Computer-mediated communication and group decision making: A functional perspective

Shu-Chu Li*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

27 Scopus citations

Abstract

This study adopts the functional perspective of group decision making as the theoretical framework to examine the differences between computer-mediated communication groups and face-to-face communication groups in terms of their decision-making process and performance. A field experiment was adopted by the study, which was built into a communication course involving two classes in a national university in northern Taiwan. These classes comprised 23 groups of 4 or 5 members each working for their final group projects. Of the 23 groups, 11 (51 persons) were randomly assigned to perform the task via computer-mediated communication, and the remaining 12 groups (61 persons) via face-to-face communication. The data analysis shows that most findings of the study confirm the notions of media-capacity theories. However, the findings of this study do not support the propositions of the functional perspective of group decision making. More detailed findings are discussed in the article.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)593-614
Number of pages22
JournalSmall Group Research
Volume38
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2007

Keywords

  • Computer-mediated communication
  • Face-to-face communication
  • Functional theory
  • Group communication
  • Group decision making

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