GSS participation: A cultural examination

Abstract It has been suggested that group support systems (GSS) reduce many meeting participation barriers. GSS impact may interact with culture, thereby affecting GSS efficacy in a given context. However, since the majority of GSS research is based on studies in the United States, implications of this interaction for different cultural settings are not obvious. A research model is developed to help identify effects of cultural settings. Hofstede's cultural dimensions of power distance, individualism–collectivism, and masculinity–femininity are employed as example settings. Parallel and anonymous entry are employed as example GSS functionalities. The research model's usefulness is then illustrated by generating research propositions focusing on interactions of these settings and functionalities. Further examples employing other cultural settings and GSS functionalities are then suggested as evidence that the model is robust as well as useful.

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