Phenomenography of technology power in interpersonal communications among faculty members

Authors
hosein khaleghi
mohamad lagzian
shas-o-din nazemi
gholamreza malekzadeh
ferdowsi university of mashhad
Abstract
Background and Aim: Fast pace of progress in technology with its transformations has become an elephant in darkness that different people have different perceptions toward that. Since people in organizations behave according to their own perception of reality, exploring and describing perception and interpreting power of technology could be influential in interpersonal communications made among employees. The target of present study is to deeply describe experiences and diverse perceptions of faculty members of a university from power of technology in interpersonal communications in a way to familiarize managers and employees with new and variant attitudes toward technology and its dominance.

Methods: The research approach is qualitative in this research and is based on phenomenography approach to achieve deep understanding of collective consciousness among those being studied. Participants are thirteen members of faculty selected through maximum variation sampling to achieve theoretical saturation. Six category of descriptions were obtained at individual, organizational, and social levels through analysis of semi-structured interviews.

Results: At the individual level, two perception methods, including the concept based on individual isolation (little emotional relations, distrust) and hypocritical behaviors (variant behaviors and self-monitoring), are formed; and at the organizational level, social networks, monitoring communications (senior authority, dominance of control in organizational relationships), and weakening the role of human are formed; and at the social level, a category consisting the culture of ostentatious behaviors is formed. In continuation, the obtained category of descriptions cleared the outcome space a bigger structure to relate different methods of experiencing phenomenon and to provide a better multidimensional image of various concepts of individuals being studied.

Conclusion: Findings can be a great help in better understanding of collective consciousness toward technology power in a particular group of people and also better preparing organization to face it.
Keywords
Technology power
Perception
organizational communication
Phenomenography
Faculty members
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Human and Information Interaction
Volume 6, Issue 2
Summer 2019
Pages 32-47