technology,
and minority of the respondents (20%) belief that
organizational employees is having necessary skill to
use the technology.
The profile of the respondents are: 16% Managers,
12% Assistant Manager, 10% accountants, 28 %
Clerks, 22% Customer Service and 12% are
Supervisors. The majority of the respondents are
clerks and customer service executives and minorities
of the respondents are accountants and the average
frequency is in the category of managers, assistant
manager and supervisors.
58% of the employee do not discuss freely the issues
with their officials , 32% employee are neither agree
nor disagree and only 6% of employees says they
have freedom to discuss the issues with the officials.
Graph shows there is closed communication climate
with officials especially through communication
technology.
The graph shows that only 16% respondents use
communication technology to communicate with
colleagues for their official work which is the least
purpose of using technology among the employees.
Total 24% of the respondent use to take the
information and upgrade their knowledge. 18% use
technology to have access with social sites. The
majority of the respondents use the technology to
communicate with friend for other purposes.
Communicating with friends have maximum
frequency of 42% among the respondents.
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The majority of the respondent’s response (70%)
shows that there is no effective use of the technology
when it is compare to developed countries
organizations. 30% of the responses indicates that the
effective use of the technology is same as in
developed nation’s organizations.
58% of the responses show that employees do not
receive professional information, which is necessary
to perform the professional tasks. 20% of the
response shows that employees receive the necessary
to perform their professional tasks through the
communication technology.
CONCLUSIONS
Awareness of the technology is there among all the
employees but technology is used in the limited
levels at managers and assistant managers. Other job
categories are not much familiar with use of
technology for interpersonal communication. Only
16% of the communication through the technology is
done for the internal communication in the
organizations.
Other
employees
use
the
communication technology for other purposes.
Factors that affect the technological communication
climate are the employees not having the necessary
skills and motivation to use such tools and
technology. Another reason is disinclination of the
organization to adopt or upgrade the latest tools and
technology
for
communication.
Traditional
methodology is used to communicate the information
to the subordinates and vice versa. There is closed
communication climate in the organizations because
employees do not feel free to discuss the official or
personal issues with their colleagues and employees
do not receive any information, which is necessary to
perform
their
professional
task
through
communication technology. This study clearly
indicates that oorganizations must enhance
technology based communication for internal
communication by;
a)
Providing them necessary skills to use the
technological tools by providing training programs.
b)
Encouraging them to use the technological
tools for internal communication.
c)
Providing information to perform the job
through the technology based communication
d)
Providing ample opportunity to consult with
each other in different departments.
The less experienced employees and the newly
recruits should be provided with more orientation
programs so that they will be motivated to contribute
more. Employees should be motivated and committed
to take additional tasks and responsibilities. Special
care and Attention should be taken in this regard by
the organizations and by the policy makers. Majority
of the employees in the organizations perform only
medium level of communication climate. Only
managers and assistant managers have a high level
communication environment. Since majority is in the
medium level it is easy to transition them to the high
level by providing orientation programs on effective
communication to achieve organizational success.
Female employees should be empowered and should
be given participation in each level of organizational
activity. In this sense technology gives better support
to the females. Those factors which are categorized
as high level of communication climate should be
retained by the suggestive measures should be
implemented by each organizations depending upon
their policies, rules and the types of governance.
Finally it is observed that developing countries
organizations like Ethiopia are still not able to fully
exploit the power of technology in their internal
communication. Still they are using traditional file
systems. They have the sufficient IT infrastructure
with them but awareness and poor implementation
mechanism still putting them in a crucial situation of
under utilized of IT resources. However on the other
side developed countries like USA exploiting their IT
infrastructure with full potential. A new divide
“under utilized /unutilized digital divide” is emerging
in developing countries; which is not a good indicator
for their sustainable development.
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