Kazuo Okamura
ABSTRACT
This study found that the use of a computer conferencing system in an R&D lab was significantly shaped by a set of intervening actors—mediators—who actively guided and manipulated the technology and its use over time. These mediators adapted the technology to its initial context and shaped user interaction with it; over time, they continued to modify the technology and influence use patterns to respond to changing circumstances. We argue that well-managed mediation may be a useful mechanism for shaping technologies to evolving contexts of use, and that it extends our understanding of the powerful role that intervenors can play in helping CSCW applications succeed.
- 1.Beath, C.M. Supporting the information technology champion. MIS Quarterly 15, 3 (September 1991), 355-371. Google Scholar
Digital Library
- 2.Bullen, C.V., and Bennett, J.L. Groupware in practice: An interpretation of work experience. In Proceedings of the Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work (October, Los Angeles, CA), ACM/SIGCHI, NY, 1990, pp. 291-302. Google ScholarDigital Library
- 3.Culnan, M. J. Chauffeured versus end-user access to commercial databases: The effects of tasks and individual differences. MIS Quarterly 7,1 (March 1983), 56-67.Google ScholarDigital Library
- 4.Davis, G.B., and Olson, M.H. Management Information Systems (2nd Ed.), McGraw Hill, New York, 1974. Google ScholarDigital Library
- 5.DeJean, D., and DeJean, S.B. Lotus Notes at Work. Lotus Books, New York, 1991.Google Scholar
- 6.Eisenhardt, K.M. Building theories from case study research. Academy of Management Review 14,4 (1989), 532-550.Google ScholarCross Ref
- 7.Friedman, A.L. Computer Systems Development: History, Organization, and Development. John Wiley, Chichester, UK, 1989. Google ScholarDigital Library
- 8.Grudin, J. Why CSCW applications fail: Problems in the design and evaluation of organizational interfaces. In Proceedings of the Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work (September, Portland, OR), ACM/SIGCHI & SIGOIS, NY, 1988, pp. 85- 93. Google ScholarDigital Library
- 9.Grudin, J. Interactive systems: Bridging the gaps between developers and users. IEEE Computer, (April 1991), 59-69. Google ScholarDigital Library
- 10.Grudin, J. Groupware and social dynamics" Eight challenges for developers. Communications of the ACM 37,1 (January 1994), 93-105. Google ScholarDigital Library
- 11.Henderson, A., and Kyng, M. There's no place like home: Continuing design in use. In J. Greenbaum and M. Kyng (Eds.) Design at Work (pp.219-240). Erlbaum, Hillsdale, NJ, 1991. Google ScholarDigital Library
- 12.Howell, J.M., and Higgins, C.A. Champions of technological innovation, Administrative Science Quarterly 35,2 (1990), 317-341.Google ScholarCross Ref
- 13.Johnson, B.M., and Rice, R.E. Managing Organizational Innovation: The Evolution from Word Processing to Office Information Systems. Columbia University Press, New York, 1987. Google ScholarDigital Library
- 14.Kraemer, K.L., and King, J.L. Computer-based systems for cooperative work and group decision making. ACM Computing Surveys 20,2 (June 1988), 115-146. Google ScholarDigital Library
- 15.Mackay, WE. Users and Customizable Software: A Co-adaptive Phenomenon. Unpublished Ph.D. Thesis, MIT, Cambridge, MA, 1990.Google Scholar
- 16.Maidique, M.A. Entrepreneurs, champions, and technological innovation. Sloan Management Rev~few 21,2 (Winter 1980), 59-76.Google Scholar
- 17.Malone, T.W., Lai, K.Y., and Fry, C. Experiments with OVAL: A radically tailorable tool for cooperative work, Proceedings of the Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work (November, Toronto, Canada), ACM/SIGCHI & SIGOIS, NY, 1992, pp. 289-297. Google ScholarDigital Library
- 18.Markus, M.L. Towards a "critical mass" theory of interactive media: Universal access, interdependence and diffusion. Communication Research 14 (1987), 491-511.Google ScholarCross Ref
- 19.Markus, M.L., and Connolly, T. Why CSCW applications fail: Problems in the adoption of interdependent work tools. In Proceedings of the Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work (October, Los Angeles, CA), ACM/SIGCHI & SIGOIS, NY, 1990, pp. 371-380. Google ScholarDigital Library
- 20.Miles, M.B., and Huberman, A.M. Qualitative Data Publications, Newbury Park, CA, 1984.Google Scholar
- 21.Modesto, M.A. Entrepreneurs, champions, and technological innovation. Sloan Management Review 21,2 (Winter 1980), 59-76.Google Scholar
- 22.Nardi, B.A., and Miller, J.R. An ethnographic study of distributed problem solving in spreadsheet development. In Proceedings of the Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work (October, I~s Angeles, CA), ACM/SIGCHI & SIGOIS, NY, 1990, pp. 197-208. Google ScholarDigital Library
- 23.Orlikowski, W.J. Learning from Notes: Organizational issues in groupware implementation. In Proceedings of the Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work (November, Toronto, Canada), ACM/SIGCHI & SIGOIS, NY, 1992, pp. 362-369. . Google ScholarDigital Library
- 24.Schon, D.A. Champions for radical new inventions. Harvard Business Review 41,2 (March-April 1963), 77-86.Google Scholar
- 25.Strassman, Paul A. Information Payoff: The Transformation of Work in the Electronic Age. The Free Press, New York, 1985.Google Scholar
- 26.Trigg, R.H., and B0dker, S. From implementation to design: Tailoring and the emergence of systematization in CSCW. In Proceedings of the Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work (October, Chapel Hill, NC), ACM/SIGCHI & SIGOIS, NY, 1994. Google ScholarDigital Library
- 27.Von Hippel, E. The Sources of Innovation. Oxford University Press, New York, 1988.Google Scholar
Index Terms
- Helping CSCW applications succeed: the role of mediators in the context of use
Recommendations
Operationalization of technology use and cooperation in CSCW
CSCW '08: Proceedings of the 2008 ACM conference on Computer supported cooperative workResearch in CSCW faces challenges for assessing constructs of technology use and cooperation in context. This study examines a system in a healthcare context, and uses activity as the unit of analysis. An innovative approach to measuring technology use ...
Task Characteristics, Team Processes and Individual Use of Collaboration Technology: Test of a Cross-Level Mediation Model
HICSS '14: Proceedings of the 2014 47th Hawaii International Conference on System SciencesThe increasing complexity of knowledge work and the concomitant use of teams to organize and accomplish such work are leading organizations to invest heavily in collaboration technologies. However, prior research suggests that the productivity gains ...
A Web Service Approach for Providing Context Information to CSCW Applications
LA-WEBMEDIA '04: Proceedings of the WebMedia & LA-Web 2004 Joint Conference 10th Brazilian Symposium on Multimedia and the Web 2nd Latin American Web CongressTo tackle the demand for support to building CSCW applications, one approach has been the provision of reusable components and infrastructures. Regarding the need by CSCW applications to use context information to adapt their services according to ...
Comments