This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Hargie, O. Articles by Wilson, N. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Communication Audits and the Effects of Increased Information: A Follow-up Study

University of Ulster

Dennis Tourish

University of Aberdeen, Scotland

Noel Wilson

University of Ulster

Communication audits have now been featured in the literature for 50 years, and many audit approaches have been evaluated. However, follow-up studies designed to chart the actual impact that an audit makes upon communication performance have not been reported. Rather, audits are typically presented as one-shot events, whose impact is not measured. It is as if the audit is an end in itself rather than part of a process of measurement and performance improvement. This paper is therefore timely because it employs a follow-up audit to track the effects of an initial audit upon a major health care organization. The findings do not support the view that the frequently expressed desire of staff for greater communication is a metamyth, and that an increased flow of information simply produces a demand for more. Rather, and consistent with the precepts of Uncertainty Reduction Theory, the provision of information reduced uncertainty and gener ated increased satisfaction with communication processes. The results from this study also illustrate how the audit can play a useful role in an organization's communication strategy.

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				K. Zwijze-Koning and M. de Jong Evaluating the Communication Satisfaction Questionnaire as a Communication Audit Tool Management Communication Quarterly, February 1, 2007; 20(3): 261 - 282. [Abstract] [PDF]