Scott C. D'Urso

Examining the Scope of Channel Expansion A Test of Channel Expansion Theory With New and Traditional Communication Media

This article draws on channel expansion theory to explore the selection and use of communication media by organizational members. Channel expansion theory scholars posit that media richness perceptions are dependent on experiences with communication partners, the message topic, and the communication media utilized. This study tests channel expansion theory in the context of new and traditional communication media. Respondents (N = 269) completed questionnaires regarding their use and perceptions of face-to-face, telephone, e-mail, or instant-messaging interactions. Results indicate that experience with channel, topic, partner, and social influence are all significant predictors of richness perceptions, when controlling for age and media characteristics. Findings also suggest that the richness of a medium is not fixed and may be shaped by interpersonal factors, including ones relevant experiences.

Connected to the Organization: A Survey of Communication Technologies in the Modern Organizational Landscape

In todays organizations, traditional and cutting-edge technologies compete for increased usage. This exploratory project provides a snapshot of the communication technology (CT) landscape by examining the use of 25 different CTs and their relations to a variety of common demographic variables. Results suggest that, although newer CTs are in use today, more traditional and established CTs such as e-mail, Internet, telephones, and voicemail still dominate the landscape.

Exploring Organizational Communication (Micro) History Through Network Connections

In light of the 100th anniversary of the National Communication Association, the following essay offers an initial look at the communication subdiscipline of organizational communication and its development over the past seven-plus decades. As part of this review, we advocate the use of network methods as a microhistory analytic tool to explore the vast number of connections, both between people and research interests, generated as the discipline developed from its humble beginnings. This work represents a small sample of the greater Organizational Communication Genealogy Project. This larger effort seeks to create a detailed review of the discipline as it explores the relationships between advisors and advisees, the development of dissertation and current research topics, the collaborative network of coauthorship, and the contributions of individual scholars through the analysis of interview data, narratives, and historical documents.