Modern organizational communication : the introduction of communication technology in an institution of higher education in Israel : a case study

The purpose of this study was to research the effects of communication technology on organisational communication in higher education. A change in the senior management of an Israeli institution of higher education created a strategic decision to increase its usage of communication technology. This allowed research to be conducted in the form of a case study using the research tools of interviews, observations and documentary analysis. The study discovered close to twenty different effects of communication technology on organisational communication, revealing that technology is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it was found that communication technology may improve organisational communication including even increasing informal communication, thereby enhancing problem solving. It was also discovered that communication technology has a marketing effect on students, i.e. students' perceptions of an institution of higher education are influenced by the existence of technology in that institution. However, on the other hand, it was also found that there were increased expectations of employees to perform better due to communications technology. When these expectations were not met, stakeholders were disappointed. This is especially true of students who due to this may not recommend the university, consequently reducing enrolment. Furthermore, the introduction of communication technology at the university resulted in personnel change, including both the firing and hiring of employees. This created an unstable situation, putting extra psychological pressure on existing employees.