Introducing instant messaging and chat in the workplace (original) (raw)

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.

Unintended consequences of emerging communication technologies: Instant Messaging in the workplace

Computers in Human Behavior, 2005

With increased global connectivity, managers are faced with new technologies and rapid organizational changes. For instance, organizations may adopt emerging technologies such as Instant Messaging in order to increase collaboration at a distance and to decrease communications costs. However, the impact and implications of these technologies for managers and employees often go far beyond the original intent of the technology designers. Consequently, in this study, instant messaging (IM) and its use in organizations were investigated through interviews with employees. Results suggest that critical mass represents an important factor for IM success in the workplace that IM symbolizes informality, and that IM is perceived to be much less rich than face-to-face communication. Further, results demonstrate that employees use IM not only as a replacement for other communication media but as an additional method for reaching others. With IM, employees engage in polychronic communication, view IM as privacy enhancing, and see its interruptive nature as unfair. The paper concludes by discussing research and practice implications for organizational psychologists.

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.

What is chat doing in the workplace?

2002

Abstract We report an empirical study of a synchronous messaging application with group-oriented functionality designed to support teams in the workplace. In particular, the tool supports group chat windows that allow members of a group to communicate with text that persists for about a day. We describe the experience of 6 globally-distributed work groups who used the tool over a period of 17 months.

IM [@work]: adoption of instant messaging in a knowledge worker organisation

37th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, 2004. Proceedings of the, 2004

After massive and rapid consumer adoption in recent years, Instant Messaging (IM) applications are beginning to move into the workplace. We investigated the adoption of IM from four months before to three months after it was formally introduced in a mid-sized organization involved in knowledge work. Employees were free, within reasonable limits for private use, to use IM or not, not only with internal contacts (colleagues) but also with external contacts (work relations, friends, family). Based on data obtained before and after introduction from surveys, interviews, and communication traffic logs, we investigated the adoption of IM by individual users and pairs of users. We found a sudden and stable fourfold increase in IM use after introduction, both in terms of users and the number of conversations. IM users primarily report that IM improves the way they reach others and can be reached themselves. Technology self-efficacy, perceived compatibility of IM with work and pressure from social contacts at work to use IM explained best why some employees adopted and used IM more than others.

An exploratory investigation of two internet-based communication modes

Computer Standards & Interfaces, 2007

Instant messaging (IM) was first introduced in the late 1990s. It has a relatively short history of adoption compared to other electronic media such as e-mail. In the first few years, the majority of IM users were teenagers. Only a relatively small portion of adult Internet users used IM. Recently as the young IM users gradually enter the workforce, an increasing popularity of IM among working professionals is expected. Consequently, the use of IM in the workplace for job-related task becomes more likely. The potential impact of IM will also become a more important organizational issue. This study compares the use of IM versus e-mail as the communication tool to facilitate group task for geographically dispersed teams. An experiment using 44 teams in the United States was conducted. The results show that teams using e-mail are more effective in terms of generating ideas than teams using IM. There are no significance differences between the two communication methods, in terms of task difficulty, playfulness, and ease of use.

A persistent chat space for work groups: the design, evaluation and deployment of loops

2006

We describe the design of Loops, a computer mediated communication system aimed at small-to medium-sized corporate work groups. We begin by discussing the goals of the system and the rationale behind its design, particularly its treatment of static text. Next we discuss how an early working version of the system was 'group tested,' and the changes that lead to. Then we describe its realization in an implemented system, discuss its deployment within our organization, and provide some examples of how Loops is used. We conclude with reflections on the usage patterns of Loops and their implications for the design of similar systems.

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.