The HKNET project : From technical innovation to creative group problem solving

1 This paper contains an extended abstract based on the forthcoming paper "Group Support Systems and Virtual Collaboration: The HKNet Project" to appear in the Journal of Decision and Negotiation. For more details regarding the HKNet project, see Vogel et al. (2001). Abstract With the development of new technologies, and particularly communication technology, societies have evolved to encompass new forms of interaction and collaboration. It is an illusion to think that relationships between human beings and their institutions will not change in essence in the future. We assume that the very nature of e-communication and of groupware such as Group Support S ystem can support innovation and creativity in a context of cultural and professional diversity. In 1998, 1999 and 2000 a n educational project (HKNet) between the City University of Hong Kong (China) and the Eindhoven University of Technology (The Netherla nds) has shown that remote collaboration can lead to successful and innovative problem solving in multicultural groups. This study focused on 178 participants, all of whom were involved in academic courses on software engineering, informatics and management using e-mail, videoconferencing, Internet phone connections and GroupSystems™ for both synchronous and asynchronous interactions. The task was to participate in a joint project on a chosen IT-related subject resulting in a joint report. We assumed that i f the HKNet project is a source of learning and knowledge to our participants, we should be able to measure what they learned culturally and professionally. Results revealed that the HKNet project created a win-win situation for both universities. Throughout the three-year project, GroupSystems ™ supported efficient group problem solving, development of new-shared meaning and cultural attitude changes. The groups wrote creative reports that reflected their having worked successfully together. The observed factors that determined the performance of the teams in the HKNet project were: Technology Infrastructure, Interaction, Professional background and Cultural background. Following this overview on the HKNET project setup and the lesson learned (Vogel et al., 2001; Rutkowski et al., forthcoming) the paper conclude with the description of next year experimental setup. Special emphasis will be given to innovation and creativity in problem solving of technical nature. Participants from the "Institut Polytechnique de Grenoble" and "Grenoble University" (France) will join the HKNET teams.

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