A large portion of a manager's day involves communication. With many mediums to choose from for the many situations they face, managers must be skilled at choosing the appropriate one to match the conditions they are facing. This activity is important because managers should be able to understand the richness of various communication media and choose the medium appropriate for a given situation. The goal of this exercise is to challenge your knowledge of the contingency model of media selection.
Place each of the names in the appropriate order to correspond with the correct level of media richness, starting with high media richness (best for nonroutine, ambiguous situations) to low media richness (best for routine, clear situations).
Rank the options below.
1. Zach is constantly taking calls on his smartphone.
2. Larissa likes to send a hand-written thank you note when she receives a corporate gift.
3. Fran is a confident and assertive person. When she has something to say, she prefers to say it in person.
4. Raja sends an annual newsletter to his family and friends each holiday season to tell them what he and his spouse and kids have been up to all year.
5. Blu is tech savvy and likes to work efficiently. Instead of trying to get everyone in the office together for meetings, he prefers to set up video conferences.