A155. Van
Zoonen, W., Sivunen, A., Rice, R. E., & J. Treem (in
press).
Organizational information and communication
technologies and their influence on communication visibility and
perceived
proximity. International Journal of
Business Communication, 60(4),
1267-1289. Open access: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/23294884211050068
This
study investigates the relationships between the use of various
organizational ICTs,
communication visibility and perceived proximity to distant colleagues.
In
addition, this study examines the interplay between visibility and
proximity,
to determine whether visibility improves proximity, or vice versa.
These
relationships are tested in a global company using two waves of panel
survey
data. ESM use increases communication visibility and perceived
proximity, while
controlling for prior levels of visibility, proximity, and the use of
other
organizational ICTs. The influence of ESM on network translucence and
perceived
proximity is generally stronger than the impact of other technologies
on these
outcomes. These results highlight the importance of considering various
aspects
of the technological landscape conjointly, as well as distinguishing
the two
dimensions of communication visibility. Finally, the results indicate
that perceived
proximity has causal priority over communication visibility, indicating
that
communication visibility exists partly as an attribution of perceived
proximity
to distant colleagues, and is not solely inferred from the use of
organizational ICTs.