Group Dynamics inVirtual Communities

Fay SudweeksKey Centre of Design

Computing and CognitionUniversity of Sydney

fays@arch.usyd.edu.auwww.arch.usyd.edu.au/~fay

Overview

• Aims of the research• Research questions• Groups • Methodology• Discourse analysis

– Dimensions– Communication categories

• Findings

Aims of the Research

• to explore a research perspective that gives equal attention to both computer mediation and human processes

• to analyse the content of communication and participants’ perspectives within an computer-mediated group to understand more about communication management and developmental patterns in virtual communities

• to evaluate the usefulness of the developed methodology for acquiring a deeper knowledge of communities generally and collaborative groups specifically in a networked environment

• to suggest research questions for further studies

Organisational Issues• What are the developmental processes of a computer-

mediated group (CMG)? • What factors contribute to the effective development of a

CMG? • As a group develops, does it become more cooperative

and cohesive, and is there a sense of group consciousness?

Research Questions

Communication Issues• What are the key communication processes in a CMG?• What are the factors that contribute to effective

communication?• Do changes in communication patterns and

communication management occur during the development of a CMG? If yes, how do these changes occur? Are the changes facilitated by management strategies?

Research Questions

Cultural Issues• In an environment where dramaturgical cues that signal

power and sociocultural distance are weak, do communication patterns vary amongst people from different cultural backgrounds?

• Does the group as a system become more homogeneous, i.e. less culturally diverse and more consistent in linguistic registers?

• Does a networked environment facilitate the development of “cybersocialism”?

Research Questions

• A methodology that combines qualitative and quantitative analyses in an integrated approach.

• A case study of a collaborating group which emerged from a broader environment and created its own shared aims and purposes in a networked environment.

Significance of the Research

“A collection of individuals who perceive themselves to be members of the same social category, share some emotional involvement in this common definition of themselves, and achieve some degree of social consensus about the evaluation of their group and of their membership in it.”

(Tajfel and Turner, 1986)

Groups

Definition

“A collection of individuals who are conscious of belonging to a group, and are conscious that there are individuals who do not belong to the group.”

• Response to concerns about the reality of a group. • Group norms - mutually acceptable definitions of

behaviours - do not develop unless a concept of groupness or group consciousness is perceived.

Groups

Definition

Purpose of the enquiry Explain observedphenomena

Understand the meaningof observed phenomena

Role of the researcher Objective role Participatory role

Acquisition ofknowledge

Construct knowledge Discover knowledge

Presentation ofresearch

Figures, graphs, tables Data fragments, quotes

Methodology

Quantitative Qualitative

The quantitative/qualitative choice

Methodology

Domainidentification

Domainidentification

Scope of the research

Scope of the research

Data collection and selection of

the data sets

Data collection and selection of

the data sets

Combined Combined explorative data explorative data

analysisanalysis

Combined Combined explorative data explorative data

analysisanalysis

Linking qualitative

and quantitative

results

Linking qualitative

and quantitative

results

Interpretation and

presentation

Interpretation and

presentation

CEDA Framework

Methodology

• DomainExamine sources (e.g. literature, transcripts) to define research question

• ScopeSelect case(s) by theoretical, not random sampling

Domainidentification

Domainidentification

Scope of the research

Scope of the research

CEDA Framework

Methodology

• Data collection • Specify rigorous data

collection protocol• Select flexible and

opportunistic data collection methods

• Array events chronologically

Data collection and selection of

the data sets

Data collection and selection of

the data sets

CEDA Framework

Methodology

Code to define:• Concepts: labels placed on

discrete events• Categories: Classification of

concepts• Properties: Attributes or

characteristics pertaining to a category

Combined Combined explorative data explorative data

analysisanalysis

Combined Combined explorative data explorative data

analysisanalysis

CEDA Framework

Methodology

• Link results • Compare emergent theory

with sources• Compare with similar and

conflicting frameworks• This improves internal validity

and generalisability and establishes the domain

Domainidentification

Domainidentification

Linking qualitative

and quantitative

results

Linking qualitative

and quantitative

results

CEDA Framework

Methodology

• Interpret• No interpretation

– present focused excerpts of data so that informants “speak for themselves”

– reduces researcher’s biases and intrusion• Descriptive interpretation

– reduce and order data– selection and interpretation

• Theoretical interpretation (grounded theory)– conceptualise data– present framework for further research– integrate knowledge

Interpretation and

presentation

Interpretation and

presentation

CEDA Framework

Methodology

Formalisation

R

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X

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Phenomenon Formalisation

Analysis

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Quantitative analyses

Methodology

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Phenomenon FormalisationFormalisation

Analysis

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Qualitative analyses

MethodologyM

ass

com

pute

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Integration of data sets

Semi-structured interviews

Online survey

Content analysis

Discourse analysis

Participant observation

Reg

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odel

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~100

19—Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, GB, Greece, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, NZ, Poland, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, USA

86—universities and commercial firms

early 20s to late 60s

40% social sciences, 35% humanities, 25% applied sciences

NUMBER

COUNTRIES

INSTITUTIONS

AGES

BACKGROUND

Case Study

Participants

Frequency distribution of collaborative activity (N=1016), publicly archived on a CIOS (Communication Institute for Online Scholarship) hotline

Nu

mb

er (

of m

essa

ges)

Case study

• Dimensions– Preliminary review of the corpora identified five salient dimensions.

• Turning points– Turning points are defined as a point in the discussions at which changes

occur in the presence of a combination of dimensions, and thus delineates the beginning and end of a phase in group development.

• Phases– Six major phases identified.

• Communication categories– Management styles and communication content in each stage identified.

Discourse Analysis

Discourse Analysis

• Issues: topics to be discussed and resolved• Leadership: inclination to conform or reject leadership and

authority• Debate: argumentativeness, criticism, aggression• Relationships: expressions or avoidance of friendship or

intimacy• Action: goal-directed or task-directed activity

Dimensions

ISSUES

LEADERSHIP

DEBATE

RELATIONSHIPS

ACTION

DIMENSIONS IDENTIFIED PH

AS

E 4

PH

AS

E 5

PH

AS

E 6

PH

AS

E 3

PH

AS

E 2

PH

AS

E 1

Discourse Analysis

Dimensions

Discourse Analysis

Communication categories

CommunicationManagement

CommunicationContent

Formal Informal Conceptual Action

Socioemotional

Management: Formal

connected with the enforcement of rules and managing the process and production of knowledge and information generation.

“We submit the following copyright policy, worded by the Copyright Committee, for consideration and ratification by the entire group...”

Example

Discourse Analysis

Communication Categories

collective informal creation, management, and enforcement of communication norms

“We seem to be getting semi-serious about this. Maybe one tentative and fairly easy way to proceed is to appoint Barry and Ruby the “leaders” (not because they talk the most, but because this is already their research interest and they have some experience in it).”

Example

Management: Informal

Discourse Analysis

Communication Categories

deals with the interpersonal relationships among communicators

Example

“First ... I waded in here over the weekend, got into a barroom fight or two (there IS a certain amount of Dodge Citydom in the current situation), left, and was persuaded by Frank that I was not dealing with a crew of ogres, unemployed CIA operatives, and voyeurs...”

Content: Socioemotional

Discourse Analysis

Communication Categories

involves the shared creation of mutual understandings and meanings among communicators

Example

“I think this study sounds like lots of fun, and would like very much to participate. Will you let me in? ... I propose trying to look at nature of threads in the discussions (protracted, multi-contributors, cyclical, substantive or meta-communication, etc.). I think we can come up with a fairly reliable set of measures and codebook for some of these.”

Discourse Analysis

Communication Categories

Content: Conceptual

deals with the explicit work to be accomplished by participants in a communication process

Example

“In the following message, I humbly submit a codebook proposal... we should look the codebook over, react to it if necessary, and commence pretesting the codebook in a week or so...Next up for discussion, once the codebook is ratified, is sampling procedure for the project.”

Discourse Analysis

Communication Categories

Content: Action

INFORMAL

FORMAL

SOCIO-EMOTIONAL

CONCEPTUAL

ACTION

TYPES OF COMMUNICATION FEATURING IN GROUP

DEVELOPMENTAL PHASES PH

AS

E 4

PH

AS

E 5

PH

AS

E 6

PH

AS

E 3

PH

AS

E 2

PH

AS

E 1

COMMUNICATIONMANAGEMENT

COMMUNICATIONCONTENT

Discourse Analysis

Communication Patterns

phase 1

ROBBINS

phase 2

phase 3

phase 4

phase 5

phase 6

formingnorming

lowperforming

storming

highperforming

adjourning

Virtual Groups ...• take longer to develop norms and social relationships, and

plan and assign tasks• after these initial phases, networked groups resemble face-

to-face groups in development• in later phases, the effectiveness of networked groups

increases hierarchical flattening can enhance networked groups providing the process is managed carefully

• both task and socio-emotional needs can be satisfied

Summary