The relationship between perceived intensity of email use and quality of hierarchical relations
Stress, disputes, work overload, pressure, and control but also time saving, acknowledgment, accessibility.... are all words that are frequently used when talking about e-mail, and particularly in connection with hierarchical relations. While researchers and practitioners do acknowledge the effects that this tyoe of media has on hierarchical relations, they struggle to explain the nature of the causal relationships at work. The aim of this paper is to answer these questions. We examine the relationship between the use of e-mail and the quality of hierarchical relations by highlighting three central mediating variables: acknowledgment, control and accessibility. Data was collected on e-mail use by 478 employees in a French retail bank. We used structural equation modeling to test our hypotheses. The results reveal that the perceived intensity of e-mail use has a direct positive effect on the quality of hierarchical relations when tested independently of mediating variables. However, this direct effect is not significant when the mediating variables of acknowledgment, control and accessibility are introduced into the model. Our study contributes to our understanding of the impact of electronic communication on the dyadic relationship between a superior and his or her subordinates.