Outline of HR2002 Project Impact of Online Communication on Human Relations in the Workplace
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Rationale: Effect Effective ive commun communicat ication ion is critic critical al to most most organi organizat zationa ionall proces processes ses,, incl includ udin ing g team team coll collab abor orat atio ion n and and deci decisi sion on maki making ng.. Face Face-t -too-fa face ce communication is commonly assumed to be superior to all other forms of communicati communication, on, yet face-to-face face-to-face communication communication does not cope well with orga organi niza zati tiona onall cons constr trai aint ntss such such as time time pres pressu sure re or the the geog geogra raph phic ic distribution of team members. This is especially so in today’s business environment because of the even quicker pace of global commerce that often demands fast decision making and more team collaboration in an incr increa easi sing ngly ly frag fragme ment nted ed cont contex ext. t. Comp Compli lica cate ted d link linkag ages es amon among g organizational elements, including dynamic and uncertain social, political, and economic environments, ambiguous and incomplete information, and conf confli lict ctin ing g inte intern rnal al orga organi niza zati tion onal al inte intere rest sts, s, also also contr contrib ibut utee to less less effective communication processes. With the arrival of the Internet, an answer in overcoming some of these constra constraint intss may be comput computerer-med mediat iated ed commun communica icatio tion n (CMC). (CMC). CMC enable enabless increa increased sed and more more equal equal team team member member parti particip cipati ation, on, offers offers flexibility over time and distance, creates time for additional reflection and thought by participants, and archives a permanent record of all discussion. CMC CMC overc overcom omes es some some of the the draw drawba back ckss commo common n to face face-t -too-fa face ce communicati communication on in some circumsta circumstances, nces, thus enhancing organizatio organizational nal communication, team collaboration, and decision-making effectiveness. However is this revolution not without any flaws? Our group seeks to underst understand and the differ difference encess betwee between n face-t face-to-f o-face ace commun communica icatio tion n and CMC. After describing these, we will outline a framework for the study of CMC and considers the effects of CMC on interaction between users, based on several factors, such as role and identity construction, ways of learning, and commitment to the workplace. We will base this study on the 3 tier – the individual, the team and the organization.
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Hypothesis: Our group hypothesize that increased use of online communication will degrade degrade human human intera interacti ctions ons at the workpl workplace ace,, and this this will will affect affect the individual, the team and the organization.
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Means of data collection: Primar ary y Rese Resear arch ch – Surv Survey eys, s, Inte Interv rvie iews ws,, Obse Observ rvat atio ions ns,, Prim Experiences Secondary Research – Journals, Articles, Websites, Books
Pers Persona onall
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Limitations and Concerns: Insufficient studies done on local situation.
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Flow of Report: Introduction: 1) Background: Human relations had degraded. (Show how – research datahttp://www.singstat.gov.sg) There is less face to face interaction. (more ppl not married, more old ppl in homes, etc stats) Why is this a problem? (Link to QoL) (Humans are interdependent, etc) Use of internet, particularly computer communication, shown to be main / number 1 cause of this problem. (Use survey results, gov stats to prove) More computer usagelesser face to face interaction (time inelastic & computer is individualistic & less social cues & anonymity-The Internet allows one to take on an alter ego and to assume a different identity online because of their sense of insecurity & “flaming”.) worsen interpersonal relations less meaningful relationship lower QoL. Dangers of online chatting….. Show how this will affect the workplace and organization. 2) Causes: Causes are basically asking “Why do people go online?” “In” easy access easier for people to converge allow multi-tasking for work and school, entertainment purposes 3) Responses: Government had been actively promoting activities that involve social interaction. by MCYS- Schemes http://app.mcys.gov.sg/web/home_main.asp Programs of SDU Sporting activities by SSC Government had, and promises to continue enhancing public policies to promote social interaction. Five-day work week policy. Family Day
Companies, in line with government policies, had similar programs Encourage employees to bring kids into workplace.
But most solutions fail to address main cause.
Recommendations: 1) Enhance the interface of online communication to bridge the differences between it and face to face interaction. Online communication has to be more personal, more sociable and less individualistic. 2) Implementation and promotion of a no emails, no IM day / week. (This will exclude important government agencies and businesses.) 3) Educating people to make them realize the cause of disintegration of human relations. 4) Promotion of more activities aimed at forging stronger bonds face to face, e.g. sports.
Conclusion: This problem is becoming more important with increased widespread use of Internet. Therefore it warrants more attention. Problem needs more research as there is lack of it, especially in Singapore. Overseas research fraught with many limitations. While computers have evolved to become an important tool for communication, we should not be over-reliant on it. To borrow a quote from Cicero ‘Never go to excess, but let moderation be your guide.’ In essence, our main aim of this paper is to make people realize that it is important not to solely rely on computer communication as a means of interaction, but it is best used as a complement of normal day to day interaction.
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Reference:
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Appendices: Survey results (own and others)
