Interaction patterns in formal serviceoriented organizations

This paper, based upon questionnaire data from nurses working in out-patient departments, deals with interaction within and across hierarchical lines and finds that O's status, is related to the content of the interaction such that the transmission of organizational material is maximized with superordinates.

Abstract

This paper, based upon questionnaire data from nurses working in out-patient departments, deals with interaction within and across hierarchical lines. The chief findings are: (1) The extent of the respondents' self-initiation is inversely related to the status of the other party (0), provided that peers are omitted. The level of self-initiation with peers closely approximates that with subordinates. (2) O's status, is related to the content of the interaction such that the transmission of organizational material is maximized with superordinates; interpersonal content goes more to peers than to others, while task content is minimized with subordinates. The latter finding is questioned in the discussion, in which some general hypotheses are suggested. (3) Frequency of contact is inversely related to O's status. (4) The importance and satisfaction with interactions are positively related to O's status. Explanations of the data are explored and related to previous research. Norman H. Berkowitz is assistant research professor at the Human Relations Center of Boston University. Warren G. Bennis is associate professor of industrial management, School of Industrial Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.