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From: kling@ICS.UCI.EDU (Rob Kling)
Newsgroups: comp.groupware
Subject: Re: Basic Groupware/CSCW Questions
Message-ID: <9103151149.aa13843@ICS.UCI.EDU>
Date: 15 Mar 91 19:53:03 GMT
Lines: 22
In-reply-to: Your message of 14 Mar 91 18:35:39 +0000.
             <1991Mar14.183539.29653@daimi.aau.dk>


David,

I think that the article by Ellis et. al. is an interesting
technologically focussed overview for people interested in CSCW.

Unfortunately, the article is very weak in its conceptualization of
work in groups....
In fact, the Ellis article is generally ambivalent about the value
of social science in studies of CSCW ..... Its novel
organizing concepts (e.g., shared contexts & group window)
don't help us understand work processes or substance ...

The article has some interesting insights about concurrency control
issues & some experiences w/Grove.

Their definition of groupware in terms of common goals tends to
reinforce the prevailing CSCW ideologies which ignore intergroup &
intragroup conflict/competition. I would not accept their conception.

Rob Kling
UC-Irvine