Title: Effects of e-mail availability on the informal network

Authors: Alan Zaremba

Addresses: Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA

Abstract: Electronic mail is becoming more and more common in organizations. Despite the technological sophistication of e-mail, questions remain regarding the value of the innovation for organizations. The assumption that the presence of electronic mail, in and of itself, obviates internal communication problems is clearly inaccurate and insidiously problematic. Researchers need to examine electronic mail in terms of what it can actually do to help employees manage information. This paper reports the findings of a study that assessed the effects of e-mail availability on the activity of the informal network and on the dissemination of upward and |human| messages in a classroom setting.

Keywords: email; communication; information management; informal networks.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.1996.025424

International Journal of Technology Management, 1996 Vol.11 No.1/2, pp.151 - 161

Published online: 22 May 2009 *

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