Technology and Organizational Communication: Friend or Foe? Carol Kinney California Baptist University
MIT professor of Social Science and Technology, Sherry Turkle, has spent the past fifteen years studying the affect that technology has on communication processes. At the Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) conference in February of this year (2012), Turkle presented the highlights of her new book Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other. Turkle’s address at TED focuses upon the negative aspects in which technology has upon interpersonal communication skills. While Turkle is studying the overall affect that technology has on societal communication in the long term, her thesis concentrates upon communication from an individualistic view. The same points that Turkle makes in the presentation and book may or may not have the same impact upon organizational communication. In fact, Turkle’s assumptions are only based upon a Human Resource frame and do not consider the benefits of utilizing a multi-framing approach to communication. Turkle’s assumptions make technological communication a foe of organizations. Turkle’s thesis for her speech at TED and her book is that the more that people rely upon technological outlets to communicate, the more that human relationships and communication skills are suffering. Turkle’s research has led her to conclude that technology is being utilized in a way that reforms and replaces human interaction with online communication. Turkle’s research reflects Bolman and Deal’s Human Resource frame assumptions about “interpersonal dynamics(2008, p. 168-169)” alone and does not consider that technological communication can be healthy to individuals within organizations and the organizations themselves. Turkle asserts that email, social media and other forms of online communication causes people to “remove” themselves from society or control the amount of personal interaction. Turkle calls this the “Goldilocks Effect.” In other words, online communication allows people to
“edit, delete and retouch” words in order to present “just the right amount” of themselves to others. Turkle asserts that this leads to a false three-fold “fantasy” about communication and relationships that is the opposite of the richness and messiness of real life relationships. This leads to societal breakdown of communication skills. Turkle’s premise is that technology causes people to believe that they are “always heard,” that people can choose “where and when” attention is paid to other people and that “no one ever has to be alone.” Turkle says that each of these fantasies play into false assumptions that has evolved with the onslaught of constant communication via online outlets. Those assumptions are that technology can replace real human interaction and people need not be intimate in order to cure loneliness that pervades society. Despite Turkle’s findings, she does not advocate total abstention from online communication, but rather asserts that breaks from technology can alleviate some of the negative impact that it has on interpersonal relationships. Because individuals make up organizations, Turkle’s research assumptions can be applied to organizational communication. Some research agrees with Turkle’s thoughts. One such study conducted by psychology students at Covenant College states that heavy Facebook users who are students “generally have lower GPA’s and tend more towards extraversion and neurosis (associated with anxiety, anger, depression and impulsivity) than student who use Facebook less (Canales, Wilbanks, and Yeoman).” However, other research and data suggests that Turkle’s research is incomplete in regards to organizational communication. Turkle is correct in her assumption that individual online communication is growing. Organizations are also responding to the technology available by incorporating online communication into the workplace culture. According to Dr. Sara Radicati, there are an estimated 89 billion business emails sent per day (2012, p.3). Additionally Dr. Nora Barnes and
her colleagues (2012) state that while corporate blogging has leveled off or decreased among Fortune 500 and Inc. 500 companies, these organizations have increased their social media presence on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube and Twitter. According to the same study, “73% of the Fortune 500 have corporate Twitter accounts” and 66% “are now on Facebook.” Since it is proven that organizations are increasing online communication, then it would make sense that Turkle’s research can be applied. However, studies are showing that organizational communication is not suffering from the increase in online communication, but thriving. In the TED address, Turkle states that the way that online communication is progressing, people may become “tempted” to replace human “companions” with machines. Under this assumption and given the statistics of online business communication, human interaction in the workplace will eventually be nonexistent. Many others join Turkle in predicting negative impacts on business relations and productivity when online communication is allowed within organization. However, Ben Bajarin, a technology analyst, tells Jeffrey Zaslow of The Wall Street Journal that online communication is not reducing human interaction and productivity in the workplace, but rather enhancing it (2009). Bajarin states that young people who are entering the workplace have been raised with technology and the ability to multitask. Turkle states that she has observed that a new communication skill has developed: “making eye contact while texting.” Turkle states that this is detrimental in that people are not giving full attention to others, yet Bajarin says that “managing conversations” in this way helps workers in the workplace. “While their older colleagues waste time holding meetings or engaging in long phone conversations, young people have an ability to sum things up in one-sentence text messages” and this allows workers to “optimize and prioritize.” Bajarin also refutes that increased online communication within
organizations decreases human interaction: “Given [the] vast network of online acquaintances, they discover people who can become true friends or valued business colleagues-people they wouldn’t have been able to find in the pre-Internet era.” Jeffrey Zaslow, reporter for the Wall Street Journal reflects another way that online communication is having a positive influence upon organizations. Zaslow writes, “past generations accepted that corporations were hierarchical.” There were supervisors, managers, and senior managers, and you communicated your questions to your immediate superior.” This form of organization is closely related to Bolman and Deal’s assumptions of the Structural frame in which organizations only utilize technology to advance and benefit the organization itself (p. 47). However, because individuals and organizations are using online communication more and more, communication between organizations, employees and consumers is no longer one-way. In a study titled “Impact of Social Media on External Communications in the U.S. Corporate Environment,” Frost & Sullivan, a global organizational growth consulting firm, states that online communication utilizes a multi-frame approach. Frost and Sullivan’s finding show that increased organizational online communication benefits all three groups. The findings suggest that organizational expenses are lowered, “new customer service opportunities” are opened, and “the ability to drive collaboration inside and outside the business community” creates healthy communication between organizations and employees, organizations and target audiences, and employees and target audiences. This organizational communication is beneficial in ways that did not exist before emails and social media. Turkle’s study shows that social media can negatively impact individuals, which can spill over into all forms of human relationships, including those within organizations. Eventually, Turkle’s human resource frame concerning online communication may prove to have impact
upon organizations. However, Turkle’s study is incomplete and does not take into account the positive impacts and affects that online communication has upon organizations. Again, Turkle does not push for complete abstention of technology, but her assumptions lean towards proving that technology is not a “companion” or true friend. Others, who are studying the same affects of online communication, claim that technology is indeed a true friend when used in organizations. Increased productivity, the ability for employees to multitask in ways that are new, the creation of greater human networking, and increased two-way or multi-way communications are now open thanks to organizational online communication. Bolman and Deal’s thesis suggests that this multi-framing approach is best for organizational communication (p. 317). Turkle has a solid reasoning for the negative individualistic socio-psychological effects of technological communication, but the assumptions are incomplete when applied to organizational communication. Only time will tell whether Turkle’s incomplete, single frame assumptions will spill over into organizations. Perhaps another fifteen year study will reveal the answer.
Bibliography
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