Modeling Collaborative and Individual Work Sequences to Improve Information Integration in Hidden Profile Tasks

Abstract

Information exchange and decision making on the group level require complex coordination, which often causes process losses. The present study proposes a sequential model of group task processing that integrates the approaches of Bales, Hollingshead, and McGrath, as well as Dennis and Valacich. It is designed to analyze how hidden profile tasks are processed and to guide information pooling and decision making on the individual and group levels. Further, an experiment was conducted to validate the assumptions of the model. Results show that the use of a group support system that implements a sequential structuring positively affected information exchange, information integration, and prediscussion preferences.