Group Communication Patterns Research Articles

Lesson learned: organizational realities influence KMS implementation

PurposeThis case study aims to describe the lessons learned from the implementation of a Lessons Learned Knowledge Management System (LLKMS) at Global Safety Assistance (GSA), a US Department of Defense contractor working in support of a global security initiative.Design/methodology/approachThe case study was designed around five related objectives to examine the knowledge integration and transfer processes of GSA. Schwandt's Organizational Learning Systems Model (OLSM) was used to conceptualize the study and inform the findings. The OLSM describes the organizational transformation process whereby information is converted into useful knowledge. The authors worked collaboratively with GSA staff to gather observations about GSA knowledge integration strategies and their relative effectiveness through semi‐structured interviews, participant observation, and the analysis of internal documents.FindingsGSA's LLKMS implementation strategy attempted to simultaneously change organizational culture, individual behavior, group communication patterns, and technology use. This strategy inhibited the implementation of the LLKMS because it underestimated the impact of key organizational realities such as the silo structure, existing communication patterns and information sharing processes, and critical elements of the organizational culture.Originality/valueThis paper discusses GSA's implementation strategy, identifies specific challenges resulting from the attempt to simultaneously change multiple organizational processes and individual behaviors, and provides practical recommendations for future LLKMS implementations.

Using group communication to monitor web‐based group learning

Abstract In a web group‐learning environment, students must communicate with other group members on the Internet to accomplish group projects and share knowledge. Communication is likely to affect performance and so analysing the relationship between communicative relationships and group performance may help teachers to monitor groups effectively. Certain tasks are necessary to perform such an analysis — recording group communication, extracting communication relationships and determining the relationship between group communication and group performance. This study developed a method for determining relationships and rules for predicting performance to enable teachers to take act appropriately according to the predicted performance of the group. Four group performance indicators are considered — average grades within a group, project grade, frequency of resource‐sharing and drop‐out rate. Experimental results are presented, concerning the application of the methodology to a web class of 706 students, divided into 70 groups. The experimental results show that group communication patterns significantly affect group performance.

CSCW-based system development methodology for health-care information systems.

Health-care organizations are now moving toward integrated delivery systems to provide high-quality care, as they are being held to an ever-increasing scope of accountabilities. Distributed applications such as telemedicine and electronic patient records (EPR) are seen as key requirements for the future to deliver cost effective and high-quality health-care services. This initiative would provide dynamic environments for health professionals to access patient information and thereby increase the decision-making capacities on patient care procedures. Although telemedicine applications and EPR contribute to the improvement of healthcare services, poor communication mechanisms and practices negatively impact on quality of service (QoS) in teamwork environments of patient care. Awareness and responsiveness are becoming important factors in dynamic group collaborative work environments in healthcare facilities. This paper reports on a detailed case study of group communication patterns in a patient service environment. Further, an ethnographic approach that addresses group communications patterns, identifies tools and techniques in light of Computer-Supported Collaborative Work (CSCW), which requires the application of a number of disciplines including sociology, organizational science, psychology, and computer science. In cooperative work environments, it is important to understand the activities of others for human interaction and communication in general. This is very important for future development of CSCW-based distributed architectures that focus on the challenges of improving QoS in healthcare environments.

Understanding the Influence of Perceived Norms on Behaviors

Although a number of studies demonstrate the impact of perceived norms on human behavior we know little about how this relation works. Extant norms-based campaigns to reduce alcohol consumption among U.S. college students fail to distinguish between descriptive and injunctive norms. In this article we make this distinction and we develop a model of normative influences that also includes the impact of group identity and communication patterns of students alcohol consumption. Based on a survey of college students (N = 353) we found that descriptive and injunctive norms were different in terms of their impact on behavior. Furthermore the inclusion of group identity and communication patterns significantly added to the explanatory power of our model. Overall we were able to explain roughly 53% of the variance in consumption. (authors)

Socialization in Virtual Groups

Virtual groups, that communicate and coordinate their activities using information technology, continue to become prevalent as an organizational form (Ahuja & Carley, 199 9). Research in this area, however, is still in its infancy. Specifically, extant research provides little insight into how new members are socialized into virtual groups using electronic communication. This paper examines the influence of member tenure on individual communication patterns in virtual groups. A content analysis of e-mail communication among members of the group during a 3-month period showed that in virtual groups, newcomers primarily exhibit an information seeking mode in their communication and established members exhibit an information providing mode. Interestingly, and contrary to expectations, newcomers did actively engage in discussions regarding cognitive information, perhaps helped by the comfort provided by a lean and faceless electronic communication medium. However, the limited anonymity provided by the electronic media did not translate into newcomers seeking normative and regulative information in explicit ways, implying a need for organizational mechanisms aimed at virtual member socialization.

Socialization in Virtual Groups

Virtual groups, that communicate and coordinate their activities using information technology, continue to become prevalent as an organizational form ( Ahuja & Carley, 1999). Research in this area, however, is still in its infancy. Specifically, extant research provides little insight into how new members are socialized into virtual groups using electronic communication. This paper examines the influence of member tenure on individual communication patterns in virtual groups. A content analysis of e-mail communication among members of the group during a 3-month period showed that in virtual groups, newcomers primarily exhibit an information seeking mode in their communication and established members exhibit an information providing mode. Interestingly, and contrary to expectations, newcomers did actively engage in discussions regarding cognitive information, perhaps helped by the comfort provided by a lean and faceless electronic communication medium. However, the limited anonymity provided by the electronic media did not translate into newcomers seeking normative and regulative information in explicit ways, implying a need for organizational mechanisms aimed at virtual member socialization.

Does the Group Conductor Make a Difference? Communication Patterns in Group-Analytically and Cognitive-Behaviourally Oriented Therapy Groups

This article focuses on a research study analysing communication patterns in groups and how the group conductor may influence these. Videotapes from five group-analytically oriented and five cognitive-behaviourally oriented time-limited group therapies with moderately alcohol-dependent patients were analysed by means of the System for Analysing Verbal Interaction (SAVI). The most striking finding was the similarities in communication patterns in the groups and between the therapists. There were, however; also some significant differences. More empathic verbal acts were expressed in the group analytically oriented groups, while there were more verbal signs of competition in the cognitive behavioral groups. The group analytically oriented therapists were actively influencing the process in the beginning of therapy. The other therapists were more stable in their communication pattern during the whole therapy. It seemed that the therapists influenced the communication pattern during the initial and middle phases of therapy, but that the group as whole determined the communication pattern during the later phases of therapy.

Does the Group Conductor Make a Difference? Communication Patterns in Group-Analytically and Cognitive-Behaviourally Oriented Therapy Groups

This article focuses on a research study analysing communication patterns in groups and how the group conductor may influence these. Videotapes from five group-analytically oriented and five cognitive-behaviourally oriented time-limited group therapies with moderately alcohol-dependent patients were analysed by means of the System for Analysing Verbal Interaction (SAVI). The most striking finding was the similarities in communication patterns in the groups and between the therapists. There were, however; also some significant differences. More empathic verbal acts were expressed in the group analytically oriented groups, while there were more verbal signs of competition in the cognitive behavioral groups. The group analytically oriented therapists were actively influencing the process in the beginning of therapy. The other therapists were more stable in their communication pattern during the whole therapy. It seemed that the therapists influenced the communication pattern during the initial and middle phases of therapy, but that the group as whole determined the communication pattern during the later phases of therapy.

Communication patterns in distributed work groups: a network analysis

Many of today's telecommuters are knowledge workers who require substantial communications to perform their jobs. The research presented investigates the nature of communication links between individuals in two work groups comprised of both telecommuters and nontelecommuters. Communication network analysis is used to map the communications in the groups and identify blocks of individuals. Blocks are groups of individuals with high levels of communication linkages among them. Work setting, gender, job type, tenure, and number of telecommuting days are investigated as potential factors in determining individuals' membership in blocks. There appears to be a tendency for telecommuters to communicate more with other telecommuters as well as for females to communicate more with one another. However, only job type was statistically related to block membership. These results indicate that there is a limited impact of telecommuting on the communication structure of work groups, which should reduce potential concerns of telecommuters about being left out of the office network. They should also reduce managers' concerns about having knowledge transfer and assimilation of corporate culture differences between telecommuting and nontelecommuting employees.

Work relationships and media use: A social network analysis

Our research provided empirical evidence about the alternative means of communication used by 25 members of a research group who had available to them: unscheduled face-to-face encounters, sheduled face-to-face meetings, electronic mail, telephone, fax, and desktop videoconferencing. The intent of our research is to learn whether there are elements in existing group communication patterns that suggest how future communication systems can be designed or selected to fit the actual work relationships of a group. A detailed social network survey provided information about what members of the group communicated about, how they communicated, and with whom they communicated. Most communication was done through a combination of media, but predominately through unscheduled encounters, electronic mail, and scheduled meetings; people rarely videoconferenced, telephoned, or faxed. Factor analysis reduced the 24 work relationships to six distinct dimensions: receiving work, giving work, collaborative writing, major emotional support, sociability, and computer programming. The proportion in which the three main media were used varied according to the nature of the work dimension. Our findings suggest that a multivariate perspective that considers group norms and practices, social networks, and work dimensions is necessary to analyze media use.

We Are Not Your Mothers:

A therapist reflects on the isolating effect of ageist stereotyping on women over sixty. She identifies our need to be seen and be heard. She reports on a support group and a therapy group for women over sixty, focusing on group formation, dynamics, communication patterns, and content of discussions.

Guide to the Micro Galaxy: an Investigation into Communication Patterns in Small Groups

Abstract The author describes how, using models similar to molecular structures given in the study of physics, different tensions, power sources and patterns of interaction arise. He conjectures with the observations derived and discusses the implications for work groups and organizations.

External threat and the definition of deviance.

Research ( Lauderdale , 1976; Schachter , 1951) suggests that an external threat to a group can lead to the rejection of deviant members of the group and alteration of group communication patterns and solidarity. This study sought to extend those findings, integrate them with concepts from Simmel 's (1917/1955) work on group conflict, and link them to key issues in the societal reaction approach to deviant behavior. We examined the effect of variation in level of threat, the relationship between deviant status and nonconformity to the central task norm, the role of high-status actors in deviance designation, the relationship between rejection and negative definition of the deviant, and the effects of rejection and negative definition on group solidarity. Hypotheses were tested in an experimental design involving three conditions (strong threat, weak threat, and no threat). The results suggest that (a) the level of threat is directly related to the extent of rejection and negative definition, (b) nonconformity to the central task norm is not systematically related to deviant status, (c) high-status actors are more involved in the rejection of the deviant, (d) sociometric rejection of the deviant is accompanied by negative definition in the strong-threat condition, and (e) the level of group solidarity is related to the extent of rejection and negative definition. Implications of these findings are discussed relative to the societal reaction approach to deviant behavior and analogous processes in other social groups.

External threat and the definition of deviance.

Research ( Lauderdale , 1976; Schachter , 1951) suggests that an external threat to a group can lead to the rejection of deviant members of the group and alteration of group communication patterns and solidarity. This study sought to extend those findings, integrate them with concepts from Simmel 's (1917/1955) work on group conflict, and link them to key issues in the societal reaction approach to deviant behavior. We examined the effect of variation in level of threat, the relationship between deviant status and nonconformity to the central task norm, the role of high-status actors in deviance designation, the relationship between rejection and negative definition of the deviant, and the effects of rejection and negative definition on group solidarity. Hypotheses were tested in an experimental design involving three conditions (strong threat, weak threat, and no threat). The results suggest that (a) the level of threat is directly related to the extent of rejection and negative definition, (b) nonconformity to the central task norm is not systematically related to deviant status, (c) high-status actors are more involved in the rejection of the deviant, (d) sociometric rejection of the deviant is accompanied by negative definition in the strong-threat condition, and (e) the level of group solidarity is related to the extent of rejection and negative definition. Implications of these findings are discussed relative to the societal reaction approach to deviant behavior and analogous processes in other social groups.

Systematic techniques for solving nonlinear communications

An explanation of differences of individuals in engineering communications skills places common problems in several psychological contexts. Individual and corporate personality types are examined along with standard approaches to improving communications. Group communication patterns are analyzed and systematic techniques are presented which add behavioural psychological considerations to the mechanics of generating valuable communications.

The Impact of Certain Communication Nets Upon Organization and Performance in Task-Oriented Groups

Bavelas, Smith and Leavitt (Bavelas, A. 1950. Communication patterns in task-oriented groups. J. Acoustical Soc. Amer. 22 725–730.) have posed the problem: what effect do communication patterns have upon the operation of groups? To study this problem they designed a laboratory situation that is a prototype of those occurring in “natural” organizations existing in government and business. Each member of the group is given certain information. Their task is to assemble this information, use it to make a decision, and then issue orders based on the decision. This design provides a situation stripped of the complexities of large-scale social groups but retaining some essential characteristics of the organizational communication problem. In it we can examine how the communication net affects simultaneously (a) the development of the organization's internal structure, and (b) the group's performance of its operating task.

Communication Patterns in Task-Oriented Groups

Communication Patterns in Task-Oriented Groups