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Gerit Götzenbrucker

Social.networks@work: Case studies into the importance of computer-supported social networks in a mobile phone company

Keywords: Computer Supported Communication Networks (CSCN), Computer Supported Social Networks (CSSN), Computer Supported Collaborative Work (CSCW), organizational communication, E-mail communication, diffusion research, technology assessment

Organizational innovation depends heavily on whether or not communication processes are regulated. Furthermore, social networks represent content-based connectivity of actors in opposition to formal organization. Communication technologies such as e-mail make it possible to continuously maintain the establishment and preserve social networks. Enhancing cooperation in team working processes are the benefits of social networks in dynamic organizations. This article reports on four case studies which focused on teamwork and the structural analysis of e-mail as a communication technology in a mobile phone company. The case studies reveal the impact of computer supported social networks which became mainly apparent through changes in personal communication styles and the establishment of alternative hierarchies in electronic environments.

Communications, Walter de Gruyter

Print ISSN: 0341-2059
Volume: 29, 12/2004
Pages: 467 - 494

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