INSC 598 Special Topics
Foundations of Collaboration: Theories for Analyzing Group Activity
InstructorDavid McDonald
Office: MGH 330A
Phone: 206-543-6429
Office Hours:
Wednesday 2:00-3:00pm
by Appointment
Description:
This course introduces a number of well known theories that support the analysis of group interaction and performance at different levels. The course will consider macro-group level theories at the sociological and institutional levels, mid-level theories at the organizational and social psychological levels, as well as micro-level social and cognitive theories. The course will attempt to pair readings of theoretical explanation with the theory in practice. Students will be challenged to apply a theory to data they have collected or data provided by the instructor.
Course Topics:
There is no way to completely cover all theories that relate to analyzing group activity. This course will examine theories that are useful at three different levels of analysis. Each theory will be introduced with a few readings that will be discussed in class. Some extra readings will be listed for students who want to explore a given theory in more detail.
Macro Level (Sociological/Institutional)
Sociological Paradigms (Burrell & Morgan)
Adaptive Structuration Theory (Giddens, DeSanctis & Poole)
Mid Level (Organizational/Social Psychological)
Psychological Theories of Group Interaction and Performance (McGrath)
Social Psychology of Organizing (Weick)
Micro Level (Individual/Cognitive)
Activty Theory (Vygotsky, Engestrom, Nardi, Kuutti)
Distributed Cognition (Hutchins, Hollan, Halverson, Rogers)
Assessment Mechanisms:
The course will take the form of a reading and analysis course. It is often hard to learn and appreciate theory through readings alone. The study of theory can not be completely appreciated without situating the theory in practice. Students in the course will be required to pick one theory from the course, identify additional readings to flesh out their understanding of one or more aspects of the theory and then apply the theory to some data. The data can be existing research, or some research project that the student conducts during the course, or data which the instructor makes available for the purposes of the course. The end result will be a paper which describes the analysis process, the strengths/weaknesses of the theory with regard to the available data, and/or the results of the analysis.
Student performance will be evaluated through participation during class discussion, the leading of data discussions relevant to their data, and their written paper.
Schedule:
| Week 1 - January 9: What do we mean by "group"? | ||
| Groups: Interaction and Performance (Joseph McGrath) | ||
| Chapter 1 Groups and Human Behavior | ||
| Chapter 3 Methods for the Study of Groups | ||
| Chapter 4 A Typology of Groups | ||
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| Week 2 - January 16: Sociological Frameworks | ||
| Sociological Paradigms and Organizational Analysis (Gibson Burrell and Gareth Morgan) | ||
| Part I -- In Search of a Framework | ||
| Four Paradigms of Information Systems Development (Rudy Hirschheim and Heinz K. Klein) | ||
| Capturing the Complexity in Advanced Technology Use: Adaptive Structuration Theory (DeSanctis and Poole) | ||
| Trying to Improve Communication and Collaboration with Information Technology: An Action Research Project which Failed (Karin Olesen and Michael Myers) | ||
| (Optional/Additional Readings) | ||
| The Constitution of Society (Anthony Giddens) | ||
| Chapter 1 Elements of the Theory of Structuration | ||
| Chapter 6 Structuration Theory, Empirical Research, and Social Critique | ||
| Information Technology and the Structuring of Organizations (Wanda Orlikowski and Daniel Roby) | ||
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| Week 3 - January 23: Organizational/Social Psychological | ||
| Groups: Interaction and Performance (Joseph McGrath) | ||
| Chapter 5 A Typology of Tasks | ||
| Chapter 12 Group Interaction Processes: The Acting Group | ||
| Social Psychology of Organizing (Karl Weick) | ||
| Chapter 4 Interlocked Behaviors and Organizing | ||
| Chapter 6 Enactment and Organizing | ||
| (Optional/Additional Readings) | ||
| Social Psychology of Organizing (Karl Weick) | ||
| Chapter 1 An Introduction to Organizing | ||
| Chapter 5 Natural Selection and Organizing | ||
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| Week 4 - January 30: Individual/Cognitive | ||
| Distributed Cognition: An Alternative Framework for Analysing and Explaining Collaborative Working. (Yvonne Rogers and Judi Ellis) | ||
| Distributed Cognition: Toward a New Foundation for Human-Computer Interaction Research. (James Hollan, Edwin Hutchins and David Kirsh) | ||
| "Yeah, the rush ain't here yet -- take a break": Creation and Use of an Artifact as Organizational Memory. (Christine Halverson and Mark Ackerman) | ||
| Activity Theory and Individual and Social Transformation. (Yrjo Engstrom, from Perspectives on Activity Theory. Engstrom, Miettinen and Punamaki, eds.) | ||
| Some Reflections on the Application of Activity Theory. (Bonnie Nardi, from Context and Consciousness: Activity Theory and Human Computer Interaction. Nardi ed.) | ||
| (Optional/Additional Readings) | ||
| The Technology of Team Navigation. (Edwin Hutchins, from Intellectual Teamwork: Social and Technological Foundations of Cooperative Work, Galegher, Kraut and Egido eds.) | ||
| The Content and Unsolved Problems of Activity Theory. (Vassily Davydov, from Perspectives on Activity Theory. Engstrom, Miettinen and Punamaki, eds.) | ||
| Activity Theory as a Potential Framework for Human-Computer Interaction Research. (Kari Kutti, from Context and Consciousness: Activity Theory and Human Computer Interaction. Nardi ed.) | ||
| Activity Theory, Transformation of Work, and Systems Design. (Kari Kutti, from Perspectives on Activity Theory. Engstrom, Miettinen and Punamaki, eds.) | ||
| Realist Activity Theory for Digital Library Evaluation: Conceptual Framework and Case Study (Mark Spasser) | ||
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Week 5 - February 6: Data Discussions
Week 6 - February 13: Data Discussions
Week 7 - February 20: Data Discussions
Week 8 - February 27: Data Discussions
| Suzi Soroczak | ||
| Halverson | Distributed Cognition as a Theoretical Framework for HCI: ... | |
| Daradoumis & Marques | Distributed Cognition in the Context of Virutal Collaborative Learning | |
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| Tom Satwicz | ||
| Engstrom | Innovative Learning in Work Teams: ... | |
| Lydia Harris | ||
| Engstrom | The Collapse of Sensemaning in Organizations: ... | |
| Ammy Phuwanartnurak | ||
| Chudoba | Appropriations and Patterns in the Use of Group Support Systems | |
| DeSanctis & Poole | Understanding the Differences in Collaborative System Use through Appropriation Analysis | |
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| Peyina Lin | ||
| Allport | A Structuronomic Conception of Behavior: ... | |
| Sabrina Hsueh | ||
| Nardi et al. | NetWORKers and their Activity in Intensional Networks | |
| Zager | Collaboration as an Activity: Coordinating with Pseudo-Collective Objects | |
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