Communication media choice by workers in distributed environment

Information technology (IT) is the facilitator for successful implementatio n of distributed-work. However, research on the implication of different ty pes of IT in distributed-work in an organization is limited. The aim of our research was to study the distributed-worker's media use empirically, and determine the influential factors that affect the media selection and its e ffect on distributed-work. To achieve the objectives of the research, a hyp othetical model that shows the relationships between media use and contextu al factors, individual characteristics, media richness, and social influenc e was developed and validated. Distributed-workers' day-to-day, job related , communication information was collected through log-sheets. Data analysis showed that simple communication media, such as telephone and e-mail, is e ffective enough for carrying out job related activities from remote sites. Contextual, individual, and social level factors were found to influence th e media selection of distributed-workers. Though, e-mail is thought to be a lean medium in media richness theory, this study shows that e-mail oriente d workers use it effectively even for complex communication tasks, such as discussion. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.