Structuring Organizational Communication: Employees´ Role and Network Position as Predictive of Institutional Talk About the Adoption of Technology

The purpose of this study is to assess whether and to what extent structuration theory, role theory, and network theory can help explain employees´ attitudes about the introduction of a new, organization-wide Electronic Mail system. The analysis considers how an organization´s existing structures, along with one´s role and network affiliation within the organization, combine to shed light on the communicative effects resulting from assimilation processes of new technology by organizational members. The results of the case study indicate that one´s role within an organization and one´s network position within the organization impact views of the introduction of Electronic Mail as positive and beneficial, or negative and disadvantageous. These findings indicate the need to understand and assess seemingly covert variables that might influence the extent to which employees are actively willing to adopt new communication technologies and incorporate them into their everyday organizational routines.