IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/inm/orisre/v29y2018i3p525-545.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Differences are Different: Examining the Effects of Communication Media on the Impacts of Racial and Gender Diversity in Decision-Making Teams

Author

Listed:
  • Lionel P. Robert Jr

    (School of Information, Robotics Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109)

  • Alan R. Dennis

    (Operations and Decision Technologies, Kelley School of Business, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405;)

  • Manju K. Ahuja

    (Information Systems, College of Business, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky 40292)

Abstract

Diversity can have positive and negative effects on team decision making. Text communication has been put forth as one solution to addressing this duality of team diversity. Unfortunately, the empirical results have been far from conclusive. We believe that resolving such inconsistencies is crucial to developing a more complete understanding of the use of communication technologies. To accomplish this, we developed a research model based on media synchronicity theory. We empirically tested this model by conducting a laboratory experiment with 46 teams, consisting primarily of men and women self-identified as Caucasians and Asians, performing a decision-making task. The results show that the type of diversity matters. Text communication improved knowledge sharing (i.e., conveyance) and knowledge integration (i.e., convergence) in racially diverse teams but impaired both in gender diverse teams. Knowledge integration was more important to decision quality when racial and gender diverse teams used text communication (but the importance of knowledge sharing was not affected by the communication medium). The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.2018.0773 .

Suggested Citation

  • Lionel P. Robert Jr & Alan R. Dennis & Manju K. Ahuja, 2018. "Differences are Different: Examining the Effects of Communication Media on the Impacts of Racial and Gender Diversity in Decision-Making Teams," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 29(3), pages 525-545, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:orisre:v:29:y:2018:i:3:p:525-545
    DOI: isre.2018.0773
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/isre.2018.0773
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/isre.2018.0773?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Terri L. Griffith & Mark A. Fuller & Gregory B. Northcraft, 1998. "Facilitator Influence in Group Support Systems: Intended and Unintended Effects," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 9(1), pages 20-36, March.
    2. Giambatista, Robert C. & Bhappu, Anita D., 2010. "Diversity's harvest: Interactions of diversity sources and communication technology on creative group performance," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 111(2), pages 116-126, March.
    3. Bhappu, Anita D. & Griffith, Terri L. & Northcraft, Gregory B., 1997. "Media Effects and Communication Bias in Diverse Groups," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 70(3), pages 199-205, June.
    4. Kristina Dahlin & L. Weingart & P. Hinds, 2005. "Team diversity and information use," Post-Print hal-00480406, HAL.
    5. William G. Heninger & Alan R. Dennis & Kelly McNamara Hilmer, 2006. "Research Note: Individual Cognition and Dual-Task Interference in Group Support Systems," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 17(4), pages 415-424, December.
    6. Allen S. Lee & Richard L. Baskerville, 2003. "Generalizing Generalizability in Information Systems Research," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 14(3), pages 221-243, September.
    7. van Ginkel, Wendy P. & van Knippenberg, Daan, 2009. "Knowledge about the distribution of information and group decision making: When and why does it work?," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 108(2), pages 218-229, March.
    8. Kiesler, Sara & Sproull, Lee, 1992. "Group decision making and communication technology," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 52(1), pages 96-123, June.
    9. D. Sandy Staples & Lina Zhao, 2006. "The Effects of Cultural Diversity in Virtual Teams Versus Face-to-Face Teams," Group Decision and Negotiation, Springer, vol. 15(4), pages 389-406, July.
    10. Robert M. Fuller & Alan R. Dennis, 2009. "Does Fit Matter? The Impact of Task-Technology Fit and Appropriation on Team Performance in Repeated Tasks," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 20(1), pages 2-17, March.
    11. Wynne W. Chin & Barbara L. Marcolin & Peter R. Newsted, 2003. "A Partial Least Squares Latent Variable Modeling Approach for Measuring Interaction Effects: Results from a Monte Carlo Simulation Study and an Electronic-Mail Emotion/Adoption Study," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 14(2), pages 189-217, June.
    12. Choon-Ling Sia & Bernard C. Y. Tan & Kwok-Kee Wei, 2002. "Group Polarization and Computer-Mediated Communication: Effects of Communication Cues, Social Presence, and Anonymity," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 13(1), pages 70-90, March.
    13. Maryam Alavi & Amrit Tiwana, 2002. "Knowledge integration in virtual teams: The potential role of KMS," Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 53(12), pages 1029-1037, October.
    14. Baltes, Boris B. & Dickson, Marcus W. & Sherman, Michael P. & Bauer, Cara C. & LaGanke, Jacqueline S., 2002. "Computer-Mediated Communication and Group Decision Making: A Meta-Analysis," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 87(1), pages 156-179, January.
    15. Mesmer-Magnus, Jessica R. & DeChurch, Leslie A. & Jimenez-Rodriguez, Miliani & Wildman, Jessica & Shuffler, Marissa, 2011. "A meta-analytic investigation of virtuality and information sharing in teams," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 115(2), pages 214-225, July.
    16. Lionel P. Robert & Alan R. Dennis & Manju K. Ahuja, 2008. "Social Capital and Knowledge Integration in Digitally Enabled Teams," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 19(3), pages 314-334, September.
    17. Dreachslin, Janice L. & Hunt, Portia L. & Sprainer, Elaine, 2000. "Workforce diversity: implications for the effectiveness of health care delivery teams," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 50(10), pages 1403-1414, May.
    18. Prithviraj Chattopadhyay & Elizabeth George & Arthur D. Shulman, 2008. "The Asymmetrical Influence of Sex Dissimilarity in Distributive vs. Colocated Work Groups," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 19(4), pages 581-593, August.
    19. Tannenbaum, Scott I. & Mathieu, John E. & Salas, Eduardo & Cohen, Debra, 2012. "Teams Are Changing: Are Research and Practice Evolving Fast Enough?," Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Cambridge University Press, vol. 5(1), pages 2-24, March.
    20. Sherae Daniel & Ritu Agarwal & Katherine J. Stewart, 2013. "The Effects of Diversity in Global, Distributed Collectives: A Study of Open Source Project Success," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 24(2), pages 312-333, June.
    21. Siegel, Jane & Dubrovsky, Vitaly & Kiesler, Sara & McGuire, Timothy W., 1986. "Group processes in computer-mediated communication," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 37(2), pages 157-187, April.
    22. Shaila M. Miranda & Carol S. Saunders, 2003. "The Social Construction of Meaning: An Alternative Perspective on Information Sharing," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 14(1), pages 87-106, March.
    23. Daan van Knippenberg & Hanneke J. M. Kooij-de Bode & Wendy P. van Ginkel, 2010. "The Interactive Effects of Mood and Trait Negative Affect in Group Decision Making," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 21(3), pages 731-744, June.
    24. Pamela J. Hinds & Mark Mortensen, 2005. "Understanding Conflict in Geographically Distributed Teams: The Moderating Effects of Shared Identity, Shared Context, and Spontaneous Communication," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 16(3), pages 290-307, June.
    25. Catherine Durnell Cramton, 2001. "The Mutual Knowledge Problem and Its Consequences for Dispersed Collaboration," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 12(3), pages 346-371, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Ashraf Labib & Salem Chakhar & Lorraine Hope & John Shimell & Mark Malinowski, 2022. "Analysis of noise and bias errors in intelligence information systems," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 73(12), pages 1755-1775, December.
    2. Jeewon Cho & Insu Park, 2022. "Does Information Systems Support for Creativity Enhance Effective Information Systems Use and Job Satisfaction in Virtual Work?," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 24(6), pages 1865-1886, December.
    3. Sangseok You & Lionel P. Robert, 2023. "Subgroup formation in human–robot teams: A multi‐study mixed‐method approach with implications for theory and practice," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 74(3), pages 323-338, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Lionel P. Robert & Alan R. Dennis & Manju K. Ahuja, 2008. "Social Capital and Knowledge Integration in Digitally Enabled Teams," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 19(3), pages 314-334, September.
    2. Chih-Hung Peng & Nicholas H. Lurie & Sandra A. Slaughter, 2019. "Using Technology to Persuade: Visual Representation Technologies and Consensus Seeking in Virtual Teams," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 30(3), pages 948-962, September.
    3. Mesmer-Magnus, Jessica R. & DeChurch, Leslie A. & Jimenez-Rodriguez, Miliani & Wildman, Jessica & Shuffler, Marissa, 2011. "A meta-analytic investigation of virtuality and information sharing in teams," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 115(2), pages 214-225, July.
    4. Swaab, Roderick I. & Phillips, Katherine W. & Schaerer, Michael, 2016. "Secret conversation opportunities facilitate minority influence in virtual groups: The influence on majority power, information processing, and decision quality," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 17-32.
    5. Hill, N. Sharon & Bartol, Kathryn M. & Tesluk, Paul E. & Langa, Gosia A., 2009. "Organizational context and face-to-face interaction: Influences on the development of trust and collaborative behaviors in computer-mediated groups," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 108(2), pages 187-201, March.
    6. Glikson, Ella & Erez, Miriam, 2020. "The emergence of a communication climate in global virtual teams," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 55(6).
    7. Marlow, Shannon L. & Lacerenza, Christina N. & Paoletti, Jensine & Burke, C. Shawn & Salas, Eduardo, 2018. "Does team communication represent a one-size-fits-all approach?: A meta-analysis of team communication and performance," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 145-170.
    8. Robin L. Wakefield & Dorothy E. Leidner & Gary Garrison, 2008. "Research Note ---A Model of Conflict, Leadership, and Performance in Virtual Teams," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 19(4), pages 434-455, December.
    9. Yuqing Ren & Jilin Chen & John Riedl, 2016. "The Impact and Evolution of Group Diversity in Online Open Collaboration," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 62(6), pages 1668-1686, June.
    10. Thomas A. O’Neill & Samantha E. Hancock & Katarina Zivkov & Nicole L. Larson & Stephanie J. Law, 2016. "Team Decision Making in Virtual and Face-to-Face Environments," Group Decision and Negotiation, Springer, vol. 25(5), pages 995-1020, September.
    11. Peter Magnusson & Anja Schuster & Vas Taras, 2014. "A Process-Based Explanation of the Psychic Distance Paradox: Evidence from Global Virtual Teams," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 54(3), pages 283-306, June.
    12. Ingmar Geiger, 2020. "From Letter to Twitter: A Systematic Review of Communication Media in Negotiation," Group Decision and Negotiation, Springer, vol. 29(2), pages 207-250, April.
    13. Prithviraj Chattopadhyay & Elizabeth George & Arthur D. Shulman, 2008. "The Asymmetrical Influence of Sex Dissimilarity in Distributive vs. Colocated Work Groups," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 19(4), pages 581-593, August.
    14. Choon-Ling Sia & Bernard C. Y. Tan & Kwok-Kee Wei, 2002. "Group Polarization and Computer-Mediated Communication: Effects of Communication Cues, Social Presence, and Anonymity," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 13(1), pages 70-90, March.
    15. Sumita Raghuram & Dong Fang, 2014. "Telecommuting and the role of supervisory power in China," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 31(2), pages 523-547, June.
    16. Iván Alfaro & Ranganathan Chandrasekaran, 2015. "Software Quality and Development Speed in Global Software Development Teams," Business & Information Systems Engineering: The International Journal of WIRTSCHAFTSINFORMATIK, Springer;Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (GI), vol. 57(2), pages 91-102, April.
    17. Alan R. Dennis & Lionel P. Robert & Aaron M. Curtis & Stacy T. Kowalczyk & Bryan K. Hasty, 2012. "Research Note ---Trust Is in the Eye of the Beholder: A Vignette Study of Postevent Behavioral Controls' Effects on Individual Trust in Virtual Teams," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 23(2), pages 546-558, June.
    18. Hanes, Denise R., 2013. "Geographically distributed audit work: Theoretical considerations and future directions," Journal of Accounting Literature, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 1-29.
    19. Rockmann, Kevin W. & Northcraft, Gregory B., 2008. "To be or not to be trusted: The influence of media richness on defection and deception," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 107(2), pages 106-122, November.
    20. Mattarelli, Elisa & Tagliaventi, Maria Rita & Carli, Giacomo & Gupta, Amar, 2017. "The Role of Brokers and Social Identities in the Development of Capabilities in Global Virtual Teams," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 23(4), pages 382-398.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:inm:orisre:v:29:y:2018:i:3:p:525-545. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Asher (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/inforea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.