BATTLE OF THE SEXES ON E-MAIL - OR IS IT

Few studies have attempted to link e-mail use to power and politics. T he purpose of this article is to offer some initial evidence and analy sis of e-mail's role in organizational power and politics. To frame th e discussion, the article reviews the relevant writings on power and p olitics. The review is concluded with a theoretical critique that sugg ests that contextual and, particularly, temporal aspects should be inc orporated into research on power and politics in organizations. To dem onstrate how an analysis based on temporal aspects can be undertaken a case study that outlines the use of e-mail for power and politics in a university is presented The discussion and conclusions sections synt hesize the analysis by demonstrating that what was interpreted by many organization members at the early stages of the conflict as a ''battl e of the sexes'' can be seen (and, indeed, was interpreted by many org anization members at the later stages of the conflict) as an elaborate exercise in misinformation created by top management to further its p olitical objectives. The article concludes with a discussion of the im plications from this case to e-mail research and practice.