Task, technology, and tailoring in communicative action: An in-depth analysis of group communication

Abstract

Communication is fundamental to team work and it occurs increasingly often in a technology-mediated environment. Understanding how communication evolves in such environments is essential to ensuring that the right technology is provided for whatever task a group needs to accomplish, even if it is not precisely known how the technology is going to be used. With the growing body of research on different tools for supporting computer-mediated groups, we still have much to learn about how communication evolves, where potential breakdowns occur, and how groups tailor technology during the communication process. This paper addresses these important issues by providing an in-depth analysis of two-person dyads that communicated over a web-based set of collaboration tools during a 6-week project. We analyze communication through the lens of communicative action theory, showing how social action unfolds during communication and how groups challenge and resolve validity claims in different task-technology environments. This study contributes by exploring group processes, developing and applying group communication analysis tools, and enhancing theorizing on technology tailoring.