This research investigates the choice of intra-group communication medium by established decision-making groups. Other studies which have investigated this topic have used ad hoc groups as subjects. Because most decision-making groups in business organizations are pre-existing, and have established group roles and norms, the generalizability of ad hoc group research to business organizations must be questioned. In this study, face-to-face meetings are compared to computer conference meetings with consideration of the following questions: (1) is there any difference in the level of formal leader dominance in established decision-making groups using the two media, (2) is there any difference in the equality of communication between the members of established decision-making groups using the two media, (3) is there any difference in the number of instances of ideational conflict in established decision-making groups using the two media, and (4) is there any difference in overall group performance in established decision-making groups using the two media. Support was found for the use of computer conferencing with respect to the first three questions, though only the third question was answered within an alpha threshold of 0.05. No support was found for the fourth question. / In this study, established group norms are addressed, and a measuring instrument is created based on the work of M. A. Lieberman. Multiple pretest and post-test instruments for the investigation of group dynamics are developed and presented. The study suffered from a small sample size, and is best recognized as a preliminary investigation. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 52-04, Section: A, page: 1436. / Major Professor: Ralph Stair, Jr. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1991.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_76389 |
| Contributors | Zeltmann, Steven Mark., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 238 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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