Communicative Changes Associated with Repeated Use of Electronic Meeting Systems for Decision-Making Tasks

Although various technologies are widely used to support decision-making teams, we know relatively little about the use of specialized Electronic Meeting Systems (EMSs) and their use over time during ongoing projects. This study addresses that gap by examining how communication affordances (anonymous communication, participation equality, and influence equality) of some EMSs may change with repeated usage of the system for multiple decision-making meetings. Based on an EMS process model and related theories, the authors hypothesize that communicative benefits will decline after initial team interaction. Data from 14 intact decision-making teams (using an EMS for 3 separate meetings) provide strong support for most of the anonymity hypotheses, as perceptions of self and other anonymity decline and confidence in source attributions increases with repeated usage. There was partial support for the predicted changes in participation equality and influence equality. The authors conclude with practical implications and future research directions based on these findings.