Selecting communication media for distributed communities

Heeren, E.; Lewis, Robert

doi:10.1046/j.1365-2729.1997.00011.x

Cited by 19 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Wiesenberg and Hutton (1996) identified three major challenges for the designer: increased time for delivery of the course (they estimate two or three times what is necessary for a traditional course), creating a on-line community, and encouraging students to become independent learners. Heeren and Lewis (1997) suggest matching the media with the task, keeping lean media (for example, e-mail) for tasks that do not require much interaction, and reserving rich media for things that require more interaction and broader spectrum of activity (face-to-face). Reid and Woolf (1996) discuss the benefits of integrating on-line components into traditional classes, such as accessibility, learner control, heightened communication, access to worldwide resources, and the potential for a more student-centered environment.…”

Section: Lessons From the Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

On‐Line Education: A Study of Emerging Pedagogy

Schrum¹

1998

New Dir Adult Contin Educ

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Students are beginning to expect access to new models for lifelong learning. Many institutions are feeling pressure to offer on-line courses, yet most faculty and administrators are ill prepared to do so effectively. This chapter identifies significant issues in the development of such courses, including ways to create interaction between and among learners, drawing on research, on the experiences of the author in teaching on-line courses, and on interviews with instructors, potential instructors, and students of on-line courses.Examples of traditional courses offered with a variety of telecommunications methods (e-mail, computer conferencing, satellite delivery) have been discussed in the literature (Harasim, 1993;Hiltz, 1990;Rice-Lively, 1994;Schrum, 1992;Sproull and Kiesler, 1991). In the majority of these courses, instruction is delivered entirely or principally via computer-mediated communications (CMC). These and other studies suggest that this form of education is effective for well-motivated students. More important, they indicate that traditional courses cannot be delivered effectively through CMC without significant changes.The impact of on-line courses has only begun to be investigated. To date, the traditional distance education literature has focused on the design and implementation of correspondence, compressed video, or satellite broadcast delivery courses. That literature provides some parallels, but does not directly inform the design and development of on-line courses.Large numbers of community colleges, continuing education centers, universities, and private training enterprises have expanded their programs to include courses delivered partially or entirely on-line, and many other organizations are considering implementing such courses. Institutions are feeling

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Section: Lessons From the Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

On‐Line Education: A Study of Emerging Pedagogy

Schrum¹

1998

New Dir Adult Contin Educ

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“…Consequently, it seems likely that while team members still need to coordinate their actions, they can do so using leaner media to save the time and effort that would have to be devoted to meeting face-to-face. In fact, as Heeren and Lewis (1997) argue, in situations where a shared understanding has already been developed, leaner media are both more effective and efficient than richer media. They further assert that teams transition from more intentional levels of group activity, such as the development of a shared understanding to a functional level, where plans are developed to an operational level, where activities are carried out according to those plans.…”

Section: H2mentioning

confidence: 99%

Teams, Time, and Technology: Variations of Media Use Over Project Phases

Handke

Schulte

Schneider

et al. 2019

Small Group Research

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While the notion of task–media fit is inherent to most theories on communication in virtual teams, past studies have largely concentrated on single, isolated tasks—hence neglecting sequential and contextual effects of media use. Building on project management frameworks, this study abstracts from the task level to the broader and more practical level of project phases, linking these to changes in media use. In particular, the study illustrates the weekly use of communication media within 34 student teams during a 3-month project. In line with team process phase models, results showed differences in media use between project phases: While face-to-face communication decreased, the use of leaner media (i.e., telephone and chat) increased in later project phases. Moreover, the variation of media use within the project phases increased over time, emphasizing the temporal dynamics of task–media fit. Finally, implications especially for project managers and recommendations for further research are discussed.

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“…Prior research suggests that effects of computer-mediated communication on team performance are dependent upon contextual variables such as phases of team development (Maruping & Agarwal, 2004), the nature of the team's task (Heeren & Lewis, 1997), the project phase (Green, Mazzuchi, & Sarkani, 2010), or team composition (Lau & Murnighan, 2005). Team composition in terms of team members' demographic attributes has been discussed to shape the social context of a team and, thus, facilitate or hinder team processes (Joshi & Roh, 2009).…”

Section: Faultlines As a Contextual Factormentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Media Compensation on Team Performance: The Role of Demographic Faultlines

Straube

Meinecke

Schneider

et al. 2018

Small Group Research

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Modern-day communication in teams is characterized by a frequent and flexible use of various communication technologies. To understand the relationship between this new way of communication and team performance, research suggests incorporating contextual factors. In this study, we explore the role of demographic faultlines and subsequent subgroup formation using data from 164 students nested in 34 software engineering teams working together over the course of 14 weeks. Multilevel modeling revealed a three-way interaction between media richness, communication intensity, and demographic faultlines on team performance. Weak faultline teams evaluated their performance more positively when they compensated for low communication intensity by using richer communication channels and vice versa. In contrast, strong faultline teams were less able to adapt their communication behavior to increase performance. We discuss theoretical implications for team communication and diversity research and provide guidelines for improving communication in diverse teams.

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Selecting communication media for distributed communities

Cited by 19 publications

References 11 publications

On‐Line Education: A Study of Emerging Pedagogy

On‐Line Education: A Study of Emerging Pedagogy

Teams, Time, and Technology: Variations of Media Use Over Project Phases

Effects of Media Compensation on Team Performance: The Role of Demographic Faultlines

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