The Importance of Normative Social Influence and Similarity of Media Preferences on Group Meeting Outcomes: A Preliminary Result

Motivated by a desire to extend the Social Influence Model of Technology Use, this paper empirically examines the impact of normative social influence on group media preference patterns and group meeting outcomes in a setting where established groups voluntarily used various communication media over a three-month software development project period. The overall results suggest that conformity to group norms is positively associated with increased similarity of group media preferences, which in turn is positively associated with increased group meeting outcomes. The paper concludes with a discussion of the importance and implications of understanding normative social influence on technology use and meeting outcomes.