Strengthening Social Ties via ICT in the Organization

Knowledge work increasingly relies on the \ utilization of information and communication \ technology (ICT). However, communication and \ knowledge sharing via ICT may be challenging due \ the lack of physical face-to-face interaction. The \ strength of social ties is critical to the success of an \ organization, since it determines how deeply \ individuals interact with each other. Prior research \ has paid only limited attention to the role of ICT in \ the strengthening of social ties within an \ organization. To address this research gap, we have \ conducted a qualitative study outlining different tie \ strengthening characteristics of ICT. The results of \ this study suggest that especially asynchronous and \ synchronous text based interaction and \ communication history forms an effective mechanism \ for an organization to facilitate social ties. As a \ theoretical contribution, we develop a new \ theoretical model representing the intra- \ organizational characteristics of ICT in relation to \ media synchronicity and tie strength. This theoretical \ model also includes new tie-strength components for \ ICT-mediated interaction

Social Virtual Reality : Design and Potential for Social Exchange and Cohesion in Virtual Teams

Tieto ja viestintäteknologian (TVT) kautta tapahtuvan vuorovaikutuksen sujuvuus ja tehokkuus ovat tärkeäitä nykypäivän organisaatioille. Etätyön aikakaudella virtuaalitiimit ovat hajallaan ympäri maailmaa ja menestyksekäs yhteistyö ei välttämättä vaadi kasvokkain tapahtuvaa viestintää. Perinteiset etätyökalut ovat kuitenkin kaukana täydellisyydestä, erityisesti koskien niiden kykyä edistää sosiaalisten siteiden vahvistumista, tai tiimien koheesiota, jotka molemmat ovat tärkeitä virtuaalitiimien suorituskyvylle. Monet tutkijat ja ammattilaiset ennustavat, että kasvokkain tapahtuvan viestinnän puute voi merkittävästi vaikuttaa organisaatioiden pitkän aikavälin suorituskykyyn. Tämän väitöskirjan pääväite on, että monikäyttäjä-virtuaalitodellisuus (VR), jäljempänä sosiaalinen virtuaalitodellisuus (SVR), voi tarjota ratkaisun tähän ongelmaan. SVR:n potentiaali perustuu ajatukseen, jonka mukaan ihmisen kognitio on rakentunut luonnollisen, tilallisen vuorovaikutuksesta ja viestinnän ympärille. Organisaatiot ovat siksi yhä enemmän sijoittamassa SVR-teknologiaan, koska se pystyy simuloimaan tai muuttamaan lähes mitä tahansa kokemuksia, mukaan lukien kasvokkain tapahtuvan viestinnän. Emme kuitenkaan vielä tunne hyvin SVR:n mahdollisuuksia organisaation tai virtuaalitiimien viestintätehokkuuden parantamisessa. Aiemmat tutkimukset ovat osoittaneet, että tehokkaampi kommunikaatio on yksi SVR:n tärkeimmistä affordansseista organisaatioille, mutta sen potentiaalia henkilökohtaisen tai ryhmätason organisatorisen viestinnän edistämisessä ei ole tutkittu huolellisesti. Lisäksi aiemmat tutkimukset tunnistavat SVR:n kyvyn ei vain simuloida, vaan parantaa sosiaalista vuorovaikutusta muotoon, jolle ei ole vastineita todellisessa maailmassa, mutta emme vielä ymmärrä tämän vaikutusta ja potentiaalia organisaatioille. Väitöskirja ottaa kantaa tähän tutkimusaukkoon tutkimalla SVR:n potentiaalia henkilöiden välisessä, mikrotason sosiaalisessa vaihdannassa ja tiimityön koheesiossa, jotka molemmat ovat tärkeitä indikaattoreita tiimityön suorituskyvylle. Väitöskirja yhdistää laadullisia, teoreettisia, empiirisiä ja suunnittelututkimuksen (design research) menetelmiä suunnittelutoimintatutkimuksen (action design research) keinoin. Väitöskirja arvioi ensin, kuinka media synkronisuus edistää tai heikentää sosiaalista vaihtoa (eli luottamuksen ja vastavuoroisuuden välisiä prosesseja) organisaatiossa. Tämän jälkeen väitöskirja tutkii, kuinka virtuaalisten tiimien sosiaalista vaihtoa voidaan parantaa SVR:n avulla. Näitä havaintoja jatketaan tarkastelemalla SVR:n tarjoamia mahdollisuuksia virtuaalisen tiimin koheesion (eli tehtävä- ja sosiaalisen koheesion) syntymisessä. Näiden tutkimusten perusteella väitöskirja muotoilee useita konkreettisia suunnitteluperiaatteita SVR:lle virtuaalisten tiimien sosiaalisen vaihdon ja koheesion kontekstissa. Väitöskirja kuvaa myös SVR- teknologian laajempia hyötyjä organisaatioille ja antaa käytännön ohjeita niiden toteuttamiseen. Väitöskirja tarjoaa ymmärrystä siitä, kuinka SVR voi parantaa organisaation etätyötä ja kommunikaatiota lieventämällä tai poistamalla merkittäviä perinteisen ICT:n rajoituksia. Väitöskirjan tulokset osoittavat, että SVR:n etuna on sekä lähes rajaton monipuolisuus sosiaalisena simulaationa että luonnollisuus tietoisen ja tiedostamattoman viestinnän välineenä. Nämä edut korostuvat erityisesti virtuaalitiimeissä ja tietotyön kaltaisessa etätyössä, jossa korostetaan osallistujien välistä korkeaa mentaalista ja henkilökohtaista yhteistyötä, sekä erilaisten näkökulmien yhteensovittamista. Väitöskirjan tulokset viittaavat myös siihen, että nämä hyödyt voidaan saavuttaa vain, jos organisaatiot keskittyvät SVR-teknologian jatkokehitykseen, sen materiaalisten ominaisuuksien ja toiminnallisuuksien edelleen kehittämiseen, sekä SVR:n integrointiin osaksi organisaation muita työvirtoja ja tietojärjestelmiä.The success of information and communications technology (ICT)-mediated interaction is vital for organizations. In the era of remote work, virtual teams are dispersed across the globe and successful collaboration does not necessarily require a face-to-face communication. However, conventional remote work tools are far from perfect, especially in terms of their ability to facilitate the strengthening of social ties, or team cohesion, which are considered crucial for the performance of virtual teams. Respectively, many researchers and practitioners predict that the lack of face-to-face communication can significantly affect organizations’ long-term performance. The main proposition of this dissertation is that multi-user virtual reality (VR) applications, hereafter social virtual reality (SVR), has the potential to provide a solution to this problem. The biggest promise of SVR relies on the premise that human cognition is built upon natural, spatial interaction, and communication. Organizations are thus increasingly investing in SVR technology, because of its ability to simulate or transform almost any experience, including face-to-face communication. However, we do not yet know much about SVR’s ability to facilitate organizational communication. Prior research has shown that communication is one of SVR’s key affordances for organizations, but its potential of facilitating interpersonal or group level communication has not been studied elaborately. Furthermore, prior studies recognize SVR’s ability to not only simulate, but enhance social interaction to something for which there is no equivalent in the real world, but we do not yet understand the impact and potential of this to organizations. This dissertation addresses to the research gap by investigating the potential of SVR in the context of social exchange and team cohesion of SVR-enabled virtual teams, both of which are important indicators of team performance. In terms of methodology, the dissertation employs an action design research (ADR) approach which combines qualitative, theory and review, empirical, and design science research (DSR) methods. The dissertation first evaluates how media synchronicity facilitates social exchange (i.e., patterns of trust and reciprocity leading to stronger social ties) in an organization. The dissertation then outlines how social exchange can be enhanced in SVR-enabled virtual teams. These observations are continued by examining the affordances of SVR in the emergence of team cohesion (i.e., task and social cohesion) in virtual teams. Based on these examinations, the dissertation proposes several design principles for SVR in the context of social exchange and team cohesion. The dissertation also describes the wider benefits of SVR technology for organizations and provides practical guidelines of how they could be realized. The dissertation provides an understanding of how SVR can enhance organizations’ remote work and communication practices by mitigating some of the most critical limitations of conventional ICTs. Results of the dissertation indicate that SVR's fundamental advantage is both its almost limitless versatility as a social simulation and naturalness as a means of conscious and subconscious communication. These advantages come to the fore especially in virtual teams and knowledge-intensive remote collaboration that emphasize high mental and personal alignment between participants. The results of the dissertation also suggest that these benefits can only be realized if organizations focus on the further development of SVR technology, its material properties, and integration of SVR with organizational workflows and information systems (IS)

Design principles for social exchange in social virtual reality-enabled virtual teams

Social virtual reality (SVR) is a novel technology that can simulate and potentially enhance our face-to-face interactions. However, our understanding of interpersonal communication in SVR is still limited. To address this research gap, we describe how SVR enables social exchange (i.e., fundamental communication patterns of trust and reciprocity between individuals), which is closely related to virtual team performance. We present an information systems design theory for social exchange in SVR-enabled virtual teams (SE-SVR). Drawing from affordance theory and social exchange theory, we describe how SVR material properties (i.e., avatars, virtual objects, virtual space, and verbal and nonverbal communication features) enable and foster social exchange in SVR. As a theoretical contribution, we propose design principles for social exchange in SVR and connect them with testable theoretical propositions. Furthermore, we present the concept of interacting with presence, which facilitates users’ affordance perceptions in SVR. We conceptually validate our design principles and illustrate our design through an artifact instantiation: XR Campus, which is a minimum viable product of a collaborative platform for the ECIU University. Our SE-SVR theory has important research and practice implications because it explains how critical aspects of organizational remote communication can be considered in SVR design.Peer reviewe

How to get things done in social virtual reality–A study of team cohesion in social virtual reality–enabled teams

Peer reviewe

Opportunities, challenges, and training needs in the use of VR in higher education and SMEs : The case of Cyprus and Finland

The use and adoption of VR solutions have increased rapidly due to recent technological developments. Over the last years, there have been many initiatives to develop and adopt VR in many different fields, including education and business. This paper describes the state-of-the-art of VR use in Cyprus and Finland, focusing on the use of VR technology in Higher Education (HE) Institutions and in Small to Medium Enterprises (SME). Interview sessions were conducted with 16 expert people from Higher Education and business to firstly identify the key technologies available and secondly to analyze the opportunities, strengths, challenges, and training needs concerning the adoption of VR. The analysis revealed essential considerations and valuable insights about the development, adoption, and promotion of VR solutions in Higher Education and the business sector.acceptedVersionPeer reviewe

Social extended reality—use case entities on property life cycle

Virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) are collectively referred to as extended reality (XR). In recent years, the hardware and software of said technologies have developed to the point where multiuser experiences have been enabled; thus, the conversation surrounding social extended reality (SXR) has begun. SXR––or collaborative extended reality—has many possible use cases in a property’s life cycle, and the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry can be its forefront user. The AEC industry’s work assignments include visuality and multiple stakeholders; thus, the SXR’s level of applicability is high throughout the industry. Despite these possibilities, we need a more structured understanding of SXR use cases to aid in its deployment. The current research article examines and identifies the five key entities from those use cases: involving stakeholders in decision.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

Educating Educators about Virtual Reality in Virtual Reality: Effective Learning Principles Operationalized in a VR Solution

Virtual Reality (VR) is transforming organizational training as users are immersed in realistic situations that may not exist yet in the physical world. The theoretical principles that make VR effective for learning in an immersive way are emerging in literature but remain poorly understood in practice nor have they been articulated in available VR solutions. This study demonstrates an IT artifact that is targeted at educators in companies and in higher education. The study synthesizes the key principles that make VR environments effective for learning, derives design principles for a corresponding artifact and demonstrates a VR solution that enables educators to absorb the principles of the power of VR by experiencing them first hand. Creating this artifact and delivering it to educators is important as they are responsible for diffusing VR to current employees in companies and future workforce in higher education.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

Six Weeks Of Collaboration In The Metaverse: Two-Wave Study Examining Perceived Immersion, Enabling Features, And Future Use

The potential of the metaverse as a utility for collaborative purposes is gaining increasing attention in information systems (IS) literature and industry. This article examines how the perceptions of users engaging in group collaboration in metaverse environments accessed with a virtual reality (VR) headset change and influence usage intentions over a collaborative project. A two-wave quantitative survey study was conducted, resulting in 115 responses. Data were collected at two points over a 5–6-week period. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test and multiple linear regression were utilized in the analysis. Results showed that nausea-related symptoms decreased over the course of extended metaverse use, while perceptions relating to the collaborative features of the metaverse and its compatibility with other task-related software increased. However, perceptions related to immersion did not change. In contrast, regression results showed that the user’s ability to concentrate their attention on their task and the perceived naturalness of communication were positively related to future metaverse use intention, while metaverse system features were only partially associated with future use intention. As the majority of metaverse studies examine first impressions and early use experiences, this study makes several important contributions to IS literature regarding extended use of the metaverse for collaborative purposes.Peer reviewe

Henkilöiden väliset heikot ja vahvat siteet hajautetussa työssä : yhteistyötä tukevat teknologiat

Lähivuosien teknologinen kehitys ja muutokset globaalissa taloudessa ovat muuttaneet monien alojen toimintaympäristöä merkittävästi. Ihmiset ovat yhteydessä toisiinsa informaatioteknologian avulla niin työssä kuin vapaa-ajallakin. Erityisesti tietotyössä on kasvava tarve hajautetulle työlle ja joustaville työjärjestelyille. Oikean yhteistyöteknologian valinta on yrityksille merkittävä liiketoimintaan vaikuttava tekijä. Tutkielman aiheena on tutkia henkilöiden välisiä siteitä (heikkoja ja vahvoja) ja sitä, kuinka niitä voidaan luoda tai ylläpitää yrityksessä tai organisaatiossa sosiaalisten ohjelmistojen avulla.Recent technological advances and changes in the global economy has had a major impact on working environment. In today’s world most people are interconnected through information technology both in their private and professional lives. There are increasing needs for distributed work and flexible work arrangements, especially in the field of knowledge work. Choosing the right tools for collaboration has become a highly crucial business driver for many companies. Subject of the thesis is to study interpersonal ties (weak or strong) and how they could be created or enhanced with social software in business or organizational environment

Media synchronicity in organizational social exchange

Purpose The purpose of the paper is to examine how media synchronicity facilitates the emergence of social exchange (i.e. trust and reciprocity) in organizations’ information and communication technology (ICT)-mediated interactions. A model of media synchronicity in organizational social exchange (MSiOSE) is proposed. Design/methodology/approach The paper has a design and review approach. The theoretical analysis is based on social exchange theory (SET) and media synchronicity theory (MST). Findings The authors propose that, in general, social exchange benefits from both asynchronous and synchronous communication processes. However, media synchronicity has different boundary conditions (i.e. pros and cons) in relation to the emergence of social exchange, determined in accordance with the mutually interacting patterns of trust and reciprocity predicted by SET. The authors provide testable theoretical propositions to support the analysis. Originality/value Social exchange is a critical business factor for organizations due to its well-known positive outcomes, such as the strengthening of social ties. The need for successful social exchange in remote work conditions is particularly emphasized. However, with regard to the communication and behavioral patterns that lead to social exchange via ICT, the theoretical understanding is limited. The study reveals previously unmapped heuristics between social exchange and physical media capabilities. Thus, the study's propositions can be used to study and analyze social exchange in the ever-changing media landscape. As a practical contribution, the study helps organizations to improve their communication strategies and use of ICT.publishedVersionPeer reviewe