| Organizations invest billions of dollars annually in communication technologies hoping to enhance employee productivity. As a result, employees face a wide array of communication choices. However, many questions remain concerning the impact of these choices on employee productivity. Because of methodological shortcomings and the absence of a unifying framework of outcomes, previous research in this area offers few answers. Therefore, this study investigates the performance-related consequences of using different types of communication media. In addition, a media-use outcome framework is presented to provide a better understanding of the outcomes of communication media use within organizations and offers a foundation for future inquiry. Specifically, the impact of four communication media is examined: (1) face-to-face interaction, (2) telephone use, (3) voice mail use, and (4) electronic mail use. One hundred forty-nine employees of a Fortune 500 company participated in the study. Communication and performance outcomes were assessed by the participants' coworkers using a multi-reviewer feedback process. Outcomes included communication effectiveness, communication efficiency, strength of interpersonal ties, communication conflict, connectivity, decision-making ability, work efficiency, contextual performance, and task performance. Results revealed only one significant relationship between media use and the proposed outcomes (i.e., face-to-face interaction and strength of interpersonal ties). In addition, the communication outcomes (e.g., effectiveness, interpersonal ties) showed strong links to the proposed performance constructs reinforcing the importance of communication to overall job performance. These findings suggest that the communication medium contributes little to employee performance. Considering the amount of money invested in new communication technologies each year, the monetary implications of these results are important. Organizations should scrutinize how (or whether) the addition of new information technologies and communication channels creates a return on investment. Alternative interpretations of the results are explored and directions for future research are suggested. |
