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CMC INFLUENCE THROUGH EMAIL

Computer Mediated Communication
Influence Project: CMC INFLUENCE ON MANAGER-EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION
THROUGH EMAIL

COMM.444
September 2, 2014
Professor Shelby Reigstad




Submitted by:
Jewel McNair
Jem68682@bethel.edu
BCQ-13








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CMC INFLUENCE THROUGH EMAIL
Computer-mediated communication (CMC) is transforming the way people communicate
in modern society. Herring explains computer-mediated communication as the communication
produced when human beings interact with one another by transmitting messages via networked
computers (Herring, 1999). It is evident that CMC has become very common in the business
setting as well. E-mail is still the most prevalent form of CMC within organizations (Herring,
1993). Notably so, the increasing use of mobile devices in organizations has given the use e-mail
a much broader range. My influence strategy primarily focused on an attempt to increase email
contact from manager to employee through work computer access. Obviously, as with every type
of technology, there are advantages and disadvantages in using it. However, I was focused on
influencing the frequency and diversity in my manager-employee relationship on various
scenarios and measuring the effectiveness.
The impact of e-mail on a regular workday varies on differences between the level e-mail
and face-to-face communication. I do not have daily Face-to-face (F2F) communication with my
manager therefore we utilize instant messaging via the work computers. Face-to-face
interpersonal communication involves non-verbal cues which are unnoticed in email
communication (Adrianson, Hjelmquist, 1999). The lack of nonverbal cues implies that
information is not being fully transferred. In a text based environment, such as email,
interpretation relies primarily on verbal information (Adrianson, Hjelmquist, 1999). Another
difference between F2F and CMC is the concept of feedback. Feedback can be considered
negative or positive and is the preferred method in delivering face-to-face communication
(Adrianson, Hjelmquist, 1999). I agree that any type of feedback, negative or positive, should be
delivered through face-to-face communication, not email. Email is important for contact but is
under-utilized within our department and our manager-employee relationship. One of my goals
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CMC INFLUENCE THROUGH EMAIL
within this Influence project was to try to increase our level of contact through email and
measure whether email use increased depending on varying scenarios. Instant Messaging is also
a method of CMC; however, email can be more efficient for more detailed messages and added
components such as email attachments. My strategy was to initialize contact via email, not
instant messaging, with an engaging subject line such as First Responder Lists Are Outdated or
Kurt Maslowski Has Not Returned His Access Badge. In this regard, my manager responded
immediately via email with details as to how to go about handling these scenarios in the most
efficient way possible. I realized that these types of subjects were of immediate importance and
needed to be responded to and accomplished right at that moment. It was much more efficient to
respond to my requests in this way which also made her responses via email timelier. Unlike in
face-to-face meetings, physical appearance and visual cues are absent in e-mail (Fisher, 1993).
However, when I would send an email with a subject line that would state Update on
Cube/Office Cleanings or Refrigerator Cleaning Signs are Posted, she would not respond
immediately, sometimes not at all within the same day. I realized that these emails were not of
high priority for my manager as she would respond immediately or ask for follow-up details.
However, when I sent send an email that included Bolded or Capped latters, no matter the
subject title, the dynamic of the email would change. My manager assumed the Capped/Bolded
letters meant that the message was urgent or assumed that I was irritated. One of the
disadvantages I found within this research is that email limits certain social cues and therefor it is
easy for you to be misunderstood.
I would measure my level of influence through the frequency and details of my
managers responses to email messages. I noticed email interactions increased more frequently
than our instant messaging communication which allowed us to share more detailed information.
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CMC INFLUENCE THROUGH EMAIL
We were able to complete tasks, share office services updates, and schedule reviews for the
department. I believe that the change occurred because the utilization of email messaging more
often allowed us to engage in more detailed and effective communication. Also, through this
process we were able to engage in more quality communication and assess job tasks and projects
that centered around our department. We still use instant messaging but not for messages that are
of high priority or that require more detail and assessment. In this way, it increased the efficiency
in our manager-employee relationship in the work environment.
Religious views are almost as diverse as computer mediated communication tools that
exist today. A biblical worldview in relation to online environments can vary depending on the
religious tradition and culture. I think that there has been increased influence on postmodern
religions such as Christianity to adapt and adopt CMC technologies to meet their values and
practices. Many employees follow religious traditions while adopting current CMC technologies
as part of their work responsibilities, including the use of email (Campbell, 2004). Some
religions may not feel as open to embracing the ideas and technologies behind Computer
Mediated Communication because it goes against their beliefs (Campbell, 2004). My grandfather
works in a business setting and does not utilize CMC technologies because he believes this
would religious transformation and which is a sin in his belief. I think that not every religion will
migrate into the digital realm, however, many have adapted to the changing CMC technologies.
A business setting is considered to be more formal than social interaction online,
therefore emoticons are not always appropriate to use. Employees are increasingly becoming
technology experts and seem to know the appropriate which medium for the message
(Fisher,1993). E-mail has proven to be valuable in the communication of task-oriented messages
(Fisher, 1993). It is evident that e-mail communication plays a significant role in our daily work
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life and has enriched business culture in a sense that is easy to exchange information with other
people regardless of time and location (Herring,1999). I also feel as though this form of
Computer Mediated Communication helps build the organizational work culture. Emails help
increase communication efficiency and raise flexibility, particularly between managers and
employees. It isnt the newest tool in work communication, but it does help develop the way in
which an organization functions. If we keep in mind that the digital world has a switch-off button
and that we are in control of the device and not the other way around, we can utilize the benefits
of these new media as resources for more effective communication.











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REFERENCES
Adrianson, L.,& Hjelmquist, E. (1999). Group processes in solving two problems: FTF and
computer-mediated communication. Behavior and Information Technology, 18(3), 179-
198.
Campbell, H. (2004). This is my church: Seeing the Internet and club culture as spiritual

spaces. In L.Dawson & D.Cowan (Eds.),Religion Online: Finding Faith on the

Internet (pp. 107121). London: Routledge.
Fisher, D.: 1993, Communication in Organizations, West Publishing Company, New York.

Galvin, Kathleen, Bylund, Carma and Brommel, Bernard, J. Family Communication: Cohesion
and Change., 8
th
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Herring, S. (1999). Interactional coherence in CMC. Journal of Computer Mediated

Communication,4. Available at www.ascusc.org/jcmc/. Retrieved on September 2014.

Levinson, P. (2013) New new media. Second Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson.