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Observed communication in the workplace: Content, source, and direction
Author(s) -
Kirmeyer Sandra L.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.585
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1520-6629
pISSN - 0090-4392
DOI - 10.1002/1520-6629(198804)16:2<175::aid-jcop2290160208>3.0.co;2-a
Subject(s) - intervention (counseling) , observational study , service (business) , work (physics) , social psychology , psychology , information exchange , public relations , computer science , telecommunications , business , political science , medicine , engineering , mechanical engineering , pathology , marketing , psychiatry
Police dispatchers play a critical role in human service work; they screen calls from the public and effectively control access to police intervention and a wide range of other community services. This observational study examined face‐to‐face interactions between police radio dispatchers (N = 60) and their peers and superiors. Dispatchers were observed throughout an entire work shift; all were observed on at least one occasion, and about half were observed on three occasions. For each interaction, observers recorded its occurrence, duration, and characteristics; i.e., content (work‐ or non‐work focused), source (self‐ or other initiated), and direction (lateral with peers or vertical with superiors). Rates of communication were stable over 1 to 2 months, although the extent of stability varied by source and direction. Interactions generally were quite brief (averaging less than 1 minute), were work focused (77%), and involved peers rather than superiors (63%). The exchange of work information tended to reinforce the exchange of non‐work information, and vice versa. Symmetry in sending and receiving characterized interactions; symmetry was greatest in interactions with peers. Implications of these findings for understanding communication in human service organizations and for intervening are discussed.