Factors Influencing the Success of Remote Collaborations

Posted: June 4th, 2003 | No Comments »

Since I have been developping a web-based application to improve workshop preparation and organization, here is a paper to introduce me to the world of Computer Supported Collaborative Work (CSCW) and its issues. In summary:

The ability to communicate via computer may decrease the number of face-to-face interactions for individuals who are co-located and increase the number of interactions and collaborations for individuals who are remote. Technology is changing who we can communicate with and how we work. The introduction of groupware led to the increase in efficiency (more effective task perfomance) and reduction in detailed feedback (less detailed information from co-workers – trade-off between efficency and richness of information). When face-to-face interaction is not always possible technology increas interactions and collaboration with the additional benefit of providing shared information.

Success of remote collaboration is highly depedent upon a number of factors such as the task and the context in which the task is to be completed. Factors that can determine success or failure:

  • Coupling of work: the type of communication the work requires. Tasks that are ambiguous or interdependent require frequent communication between group members. The nature of the communication surrounding such tasks (tightly coupled) may be complex and require rapid feedback and rich information.
  • Common ground: the knowledge the participants share and their awerness of it. Awerness or construction of common ground can be accomplished with cues (copresence, visibility, audibility, contemporality, simultaneity, sequentiality, reviewability and revisability). Different media will be more effective at establishing common ground. Culture and linguistic also influence the media to use. Common ground is of particular importance, as common ground has been identified as a precursor to trust. There are two types of activities that build trust: cognitive (comptetence and reliability) and emotional (emotional bond). Engagin in such activities before collaboration could be beneficial regardless of whether participants communicate online or face-to-face.
  • Technology Readiness: using shared technology assumes that the coworkers need to share information and are rewarded for it. Different fields and work settings engender a willingness to share
  • Personality Factors: some individuals express a preference for remote interaction (increased anonymity, highly structured self-presentation, reduced interpersonal cues about others). Different personalities experience social support differently on the Internet.
  • Changes in Remote Collaboration over Time: remote collaboration has been noted to improve over time as users gain experience with the technology.

    • With the exception of efficiency and reduced travel cost, face-to-face interaction appears to be more benefical than remote communication. However, there are instances where remote collaboration can be as effective as face-to-face communication. Selecting the appropriate media, for the task, although critical, is only part of what needs to be done in order to facilitate remote collaboration. Facilitating the discovery of common ground regardless of whether collaboration is done face-to-face or remotely should improve performance. Similarly, familiarizing oneself with the context in which other team members work should also ease communication and reduce conflict.