Use of Groupware:A Test of Three Theoretical Perspectives

It has become fashionable in business to talk about the flattening of organizational hierarchies, the importance of teamwork to meet overall organizational goals, and the need to capture and manage an organization\u27s knowledge base to achieve and sustain competitive advantage. Such discussion has driven the software industry to focus attention on software specifically designed to support the team approach essential to most service and customer oriented organizations. Known as groupware, such software products enable teams of people to integrate their knowledge, work processes and applications to achieve improved business effectiveness. While groupware products are proliferating and fueling speculations about their potential to enhance organizational effectiveness (Johansen et al., 1991), it has been suggested thatthe implementation of such technologies is more difficult and yields more unintended consequences than is typically acknowledged (Bullen and Bennett, 1990; Grudin, 1990; Kling, 1991; Orlikowski, 1992). If indeed groupware is to offer what it has promised,then studying the use of groupware in the work place should be valuable for understanding how such technology is used, if it is used at all, and how its use is affecting productivity in today\u27s organizations. This study concerns the use of groupware in organizational settings. The questions of whether groupware products are being used in organizations and how they are being used in organizations that have implemented this type of technology are important for three reasons (Markus et al., 1992). First, howsuch technologies are used is believed to condition their effects. Second, how these technologies are likely to be used when alternative tools co-exist can not be easily predicted from technological characteristics. Third, because people use groupware with other people, one person\u27s choices about how to use groupware may have consequences for other group members. This study consists of an electronic survey of the use of a particular groupware product, Lotus Notes, in three Fortune 500 companies. It buildson the work of Rice and Shook (1988), Rice et al. (1989), Rice et al. (1990), and Markus et al. (1992) by combining three theoretical perspectives related to the use of new communication technologies: the theory of media richness (Daft and Lengel, 1984 and 1986; Trevino et al., 1987 and 1990), the theory of social influence (Fulk et al., 1987 and 1990), and the theory of critical mass (Markus, 1987 and 1990). These three theoretical perspectives are combined to develop a research model that reflects a pluralistic view of new communication technology use behavior and permits the investigation of the research question: what factors, suggested by the theories of media richness, social influence, and critical mass, best explain organizational members\u27 use of groupware. The results are mixed for the research question. Only social influence has a significant, although quite moderate, positive relationship with use. On the other hand, media richness explains little of an individual\u27s media use behavior. Contrary to the prediction made by media richness theory, task analyzability has no relationship with selfreported use and exhibits a negative relationship with computer monitored use. In addition, critical mass, while intuitively appealing, fails to explain actual use behavior. Implications for theory and research suggest that (1) new media perceptions and use depend on factors in addition to those contained in the richness scale and (2) the theories of social influence and critical mass, while promising in providing explanatory power for new media use, both need additional work in order to conceptualize relevant variables and operationalize their measurement. It was the contention of this study that no single theory is capable of explaining all differences in individuals\u27 use of groupware. A wide array of factors co-exist in affecting individuals\u27 preferences and use of groupware. The relationship appears more complicated than any theory would suggest. As Panko (1992) contends, while there is ample evidence that the existence of many correspondents affects groupware adoption, empirical studies have consistently shown that many other things correlate with use. Panko further suggests that when we study groupware use, we need to develop explanations that take in a hostof task, implementation, social influence, and other factors. The present study represents a first step in this directio

Use of a Technology-Mediated Learning Instructional Approach For Teaching an Introduction to Information Technology Course

Several years ago, Ives and Jarvenpaa (1996, p. 34) suggested: To many, the Internet technologies resemble the personal computer revolution of the early 1980s, which transformed information management. Today, while educational institutions continue to expand the instructional use of the Internet and web-based technologies, there remains much to be learned about the effectiveness of various technology-mediated learning approaches. Various formats for course designs that use technology are being tried and are commonly referred to today as e-courses. Similarly, student learning constitutes increasing degrees of technology use as part of the course. This paper provides information on using the Internet and web-based technologies as part of an instructional design. The Introduction to Information Technology course upon which the paper is based features an approach that both exemplifies the benefits of using technology while maintaining the richness of a class setting. Student reactions to the course conclude the paper

The Effect of Information Sources and Communication Channels on the diffusion of Innovation in a Data Base Development Environment

Increasing importance of emerging information technology, especially the data base component, has prompted the examination of the process of diffusion of innovations in the context of data base system development. This paper (1) examines the extent to which information sources and communication channels facilitate the diffusion of data base design tools and techniques, (2) studies how different information sources and communication channels influence diffusion and (3) assesses whether data base design tools and techniques applicable to the different stages of system development are diffused at different rates. In facilitating the diffusion of data base design tools and techniques, organizational resources such as information sources, communication channels and a technical support function are found to influence only certain classes of these innovations.diffusion of innovation, data base design, information sources, communication channels, information technology

Control of interrelated research and development projects

The purpose of this paper is to examine a type of resource allocation problem arising in the context of research and development activities. The particular problem analyzed involves scheduling a group of projects in such a way that total cost is minimized while several precedence relations are satisfied and specific completion times are maintained. The primary difficulty results from the existence of commonalities that allow the successful completion of a particular project to be applied to several different purposes. A solution approach is developed which combines a one-pass network algorithm to deal with the precedence and time restrictions and a dynamic programming procedure to allocate the resources to each project.

Open Knowledge Creation: Bringing Transparency and Inclusiveness to the Peer Review Process

The peer review process that has been in place for many years has recognized shortcomings. The Internet provides a means for changing this process. This paper offers a more transparent and inclusive design for peer review referred to as open knowledge creation. The design proposed utilizes Google knol and group services. The open knowledge creation design consists of four stages: creation, review/revision, evaluation/adoption, and publication. It is intended to offer existing or new journals an alternative to the traditional peer review of research

Management of Computing Organizational Power and the

ABSTRACT: In a recent application of the theory of strategic contingencies in three large multinational firms, Lucas found that information services departments were perceived by others as having low levels of power and influence and suggested a variety of reasons for the results. This note continues the application of the theory of strategic contingencies to the information services department by describing a study of intraorganizational power that uses basically the same procedures as the Lucas study and obtains similar results. In an effort to stimulate future power-related research in the information systems area, this note concludes by suggesting several reasons, beyond those given by Lucas, for the levels of power attributed to information services departments