The Development of Working Relationships

Abstract

This chapter explores ways in which computer-mediated communication technology can reduce these difficulties. A set of communication and coordination hypotheses are examined using data collected from seven software development teams. Ad hoc groups are an important way for organizations to respond to rapid changes in the environment and to nonroutine situations. Collaborative work in organizations is frequently accomplished and managed in small work groups, either formal work groups or ad hoc groups. The data for this study were collected from seven software development teams at Carnegie Mellon University in the fall of 1986. The sole activity of the course was to design and build a working computer-based information system for a real client. Computer-mediated communication technology uses computer text-processing and communication tools to provide high-speed information exchange. The culture and imagination of people encountering the technology are just as important as the technology itself in determining how it is developed and used.