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An information-task approach to organizational communication.
Academy of Management Review. Academy of Management
|June 11, 1978
Summary
This study introduces three key variables—availability, uniformity, and independence—to understand information tasks within work units. These factors are linked to strategic choices, organizational structure, and power dynamics.
Area of Science:
- Organizational Communication
- Management Science
- Information Systems
Background:
- Communication is a critical organizational task.
- Understanding information flow at the work unit level is essential for organizational effectiveness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose a framework for characterizing information tasks at the work unit level.
- To examine the relationship between information task characteristics and strategic choices.
- To explore the implications for organizational structure, power, and influence.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual framework development.
- Proposition generation based on theoretical relationships.
- Analysis of information task characteristics: availability, uniformity, and independence.
Main Results:
- Information task characteristics are dependent on strategic choices made by work units.
- Propositions link information task characteristics to organizational task variables.
- Propositions connect information task characteristics to communication structure and power dynamics.
Conclusions:
- The proposed framework provides a new lens for analyzing information tasks within organizations.
- Strategic choices significantly shape information task characteristics.
- Understanding these characteristics is crucial for managing organizational communication, structure, and influence.