Impacts of GSS generic structures and task types on group communication process and outcome: some expected and unexpected research findings

摘要

The contingency nature of GSS use implies that some GSS structures may be more suitable for supporting some task types than others. Research specifically examining effects of the GSS-task fit on group process and outcome has been inadequate in GSS research literature. This research, therefore, focused on the GSS-task fit. Two task types were used to explore the fit: an intellective task that was chosen to elicit the good fit and a preference task which was chosen to elicit the poor fit. Half groups were provided with computer (GSS) support and the other half was not. Research results reported some expected and unexpected findings. The good GSS-task fit for the intellective task enhanced group communication in group process whereas the poor fit for the preference task reduced group communication, as expected. However, the good fit for an intellective task failed to increase group satisfaction, relative to the poor fit for a preference task, which was unexpected. A possible reason for the unexpected results was suggested and discussed. The research findings provide empirical evidences to support the argument that GSS may not be studied as a global entity in the future. Instead, more research needs to be done on GSS-task fit to explore matches between specific GSS structures and specific task types.