An exploratory investigation of two internet-based communication modes (original) (raw)
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Computer Standards & Interfaces, 2007
To improve task effectiveness of geographically dispersed teams, media selection approaches a complex issue involving media features and user characteristics. This study compares user perceptions about task effectiveness between instant messengers (IM) and e-mail (EM). Using a field experiment, the design contrasted teams using EM with teams using IM. Thirty-four teams of two graduate students were enrolled as participants from five universities in Taiwan. Two people were separated geographically and had to communicate accordingly. Results indicate that IM-supported teams generated more ideas and task success. However, no significant difference was found in task difficulty between the IM and EM users.
A Survey of Organizational Instant Messaging
2007
Instant Messaging software has increasingly been used as an alternative communications platform in many organizations. Although Instant Messaging (IM) began as a personal tool for online communication, the software has now been implemented in many organizations and workplaces. The usefulness of IM software has been shown in literature to be positive, increasing efficiency and productivity in the workplace. This paper explores the perceptions of IM software users in the workplace. We solicited opinions to verify the claim of IM's effect on efficiency and productivity. We also discuss the limitations and negative effects of IM. A pilot survey and data analysis techniques provide the measurement of IM software's worth or liability to an organization. The results show what components of IM software are most commonly used and what limitations software places on the users. We also provide recommendation of possible enhancements to IM software in this paper.
Instant Messaging as a Task-Support Tool in Information Technology Organizations
Journal of Business Communication, 2013
Fast-paced organizational environments and growing needs for permanent and fast connectivity have steered the adoption of technologies such as instant messaging (IM) for organizational communication. However, the use of IM as a communication tool to support task completion is not well understood. This article reports on an exploratory mixed methods study investigating the use of IM as a communication tool to support task completion and multitasking in information technology organizations. The main purpose was to investigate IM use to support two types of tasks: collaboration and conflict tasks. We used a mixed methods approach incorporating quantitative and qualitative data from interviews and survey instruments. Results from the quantitative analysis suggest a significantly greater use of IM for collaboration tasks than for cognitive conflict tasks. The qualitative data helped in identifying specific tasks in the information technology corporate environment whose completion is supported by IM use. Those tasks were mapped into an existing task framework and analyzed using qualitative methods. Results from the qualitative analysis were used to complement and support the quantitative findings. A secondary goal of this article was to explore the use of IM to support multitasking. Descriptive results on use of IM to multitask are presented. The article concludes with a discussion of the main implications of this study for communication managers.
The character, functions, and styles of instant messaging in the workplace
Proceedings of the …, 2002
Current perceptions of Instant Messaging (IM) use are based primarily on self-report studies. We logged thousands of (mostly) workplace IM conversations and evaluated their conversational characteristics and functions. Contrary to prior research, we found that the primary use of workplace IM was for complex work discussions. Only 28% of conversations were simple, single-purpose interactions and only 31% were about scheduling or coordination. Moreover, people rarely switched from IM to another medium when the conversation got complex. We found evidence of two distinct styles of use. Heavy IM users and frequent IM partners mainly used it to work together: to discuss a broad range of topics via many fastpaced interactions per day, each with many short turns and much threading and multitasking. Light users and infrequent pairs mainly used IM to coordinate: for scheduling, via fewer conversations per day that were shorter, slower-paced with less threading and multitasking.
Instant messaging an effective way of communication in workplace
2013
The modern workplace is inherently collaborative, and this collaboration relies on effective communication among co-workers. Instant messaging is the multi-tasking tools of choice most people chatting over IM do other things at the same time. The use of IM in workplace is less intrusive than the use of phone, more immediate than email and has added advantage due to the ability to detect presence. In order for institution to maximize increased business productivity using instant messaging it's imperative that organizations define and publish ICT policies, guidelines and regulations. Overall IM boosts business performance by making operations faster, more agile, and more efficient with very little additional cost thus Organizations that deploy IM would reap significant Return on Investment. Institutions should adopt IM meetings which are be more efficient and less prone to straying off topic, because of the relative effort of typing versus talking.
Introducing instant messaging and chat in the workplace
2002
Abstract We report on our experiences of introducing an instant messaging and group chat application into geographically distributed workgroups. We describe a number of issues we encountered, including privacy concerns, individual versus group training, and focusing on teams or individuals. The perception of the tool's utility was a complex issue, depending both on users' views of the importance of informal communication, and their perceptions of the nature of cross-site communication issues.
Tools for Online Collaboration: Do they contribute to Improve Teamwork?
Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 2015
In the last decades, the fast growth of Information and Communication Technologies changed our way to communicate and share information. Traditional groups or teams frequently give way to virtual teams, working with tools for online collaboration. Interaction between persons geographically dispersed has become easier. However, the use of new collaboration tools can also bring many challenges. Some technologies, like e-mail, can create delays on reply or even misunderstandings, case the message is not well understood by the recipient. Can these new technologies improve the productivity and enhance the creativity between group members, improving also their confidence and motivation? Although virtual teams have a high capacity to adapt to constant market changes, personal interactions are still important, mainly to clarify tasks and goals. The main purpose of this study is to understand how tools for online collaboration may improve the productivity (and enhance creativity) in teamwork. This study was conducted through an internet platform and the survey was hosted online by SurveyMonkey.com. We intended to verify, among other questions, what users think about different collaboration tools, how often they use these tools, and how they perceive these technologies as adequate ways to communicate, to work with, and to improve productivity. Findings show that e-mail is the most used tool, and personal contact is still more important for teamwork than any tools for online collaboration. Our results contribute to perceive in what extent collaboration tools are indeed an asset or a barrier in teamwork.
Instant Messaging in Global Software Teams
International Journal of e-Collaboration, 2010
Instant Messaging (IM) has been strictly forbidden in some companies as an unproductive use of time and exists in others via unsanctioned employee actions without explicit approval or directive from upper management. This paper examines a set of globally distributed software teams in a company that has explicitly installed and integrated IM capabilities with its collaboration management tools. Through a set of semi-structured interviews and the application of adaptive structuration theory, this study finds that because of the unique characteristics of global software development, IM is a highly useful tool for maintaining team cohesiveness and supporting team communication. Although the study finds strong support for the value of IM, it also identifies that the time distributed nature of the work, the informality of the medium as it interacts with different cultures and the productivity loss from IM's interruptive nature are problematic. A set of recommendations is made to address these problems. The paper concludes that IM is a useful tool for global software development and its advantages outweigh its problems.
Instant Messaging and Team Performance in a Simulated Command and Control Environment
Recent trends in military acquisition have emphasized the desire to introduce collaboration technologies into the command and control environment (Kaufman, 2005). Personnel in this environment may be disparate in terms of rank, occupation, and even geographical location, yet are expected to rapidly coalesce into functioning teams in order to meet task requirements (Boiney, 2005). It has been proposed (e.g., Alberts & Hayes, 2003) that integration and performance may be facilitated through emerging collaborative technologies, such as email, instant messaging (IM), virtual whiteboards, and videoconferencing. Proponents of network-centric operations have argued that these technologies might engender a degree of command decentralization that would result in increased situational awareness and task flexibility (Alberts & Hayes, 2003). However, there are growing concerns about the potential negative impact on performance associated with the use of collaborative tools in distributed team environments. For example, in a synthesis of the collaboration technology literature, Bordia (1997) examined the effects of text-based collaboration technologies (i.e., email and IM) on team processes. Specifically, Bordia (1997) examined 18 experimental studies which compared team decision making effectiveness, time to reach a decision, and team member satisfaction between teams restricted to collaboration technologies for communication and teams that employed face-to-face communication. Bordia (1997) concluded that teams restricted to collaboration technologies made poorer decisions, measured both objectively (e.g., meeting task goals) and subjectively (e.g., quality of solutions), and took more time to reach a decision; moreover, team members experienced less satisfaction with team processes. Interestingly, this pattern of results was observed across different task types, suggesting the ubiquity of the observed effects. In addition, Baltes, Dickson, Sherman, Bauer, and LaGanke (2002) completed a metaanalysis exploring performance differences between collaboration technology and faceto-face teams. In their meta-analysis, Baltes et al. (2002) examined 27 experimental studies of text-based collaboration technologies, analyzing them on dimensions similar to those employed Bordia (1997). The results of the meta-analysis were similar to the conclusions reached by Bordia (1997), dramatically favoring face-to-face communication over communication mediated by collaboration technologies across many different tasks.