Does Collaborative Technology Benefit Collaboration? Evidence of a Mixed Methods Study

EasyChair Preprint 1136

Abstract

Previous collaborative governance frameworks and models primarily depicted macro-level interorganizational collaboration dynamics. A complete understanding of such interorganizational collaboration, however, requires typically knowledge of micro-level intraorganizational collaborative behaviors forming foundations of these macro-level phenomena. Moreover, the common collaboration practices call for the use of technology, particularly collaborative technology, to facilitate communication and improve performance. This study thus focuses on the dynamics of intraorganizational collaboration and how the use of new collaborative technology affects collaboration process and performance. Build on the findings, it further examines the contextual factors relevant to technology effectiveness in collaboration. This study uses a mixed methods approach that contains experiment and interview data collection and analysis. Findings indicate that the use of collaborative technology does not guarantee better collaboration process and performance. Good results require supportive organizational and technological environment such as sustained leadership, planning, stakeholder engagement, mechanisms of communication, and learning. Among them, commitment from all collaboration parties to real collaboration and engagement is the key.

Keyphrases: Performance, collaboration, collaborative technology, experiment

@booklet{EasyChair:1136,
  author    = {Xian Gao},
  title     = {Does Collaborative Technology Benefit Collaboration? Evidence of a Mixed Methods Study},
  howpublished = {EasyChair Preprint 1136},
  year      = {EasyChair, 2019}}