Communication media choice in developing countries (the Colombian case)

Choice of communication media determines actual configuration of communication systems that affects organizational form.; Organizational Theory, Information Processing, Media Study and Communication Theory propose variables that influence media choice. To understand factors that affect media choice, a study was conducted in two networked organizations in Colombia: The National Federation of Coffee Growers ("Fedecafe") and The Banana Exporters Association ("Augura").; Fedecafe groups the Colombian coffee growers. The organization consists of three layers of activity; the technical layer, comprised by producers inhabiting rural environments and cultures, and technicians that assist them in improving the crops; the middle layer comprised by elected leaders at the county and state localities, and employees that ensure an effective connection between layers; the higher layer formed by national leaders that represent the interests of the associates before the government and trades the product to the international market. Because of the differing degrees of education, perceptions of time, interests, information and communication processing capabilities of the associates; communications are the key element to keep the structure from falling apart by ensuring a certain degree of agreement. Understanding variables that impinge on media choice may make the difference between survival and disappearance of the network. Augura gathers together owners of large banana farms and firms dedicated to trading the fruit to the international market. The bananas' region has been one of the focal points of confrontation in Colombia. The industry is strongly regulated by quality assurance and environmental norms. Effective communications are vital to the fulfillment of international demands. Comprehending media use processes helps organizational leaders to manage successfully from the distance under conditions of high risk.; The methodology used for data collection included a field study with observation of communication routines and systems, interviews with key respondents and processing of a self-administered survey, that measured variables proposed by the aforementioned schools. Results indicated that individual, situational and social variables had a more significant impact on media choice than the technical characteristics of media while the technical characteristics of the tasks made no difference to the decision. The implications of these results for theory and practice are discussed.