Effective Business Communication Employee Job Performance

Question: Describe about the Effective Business Communication for Employee Job Performance. Answer: Topic The topic chosen for critically analysing the article is Explaining Employee Job Performance: The Role of Online and Offline Workplace Communication Networks. Every organization makes certain investment for building a virtual information and communication technology (ICT) for enhancing communication which affects employee performance. This research work focuses specifically on social networks for explaining job performance (Zhang Venkatesh, 2013). The variables explored in this paper are offline and online ties in relation with job performance. Social networks can be defined as a set of linkages which explains the interactional patterns among people (Merchant, 2012). Objectives The main objective of this study is to seek understanding of the effects or impact of technological the employee performance at work. The research study engages online and offline workplace communication networks for understanding the performance of employees. The researchers attempt to distinguish between online and offline communication networks at the workplace so that the interdependent and independent functions can be identified while affecting job performance. Further, the researchers also attempt to differentiate between direct and indirect ties in an online and offline technological environment while affecting access to important resources. Further, the research article aims to make theoretical contributions for affecting the impact of technology on job performance. Additionally, the research article aims to make contribution to organizational behaviour research where the relationship between social networks and job performance is clearly established. The thesis of this resea rch article is to differentiate between direct and indirect ties in an online and offline communication environment to explain the ways in which it enables or restricts workers access to significant resources (Zhang Venkatesh, 2013). Methodology The methodology adopted for conducting this research study is quantitative analysis. The study was conducted in a Fortune 500 telecommunication company in the United States (Zhang Venkatesh, 2013). The data was collected using primary method of data collection through quantitative method for measuring reliability and validity of the scales. The respondents involve software engineers, technical leads and business analysts. The population for this research study is 120 out of which the sample size was chosen as 104 people (Zhang Venkatesh, 2013). Questionnaires were distributed to the participants and data was collected from them during normal business hours. The participants were requested to submit their responses within a week after receiving the survey. Each day the participants were reminded to complete the survey. The organization allowed the workers to fill the survey within their working hours. Additionally, they were provided with an incentive of $50 for every completed surv ey for increasing the response rate (Zhang Venkatesh, 2013). The research model was tested using the hierarchical regression analysis. A pilot study was also conducted among the students with a population of 55 students and sample size of 52 students (Zhang Venkatesh, 2013). The data was collected from the students at the end of their semester before their exams where an incentive of $10 was offered for participation (Zhang Venkatesh, 2013). A pilot study was conducted where the students completed the survey in an hours time (Zhang Venkatesh, 2013). Argument The main argument of this research paper is that the employee network critically affects the access to significant resources which directly contributes to job performance. The research study argues that a workers network ties have a significant function in impacting the significant resources (Bloom et al., 2014). Also, these significant resources are a mechanism to positively contribute to efficient job performance. It is argued that online and offline networks significantly affect job performance of the employees (Kim Park, 2013). The researchers argue that the employees having large number of ties in the online and offline networks can obtain benefit as well as disadvantages from it (Andreeva Kianto, 2012). From the previous or existing literature, it has been found that the complementary resources have a certain effect on the job performance outcomes (Kim Noh, 2012). These resources result in enhancing the firm performance. Further, after analyzing the differences between onlin e and offline communication networks, it is argued that network ties in online and offline networks provide access to resources that are complementary to each other, such that missing benefits of one network can be obtained from the other network and the limitations or constraints of one network can be offset by the other network (Camisn Villar-Lpez, 2014). Implications The research article has both theoretical and practical implications. Going through the theoretical implications, the research study significantly adds to the Information System success. As the effect of technology on employees job performance is identified, the success rate of IS can be explored (Li, Veliyath, Tan, 2012). Further, the incorporation of the social network theory adds to the theoretical knowledge. Secondly, this research study helps in enhancing the understanding of ICT and its effects on job performance. This is of significant importance to both academic researchers and practitioners. Thirdly, the understanding of social network theory adds to the knowledge base. This research can be beneficial for the organizations as they can maximize the benefits of ICTs and enhance employee performance (Wong Dow, 2011). Not only the understanding, this research study encourages and motivates the employees at the organization to create more ties for expanding the benefits obtaine d by ICTs (Chang et al., 2012). The organizations can increase or enhance their job outcomes. The research study can be used by the managers to train or educate the workers so that they can reflect on their online and offline networks. The organizations can also achieve competitive advantage and reduce their overall cost. By illustrating the importance of online and offline communication media, a better understanding can be gained by the managers and employees to enhance organizational performance (Huijts, Molin, Steg, 2012). Findings The findings of this study state that the cause loadings were more than 0.70 and cross-loadings was less than 0.20 (Zhang Venkatesh, 2013). The above results indicate that the convergent and discriminant validity is supported. The online and offline communication networks with both direct and indirect ties have a significant correlation with the job performance. There was no multicollinearity identified (Zhang Venkatesh, 2013). The research study drew from social network theory was helpful in establishing the variables affecting job performance. It is found that the employees have higher trust, emotional closeness and social support with better communication networks. Alternatively, it is found that there is weak tie with infrequent and distant relationship among the employees if they have low communication networks. There was fast receipt of information as the distance between people was minimized. The benefit of knowledge spillover was enjoyed by the employees (Zhang Venkatesh, 2013). Strengths The main strength of this research study is that it theorizes employees ties in both online and offline communication network at the workplace. The research article has a strong introduction as it lists the variables considered in the study in details. A thorough background to the social network theory is provided which is the main component of the research. The authors examine different networks and ties for a better understanding on behaviours and interactional patterns. The author makes the research stronger by establishing a clear distinction between online and offline communication networks. A table is presented which lists the prior research establishing relationship between students academic or employees job performance. This table is a strong part of the research study as it summarizes the type of networks, categorization of online and offline networks, controls, major findings, direct or indirect ties. Moreover, an appendix is attached which mentions the questions asked in t he survey for analysing the online and offline communication network patterns. This research is beneficial for the organizations as well as employees so that they can maximize the benefits of ICT (Zhang Venkatesh, 2013). Weaknesses The research study has a few limitations which have been addressed as under. The importance of incorporating technology is well explored in the paper, but the different fragments of technology is not analysed in the paper. The research study only considers face to face communication technologies and does not analyse telephonic communication which is a significant mode of offline communication. However, it is further argued that telephone communication may also be considered as an online mode of communication. Hence, the research article lacks clarity on the categorization of telephonic communication. Another weakness of this research article is that the authors have only examined direct and indirect ties of network. The other structural properties have been ignored such as network constraints, barriers or holes that adversely affect performance. Another factor such as friendship network has also not been considered which also leaves a certain impact on the job performance. If the exp ertise level of the employees is not known, then the information may not be useful. The third weakness is that the research paper only considers communication frequency for collecting network data. 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