Asynchronous and distributed process improvement: the role of collaborative technologies

The recent proliferation of low-cost computer networks has driven the development of a new type of organization, in which geographical and time constraints to collaboration among process teams have been gradually removed. As these organizations have to cope with a fast pace of change, they rely increasingly on distributed and asynchronous process improvement (PI) groups to redesign their processes. Yet little is known about the effects of asynchronous group support systems (GSSs) on PI groups. We investigate the effects of asynchronous GSSs on PI groups through a two-stage action research study of 38 such groups in three organizations, one in Brazil and two in New Zealand, over 4 years and 4 months. Different PI groups voluntarily conducted all, part or none of their communication through an e-mail conferencing (EC) tool. The research suggests that EC support causes a decrease in the organizational costs associated with PI groups, which, combined with an increase in the number of possible simultaneous PI groups, generates an increase in overall organizational PI efficiency. The research also suggests a neutral overall effect of EC support on PI group outcome quality. Two explanatory causal models summarizing these effects are developed, and implications for research and industry practice are discussed.