Doctoral Dissertations
Date of Award
8-2017
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Major
Communication and Information
Major Professor
Virginia W. Kupritz
Committee Members
John W. Haas, Laura E. Miller, Martha W. Keel
Abstract
Organizations are increasingly implored to engage in communicative accommodation based on employees’ generational cohort. While previous research has found generational differences in workplace values, empirical evidence has not supported the popular claim that younger generations prefer more technological communication than their older colleagues. Using media richness theory (MRT), social presence theory (SPT), and channel expansion theory (CET) as a framework, this dissertation analyzes the responses of 382 Net Generation-aged (18-27 years old) participants to questions related to communication channel preference, information type, channel familiarity, and productivity/counter-productivity at work. Significant differences were found between communication channels across five types of common workplace information, with face-to-face being the most preferred channel for the Net Generation in four out of five information categories. Bivariate regressions revealed strong linear relationships between the productivity of a communication channel and participants’ self-reported task completion,morale, stress, and trust levels.
Recommended Citation
Tipton, Whitney Lauren, "The Net Generation at Work: Younger Employees’ Understanding of Productive/ Counter-productive Information across Communication Channels. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2017.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/4660