| This quantitative study examined the extent to which the use of e-mail among leadership practices varied according to hierarchical position or gender. The study was designed to explore how, through e-mail, these social interactions have specifically affected work place communication. The researcher used two instruments in a survey of 233 managers in a health care system in central New Jersey. The first instrument accumulated participant scores about the self-reported frequency in which they engaged in behaviors related to five subgroups of leadership practices. The second survey was used to collected information about moderating variables related to gender and stratified managerial hierarchy, intervening variables including computer expertise, proficiency, attitude, and social influence, and the dependent variable of e-mail use. Quantitative data were analyzed using several different statistical tests, including analysis of variance (ANOVA), a “differences between genders” score, and Cronbach alpha.; While the data revealed equality and consistency with respect to the intervening variables, they also showed variation by leadership practice toward the moderating variables. Overall results showed a greater variation in the way different leaders treated the genders and a lesser variation in the way they treated the stratification of management hierarchy when using e-mail.; The study results suggest that leaders should become better educated about the power and dynamics of media and improve their communication skills, particularly with e-mail, since it will continue to be a common exchange medium in contemporary organizations. |
