Noting the tendency for some researchers to reject communication network analysis because the original data might be self-reports, this paper proposes automated network analysis as a means of circumventing such objections. The paper first identifies seven different approaches to defining networks--(1) objective, (2) analyzed, (3) user perceived,…

Communication technology (CT), which involves the use of computers in private and group communication, has had a major impact on theory and research in organizational communication over the past 30 years. From the 1950s to the early 1970s, mainframe computers were seen as managerial tools in creating more centralized organizational structures.…

Investigating the networks of communication in organizations leads to an understanding of efficient and inefficient information dissemination as practiced in large systems. Most important in organizational communication is the role of the "liaison person"--the coordinator of intercommunication. When functioning efficiently, coordinators maintain…