Implied information adds richness to ‘lean’ media
E-mail has become an accepted means of communication in working environments, and virtual teams who infrequently meet face to face tend to use e-mail extensively even when they are involved in complex and sensitive discussions. This paper reports on an analysis of the e-mails of university students...
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
University of Johannesburg
2022-10-01
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Series: | Communicare |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://journals.uj.ac.za/index.php/jcsa/article/view/1788 |
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Summary: | E-mail has become an accepted means of communication in working environments, and
virtual teams who infrequently meet face to face tend to use e-mail extensively even
when they are involved in complex and sensitive discussions. This paper reports on an
analysis of the e-mails of university students working in virtual teams. It was found that
the timing of e-mail messages provides implied information and compensates to some
extent for the loss of non-verbal cues that are present in face-to-face communication.
This implied information contributes to the richness of the information and assists the
reader in interpreting not only the message but also the context. As a result, trust can
be established or undermined. Actual examples are provided to illustrate some of the
issues.
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ISSN: | 0259-0069 2957-7950 |