Russell Haines

Individual characteristics and ethical decision‐making in an IT context

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose and empirically test an ethical decision‐making model in an information technology (IT) context. The model includes both demographic and personality variables, their direct influence on beliefs and judgments, and their influence on the relationships between beliefs, judgments, and moral intent.Design/methodology/approach – Subjects were assessed on their perceptions of IT ethical scenarios both before and after discussing them with others in a web‐based chat room in order to test the research model.Findings – The results show that gender has the most profound effect on ethical decision‐making, with ego strength also having a strong effect, while locus of control has a negligible effect. Beliefs and judgments about questionable behavior shifted after (a chat) discussion more for those with low ego strength than those with high ego strength.Originality/value – The results suggest that the relationship among factors that influence ethical decision‐making is c...

Situational influences on ethical decision-making in an IT context

Processes of ethical decision-making are thought to depend on the issue faced when making the decision. We examined the processes by examining students reactions to five scenarios involving IT use. Data were collected using a questionnaire following a group discussion. The results showed that ethical decision-making processes did indeed vary by scenario, suggesting that a single-issue approach is inadequate for studying ethical decision-making. Perceived importance of the ethical issue was a factor in the scenarios, but it did not have an all-inclusive influence on the decision-making of the participants. The results were considered in the context of theories and Masons ethical issues of the information age. We offer advice to managers on how to limit unethical behavior.

A new perspective on de-individuation via computer-mediated communication

Research examining de-individuation via computer-mediated communication (CMC) suggests that group pressure is more pronounced in CMC-using groups than in groups meeting face to face, because CMC strips away non-verbal cues and makes individuals feel more similar to the others in their group. Similarly, electronic voting research suggests that group influence is more pronounced via group support systems when the opinions of others are communicated in real time. However, recent research involving complete anonymity suggests that group influence is mitigated via anonymous CMC because of a lack of awareness of others. Thus, we propose that increased group influence is facilitated when others’ opinions are communicated, and is heightened with the common identity created through the use of nominal labels. This paper reports the results of a laboratory experiment involving groups making an organization decision via a text-based chat room. The results show that a simple electronic voting interface element increased the amount of group influence on individual members, and led to decreased participation and higher dispensability.

The Influence of workspace awareness on group intellective decision effectiveness

Workspace awareness is an understanding of members’ interactions within a shared workspace, and has been a fundamental concern to researchers examining how groups using group support systems can be more effective as they design and develop physical artifacts. We provide theoretical and empirical evidence that workspace awareness can be a significant factor influencing the effectiveness of groups employing group support systems for the development of intangible artifacts, such as decision quality and consensus. The workspace awareness literature typically does not examine causal relationships within awareness. We develop a theoretical model that divides workspace awareness into three elements (presence, behavior, and insight awareness), which are important for group decision tasks, and provide empirical evidence that: (1) understanding the reasons behind group member behaviors (insight awareness) is key to increasing decision quality and consensus; (2) greater insight awareness can be obtained when an individual is better able to track and characterize others’ behaviors (behavior awareness); and (3) behavior awareness depends on an individuals ability to identify and distinguish among the different individuals within the group (presence awareness). Empirical support is derived from a laboratory experiment.

Group development in virtual teams

In an experiment, virtual teams developed over time.Members could communicate freely, had clear goals, and might work together again.All teams worked effectively by the end of the exercise.A sequential development process was found.Negative effects due to conformity were observed in early stages of development. Virtual teams are thought to be experienced differently and to have poor outcomes because there is little or no face-to-face interaction and a tendency for virtual team members to use different communication techniques for forming relationships. However, the expanding use of virtual teams in organizations suggests that virtual teams in real world contexts are able to overcome these barriers and be experienced in much the same way as face-to-face teams. This paper reports the result of an experiment in which virtual teams participated in an exercise where they completed an information-sharing task ten times as a team. The results suggest that, contrary to one-shot, ad hoc virtual teams, longer-lived virtual teams follow a sequential group development process. Virtual team development appears to differ from face-to-face teams because the use of computer-mediated communication heightens pressure to conform when a virtual team is first formed, meaning trust is most strongly linked with feeling that the team was accomplishing the task appropriately. As the virtual teams developed, trust in peers was more strongly linked with goal commitment. Once the teams were working together effectively, accomplishing the task appropriately was the strongest link with trust in peers. I suggest that virtual team managers should cultivate virtual workspaces that are similar to those proven to work in face-to-face contexts: (1) teams should have clear, specific goals, (2) members should be encouraged or even required to communicate with each other, and (3) team members should feel that they might work with the other team members again.

Computer-mediated group influence on ethical behavior

Drawing on previous research in ethical behavior in information technology, this study examines the effects of group discussion, using virtual teams, on an individuals intention to behave ethically/unethically. It was hypothesized that behavioral intention would be influenced by an individuals attitude (toward ethical behavior), personal normative beliefs, ego strength, locus of control, perceived importance, gender and the scenario, and that computer-mediated group discussion would impact an individuals ethical behavioral intention. This was tested through an experiment using five different ethical scenarios involving information technology. The results show that for two of the five scenarios, individual behavioral intention was significantly more unethical after computer-mediated group discussion than before, while for one scenario, individual behavioral intention was significantly more ethical after computer-mediated group discussion than before. The results of this study may help organizations to develop realistic training programs for IT professionals that account for changes in employees personal ethical models after interacting with others.

Contextual factors affecting the integration of enterprise systems in post-merger oil and gas companies

This study examines the contextual factors of the external business environment, organization, information systems, and enterprise system software as they affect integration of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems after a merger or acquisition in the oil and gas industry. A multiple case study method using primary and secondary data revealed: ERPs are operational necessities rather than strategic differentiators; best practice adoption is a viable alternative that supports successful integration of cultures and knowledge from two experienced organizations; schedules are extended when best practices from both companies are consolidated into a single instance; consolidation facilitates Sarbanes-Oxley compliance and lowers the cost of ownership; imposing acquirer systems on targets facilitates timely decision-making and shorter schedules.

Influences of different ethical issues on ethical decision-making in an IT context

This paper reports the results of a laboratory experiment involving the discussion of ethical scenarios. Groups discussed five ethical scenarios centered on the use of information technology, involving issues of privacy, intellectual property, use of company equipment for non-work activities, and modification of company software for personal gain. Data were collected via questionnaire before and after the discussion. The results show that ethical decision making processes vary by scenario, with perceived importance of an ethical issue and moral obligation to act being strong, but not all-inclusive influences on the link between attitude toward questionable behavior and intention to engage in the behavior. The results are discussed in the context of several models of ethical decision-making and suggestions are given for future research. Managers are advised on how to limit unethical behavior.

Social Motivation Consequences of Activity Awareness Practices in Virtual Teams: A Case Study and Experimental Confirmation

People working in teams must maintain awareness of each other’s activities in order to coordinate their activities and improve team performance. Members of virtual teams find it difficult to develop cohesively because members are unable to directly observe each other. In this paper, we report the results of a case study in which we explored how distributed team members used computer mediated communication to maintain awareness of each other’s activities. The consequences of providing awareness of one’s activities went beyond improving coordination and had effects on connectedness and social motivation. Based on these results, we hypothesized that awareness would have a significant impact on social motivation through feelings of connectedness. This was confirmed via a laboratory experiment. Thus, organizations that implement computer mediated communication technologies are advised to consider the social motivation effects of their use. Designers and users of mediated communication technology are similarly advised to consider latent social motivation effects that might occur in organizational teams as a result of their use in practices for maintaining awareness.

The Impact of Technology Availability and Structural Guidance on Group Development in Workgroups Using Computer-Mediated Communication

ABSTRACT This article examines how technology and structural guidance influence the development of workgroups using computer-mediated communication (CMC). The results of two experiments support the notion that CMC workgroups develop over time in a similar manner to face-to-face groups. Technology availability had minimal, fleeting effects on group development. Structural guidance had a more pronounced effect, increasing feelings of belonging and goal commitment in newly formed groups, but lowering feelings of trust in maturing groups.