Contextuality and Information Systems: how the interplay between paradigms can help

Through this paper, we theorize on the meanings and roles of context in the study of information systems. The literatures of information systems and information science both explicitly conceptualize information systems (and there are multiple overlapping definitions). These literatures also grapple with the situated and generalizable natures of an information system. Given these shared interests and common concerns, this paper is used as a vehicle to explore the roles of context and suggests how multi-paradigmatic research ??? another shared feature of both information science and information systems scholarship ??? provides a means to carry forward more fruitful studies of information systems. We discuss the processes of reconstructed logic and logic-in-use in terms of studying information systems. We argue that what goes on in the practice of researchers, or the logic-in-practice, is typified by what we are calling the contextuality problem. In response, we envision a reconstructed logic, which is an idealization of academic practices regarding context. The logic-in-use of the field is then further explained based on two different views on context. The paper concludes by proposing a model for improving the logic-in-use for the study of information systems

Expanding Technological Frames Towards Mediated Collaboration

This paper provides an in-depth analysis of the technological and social factors that led to the successful adoption of groupware by a virtual team in a educational setting. Drawing on a theoretical framework based on the concept of technological frames, we conducted an action research study to analyse the chronological sequence of events in groupware adoption. We argue that groupware adoption can be conceptualised as a three-step process of expanding and aligning individual technological frames towards groupware. The first step comprises activities that bring knowledge of new technological opportunities to the participants. The second step involves facilitating the participants to articulate and evaluate their work practices and their use of technology. The third and final step deals with the participants\u27 commitment to, and practical enactment of, groupware technology. The alignment of individual technological frames requires the articulation and re-evaluation of experience with collaborative practice and with the use of technology. One of the key findings is that this activity cannot take place at the outset of groupware adoption

Introducing Real-Time Collaboration Systems: Development of a Conceptual Scheme and Research Directions

This paper presents Real-Time Collaboration (RTC), a new and emerging type of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) system that has its roots in both the telecommunications and groupware market. The aim of the paper is twofold. First, it outlines the evolution of RTC systems and offers a conceptualization of RTC consisting of usage scenarios and four main building blocks - integration of communication channels, presence information, context integration, and further collaboration features. Second, in order to understand the organizational implications of this complex and socially embedded information system, the paper intends to offer a starting point for future research on RTC by touching upon and systematizing different directions and typical questions for researching RTC and its organizational implications

Groupware and National Culture: a qualitative inquiry

This research examines the impact of collaborative technologies on group work processes for groups from Malaysia, which is traditionally known as a society with high Collectivism and Power Distance. Triandis (1994) defines collectivism as greater emphasis on the views, needs, and goals of the in-group rather than oneself. Hofstede (1980) defines Power Distance as the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organisations accept that power is distributed unequally. The present study included two parts. The first part compared the supported groupwork of the groups from Malaysia as a representative of the ‘East’ culture with the supported groupwork of groups from Australia as a representative of the ‘West’ culture. The second part compared the supported and unsupported groupwork for groups from Malaysia. The first part used three different tasks with different degrees of structure and examined the possibility of observation of the cultural differences based on the qualitative analysis of the groupwork discussions in a supported environment. The second part examined the impact of GSS on groupwork for groups from Malaysia. The study used a qualitative content analysis to reveal the cultural values involved in their group work processes. The findings suggest a clear difference between the groupwork conducted in two different group work environments (supported and unsupported)