Views of work and the design and use of group support systems

The view of work embodied in a group support system constitutes a designer's understanding of how work gets done in collaborative settings. This paper argues that a designer's view of collaborative work shapes the design space of a group support system. This in turn affects the system's functionality, as well as the manner in which it is used. An analysis of the views of work underlying four group support systems used in research and commercial domains, reveals sharp differences in their perspectives on collaborative work. Our approach suggests three implications. First the design process should be driven by an explicit articulation of the view of work. Second, examining convergence between a system's view of work and the work practices of a setting, can usefully indicate whether the system is appropriate for the setting. Finally, research on the mediating role of the view of work in the effectiveness of group support systems, can lead to a richer understanding of the impact of such systems.