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Dyadic Communication Relationships in Organizations: An Attribution/Expectancy Approach

Author

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  • Bruce Barry

    (Owen Graduate School of Management, Vanderbilt University, 401 21st Avenue South, Nashville, Tennessee 37203)

  • J. Michael Crant

    (Mendoza College of Business, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556)

Abstract

Research in organizational communication has examined the structure and content of interaction, but has paid little attention to research traditions outside the organizational sciences that explore the social-psychological interconnections between relationship development and interaction. In this paper we draw upon and extend those traditions to develop a model of how communication relationships develop within organizational dyads. The proposed model examines organization-based communication relationships through a synthesis of theoretical perspectives on communication richness, relational communication, interpersonal attribution, and social expectancy. We also call upon precepts of structuration theory to embed these microlevel processes in an organizational context.The relational outcome in the model is “interactional richness,” a dyad-level construct that assesses the extent to which communication within the dyad is high in shared meaning. Model antecedents are aspects of interaction through which communicators reciprocally define their relationships, including relational message properties, message patterns that emerge over time, and relational perceptions. We propose that these communication properties and behaviors give rise to relationship attributions. We then incorporate processes of expectancy confirmation and violation to explain how specific communication encounters lead individuals to reformulate attributions regarding the status of a given relationship. Research propositions articulate how attribution/expectancy processes mediate between relational communication behavior and relationship development outcomes. We also develop propositions addressing how relational communication behavior is influenced by macrolevel factors, including hierarchy, structure, and culture.In a concluding section we discuss the model's potential contribution to research and practice, address its limitations, and offer recommendations for future research aimed at testing its embedded hypotheses.

Suggested Citation

  • Bruce Barry & J. Michael Crant, 2000. "Dyadic Communication Relationships in Organizations: An Attribution/Expectancy Approach," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 11(6), pages 648-664, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ororsc:v:11:y:2000:i:6:p:648-664
    DOI: 10.1287/orsc.11.6.648.12537
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Gerardine DeSanctis & Marshall Scott Poole, 1994. "Capturing the Complexity in Advanced Technology Use: Adaptive Structuration Theory," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 5(2), pages 121-147, May.
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    3. Ronald E. Rice, 1992. "Task Analyzability, Use of New Media, and Effectiveness: A Multi-Site Exploration of Media Richness," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 3(4), pages 475-500, November.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Brown, Zachariah C. & Anicich, Eric M. & Galinsky, Adam D., 2020. "Compensatory conspicuous communication: Low status increases jargon use," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 161(C), pages 274-290.
    3. Junichi Yamanoi & Hiroki Sayama, 2013. "Post-merger cultural integration from a social network perspective: a computational modeling approach," Computational and Mathematical Organization Theory, Springer, vol. 19(4), pages 516-537, December.
    4. Chung, Minjee & Ko, Eunju & Joung, Heerim & Kim, Sang Jin, 2020. "Chatbot e-service and customer satisfaction regarding luxury brands," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 587-595.
    5. Narda R. Quigley & Paul E. Tesluk & Edwin A. Locke & Kathryn M. Bartol, 2007. "A Multilevel Investigation of the Motivational Mechanisms Underlying Knowledge Sharing and Performance," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 18(1), pages 71-88, February.
    6. Lalin Anik & Lara B Aknin & Michael I Norton & Elizabeth W Dunn & Jordi Quoidbach, 2013. "Prosocial Bonuses Increase Employee Satisfaction and Team Performance," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(9), pages 1-8, September.
    7. Cam Caldwell & Brian Davis & James Devine, 2009. "Trust, Faith, and Betrayal: Insights from Management for the Wise Believer," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 84(1), pages 103-114, January.

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