Why CSCW applications fail: problems in the adoption of interdependent work tools

At CSCW ‘88, Jonathan Grudin examined a number of applications, such as automatic meeting scheduling and project management tools, the successes of which “have consistently fallen far short of expectations.” He identified three factors contributing to the failure of CSCW applications 1) “the disparity between those who will benefit from an application and those who must do additional work to support it,” 2) a tendency of managerial decision makers to favor CSCW applications that benefit themselves at the expense of other users, and 3) the “extreme difficulty of evaluating” the collective benefits and costs of these applications [GrudSS].