Virtual organizations: An analysis of media channel preferences of a mobile workforce

This study examined the relationships between individual learning styles of mobile workers as it relates to their media channel preferences for sending and receiving organizational communications via handheld devices. The study's research questions involve the correlations of eight study variables using the media richness theory. The research asks two significant questions: (1) What individual media channel preferences are held by members of a highly mobile organization who use portable appliances? (2) When individual learning styles are taken into consideration, which media channel—voice or electronic text messaging—is most appropriate and effective for members of a highly mobile organization who use handheld, portable devices? Ninety-four employees from a mid-Atlantic firm completed the Learning Styles Inventory (LSI), an established instrument, and the Media Preference Survey (MPS) (Rex, 2001), specifically customized for this study. Statistically, significant correlations were identified between the two instruments providing support for relationships between learning style and media channel preferences among mobile workers. Specifically, the participant's auditory learning styles had a considerable relationship to handheld appliance voice mail selection. These research results indicate that individual auditory learning style and handheld device-based voice mail media channel preferences do somewhat enforce the literature's position that what is perceived as most appropriate and effective when communicating can be pursued by considering individual learning style. The findings open up further discussion to consider new technology-based media communication mediums to address how those new emerging channels for organizational communication may fit into the media richness theory. In addition to providing guidance for organizational leaders that desire to utilize portable, handheld communication channels, this research provides meaningful data. This data will enable future researchers to understand the correlations between individual media selections and their implication on the media richness theory when individual learning styles and preferences are considered within virtual organizations.