Use of a Groupware Product: A Test of Three Theoretical Perspectives

Abstract

This study is a survey of the acceptance of a groupware product in three Fortune 500 companies. It examines three theoretical perspectives related to the use of a groupware product: the theory of media richness, the theory of social influence, and the theory of critical mass. These three theoretical perspectives are combined to establish a pluralistic view of communication technology use behavior and permit the investigation of the research question: what factors, suggested by these theories, explain organizational members' use of groupware.

Only social influence has a significant, although moderate, positive relationship with use. On the other hand, media richness explains little of an individual's media use behavior. In addition, critical mass, while intuitively appealing, fails to explain actual use behavior.

• Computer-mediated Communication Systems
• Critical Mass
• Groupware
• Lotus Notes
• Media Richness
• Social Influence and Use