The Mutual Knowledge Problem and Its Consequences for Dispersed Collaboration
Organization Science
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The globalization of work within organizations has generated a greater need for all types of workers to exert interpersonal influence through technology-mediated communication tools. This paper sheds light on the interpersonal relations process in virtual environments from the specific perspective of the choice of upward influence (UI) tactics. We suggest that virtual work settings may impact the UI tactic selected, as well as the communication medium used to enact it. In particular, we study whether the types of UI strategies found in physical environments are relevant in virtual work contexts. This research also analyzes the UI process in virtual work settings, as well as the role of communication media in that process. Results based on the qualitative analysis of the content of 14 interviews suggest that there is an influence tactic specific to virtual work relations. That tactic might be called intermediation and consists of finding an intermediary who is well connected to the target and can help define the best approach for the agent. In addition, workers often split their influence attempts into a two-step strategy in order to achieve better results, taking advantage of the capabilities of the media available for that purpose.