嚴慄的夥伴：虛擬溝通中被隱藏的衝突

Unmitigated Partnership: Conflicts Hidden in the Virtual Communication

本研究探討虛擬溝通環境中（特別是被廣泛使用的電子郵件）組織衝突的管理議題。作者深入觀察一脆弱、不得要領的跨組織合作關係，探討組織衝突在虛擬溝通平台下難以管理的原因，在研究結果與發現的基礎上，提出看法與解讀。在本研究案例中，組織衝突明顯存在日常對話，但卻被大量隱藏於電子郵件的文字裡，由於組織成員未曾將不滿情緒表達在電子郵件中，使得衝突無法忠實呈現，但此舉並未改善雙方的衝突，反而因為組織成員的過度解讀，造成衝突加劇、組織關係惡化、終致合作破局。此一發現雖呼應了過去的文獻，認為電子郵件不適合作為衝突管理的溝通工具，但我們進一步從學術和實務的角度，理解虛擬環境下表達與解讀組織衝突的問題。我們主張管理者應視使用者選擇溝通媒介的特定偏好為一重要管理訊息，並同時理解虛擬溝通內容中隱性的情緒線索。

This paper aims to explore the conflict that exists but has been disguised invirtual inter-organizational communications, particularly with a pervasive use ofemails. Moving beyond existing discussions of the challenges of virtualcommunication, the present study provides insights into the discursive relationshipsof the companies involved, within the virtual context of their operations. Theresearch findings reveal that conflict was hidden intentionally or unintentionally ine-mail communication but the courteous communication style did nothing to easethe intensity of the conflict. Instead, troubling business crises were disguised byoverly polite content and left up organization members to excessively interpret thatultimately resulted in the termination of the organizational partnership. Theresearch findings, derived fromvirtual discourse analysis, also show the significance of discourse account for both technology-based and traditionalcommunication media.