Using Internet-Based, Distributed Collaborative Writing Tools to Improve Coordination and Group Awareness in Writing Teams
IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication (IEEETPC), Vol. 46, No. 4, pp. 277-297, 2003
22 Pages Posted: 14 Feb 2005 Last revised: 2 Aug 2014
Abstract
This paper argues for using specialized collaborative writing (CW) tools to improve the results of distributed, internet-based writing teams. The key features of collaborative tools that support enhanced coordination and group awareness are compared to existing writing tools. The first internet-based CW tool, Collaboratus, is introduced, and its group features are compared with those of Microsoft Word. Next, theoretical propositions, hypotheses, and constructs are formulated to predict outcomes of distributed groups that use CW tools. A four-week-long synchronous-distributed experiment then compares the outcomes of Collaboratus and Word groups. Innovative measures show that Collaboratus groups generally experience better outcomes than Word groups, in terms of productivity, document quality, relationships, and communication, but not in terms of satisfaction.
The results buttress the conclusion that internet-based CW teams can benefit from specialized collaborative technologies that provide enhanced coordination, group awareness, and CW activity support.
Keywords: Collaborative writing (CW), distributed work, group awareness, group support systems, group writing, media richness theory
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?
Recommended Papers
-
By Dongsong Zhang, Paul Benjamin Lowry, ...
-
By Tom Roberts, Paul Benjamin Lowry, ...
-
By Paul Benjamin Lowry, Jay F. Nunamaker, ...
-
Research on Process Structure for Distributed, Asynchronous Collaborative Writing Groups
-
By Paul Benjamin Lowry, Nicholas C. Romano, ...
-
By Paul Benjamin Lowry, Tom Roberts, ...
-
Culture and Media Effects on Group Decision Making Under Majority Influence
By Dongsong Zhang, Paul Benjamin Lowry, ...
-
By Paul Benjamin Lowry, Aaron Mosiah Curtis, ...
-
Research on Proximity Choices for Distributed, Asynchronous Collaborative Writing Groups