The Impact of Technology Availability and Structural Guidance on Group Development in Workgroups Using Computer-Mediated Communication

ABSTRACT

This article examines how technology and structural guidance influence the development of workgroups using computer-mediated communication (CMC). The results of two experiments support the notion that CMC workgroups develop over time in a similar manner to face-to-face groups. Technology availability had minimal, fleeting effects on group development. Structural guidance had a more pronounced effect, increasing feelings of belonging and goal commitment in newly formed groups, but lowering feelings of trust in maturing groups.

KEYWORDS:

• Group development
• structural guidance
• workgroups
• computer-mediated communication

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Russell Haines

Russell Haines is an Associate Professor of Information Technology at Old Dominion University. He received his B.S. and Master of Accountancy from Brigham Young University and his Ph.D. from the University of Houston. His research interests are in laboratory experiments, ethical decision-making, supply chain decision-making, and computer-mediated communication. His research has been published in the European Journal of Information Systems and the Journal of Business Ethics, among others.

Richard W. Scamell

Richard W. Scamell serves as Professor of Decision and Information Sciences in the C. T. Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston. He received his Ph.D. from The University of Texas at Austin. Since joining the faculty at Houston, he has taught courses at the undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral levels. He is the coauthor with Narayan S. Umanath of the textbook Data Modeling and Database Design published by Cengage Learning. His publications have appeared in journals such as Management Science, MIS Quarterly, Communications of the ACM, Academy of Management Journal, Decision Sciences, and IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering.

Jaymeen R. Shah

Jaymeen R. Shah received his Ph.D. from the University of Houston. He is a Professor in the Department of Computer Information Systems & Quantitative Methods at Texas State University. His current research interests include information privacy and security, computer-mediated communication, IT education, and IT-enabled business processes. His research has been published in journals such as Information Systems Management, European Journal of Operational Research, and Omega.