| This proposed dissertation addresses the question of how organizational members manage uncertainty communicatively following a major change event. This study is situated in the literatures of socialization, communication, particularly organizational communication, media use, and organizational networks. This study seeks to contribute to the growing body of literature on uncertainty reduction and social information processing following significant organizational change by examining communication behaviors of individuals as their organization goes through a transition following its acquisition by a larger corporation. Specifically, the goal of this study seeks to expand on our understanding of how individuals choose and use media to exchange information and with whom they communicate to make sense of changes in the organization and in their roles. The more specific goal of this study is then to explore the particular communication actions of organizational members in transition by examining their choices of methods and sources to make sense of a very uncertain period. |
