Sequences of Information and Communication Technology Use

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Sequences of Information and Communication
Technology Use

• Keri K. Stephens
• Jan-Oddvar Sørnes
• Ronald E. Rice
• Larry D. Browning
• Alf Steinar Sætre

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Background

• communication efficiency may rest on sequences
  or combination of media rather than isolated
  choices about a discrete ICT (Walther Parks,
  2002, p. 534)
• Yet, our communication theories typically only
  consider discrete ICT use
• (a few mentions in Pietersons thesis)

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Background

• Media Use Patterns
• Discrete
• Simultaneous (multitasking)
• Sequential
• Follow up
• Combinations/Patterns

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Background

• Some mention of prior research on multiple media
  channels in Pietersons thesis
• US 22 used multiple channels during last
  service encounter with government org
• Canada 1.9 channels to obtain last used service

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Background

• Pieterson results
• some sequences due to habit, such as Internet
  then phone
• Most multiple channels in last two service
  contacts were same
• web web 77 phone phone 69 post post
  43 front desk front desk 28
• But
• phone email 52 phone front desk 40

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Hypotheses RQs

• Discrete ICT use
• Uses Gratifications empirical work by
  Flanagin Metzger (2001)
• 10 motivations
• With 1 identified through interviews, grouped
  into five reasons

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Hypotheses RQs

• Sequential ICT use
• Media richness (multiple cues, timely)
• Information theory (redundancy)
• Cost minimization (access, error, delays,
  media transformations)

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Hypotheses RQs

• Sequential ICT use
• Why do people use sequences?
• Do reasons vary by sequence?
• Look at the follow-up medium more closely

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Method

• N 66 managerial and professional knowledge
  workers, diverse industries, all expert ICT
  users, from 64 organizations in variety of
  industries
• In-depth interviews, transcribed (2500 pages)
• walk me through your typical day
• how do you use ICTs in your daily work
• how do you learn new job-related info

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Method

• Content analysis of interview data
• Used NVivo
• 4,448 sentences or qualifying units of analysis
  (out of 24,152 sentences)
• coded into ICT used reason for use
• coded 328 mentions of sequences
• acceptable inter-coder reliabilities (.92
  sentence .93 ICT .79 use)

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Method

• Most frequent coded
• FTF
• Email (sending or receiving)
• Web (online access, searching)
• Computer (offline applications, software)
• Paper
• Telephone

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Discrete ICT Use
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Discrete ICT Use

• Web most frequently used (37), followed by email
  (20), FtF (14), the computer (8), paper (6),
  and telephone (6.2)
• Across all ICTs, information purposes are the
  most frequently stated reasons (63) to use ICTs
  
• Web the most frequently used ICT (41) to get
  information
• FtF used most frequently to persuade (46)
• Computer used most frequently to document (48)

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Discrete ICT Use

• 10 discrete media associated with five reasons
  (chi-sq 998, plt.001)
• Separately significant
• Information web more frequent FTF and computer
  less frequent, than expected
• Persuasion FTF and telephone more Web, email,
  paper, intranet less
• Documentation email, computer, intranet,
  database more web, FTF, telephone less
• Social FTF more Web less

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Sequential ICT Use

• Most frequent sequences Web then FtF (N 47),
  Computer then Web (N 31), FtF then email
  (N 26), and Web then Computer (N 25)
• ICT most frequently used second in a sequence
  is FtF (N 74), followed by email (N 62)
• The six ICTs used second that are mentioned
  most frequently are the same six mentioned
  discretely, yet the frequency order differs

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Sequential ICT Use

• What reasons do organizational members give for
  using ICT sequences?
• ICTs by Information, persuasion,
  documentation chi-sq 98.9, plt.001
• Separately significant
• Persuasion FTF-email more frequent
  computer-Web less frequent than expected
• Documentation computer-Web more Web-FTF
  less

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Sequential ICT Use

• Created two ratio-level measures, normalized
  for number of codes per interview
• Percentage of mentions of each of five major
  reason categories
• Percentage of mentions of sequential ICT use
• Regression on sequential use R2adj. .10
• Either information, or persuasion (-.82)
• Persuasion only remaining significant individual
  predictor ß .26, p lt .05

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Sequential ICT Use Follow-up ICT

• Follow-up ICT by reasons significant chi-sq
  60, plt.001
• Separately significant
• Documentation Web more frequent paper less
  frequent than expected

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Patterns of Sequential ICT Use

• Used first-second ICT pair matrix
• Entered into hierarchical clustering
• Plotted in Multidimensional scaling

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Classification of Follow-up ICT Use
Results from Hierarchical Cluster Analysis
Connecting with Others Personal
Textual Auditory
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Examples from Transcripts

• Most frequent Web FTF
• Preparing for FTF meeting
• Primarily information, then persuasion
• Used web to gather information and prepare, such
  as from customers web site, to be more
  credible
• Second most frequent computer-web
• Individual work
• Documentation, information ex prepare ppt,
  search web for specific information

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Discussion

• Supported Flanagin Metzgers (2001) work
• People trying to persuade are more likely to
  use sequences of ICTs
• The Web is used as a preparation step, and
  this use works well in the complex process of
  establishing source credibility
• Reinforcement of message in a textual ICT
  appears to be a persuasive strategy
• When paper email are used 2,nd the
  persuasion reasons for this use are more than
  when they are used 1st.

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Discussion

• Media Richness Theory and Information
  (uncertainty) Theory
• Expand number of cues, redundancy, reduce
  errors
• Web followed by FTF (needed cues, reduce
  errors)
• FTF followed by email (documentation, reduce
  errors commitments, organize information)

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Discussion

• Media Richness Theory
• As discrete ICTs, used least frequently for
  persuasion
• Web (15)
• Email (14)
• Paper (7)

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Classifying ICTs Linking to Theory

• ICTs found in the textual personal quadrant,
  paper and computer, used less frequently than the
  other four ICTs
• Suggests that ICT sequence are used to link
  people
• Media trait theories social influences both
  matter and work together when considering
  sequential use

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Classifying ICTs Linking to Theory

• 1st Consider if others need to be involved
• Degree of connection with others dimension
• Social influence (Fulk et al., 1990),
  structurational views
• 2nd Consider characteristics of textual or
  auditory
• Degree of availability of auditory information
• Media trait perspectives (Daft Lengel,
  1984, 1986)

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Thank You! Questions?

• Complete Reference
• Stephens, K., Sørnes, J. O., Rice, R. E.,
  Browning, L. (2008). Discrete, sequential, and
  follow-up use of information and communication
  technology by advanced ICT users. Management
  Communication Quarterly, 22(2), 197-231.