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Different Media for Organizational Communication: Perceptions of Quality and Satisfaction

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Abstract

We examined the satisfaction in and perceived quality of information about one’s job, business unit, and company, as well as perceived quality of urgent news (i.e., news about changes in business and generally considered legally sensitive material), communicated via different media. Results from 598 fulltime employees revealed that rich media (e.g., face-to-face) was most related to satisfaction in information about one’s job and business unit and in perceived quality of information from the supervisor; lean media (e.g., company newsletter) was most related to satisfaction in and quality of information from top management, while moderate media (e.g., e-mail) was only significantly related to perceived quality of urgent news. Trust in top management was positively related to satisfaction in and quality of information shared by management. Lean media most strongly related to quality of urgent news, over and above rich communication.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA

    Zinta S. Byrne

  2. Agilent Technologies, Inc., Loveland, CO, 80537, USA

    Elaine LeMay

Authors
  1. Zinta S. Byrne
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  2. Elaine LeMay
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Correspondence to Zinta S. Byrne.

Additional information

The authors would like to thank Monica Moloney for her support on this project.

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Byrne, Z.S., LeMay, E. Different Media for Organizational Communication: Perceptions of Quality and Satisfaction. J Bus Psychol 21, 149–173 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-006-9023-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-006-9023-8

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