Abstract
While the e-collaboration term only dates back a few years, its roots can be traced back at least two decades to the research and development in areas such as groupware, computer supported cooperative work (CSCW), group support systems (GSS), and computer-mediated communication (CMC). As defined by Kock (2005), the e-collaboration term can be seen to encompass a wide range of technologies supporting collaboration among indivduals engaged in a common task. In this article, the e-collaboration term thus incorporates previous research and practice within the areas mentioned above. The term organizational implementation is used to denote the process of introducing the technology in an organizational setting (Walsham, 1993).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Adoption: the decision to make full use of an innovation (Rogers, 1995).
Relative Advantage: the degree to which an innovation is perceived as better than the idea it supersedes (Rogers, 1995).
Diffusion: the process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among the members of a social system (Rogers, 1995).
Critical Mass: the number of users having to adopt a technology to make the further adoption process self-sustaining.
Technology Acceptance Model (TAM): a model of individual acceptance of IT, stating that an individual’s adoption of IT is dependent on the perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of the technology.
Organizational IT Implementation: an organizational effort directed towards diffusing appropriate information technology within a user community (Cooper & Zmud, 1990).
Technology Deployment: acquiring and installing the technology to make it available for use.