What is information overload? How does it affect the communication process?

At times, a communication system may become defective as a result of information overload, which occurs when supervisors become deluged with information. The flow of information increases significantly when major changes occur in the corporate environment.

In one study, supervisory communication skills decreased during information overload and overloaded individuals tended not to perform as well on the job as supervisors who reported they had insufficient information to accomplish the job properly. Over the past decade, technology and downsizing have combined to turn today's office into a quagmire of information. Secretaries and executive assistants used to serve as human information filters but downsizing has eliminated them. Many managers no longer have secretaries or executive assistants. Managers are finding it harder to keep up. They have to learn about other parts of the organization, even as the pace of knowledge accumulation within their own field is accelerating.