Do Wikis Lead to Knowledge Sharing and Better Outcomes from Group Processes? - An empirical Investigation

Over the last two decades, the academia has engaged in intense research in trying to understand the mechanics of group processes and how computer supported collaborative work could be used to enhance knowledge acquisition, assimilation and sharing for increased and better quality of work group outputs in group settings. In recent years, wikis have become quite popular in collaboration activities, particularly in collaborative writing. In this research, we examine some theoretical propositions generated from past research on computer supported collaborative work to study the role of wikis. We found support for the proposition that in usage of wiki, a web-based collaborative tool, with anonymous participation, non-recognition of individual participation in the reward structure will lead to lower participation and inappropriate usage of the tool by the group as a whole, thus negatively impacting knowledge sharing and learning within the group. We also found support for the proposition that usage of wiki with non-anonymous participation, recognition of individual participation in the reward structure will lead to higher participation and more appropriate usage of the tool by the group as a whole, positively impacting knowledge sharing and learning within the group. Findings from analysis only provide some mixed support for our propositions in respect of quality of information and knowledge assimilation in mandated and voluntary settings. Our study has shed some light on the nature of participation of individuals in large and small groups and the outcomes of such participation of a collaborative project in mandated and voluntary settings using wiki which would motivate researchers to conduct further study on the effective use of computer supported collaborative work tools (such as wiki) for enhancing knowledge sharing and productivity in collaborative teamwork.