Understanding Sophistication in Collaborative Technology Use

Abstract

Collaborative technology is an IT-based infrastructural application which enables organizations to increase operational efficiencies and effectiveness of organizational communication. It is important to identify potential challenges and barriers to collaborative technology adoption and use and therefore create means and mechanisms for anticipating, facing the challenges and removing the barriers. This paper uses exploratory cases to analyse IT-supported collaborative decision task situations to understand the factors influencing sophistication of use of collaborative technology. Preliminary qualitative analysis suggests that sophistication is a function of the users’ drive to use technology, the task and group environment and the group’s cultural orientation towards collaboration also influence collaborative technology use. Propositions are presented based on the analysis. Further development of an integrative framework to understand use of collaborative technology is essential for suggesting more precise and fundamental prescriptive mechanisms.