A Method for Assessing the Interaction Environment of Organizations

This paper presents a method for assessing the influence of the interaction environment of an organization. The interaction environment of an organization is composed of three elements： （1） the physical structure of the organization, including numbers of buildings, floors, common gathering areas, size, industry, and physical layout; （2） the information structure, consisting of the numbers and types of communication channels in the organization; and （3） the social structure, consisting of both individual-level assessments of the social environment of the organization as well as the organizational attempts to create a more social environment. This assessment tool has been tested in a large-scale study of organ donation campaigns in 46 organizations. Findings from this earlier test of the assessment tool demonstrate that interaction environment influences the way people communicate about, seek information about, and make decisions about health-related topics in organizations. Additionally, the individual elements of the interaction environment work in complex ways and also influence communication patterns and knowledge about health information. This paper details the procedures for using this assessment tool, methods for analyzing the findings, limitations of the tool, and areas in need of refinements and further researches.