Communication media on task

EFFECTS OF COMMUNICATION MEDIA ON
INTELLECTIVE AND NEGOTIATION
TASK PERFORMANCE
Kil Soo Suh
Yonsei University
Abstract
Among several theories to explain how different communications media affect task performance, media
richness theory is one of the most frequently cited. Media richness theory proposes that task performance
will be improved when task information requirements are matched to a medium’s ability to convey
information.
The main objective of this research is to examine the media richness theory in a laboratory experiment. The
investigation focuses on the effect of four different communication media (text, audio, video, and face-toface) on objective task performance on an intellective task and a negotiation task. For the negotiation task,
a social psychological factor, consonancy, was involved to examine the interaction effect with media on
performance.
The results of this study did not support media richness theory in general. Audio was the most efficient
medium for the intellective task, but there was no significant difference among medium groups in terms of
effectiveness measure. For the negotiation task, this study failed to support the combined theory of media
richness and social psychology. There was no significant media-by-consonancy interaction on the
negotiation payoff.

http://aisel.aisnet.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1092&context=icis1996

Daft Lengel Fulk Rice
Communication Media