Measuring the effectiveness of collaboration technology

Collaboration technologies are seeing widespread adoption and implementation at all levels of organizations. However, managers and information technology professionals often have difficulty identifying the appropriate technology for their project teams. Another difficulty related to collaboration technology is demonstrating a measurable increase in performance to justify costs. Thus, there is a genuine interest in our community to find theories and methods that guide the appropriate selection and application of collaboration technology. In the second year of the minitrack and we have four papers that examine the effectiveness of a range of collaborative technologies including videoconferencing, group support systems, and virtual communities. Each paper addresses certain aspects of collaboration technology effectiveness and offers theoretical insight to researchers as well as practical implications for practitioners working in the field. The first paper, entitled "Does fit matter? the impact of fit on collaboration technology effectiveness over time", by Robert M. Fuller, and Alan R. Dennis examines the issue of task-technology fit from multiple theoretical perspectives. The authors present the results of a longitudinal experiment that compares performance measures of poor-fit and fit teams over multiple uses. The second paper, entitled "Measuring the acceptance of collaboration technology for knowledge development and exchange in virtual communities", by Malte Geib, Christian Braun, and Lutz Kolbe examines the utilization rates of two virtual communities designed to support learning and knowledge exchange. The authors identify which types of functions are more likely to be adopted by users. The third paper, entitled "Contrasting time mode and sensory modality in the performance of computer mediated groups using asynchronous videoconferencing," by Kristine L. Nowak, James Watt, and Joseph B. Walther examines the effectiveness of asynchronous video conferencing. The authors compare the performance of face-to-face interacting teams to teams supported with asynchronous video conferencing. The fourth paper, entitled "Creative approaches to measuring creativity: comparing the effectiveness of four divergence thinkLets", by Eric L. Santanen, Robert O. Briggs, and Ge- rt-Jan de Vreede presents four techniques for enhancing the creativity of brainstorming groups. The authors present the results of an experiment that sets out to identify effective processes for increasing the effectiveness of teams working on creativity tasks.