Daniel D. Mittleman

Lessons from a dozen years of group support systems research: a discussion of lab and field findings

During the past dozen years, researchers at the University of Arizona have built six generations of group support systems software, conducted over 150 research studies, and facilitated over 4,000 projects. This article reports on lessons learned through that experience. It begins by presenting a theoretical foundation for the Groupware Grid, a tool for designing and evaluating GSS. It then reports lessons from nine key domains: (1)GSS in organizations; (2) cross-cultural and multicultural issues; (3) designing GSS software; (4) collaborative writing; (5) electronic polling; (6) GSS facilities and room design; (7) leadership and facilitation; (8) GSS in the classroom; and (9) business process reengineering.

A technology transition model derived from field investigation of GSS use aboard the U.S.S. CORONADO

There are several thousand group support systems (GSS) installations worldwide, and, while that number is growing, GSS has not yet achieved critical mass. One reason may be that it can take one to three years for an organization to complete a transition to GSS. Studying GSS transition in the field could yield insights that would allow for faster, lower-risk transitions elsewhere. This article presents a thirty-two-month qualitative field investigation of an effort to introduce GSS into the daily work of the staff of the U.S. Navys Commander, Third Fleet. Using the principles of action research, the project began with interventions based on the precepts of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The goal of the interventions was to engender sufficient acceptance for GSS to create a self-sustaining, growing community of GSS users.Throughout the study, building on a base of experience developed in other private-and public-sector transition projects, we revised and extended TAM based on insights that emerged in the field. The resulting model, the Technology Transition Model (TTM), frames acceptance as a multiplicative function of the magnitude and frequency of the perceived net value of a proposed change, moderated by the perceived net value associated with the transition period itself. TTM frames net value as having a number of dimensions, including cognitive, economic, political, social, affective, and physical. It posits that cognitive net value derives from at least three sources: changes in access, technical, and conceptual attention loads.GSS transition proceeded at different speeds in different segments of the Third Fleet; the intelligence and battle staffs became self-sustaining within weeks, while others are still not self-sustaining. TTM appears to explain the differences that emerged in the Navy community.The article presents TAM, then argues the propositions of TTM. It then presents background information about Third Fleet, and describes critical incidents in the transition effort that gave rise to the model. It summarizes the lessons learned in the field by comparing the differing transition trajectories among Fleet staff segments in light of the model.

Lessons from a decade of group support systems research

A decade of research, development, and implementation of group support systems has occasioned the learning of many lessons. The paper uses a heuristic model to compare group support systems to other groupware, and then summarizes many lessons learned about GSS in the laboratory and in the field.

Tools for distributed facilitation

We have extensive experience with distributed facilitation of synchronous virtual meetings since 1992. More recently, we have gained experience in asynchronous virtual meetings and have learned lessons from which best practices have been distilled. Best practices for synchronous and asynchronous distributed facilitation give insight into requirements for toolsets. Our experience with toolsets, including (1) widely available unstructured toolsets, (2) virtual reality offices, and (3) persistent visualization, provide direction for further tool development.

Collaborative technology for the sea-based warfighter: a field study of GSS adoption and diffusion

Group support systems (GSS) technology is still in the early stages of its diffusion process. There are several thousand GSS installations worldwide, and that number is growing, but GSSs have not yet achieved a mass market. It may be that studying adoption and diffusion of GSS within a single organization could yield insights that would help speed the process elsewhere. This paper presents an 18-month field study of an effort to introduce GSSs into the daily work efforts of several components of the staff of the US Navys Commander, Third Fleet (COMTHIRDFLT). An internal champion spearheaded the innovation effort with the assistance of a team of outside GSS experts. The paper presents the background to COMTHIRDFLT, and then describes the steps the team took to create a self-sustaining community of GSS users. The paper presents a summary of the causes of and the barriers to adoption observed during the study in a causal model of adoption and diffusion, and concludes with implications for practitioners and researchers.

The impact of physical environment on performance and satisfaction in the white collar office: an overview of the literature

Jean Wineman1 provided a seminal review of research analyzing the relationship of white collar work environment to job satisfaction and productivity. While previous research had explored the relationship between physical environment and both performance and satisfaction in the industrial workplace, her work was the first summary of findings for that relationship among white collar knowledge workers. This presentation2 updates and re-evaluates the status of current research that analyzes the relationship of white collar work environment on job satisfaction and productivity in office environments. This presentation describes the construction of both the independent and dependent measures used by Wineman, reviews recent research organized by Wineman’s categories, and broaches the subject of how the physical environment impacts collaboration among knowledge workers.

Investigating the impact of advanced technology on trials: the courtroom as a classroom

Advanced technology has made a dramatic entry into courtrooms across the United States. Lawyers and judges who are experienced in the use of technology believe it lends credibility to the presenter and otherwise makes for a more effective presentation and a greater likelihood of success in a trial. However, the support for these views is largely anecdotal. We believe that courtrooms are classrooms where judges and jurors learn the facts of a case under the guidance of attorneys and that the learning process may be enhanced through the use of advanced technology. This paper reports a study that begins the difficult task of systematically investigating the uses of technology as a means of influencing a courtroom learning experience.