Message Equivocality, Media Selection, and Manager Performance: Implications for Information Systems

Richard L. Daft; Robert H. Lengel; Linda Klebe Treviño

doi:10.2307/248682

Message Equivocality, Media Selection, and Manager Performance: Implications for Information Systems

Richard L. Daft¹; Robert H. Lengel²; Linda Klebe Treviño³

¹ Department of Management, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843 · ² College of Business, Division of Management, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 78284 · ³ Division of Organizational Behavior, Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania 16802

MIS Quarterly 1987

A field study of middle- and upper-level managers was undertaken to explain managers’ selection of communication media. The findings indicate that media vary in their capacity to convey information cues. Managers prefer rich media for ambiguous communications and less rich media for unequivocal communications. The data suggest that high performing managers are more sensitive to the relationship between message ambiguity and media richness than low performing managers. Implications for managers’ use of information systems and electronic media are discussed.

DOI: 10.2307/248682
Volume: 11 (3)
Pages: 355-365
Language: en
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