Factors affecting team productivity in face-to-face and computer mediated collaboration

Productivity is one of the main objectives in team working, and among other goals such as quality, efficiency, etc., it is a key to success in any organization. Team members have to work collaboratively and cohesively on the task, and the level of cooperation will also reflect on the final productivity. Many factors affect team productivity. Some are clear and obvious, e.g. technical and physical environmental factors, but other factors are more veiled, e.g. team behaviour and relationships. This paper examines how, and the extent to which, some of these factors affect the conceptual design of a building, in both Face to Face (FTF), and Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) collaboration. The productivity of a lone worker on the same conceptual design is also compared with the results achieved by a team.