An experimental examination of group history and group support system use on information sharing performance and user perceptions

A laboratory experiment was conducted in which group history (i.e. established vs. ad hoc groups) and group support system (GSS) use were manipulated. Subjects completed a hidden profile task, i.e. a task where some information is held by all group members prior to the meeting while other information is held only by a subset of the group. No differences in information sharing performance were observed, except that, when compared to ad hoc groups, established groups discussed less information that was initially held by one group member. Established group members were more satisfied than ad hoc group members while those using a GSS were less satisfied than no-technology groups. Group cohesion was found to be positively related to satisfaction across all treatments, while cohesion was positively related to information sharing performance only for ad hoc groups that did not use a GSS. A discussion of the results in the context of prior theory and research is also presented.