Describes a longitudinal study of positive first-order efficiency effects of video teleconferencing technology. Finds in which ways video teleconferencing is equal or superior to face-to-face meetings, and in which ways it is less effective. Points out that in video teleconferencing, it is more common to have a more negative impression of the…

Attempts to (1) establish a conceptual framework for climate research, (2) develop a research scheme based on this conceptual ground, and (3) examine the relationship between communication and the convergence of views regarding organizational climate. Finds, using the Galileo model, a correlation between a person's attitude and the perception of…

Describes project results on the nature of oral presentations given and produced by technical/managerial professionals working in business and industry. Notes that the survey responses focused on issues including frequency, target audience(s), objectives, data/information base, use of visuals, equipment, obstacles, and training. States that the…

Argues that today's corporation must keep informed a wide range of individuals who have a stake in environment, health, and safety issues. Describes four elements of an effective communications program for doing so: electronic media to communicate technical information, environmental and safety audits, public communications with company…

Suggests a relationship between organizational crisis experience and the placement of the public relations function. Notes a relationship between organization size and crisis experience. Uncovers an alarming absence of crisis planning and training in organizations. (SR)

Develops, based on social exchange theory, a typology of six strategies for exchanging information. Finds that unsolicited information-receiving is positively related to job satisfaction and organizational knowledge, in addition to being negatively related to intention to quit, and that information-giving through modeling is also negatively…

Argues that Kenneth Burke made advances in adapting two of Freud's processes of identification for the analysis of public communication, but that Burke's reading of Freud on identification in groups submerges important conceptual aspects. Discusses the consequences to rhetorical criticism (and to those studying small group ties within…

Summarizes a study investigating the relationship of group openness and group trust, based on self-report data collected from staff at 24 western Kentucky elementary schools. The Group Openness and Trust Scale proved a reliable, valid measure of trust and openness concepts in group settings. There is a positive, if somewhat weak, relationship…

Reports on an ethnographic study of part-time teller assimilation in a large branch banking organization. States that although strict adherence to rules was advocated, there were contradictions between policy and reality that were never resolved. Finds that contradictory assimilation messages interfered with newcomers' developing feelings of…

Uses an analogy based on the neural networks of the mind to describe organizational communications channels and considers how the various structures within organizations can affect the learning process. The impact of neural organizations on the delivery of education and training is discussed, and examples from the Open University are given. (two…

Argues that strategically ambiguous messages play a key role in the birth of loosely coupled organizations and that the successful birth is contingent on these messages being interpreted differently by key constituencies in the organization's environment. Presents a case study of the creation of a new interdisciplinary research center at a major…

Studies conflict-handling behavior of employees within organizations in an inductive investigation aimed at overcoming problems of assuming two dimensions of conflict behavior. Develops a descriptive model of conflict-handling behavior which delineates and defines strategy categories based on actor-salient aspects of specific behavior in specific…

Shows that organizational metaphors have a significant effect on the way writers think about readers and compose written reports. (SR)

Presents an overview of the CLUES (also known as the CL7) instrument. Discusses the instrument's reliability and validity and its application to organizational communication research. Suggests that the instrument demonstrates unidimensionality in low-context cultures, high reliability, and known validity in a wide array of relational types. (RS)

Finds that greater emphasis on communication-related descriptors in individuals interpersonal construct systems was negatively associated with assessments of the decision-making process and task discussion of six hospice interdisciplinary teams. Shows that team members whose construct systems emphasized following conversation rules evaluated the…