A Communication Metamyth in the Workplace: The Assumption that More is Better

Zimmermann, Stephanie; Sypher, Beverly Davenport; Haas, John W.

doi:10.1177/002194369603300206

Cited by 16 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Thus: This study does not support the position of Zimmerman et al (1996). We found that the provision of more information did not lead to employees wanting ever-greater amounts.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 72%

“…Rather, we will focus upon 'information received', and the significant findings therein are presented in Table 4. This category relates most directly to the notion propounded by Zimmerman et al (1996) that the frequently expressed desire for more information is a communication metamyth. As a result of the finding in Audit1 that staff expressed a significant need for more information, two of our recommendations were that:…”

Section: Information Receivedmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…8 Zimmerman et al (1996) proposed that a communication metamyth underlies much thinking about organisational communication and strategy. In essence, it is argued that no matter how much information people receive they will invariably continue to report that they want more.…”

Section: Key Communication Audit Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The metamyth (e.g. that technology helps solve all problems) often becomes part of an organisation's microculture where it forms a tacit understanding that goesunchallenged, yet underlies organisational life.8 Zimmerman et al (1996) proposed that a communication metamyth underlies much thinking about organisational communication and strategy. In essence, it is argued that no matter how much information people receive they will invariably continue to report that they want more.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Communication Audits and the Effects of Increased Information: A Follow-up Study

Hargie

Tourish

Wilson

2002

Journal of Business Communication

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Dennis Tourish is Reader in Communication Management at University of Aberdeen. He previously held appointments at Ulster and Queensland universities. He has published widely and consulted extensively on organizational communication issues.Noel Wilson is an Assistant Director in the University's Information Services Department, with responsibility for academic IT and media services. He has a special interest in the impact of new technologies in third-level education and has published several papers in the field, several in conjunction with academic colleagues. AbstractCommunication audits have now featured in the literature for 50 years, and many audit approaches have been evaluated. However, follow-up studies designed to chart the actual impact that an audit makes upon communication performance have not been reported. Rather, audits are typically presented as one-shot events, whose impact is not measured. It is as if the audit is an end in itself rather than part of a process of measurement and performance improvement. This paper is therefore timely, since it employs a follow-up audit to track the effects of an initial audit upon a major health care organization. The findings do not support the view that the frequently expressed desire of staff for greater communication is a metamyth, and that an increased flow of information simply produces a demand for more. Rather, and consistent with the precepts of Uncertainty Reduction Theory, the provision of information reduced uncertainty and generated increased satisfaction with communication processes. The results from this study also illustrate how the audit can play a useful role in an organization's communication strategy. (Odiorne, 1954), and its use has frequently been urged on business, public relations and human resources practitioners (e.g. Campbell, 1982;Kopec, 1982;Stanton, 1981;Strenski, 1984). Its role has also been stressed in not for profit organizations (Lauer, 1996), and as an important ingredient of strategic marketing in the healthcare sector . Its value as a pedagogic instrument in the teaching of management communication has been asserted (Conaway, 1994;Shelby and Reinsch, 1996;Scott et al., 1999a), while communication audits have been recognised as a valuable ingredient of employee audits in general (Jennings et al., 1990), and in corporate assessment overall (Furnham and Gunter, 1993 (Goldhaber and Rogers, 1979). However, while several audit studies were reported in the 1980s, relatively few were published in the 1990s. Indeed, 6 in this era Ellis et al. (1993, p.143) noted that the general literature on the topic was 'sparse.' There are many reasons for this, and a variety of attitudinal and structural obstacles to the wider utilisation of audits have been identified (see Tourish, 1997). The result of these barriers is that communication audits are an example of a useful approach to research that has been unjustly neglected (Smeltzer, 1993).What would seem to be the case is that audits have entered the 136). Their exhortation seems to have ...

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“…Thus: This study does not support the position of Zimmerman et al (1996). We found that the provision of more information did not lead to employees wanting ever-greater amounts.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 72%

Section: Information Receivedmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Key Communication Audit Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Communication Audits and the Effects of Increased Information: A Follow-up Study

Hargie

Tourish

Wilson

2002

Journal of Business Communication

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“…Through effective communication, organizational members from various teams and departments can increase the positive impacts of cross-fertilization in generating new knowledge, ideas, and insights, as well as information exchanges between them. Some scholars agreed that the increase in communication helps facilitate the process when organizational members use their cognitive abilities to explore knowledge creation processes associated with creativity (Large, 2005;Mueller & Lee, 2002;Stryker, Santoro, & Farris, 2012;Zimmermann, Sypher, & Haas, 1996). These authors also claimed that a boost in communication among team members encourages information exchange, reduces uncertainty and ambiguity, and improves the quality of the information and satisfaction in the communications.…”

Section: Amount Of Communication Interaction Patterns and Spatial Cmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial Configuration Based on Amount of Communication for Organizational Creativity in Interior Design Firms

Ajis¹,

Naka²

2015

JSD

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This study examined how physical office spaces can support the creation of knowledge related to creativity and to foster a communicative environment. This research aims to determine spatial configurations that can help facilitate communication for knowledge creation processes associated with creative works by focusing on knowledge creation behaviors (SECI Model), the amounts of communication, and social networks as the dimensions for measurement. Using the case study approach, this cross-sectional study examined two small-scale interior design firms in Malaysia. Space syntax VGA analysis was used to identify the potential space that would facilitate a communicative environment. Ethnographic methods were used to examine the empirical evidence, while semi-structured interviews were used to derive the SECI behaviors performed in creative organizations such as the firms in the case studies. The findings showed various spatial configurations and usage depending on the communication occurrences of SECI behaviors. Since organizations place high expectations on increasing knowledge productivity, the knowledge gained from this study can help workplace planners to propose suitable spaces according to an organization's work culture.

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Productivity: efficiency and effectiveness

2009

Managing Knowledge Networks

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A Communication Metamyth in the Workplace: The Assumption that More is Better

Cited by 16 publications

References 28 publications

Communication Audits and the Effects of Increased Information: A Follow-up Study

Communication Audits and the Effects of Increased Information: A Follow-up Study

Spatial Configuration Based on Amount of Communication for Organizational Creativity in Interior Design Firms

Productivity: efficiency and effectiveness

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