1st Edition

Intellectual Teamwork Social and Technological Foundations of Cooperative Work

Edited By Jolene Galegher, Robert E. Kraut, Carmen Egido Copyright 1990
    552 Pages
    by Psychology Press

    This book seeks to establish an interdisciplinary, applied social scientific model for researchers and students that advocates a cooperative effort between machines and people. After showing that basic research on social processes offers much needed guidance for those creating technology and designing tools for group work, its papers demonstrate the mutual relevance of social science and information system design, and encourage better integration of these disciplines.

    This comprehensive collection closely examines the variety of electronic tools being deployed to solve traditional problems in communication and coordination. Unfortunately, research shows that these tools have not been as successful as their designers had envisioned, partially because they were not always produced with the needs and goals of their human users in mind. The editors' goal is to entice more social scientists to orient their research around questions of practical interest to information system designers and to convince designers to search for the knowledge about social and organizational behavior that would make their tools more useful.

    Contents: J. Galegher, R.E. Kraut, Technology for Intellectual Teamwork: Perspectives on Research and Design. Part I:Basic Social Processes. J.E. McGrath, Time Matters in Groups. B.A. Gutek, Work Group Structure and Information Technology: A Structural Contingency Approach. J.J. Gabarro, The Development of Working Relationships. R.M. Krauss, S.R. Fussell, Mutual Knowledge and Communicative Effectiveness. Part II:Field Studies of Collaborative Work. R.E. Kraut, C. Egido, J. Galegher, Patterns of Contact and Communication in Scientific Research Collaborations. D.G. Ancona, D.F. Caldwell, Information Technology and Work Groups: The Case of New Product Teams. E. Hutchins, The Technology of Team Navigation. A.V. Cicourel, The Integration of Distributed Knowledge in Collaborative Medical Diagnosis. Part III:Experiences With Technology for Cooperative Work. T.K. Bikson, J.D. Eveland, The Interplay of Work Group Structures and Computer Support. T. Finholt, L. Sproull, S. Kiesler, Communication and Performance in ad hoc Task Groups. R.E. Rice, D.E. Shook, Voice Messaging, Coordination, and Communication. C. Egido, Teleconferencing as a Technology to Support Cooperative Work: Its Possibilities and Limitations. K.L. Kraemer, A. Pinsonneault, Technology and Groups: Assessments of the Empirical Research. Part IV:Technology for Cooperative Work. G.P. Landow, Hypertext and Collaborative Work: The Example of Intermedia. G.M. Olson, D.E. Atkins, Supporting Collaboration With Advanced Multimedia Electronic Mail: The NSF EXPRES Project. F. Lakin, Visual Languages for Cooperation: A Performing Medium Approach to Systems for Cooperative Work. M. Abel, Experiences in an Exploratory Distributed Organization. D.R. Vogel, J.F. Nunamaker, Design and Assessment of a Group Decision Support System.

    Biography

    Jolene Galegher, Robert E. Kraut, Carmen Egido

    "This dense collection of papers provides a deep understanding of the issues in computer-supported cooperative work....suitable as a major textbook for studying CSCW within an interdisciplinary program or a program with a strong emphasis on social and behavioral aspects."
    Computing Reviews

    "This exceptionally well-edited collection is important for administrative scientists as well as for those who specialize in computer and information science. Not only does the volume fit squarely in small-group research and the sociology of science and technology, it is must reading for all serious students of organization who care about new organizational forms, interorganizational relations, managerial communication and control, and the management of innovation....an important addition to the administrative science literature."
    Administrative Science Quarterly