The Impact of Email Communication on Employees Within an Organization: A Case Study

Michal Galin

Cornell University, USA

Email and other electronic communication media are being heralded as the tools that are revolutionizing organizations. Hierarchies are being flattened, employees are communicating more efficiently, and many organizations are more effectively dispersing their presence globally. But with every wonderful new innovation there are usually a whole host of unintended consequences that soon follow. This paper will present a case study of one internationally dispersed non-for-profit organization's experience with an Internet-based communication system. Data was collected from a total of 157 agency employees. Respondents submitted a completed online survey and were sampled for follow-up interviews. Both the survey and the follow-up interviews sought to collect information on the uses of electronic media; the influence on communication volume and the adequacy of that volume; and the influence on communication patterns and organizational structure. Analysis was performed along two lines: between the experience of field staff versus staff based in New York City, and between the five different position levels of employees.




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