Analysis of the informal communication patterns among professionals in agricultural research and extension service activities

^aTese^bPh.D Case Western Reserve University. Matthew A. Baxter School of Information and Library Service

Orientador: Morris, Thomas G

This study concerns the informal communication patterns among professionals in a macrosystem of agricultural STI development and flow. The investigation includes researchers (generation subsystem) and state specialists, area agents, and country agents of the Cooperative Extension Service (dissemination subsystem) in on of the Land Grant Universities. The purpose of the study is 1) to determine whether or not the informal communication relations among the groups of professionals in the macrosystem occur as formally arranged by the organization administration and 2) to study the informal unofficial key elements (high communicators) in the person-to-person communication structure. The data were gathered through personal interviews based on a pre-tested questionnaire and the data analysis based on socimetric techniques