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Media Richness Theory

Media Richness Theory. Patrick Curry PhD Students Baylor University 3 April 2012. Media Richness Theory. Media richness theory is a framework to describe a communications medium by its ability to reproduce the information sent over it. Media Richness Theory.

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Media Richness Theory

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  1. Media Richness Theory Patrick Curry PhD Students Baylor University 3 April 2012

  2. Media Richness Theory Media richness theoryis a framework to describe a communications medium by its ability to reproduce the information sent over it.

  3. Media Richness Theory Developed by Richard L. Daftand Robert H. Lengel, (1984) and is used to rank and evaluate the richness of certain communication mediums, such as face-to-face communication, phone calls, video conferencing, and email.

  4. Media Richness Theory Example: because a phone call can not reproduce visual social cues such as gestures it is a less rich communication medium than video conferencing, which is able to communicate gestures to some extent.

  5. MRT is a function of….. (1) the medium's capacity for immediate feedback (2) the number of cues and channels available (3) language variety (4) the degree to which intent is focused on the recipient

  6. Media Richness Theory MRT predicts that managers will choose the mode of communication based on matching the equivocality of the message to the richness of the medium.

  7. Media Richness Theory The most immediate and profound application of media richness theory is for senders choosing a communication medium. The theory implies that a sender can (and should) use the richest possible medium to communicate the desired message.

  8. Application of MRT

  9. Support of MRT1 of 3 • Rice research focuses on the central tenet of media richness theory, derived from contingency theory: when information processing capabilities match, information processing demands, performance will improve. • Rice, Ronald E. (November 1992). "Task Analyzability, Use of New Media, and Effectiveness: A Multi-Site Exploration of Media". Organization Science 3 (4): 475-500.

  10. Support of MRT2 of 3 • Trevino, Webster and Stein comprehensive survey hypothesized and tested multiple influences in a study of media attitudes and behaviors. The media included e-mail, fax, letters and face-to-face meetings. • Trevino, LinkaKlebe; Jane Webster, Eric W. Stein (Mar-Apr 2000). "Making Connections: Complementary Influences on Communication Media Choices, Attitudes, and Use". Organization Science11(1): 163-182

  11. Support of MRT3 of 3 • Huang, Watson and Wei research address the issue of the media richness of email, and, from a psychological perspective, provides a theoretical explanation of why and how rich communication in a lean e-mail medium can be realized. • Huang, W., Watson, R. T., and Wei, K. K. “Can a lean e-mail medium be used for rich communication? A psychological perspective,” European Journal of Information Systems (7:4), December 1998, pp. 269-275.

  12. Criticism of MRT1 of 2 • Media richness theory was criticized in the past by what many researchers saw as its deterministic nature. • Markus argued that social pressures can influence media use much more strongly than richness, and in ways that are inconsistent with media richness theory's key tenets. • Markus, M.L. (1994). “Electronic Mail as the Medium of Managerial Choice.” Organization Science, 5(4). 502-527

  13. Criticism of MRT2 of 2 Ngwenyama and Lee showed that cultural and social background influence media choice by individuals in ways that are incompatible with predictions based on media richness theory Ngwenyama, Ojelanki K., & Lee, Allen S. (1997). “Communication richness in electronic mail: Critical social theory and the contextuality of meaning.” MIS Quarterly, 21(2), 145-167

  14. Why this theory makes a good framework for our study

  15. MRT is a function of….. (1) the medium's capacity for immediate feedback (2) the number of available modes of communication (3) the degree to which intent is focused on the recipient

  16. Sender/Receiver Response Matrix Hierarchy of Communication Hierarchy of Caller

  17. Receiver: GM Hospitality: “I tend to respond faster to text than I do to email, but I only give text permission to a few people.” Sender: IT Technician: “I used text message recently because it was 2 am and so I was gauging. I felt bad calling because it was kind of urgent but it wasn’t their responsibility. So I used text messages as the go between of ‘are you available, can you help’ But I don’t really want to wake you up.” Sender: IT Executive: “Because of this world, if I’m going to shut down for more than an hour, maybe up to two, I do an auto responder that essentially says that I’m unavailable.” Response Matrix Hierarchy of Communication Hierarchy of Caller

  18. What are your thoughts?

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