Communication Openness in the Workplace: the Effects of Medium (F2F and IM) and Culture (U.S. and China)

Abstract

Open communication is critical to the effectiveness, efficiency, and overall success of a business. It is believed that communication openness interplays with media channels and cultural contexts in which the communication takes place. Our study investigated communication openness in downward, peer, and upward directions in face-to-face (F2F) and instant messaging (IM) in the workplace in both the United States and China. An online survey was administrated in both countries, and we received 529 valid responses. Repeated measures of ANOVA and MANOVA were used for data analysis. We found that the degree of openness in communication was higher in F2F conversations than through IM; however, this relationship differed in the two cultures. When communicating F2F, American employees were generally more open than Chinese employees, especially when such communication happened between peer colleagues. When communicating through IM, Chinese workers, however, were far more open than American workers in all downward, peer, and upward directions. The main findings, the implications for research and practice, and the limitations of this study were discussed accordingly.

KEYWORDS:

• Communication Openness
• Downward
• Peer
• Upward
• Face-to-Face
• Instant Messaging
• IM
• Culture
• U.S.
• China

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Shu Z. Schiller

Shu Z. Schiller is an Assistant Professor of Information Systems in the Raj Soin College of Business at Wright State University. She holds a Ph.D. in Business Administration from the Fox School of Business and Management at Temple University. Dr.Schiller's research focuses on virtual world, virtual teams, and computer-mediated communication. Her recent publications appeared in journals such as Small Group Research, Journal of Virtual Worlds Research, Journal of Information Systems Education, and Information Systems Frontiers.

Jiaying Cui

Jiaying Cui is an Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Capital University of Economics and Business, Beijing, China. She is also a member of the council of Beijing Behavior Sciences Society and a member of the Chinese Institute of Business Administration. She is experienced in conducting research and training courses in the fields of Organizational Behavior, Managerial Communication and Leadership. She has published fifteen journal articles, three authored books and three edited books in Chinese.