Email adaptation for conflict handling : A case study of cross-border inter-organisational partnership in East Asia

Lee, Joyce Yi Hui and Panteli, Niki and Bülow, Anne Marie and Hsu, Carol (2018) Email adaptation for conflict handling : A case study of cross-border inter-organisational partnership in East Asia. Information Systems Journal, 28 (2). pp. 318-339. ISSN 1350-1917

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Abstract

This paper explores the context of email-based communication in an established but fragile, inter-organisational partnership, which was often overlain with conflict. Drawing upon adaptation theory, this study explores how participants adapt to the use of email to handle conflict. Extensive data were obtained during a 6-month field study of a case of cross-border inter-organisational collaboration in East Asia. We observed that the individuals involved in the cross-border partnership used email as a lean form of communication to stop covert conflict from explicitly emerging. In contrast to prior research on the leanness of email in managing conflict, we found that under the described conflict situation the very leanness of email was appreciated and thus, exploited by those concerned to manage the conflict situation. Specifically, we identified 4 key conflict-triggered adaptation strategies, namely, interaction avoidance, disempowering, blame-protection, and image-sheltering that drove the ways in which email was adapted to maintain organisational partnerships under conflict.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Information Systems Journal
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1700/1712
Subjects:
?? adaptation theoryconflictemailinter-organisational partnershipsvirtual teamsoftwareinformation systemscomputer networks and communications ??
ID Code:
206135
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
06 Oct 2023 13:05
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
07 Oct 2024 00:28