Information manipulation theory: a new approach to study organizational deception during interpersonal communication

A study was conducted to test the applicability of Information Manipulation Theory (IMT) in Indian organizational context. IMT claims that when information is manipulated along dimensions of Grice's Conversational Maxims, it results in deception. Violated stimulus material measuring four dimensions of message manipulation i.e. quantity, quality, relevance and manner was presented to the faculty of Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana to test the claims of the theory. All the violations were rated highest along the dimension of its violation as compared to other dimensions. Results suggested that all the violations were perceived as deception although with varying degrees. Hence, it proved that IMT theory is applicable in Indian Organizational context. Quality violation was perceived as most deceptive, whereas, quantity violation was perceived as least deceptive form of information manipulation.