Do media really affect perceptions and procedural structuring among partially‐distributed groups?
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/13287260180000758 |
| Published date | 01 June 2001 |
| Pages | 33-58 |
| Date | 01 June 2001 |
| Author | Kelly Burke,Kregg Aytes |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management |
Journal of Systems & Information Technology 5(1) Special Edition
33
DO MEDIA REALLY AFFECT PERCEPTIONS AND
PROCEDURAL STRUCTURING AMONG PARTIALLY-
DISTRIBUTED GROUPS?
Kelly Burke
University of Hawaii at Hilo
Kregg Aytes
Idaho State University
ABSTRACT
Organization efforts in grou ps generate interaction and procedural
structures, or "rules of behavior". The type and extent of structuring are affected
by preexisting preferences amo ng group members for a desired degree o f
procedural order, as well as by the communication media available in the
meeting environment. Analysis of thirty partially-distribute d groups that met
over a series of four sessions was conducted by using two methods.
Questionnaires were ad ministered to ascertain perceptions of satisfaction and
procedural practices. Content analysis was used to determine actual procedu ral
behavioral patterns. It appears that preferences for procedura l order does affect
structuring behaviors, but do not affect their satisfaction with the group process.
Interestingly, and co unter to the exp ectations elicited from a history of media
richness theory and studies, results here indicate that interaction media (video
conferencing vs. audio co nferencing) have n o affect on eith er members'
perceptions of procedural structuring, their satisfaction, or their actual
procedural structuring practices. Implications o f these results are discussed.
Keywords: Group support systems, procedural ordering, media support, interaction
analysis, structuration.
Journal of Systems & Information Technology 5(1) Special Edition
34
OVERVIEW
Practical guidelines for conducting effective meetings usually include suggestions
for structuring meetings through such methods as setting agendas and using prescribed
discussion and decision-making methodologies. In fact, the functional designs of a
number of group support technologies have been predicated on the presumption that it is
essential to provide procedural structures for the group . In the absence of a highly
structured group support system, the effective use of meeting pro cedures may depend on
the use of a facilitator, which is not always practical. Often, the group must determine
how best to structure its activities. To further c omplicate matters, although some
research points to the effectiveness of providing procedural structures to meetings
(Burgoon, et. al. 1974), re sults from other studies suggest that less structured approaches
can also result in effective group decision-making (Hirokawa & Pace, 1983, Mintzberg,
et al., 1976).
Some researchers have argued that individuals exhibit different preferences for
procedural o rdering (Putnam, 1979). Others have suggested that individual preferences
for procedural order mediate the relationship between decision p rocedures and outcomes
(Hirokawa, et al., 1988). Theoretical perspectives like Adaptive Structuration Theory
(AST) view a wide variety of factors, such as the sequence of activities, the pace of the
communication and the communication mode, as po tential sources of structures
(Wheeler & Valacich, 1996). While factors like individual preferences, tec hnologies,
and group interaction may impact the creation o f meeting structures, we know little
about how groups structure their activities. In addition, the ways in which groups meet
are changing rapidly as they learn to use computer and video meeting support
technologies to augment their face-to-face interaction in distributed situations. These
various meeting environments provide new challenges to understanding how groups
structure their activities. This paper describes an investigation of the effects of
communication media and individual preferences on group members' perceptions of
procedural structuring and on their actual procedural behaviors. To give a more ro bust
view of these effects, these partially-distributed work groups were studied during a
series of self-directed meetings, providing a longitudinal view of the effects.
EXISTING THEORY AND RESEARCH
Media Richness
Daft and Lengel (198 6) and T revino, Daft and Lengel (1990) argue that media
vary in the amount and types of information they can deliver within co mparable time
intervals. Therefore, media can be characterized by their capacity to permit information
delivery. Media with relatively more capacity are considered rich media, e.g., face-to-
face interaction, while more restrictive media are lea n media, e.g., written letters. Richer
media allow the simultaneous e xchange of more types of information allowing
communicators to clarify and reduce message ambiguity or equivocality: For instance,
the statement “he’ll probably make the wrong decision” may be interpreted as a critical
remark on the basis of the verbal co ntent alone. When a smile or wink accompanies the
comment, however, a very different meaning may be intended. In such ambiguous
situations, delivery of the intended meaning may be impeded when using media that
filter out one or more parallel or supplemental channels of communication, i.e., the
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