Group Performance and Collaborative Technology: A Longitudinal and Multilevel Analysis of Information Quality, Contribution Equity, and Members’ Satisfaction in Computer-Mediated Groups

This study examined changes in members’ satisfaction with group processes as they worked together over time to complete a series of seven group tasks. Members of 10 groups (N 58) communicated with each other using a computer-based collaborative technology over a 10-week period. Satisfaction with group processes was partitioned into individual and group levels with Hierarchical Linear Modeling, and information quality and contribution equity were introduced as predictors of satisfaction. Findings indicated that (1) individuals’ satisfaction increased over time; (2) the quality of information acquired from group members and the equity of contributions among members positively affected satisfaction after completion of the first group task; (3) information quality did not significantly affect the rate of changes in satisfaction, whereas contribution equity did; and (4) when individuals’ contributions and others’ average contributions were used as separate predictors of satisfaction, individuals’ contributions were negatively related to satisfaction, but others’ contributions were positively related to an individual’s satisfaction.