Is this the death of the grapevine? This paper examines changes in employee communication due to interactive technologies that allow employees to take control of both media and message selection. The author has conducted a decade-long trend study based on interviews with plant employees of a large, international manufacturing company. Internal email and the company’s internet and intranet websites have now become the most frequently used as well as the most credible source of company information, beating out print publications, bulletins, union information, and the local news media. Even rumors and the grapevine have declined sharply in usage and believability when compared to electronic internal media, according to Wright.
Download PDF: An Analysis of the Increasing Importance of the Role of the Receiver in the Communication Process
