How Does Collaborative Group Technology Influence Social Network Structure?

The relationship between technology and elements of the formal organization structure has long been of interest to information systems and organization researchers. A less-studied issue is how technology may also influence the informal social network structure. This research examines how various types of technological expertise relate to an individual's network centrality in the project teams of 99 MBA, MISM, and MAIS students at a large public university. To further understand this relationship, the project task was varied in terms of "uncertainty " and the formal group structures in terms of departmentation. Results indicate that individuals who are proficient with various types of technologies tend to be more central in their class advice network. However, this relationship depends on both the level of task uncertainty and group departmentation. Implications are drawn for practice and research.

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