include knowledge management, IT enabled organizational forms such as virtual teams and communities,

This article reviews theories of organizational communication with a special emphasis on theories that have been used to explain computer-mediated communication phenomena. Among the theories reviewed, two—social presence and media richness—are identified as problematic and as posing obstacles to future theoretical development. While shortcomings of these theories have been identified in the past, some of these theories ’ predictions have been supported by empirical evidence. It is argued that this theoretical dilemma can be resolved based upon principles derived from a modern version of Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection and the application of those principles to the understanding of human evolution. A new theoretical model called the psychobiological model is developed, which predicts variations in cognitive effort in computer-mediated collaborative tasks. The model proposes that there is a negative causal link between the “naturalness ” of a computer-mediated communication medium, which is the similarity of the medium to the face-to-face medium, and the cognitive effort required from an individual using the medium for knowledge transfer. The model also states that this link is counterbalanced by what are referred to as “schema alignment ” and “cognitive adaptation. ” The schema alignment construct refers to the similarity between the mental schemas of an individual and those of other participant(s). The cognitive adaptation construct refers to an individual’s level of schema development associated with the use of a particular medium. Finally, the model states that the degree to which the medium supports an individual’s ability to convey and listen to speech is particularly significant in defining its naturalness, more so than the medium’s degree of

Mobile information systems (IS) hold great promise to support organizational processes. Clear guidelines, however, of how to design effective mobile IS in support of organizational processes have not been developed. Based on earlier research that emphasizes the importance of fit between organizational tasks and technology and that develops fit profiles for specific task−technology combinations, this paper develops a task−technology fit (TTF) profile for mobile IS to support managerial tasks. We suggest a three−way match between dimensions of managerial tasks, mobile IS, and the mobile use context. We find that use situations characterized by high distraction and poor quality of network connection are particularly challenging for the design of mobile IS, and that the user interface requires particular attention. The proposed conceptual model of task−technology fit provides guidelines for the design of effective mobile IS and for future research studies.

This paper reports a set of experiments motivated by the observation that the design of group decision processes is crucial to the success of electronic meeting room usage. Decision processes can be designed with more emphasis either on exchanging meanings (discussing issues) or exchanging artefacts (generating and structuring topics). Our problem is that, given a particular case to be discussed in an electronic meeting room, we do not know how to design the meeting for best performance. The paper builds a framework for studying this problem based on the notion of communication mode. The experiments already made confirm that quality of results varies when different communication modes are used and show that meetings that do not exchange meanings result in solutions with inferior quality. Keywords: Electronic Meeting Rooms, Group Support Systems, Communication Modes.

This paper reports on an empirical study to assess the impacts, benefits, and critical success factors of mobile applications to enhance an electronic procurement system. For different user groups, we analyze the role of the work environment for the usage and, ultimately, the benefits of the mobile applications. The study provides a basis for a broader framework to improve the design and management of business applications based on emerging technologies.

In today’s global economy organizations are increasingly resorting to culturally diverse groups of individuals to cope with the challenges of a global market. Often, group decision support systems (GSS) are utilized in the process. The performance of these technology-assisted meetings might be subject to the impact of the conflict management style that group members adopt and the cultural backgrounds of the participants. This study examines the possibility that cultural diversity may have a moderating effect on the relationship between the collaborative conflict management style and group performance in a distributed GSS (DGSS) environment

The World Wide Web has become the medium of choice for the distribution and use of information by individuals, teams, organizations, and communities. Web sites—the collection of web pages that make up the World Wide Web—are the fundamental means by which that information is retrieved and distributed. Understanding the factors that impact the complexity of a web site is a key step toward effective retrieval and distribution of information and its ultimate use in collaborative activity. This paper proposes three major dimensions of factors that impact the complexity of a web site: (1) cognition, (2) content, and (3) form. These three dimensions and their associated factors comprise how individuals perceive a web site, the content that is located at the site, and the manner in which the web site is constructed. A model and associated propositions are presented, and implications of this approach for research and practice are discussed. This multidimensional view of web site complexity provides a richer approach to understanding how complexity might be examined and, ultimately, reduced. This paper relates to collaborative work through individuals and their interaction with a web site. This interaction is, in fact, a communication between the individual using a web site and an individual, group, or organization responsible for the design of the web site. Additionally, the individual perspective is a necessary starting point for collaborative use between and among people.

of Business In this paper, we apply the theory of task technology fit to mobile technology, focusing specifi−cally on the role of user mobility. We describe the results of an empirical study of 216 business users of mobile devices that included various smart phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and laptop computers. Our findings suggest that (1) the relationship between task difficulty and functional requirements of the mobile devices is stronger for highly mobile users than for less mobile users; (2) user mobility is associated with increased user−perceived importance of a number of non−functional features; and (3) for a number of functions and features, highly mobile users indicated a stronger relationship between task−technology fit, and overall evaluation of the technology. We conclude that user mobility needs to be taken into account when applying the theory of task−technology fit to mobile information systems. In addition, our study provides spe−cific insights about the information system requirements of an increasingly mobile workforce.

As advanced mobile technology becomes more widespread, the impacts on professional environments and on the personal lives of individual users continue to increase. Devices, such as smart cell phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and laptop computers can free their owners of the need to remain close to a wired information system infrastructure that is provided in a stationary office environment, and provide the opportunity to perform tasks in a wide variety of use contexts. With changes in use context, however, come changes in requirements, such as the need to limit weight and size of a device. In order to achieve success in the form of adoption, use, and positive impacts on user performance, a thorough understanding is needed about the functional and non−functional technology requirements of mobile professionals. In this paper, we summarize the results of a series of research studies that we conducted to explore the technology requirements of mobile professionals. The research studies included a content analysis of online user reviews, two empirical surveys, and a series of user interviews. Our research findings indicate that (1) user−perceived technology maturity is a critical factor to explain and predict the use of mobile technology by mobile professionals; (2) mobile technology needs to be available in a broad variety of use−situations; (3) users require basic communication and productivity−related functionality, in particular to support non−routine and supervisory task profiles; and (4) mobile technology can have considerable impacts on the job performance and on the personal lives of its users. Our findings have implications for the design, management, and research of mobile information systems.

Computer supported teams are capturing the attention of academics and practitioners as organisations increasingly put them into practice as virtual teams. The practical relevance of current research into computer supported teams could be increased if greater attention is paid to organisational challenges as they form the context within which virtual teamwork takes place. A model of organisational challenges mapped against processes of adaptation is developed to highlight principle factors affecting virtual teams. A sample of current research groups studying computer-supported teams is plotted onto this map to reveal the extent to which current research addresses these contextual factors. From this map insights are distilled with respect to what is known and is not known about virtual teams. This paper concludes with specific research needs in the study of virtual teams. 5001-6182 Business 5201-5982 Business Science Library of Congress Classification (LCC) HD 30.2 Informa...