Deconstructing information flow in student groups

Groups, the building blocks of modern knowledge based organizations, are complex adaptive systems composed of individuals who exist within larger structures and who use information as their fuel. To accomplish tasks, groups identify their information needs, find information, and then add pieces together in innovative ways to create something new. These information processes at the heart of group work have been linked to group innovation, creativity and learning, as well as serendipitous or accidental discoveries. Conversely, ineffective or inefficient information processes can result in diminished group effectiveness, and at the far extreme, have contributed to organizational failures such as the space shuttle Challenger disaster. The objective of the research is to examine the workflow process used by student groups to identify how activities are executed and to understand information flow within groups. Using an interdisciplinary task based approach, this research will: a) identify the generic work tasks performed by student groups; b) understand how these tasks fit within a workflow; and c) examine how these tasks are accomplished, focusing on the information tasks and activities required, tools used and needed, information used, the changing roles and participation of individual members, and when and how group cognition is achieved.