Abstract:

With the increasing utilization of information communication technologies (ICT) in organizations, virtual communication has emerged as the predominant method of communication. In contrast to traditional face-to-face communication, the filtering of cues and the geographically distributed nature of virtual communication significantly diminish power cues and social norm constraints. More importantly, the inherent asynchronicity of virtual communication interrupts the process of power expression and acceptance. All these have a significant impact on the existing power configuration between supervisor and subordinate. However, there is limited research on whether and how virtual communication affects traditional hierarchical power configurations. Systematic and detailed empirical studies on the specific influencing factors, mechanisms, effects, and boundary conditions are lacking.

This study examines the effects and mechanisms of virtual communication on supervisor-subordinate power allocation from an organizational communication perspective. Virtual communication mainly includes technical cues, message exchange behaviors, and communication patterns. The configuration of hierarchical power focuses on the arrangement of power distribution in organizations, both from the structural perspective (e.g., the persistence and re-establishment of hierarchical power relationships) and from the psychological perspective (e.g., dynamics of supervisors’ sense of power and subordinates’ obedience). Since the expression and acceptance of power are closely linked to membership identity, this study will explore how virtual communication ultimately affects hierarchical power configurations by influencing the self-construction and mutual construction of identity in supervisors and subordinates, based on the leadership and followership identity perspective.

Specifically, this study will examine the impact of technical cues, message exchange behaviors, and virtual communication patterns on supervisor power expression and subordinate power acceptance, considering individual-, episodic-, and interpersonal-level. Firstly, from the perspective of supervisor-subordinate identity self-construction, this study will explore the effects of technical power cues, both verbal and non-verbal, on supervisors' sense of power (Study 1a) and subordinates' obedience (Study 1b). At the individual level, it will combine leadership research with the information systems field to reveal the effects and mechanisms of ICT on the configuration of power between supervisors and subordinates. Second, from the perspective of supervisor-subordinate identity mutual construction, this study will explore the effects of message sending and replying behaviors on supervisors’ sense of power (Study 2a) and subordinates’ obedience (Study 2b). At the episodic level, it will combine leadership communication with communication research to reveal the effects and mechanisms of message exchange behaviors on hierarchical power configurations. Thirdly, from the perspective of supervisor-subordinate relationship identity, this study will explore the effect of virtual communication patterns on the persistence of power relationships (Study 3). At the interpersonal level, it will reveal the effects and mechanisms of supervisor-subordinate virtual communication patterns on the configuration of supervisor-subordinate power and will broaden the scope of research on the termination and reconstruction of these power relationships.

By integrating the perspectives and theories of organizational behavior, information systems, and communication disciplines, this study aims to contribute to the theoretical advancement of research on the utilization of ICT and hierarchical power configurations, as well as to provide guidance for the design of communication software and the implementation of hierarchical virtual communication. This study will explore the interaction process between supervisors and subordinates based on the communication process from a microscopic perspective, to reveal the effect of supervisor-subordinate virtual communication and the essential dynamics of power and leadership impact, thus expanding the theory of the Communicative Constitution of Organization. Simultaneously, this study focuses on the static and dynamic characteristics of information technology as the research content rather than just the context, which will facilitate interdisciplinary integration between the fields of organizational behavior and information systems. It adopts the research paradigm of social formation theory, addressing the debate between technological determinism (i.e., information technology diminishes leaders’ power) and social formation theory (i.e., leaders maintain their power with the aid of technology) from the perspective of identity construction. Moreover, this study aims to offer systematic guidance on the design of communication software within organizations, the rational and efficient use of ICT, and the effectiveness of remote communication by managers, thereby offering crucial insights into organizational virtual communication practices.

Key words: leader-member relation, power cues, power configuration, virtual communication, identity construction