HCI 760 (37) Learning From Notes

&The Hidden message s in

computer networks

Ohud Saud

Learning from “Learning from Notes”

Judith S. OlsonUniversity of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

About the author

Judith Olson holds the Donald Bren Interdisciplinary Chair of Information and Computer Sciences in the Department of Informatics, the Merage School of Business and the School of Social Ecology at the University of California at Irvine.

Prior to this she was the Richard Pew Professor of Human Computer Interaction at the School of Information and the Ross School of Business and the Department of Psychology at the University of Michigan.

Her research has spanned cognitive modeling, studies of group use of a shared editor and electronic whiteboards, field studies of teamwork both collocated and remote, laboratory studies of the value of video for productivity and trust building, and organizational simulations of remote work, and agent base models of in-group behavior. She was in the initial class of inductees to the CHI Academy, and in 2006, along with her collaborator and husband, Gary, was given the CHI Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2009, she was made a Fellow of the ACM.

LEARNING FROM NOTES:Organizational Issues in Groupware Implementation

Prof. W. J. Orlikowski

Professor of Information Technologies and Organization Studies at MIT's Sloan School of Mgmt

Ph.D., Stern School of Business at New York University

Eaton-Peabody Chair of Communication Sciences at MIT

Senior editor for Organization Science

Research Interests:Information technologies and organizing structuresGroupware technologies, electronic media in

organizationsWorking virtuallySocial and economic implications of Internet

technology use in organizations (5 year project - NSF)

IntroductionIntroduction of groupware into an organization Results affected by

People’s mental modelsOrganization’s structureOrganization’s culture

On it’s own, groupware unlikely to lead to group workCase study – Lotus Notes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ry2qcJsmbV0

Goal of the study

To investigate whether and how the use of a collaborative tool changes the nature of work

Does it relate to social interactions in the office?

Def. of GROUPWARE• "Groupware is a generic term for specialized computer

aids that are designed for the use of collaborative work groups. Typically, these groups are small, project-oriented teams that have important tasks and tight deadlines... Sometimes, groupware is used by permanent groups or departments...Group interactions may be formal or informal, spontaneous or planned, structured or unstructured."

(Johansen, 1988; see also Engelbart, 1963, 1968; Hiltz and Turoff, 1978; Stevens, 1981; Hiltz and Kerr, 1981; Kerr and Hiltz, 1982; Rice 1984)

Research Site and Methods Large Services Firm (Alpha Corporation)Studied 1 office over 5 months, 90+ interviews Hierarchical (4 levels) Matrix form –

client work - local offices, decentralized management centralized at head quarters office

Phase where Lotus Notes has just been introduced to “leverage the expertise of our firm”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPvObUhXQDM

Research resultsBackground Cognitive ElementsStructural Elements

Cognitive Elements Communication about Notes Top-down approach; user pull Rapid installation

Training on Notes

Self-study (Video tape, workbook)

Classroom training (4 hours, hands on exercises by computer support

personnel)Did not emphasize collaborative nature or

possible business value Training resembled that of personal

productivity tools

Structural Elements Reward Systems Senior Consultants and Managers

Stress on “billable hours”Skeptic – so unwilling to spend personal time Time spent on Notes “less legitimate” Use of Notes seen as potentially disrupting

PrincipalsLess pre-occupied with time constraints Less concerned about “billable hours”Willing to take a longer-term, firm-wide

perspective on Notes

Structural Elements (Cont.) Policies and ProceduresNo explicit procedures and policies around Notes Security concerns Anxiety over personal liability, embarrassmentAmbiguity – especially in local offices May have inhibited wider application of Notes

Structural Elements (Cont.) Firm culture and Work norms Principals

Tenured – “fraternal culture”More focused on interests of the firm

Levels below principal Competitive environmentLittle precedent, incentive for cooperationLess acceptance of collaborative features

TechnologistsShare technical expertise

Summary of the findings Effective Utilization of groupware affected by:

People’s cognitions and mental models about their technology and work

Structural properties of the organization – Policies, norms, reward systems

If people do not understand the technology, they will interpret it in terms of something they do understand

Success of groupware depends on the degree of collaboration, effort, cooperation …

it depends on the group !!

Discussion• How do you devise a game plan if you have never played

the game before? • The author stresses that despite the organization’s

hurdles early in the adoption process, it’s still unclear whether or not the deployment of Notes was a success. Would you say that it’s still possible for an organization like this one to fully recover from a botched implementation, or has the damage already been done? (jpautsch )

Structuration theory (Giddens 1986)

• Structure is what gives form and shape to social life, but it is not itself the form and shape. Structure exists only in and through the activities of human agents (Giddens 1989: 256). Similarly, he departed from the idea of agency as something just ‘contained’ within the individual. Agency does not refer to people’s intentions in doing things but rather to the flow or pattern of people’s actions

The hidden messages in computer networks • Sara Kiesleruniversity’s Hillman Professor of Computer Science and Human-Computer Interaction.

About the authorInstitution• Carnegie Mellon

UniversityCurrent Position• Hillman Professor of

Computer Science and Human-Computer Interaction

Highest Degree• Ph.D. in Psychology

Primary interest: • Applied Social Psychology• Communication,

Language• Group Processes• Health Psychology• Internet and Virtual

Psychology• Interpersonal Processes• Nonverbal Behavior• Organizational Behavior• Social Cognition

Quote “Observers have identified a potential for major

improvements in organizational productivity made possible through the use of personal computers

serving as a means to link people into task-oriented teams.”

• GROUPWARE IN PRACTICE: AN INTERPRETATION OF WORK EXPERIENCE• Christine V. Bullen John L Bennett

• 1990

Technology effects• New technology has three orders of effects• 1- The intended technical effects • 2- The transient effects • 3- The unintended social effects • Smart executives try to make decisions about

technology that win on the first order, minimize losses on the second, and retain flexibility and options on the third.

A tale of two technologies

The elevator • intended effect - use of energy and space. • transient effects - people were afraid. • unintentional effects – building skyscraper, change people

social interaction. The telephone • transient effects - no privacy• More social effects

Emails Computer-mediated communication technology(CMC):• Computer-Mediated Communication is a process of

human communication via computers, involving people, situated in particular contexts, engaging in processes to shape media for a variety of purposes.

Discussion- What are the hidden effects of this technology on our

lives?

- what are the new forms of social interactions that appear due to using technology?

The management issues Communication effectiveness. • results m acceptable outcomes and actions that meet

people's goals Managerial discretion and organizational control. • management makes the policy decisions about who has

access to that information and who can act on it. Organizational social life. • Is it necessary ?Decision-making policy Do you think that decision making need to be do face-to-face as the author suggest?

Discussion • Does a computer network make managers more effective?• When introducing computer mail into an organization, do

managers spend less time in decision making?• What kind of computer conference system is best suited to

long-distance management?• What are the changes technologies make that people care

about the most?

~Thank You ~