PHYSICAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL SPACES: WORK AND HELP IN THE

ELECTRONIC WORKPLACE

J.D. EVELAND

ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGYPROGRAM

Presented to the 1996 International Social NetworksConference, Charleston SC, February 1996

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THE ROLE OF SUPPORT NETWORKS

• MOST LEARNING IS SOCIAL (BANDURA)

• HELP IS A WAY OF LEARNING

• MOST HELP PROVISION IS LOCAL

• WORKGROUPS USUALLY HAVE “GURUS”

• GURUS SHARE TECHNICAL INFORMATION

• GURUS PROVIDE “OPINION LEADERSHIP”

• GURUS NEED TO BE ACCESSIBLE

®

CONCLUSIONS FROM PREVIOUS WORK

• HELP NETWORKS TEND TO BE WORKGROUP-BASED, WITH CENTRAL SUPPORT

• “HIGH PROVIDERS” FOCUS HELP NETWORKS AND CHANNEL EXPERTISE INTO THEM

• HELP PROVIDERS ARE JUST LIKE US, ONLY MORE SO

• HELP NETWORKS NEED SUPPORT AND CULTIVATION

RESEARCH QUESTIONS EXTENDING THIS WORK

• WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HELP NETWORKS AND OTHER WORKGROUP RELATIONSHIPS?

• HOW DOES PHYSICAL LOCATION AFFECT HELP AND WORK?

• HOW DOES “ORGANIZATIONAL DISTANCE” AFFECT THESE RELATIONSHIPS?

RESEARCH CONTEXT

• CGS -- A PRIVATE GRADUATE SCHOOL

– 2000 STUDENTS, 200 STAFF

– NO “TECHNICAL” DEPARTMENTS

• DIVERSE SMALL PROGRAMS

• DISTRIBUTED ENVIRONMENT

• MAJOR TRANSITION IN COMPUTING

SUPPORT

THE CLAREMONT CAMPUS

CLAREMONT GRADUATE SCHOOL

PROJECT STRUCTURE

• THREE SURVEY ROUNDS– PRE-HARDWARE– ONE YEAR OF EXPERIENCE– NETWORK EXPERIENCE

• SURVEYS COVER:– DEMOGRAPHICS– CAPABILITIES USED– INFORMATION WORK– SATISFACTION– EXPECTATIONS– INTERACTIONS WITH OTHERS

INTERACTION NETWORKS SURVEYED

• PEOPLE WITH WHOM THEY WORK REGULARLY

• PEOPLE TO WHOM THEY GO FOR HELP WHEN THEY HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THE COMPUTER

• PEOPLE TO WHOM THEY PROVIDE SUCH HELP

DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE SAMPLE

FACULTY

DEP’T STAFF

ADMIN STAFF

SUPERVISOR

MALE

FEMALE

MEDIAN AGE

MEAN EDUCATIONALLEVEL (1-4 SCALE)

TOTAL N

ROUND 1 ROUND 2

MEDIAN JOBTENURE AT CGS 5 YEARS

46

32%

PERCENTFULL TIME

68%

71%

99

36%

14%

35%

15%

2.6

5 YEARS

36%

64%

78%

82

37%

13%

36%

16%

2.8

48

CONNECTIONS IN THE NETWORK

WORK NETWORKHELP NETWORK

WITHINWORK GROUP

ACROSSWORK GROUPS

WITHACC

OUTSIDECGS

140 (31%)

68 (16%)

125 (29%)

103 (24%)

184 (57%)

73 (22%)

11 (3%)

59 (18%)

436 327

AVERAGE HELP RELATIONSHIPS, BY FUNCTION

FACULTY

DEP’T STAFF

ADMIN. STAFF

SUPERVISORS

ACC STAFF

RELATIONS N

1.44

1.53

1.59

.12

17.6

36

13

32

15

9

PATTERNS OF HELP

HIGHPROVIDERS

NON-PROVIDERS

HIGHPROVIDERS

NON-PROVIDERS ACC

OUTSIDESOURCES

10%

26%

14%

4%

22%

10%

54%

60%

RECIPIENT

SOURCE

THE CURRENT INVESTIGATION

• COMPARISON OF FOUR NETWORKS– WORK RELATIONSHIPS– COMPUTER HELP RELATIONSHIPS– ADMINISTRATIVE RELATIONSHIPS– PHYSICAL LAYOUT

• INDIVIDUAL RESPONSES AGGREGATED TO WORKGROUP LEVEL

• INTERACTIONS STANDARDIZED BY VARYING WORKGROUP SIZES

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NETWORKS

DEGREECENTRALIZATION

BETWEENNESSCENTRALIZATION

WORKRELATIONSHIPS

HELPRELATIONSHIPS

.28 .73

.23 .49

NODES = 26

CLOSENESS 17.6 33.9

AVERAGE NUMBEROF TIES 3.4 4.2

AVERAGE DISTANCE BETWEEN NODES 1.96 1.80

THE ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE

VICE PRESIDENT

BUS. & FINANCE

PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT

ACAD. AFFAIRS

HUMANITIES

POLITICSAND

ECONOMICSEDUCATION

ORG. & BEHAVIORAL

SCIENCES

DRUCKERMANAGEMENT

CENTER

VICE PRESIDENT

DEVELOPMENT

INFORMATIONSCIENCES

BUDGETCAREER

SERVICES

ENROLLMENTMANAGEMENT

STUDENTACCOUNTS

REGISTRARSTUDENT

ACCOUNTS

DEVELOPMENT

PUBLICAFFAIRS

MUSIC HISTORYMATHPHILOSOPHYENGLISHART

• A “BARRIER” MODEL• MEASURES HASSLES INVOLVED IN

GETTING FROM PLACE TO PLACE• FACTORS ARE (EACH WORTH ONE

DIFFICULTY POINT):– WALKING DOWN A HALL– CLIMBING STAIRS– LEAVING OR ENTERING A BUILDING– CROSSING A STREET– PASSING A BUILDING– WALKING A BLOCK

OPERATIONALIZING “DISTANCE”

OPERATIONALIZING “DISTANCE”

ART TOMANAGEMENT

= BARRIER

FACTOR OF 6

SO...WHAT DID WE FIND OUT?

THE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG THE NETWORKS LOOK LIKE THIS:

USING QWP MATRIX CORRELATION PROCEDURES...BROUGHT TO YOU BY THOSE WONDERFUL FOLKS AT UCINET...

HELP

ADMIN. CLOSENESS

PHYSICAL CLOSENESS WORK HELP ADMIN. CLOS.

.60

.14

.28

.17

.21 .08

• WORKING RELATIONSHIPS ARE MOST IMPORTANT TO HELPING

• MORE THAN TWO PHYSICAL BARRIERS BECOME A PROBLEM TO HELPING

• THE FORMAL STRUCTURE DOESN’T MATTER MUCH IN HELPING

SO...WHAT DID WE FIND OUT?

HELP

ADMIN. CLOSENESS

PHYSICAL CLOSENESS WORK HELP ADMIN. CLOS.

.60

.14

.28

.17

.21 .08

WORK RELATIONSHIPS

WORK RELATIONSHIPS HARPER

AC COMP

MCMANUS

HUM. COMPLEX

MANAGEMENT

MATH

ART

HELP RELATIONSHIPS

HELP RELATIONSHIPS HARPER

AC COMP

MCMANUS

HUM. COMPLEX

MANAGEMENT

MATH

ART

HELP RELATIONSHIPS WITHOUT ACC

HELP RELATIONSHIPS WITHOUT ACC

HARPER

AC COMP

MCMANUS

HUM. COMPLEX

MANAGEMENT

MATH

CAREER SERV.

LOCATIONS

VICE PRESIDENT

BUS. & FINANCE

PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT

ACAD. AFFAIRS

HUMANITIES

POLITICSAND

ECONOMICSEDUCATION

ORG. & BEHAVIORAL

SCIENCES

DRUCKERMANAGEMENT

CENTER

VICE PRESIDENT

DEVELOPMENT

INFORMATIONSCIENCES

BUDGETCAREER

SERVICES

ENROLLMENTMANAGEMENT

STUDENTACCOUNTS

REGISTRAR MAIL

DEVELOPMENT

PUBLICAFFAIRS

MUSIC HISTORYMATHPHILOSOPHYENGLISHART

HARPERAC COMPMCMANUSHUM. COMPLEXMANAGEMENTMATHARTCAREER SERVICES

CONCLUSIONS HERE...

• PEOPLE GET COMPUTER HELP FROM THOSE WITH WHOM THEY SHARE WORK PROBLEMS

• THE FORMAL STRUCTURE IS LESS IMPORTANT THAN EITHER WORKING RELATIONSHIPS OR PHYSICAL DISTANCE

• PEOPLE DON’T WALK FAR TO GET HELP

• MAYBE CGS IS JUST ODD...OR MAYBE NOT...

NEXT STEPS

• SEE WHAT’S GOING ON IN OTHER ORGANIZATIONS

• THINK ABOUT WHAT “DISTANCE” MEANS IN AN AGE OF NETWORKS --TOWARDS THE “VIRTUAL ORGANIZATION?”

• CONTINUE TO THINK ABOUT HOW TO BUILD “HELPING ORGANIZATIONS”

• THINK ABOUT LAYOUT