文摘
The dissertation examined the cues filtered out and Social Information Processing (SIP) approaches to relationship development in an intra-organizational dyadic negotiation by comparing the use of face-to-face (FTF) and e-mail channels. The study further examined the effect of power difference on dimensions of relationship development such as dominance, trust, affect, depth, formality, and task/social orientation. Individuals in organizations use technology based tools such as e-mail to perform a variety of communication tasks. The dissertation provides a test and expansion of SIP with regard to the effects of time on relationship development by testing the theory within a highly social process like organizational negotiation where there is mixed channel use. This dissertation also provides a test of e-mail's unique characteristics and their effects on the development of relationships in an intra-organizational environment. The hypotheses were tested using a dyadic data analysis technique know as the Actor-Partner Independence Model (APIM).;One hundred and forty-eight students (74 dyads) participated in the study and negotiated three times. For the first negotiation, all participants used FTF to establish a baseline relationship measure and for the next two negotiations half of the participants used e-mail and the other half FTF. For the last two negotiations, a power difference also was introduced so that in half of the dyads in each group the seller had greater power than the buyer.;The study produced results in three main areas related to negotiation and computer mediated communication: (1) interpersonal relationships develop over lean media like e-mail; (2) the characteristics of e-mail affect relationship development when compared to FTF; and (3) the preference to use e-mail for future negotiations is affected by prior e-mail negotiation experience with one's partner, computer mediated communication comfort, and the level of dominance one's partner exhibits in e-mail negotiations. With regard to interpersonal relationships and negotiation, the study suggests that individuals learn to manage their interpersonal relationships via e-mail because it can be a useful tool for managing one's persona. Bargaining power and bargaining role were only of limited influence on the development of interpersonal relationships when e-mail was used to negotiate.