Abstract

This research examines how different degrees of proximity or dispersion among members can affect how groups exchange information and make economic decisions over the Internet.

Issue

Theories indicate that social factors within groups can affect the success of group communication over the Internet in ways that have not been documented. The research conducted in this project should be of interest to community development decision-makers, extension educators, and information scientists.

Response

We have compiled data from 60 groups with members in one or several locations across the U.S. Preliminary analyses of these data indicate that when decision-making groups working together over the Internet have members in individually distinct locations, the diversity of opinion among them is not very important and is often even unrecognized. However, when group members who are clustered in one location disagree on an issue in this study, information related to community development options this disagreement carries more weight within the group as a whole, stimulating extraordinary attention from all members, local and distant, and causing them to reexamine all information, including their own. The effects of disagreement in this group setting lead to better information exchange and better decision-making. The data indicate that group cohesiveness is greater in mixed-location groups than in all-local or all-distributed groups.

Impact

The results will help managers and leaders compile and manage groups when they wish to use advanced Internet communications to maintain and enhance decision-making involving participants from various locations. Results also advance theories of computer-mediated communication, social psychological / social identity theory, and information science.

Funding Sources

• Federal Formula Funds - Research (e.g., Hatch, McIntire-Stennis, Animal Health)

Topic Description

• Internet Group Decision-Making

Collaborators

• Cornell Cooperative Extension

Key Personnel

• Joseph Walther