University of Innsbruck School of Management

Information Systems

CoPrA: A Process Analysis Technique to Investigate Collaboration in Groups

45th HAWAII INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SYSTEM SCIENCES

Designing, Deploying, and Evaluating Tools and Techniques to Support Team Collaboration

Wailea, Maui, Hawaii

Isabella Seeber, Ronald Maier, Barbara Weber

Visit the following URL to download resources: http://www.uibk.ac.at/iwi/staff/iseeber/copra.html

University of Innsbruck

Motivation and Purpose

• There is a need to investigate group processes: “further fundamental research on how groups […] accept, adopt, and adapt repeatable collaboration processes. How do groups embrace a given repeatable collaboration process over time? How do they change it over time to better suit their needs?” (de Vreede et al. 2008)

• include the analysis of actions performed during the collaboration process

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Start of

Collaboration

End of

Collaboration

collaboration process

coll.

object

com com com com com

com com

com com

ThinkLet(s)

evaluation criteria

• questionnaire data

• assessment of coll. object

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Motivation and Purpose (con‘t)

Can we observe:

• if and when phases or pattern of collaboration change over time?

• if participants adopt the provided experimental treatment, e.g., process structure provided by thinkLets?

• if and when participation of group members changes over time?

• how deeply and comprehensively participants negotiate?

• sequences of actions that can be interpreted as candidates for causal dependencies?

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The CoPrA Approach

4

Data Collection Data Preparation Data Analysis

EXAMPLE:

Research Design: Laboratory Experiments – Task: write a report on proposals for technical and organizational measures to support Knowledge Management in an organization. Research Question: How does process structure impact distributed teams during collaborative writing? Gather Data - Communication Log: Harley: 2:40 – document management system Quinn: 2:40 - they could use a Wiki Billy: 2:41 – Probably they can use MS Sharepoint, with altering and all the stuff ….

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Coding

Harley: 2:40 – document management system Quinn: 2:40 - they could use a Wiki Billy: 2:41 – Probably they can use MS Sharepoint, with altering and all the stuff

Export of Process Information <…> <ProcessInstance id="I002"> <AuditTrailEntry>

<WorkflowModelElement>N propose</WorkflowModelElement>

<EventType>start</EventType>

<Timestamp> 2011-05-12T02:41:00 </Timestamp>

<Originator> Billy</Originator> </AuditTrailEntry>

The CoPrA Approach

5

Data Collection Data Preparation Data Analysis

use in

Negotiation Model

• propose • support • argue-against • argue-for • reject • accept • …

assign action: propose

University of Innsbruck

The CoPrA Approach

6

Data Collection Data Preparation Data Analysis

Time pro

pose

su

ppor

t ar

gue-

for

argu

e-

agai

nst

.…

02:42 - 02:47 2 2 0 0 02:48 - 02:53 6 1 0 1 02:54 - 02:59 3 1 0 0 … .. .. .. .. 03:48 - 03:53 0 0 0 0

Timestamp WorkflowModelElementOriginator12.05.2011 02:39 SA-perform harley

12.05.2011 02:40 N propose harley

12.05.2011 02:40 N propose quinn

12.05.2011 02:41 N propose billy

12.05.2011 02:41 N propose harley

12.05.2011 02:41 N argue-for harleyTime Quinn Harley Billy 02:46 - 02:41 1 4 1 02:42 - 02:47 4 3 2 02:48 - 02:53 2 4 2 … .. .. .. 03:00 - 03:05 4 2 1

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Case Example (con‘t) – Experiment with thinkLets

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Can we observe if participants adopt the provided experimental treatment, e.g., process structure provided by thinkLets?

DirectedBrainstorm FastFocus/BoomWagon/ReviewReflect

University of Innsbruck

Case Example (con‘t) – Experiment with thinkLets

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Can we observe if and when phases or pattern of collaboration

change over time?

GENERATE REDUCE

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Conclusion and Outlook

CoPrA allows

• analyzing collaboration processes based on activity and performer information

• interpreting observations within their context due to communication logs

• insights into similarities and differences of communication workflows

• Augment analysis with additional data sources, e.g., development of written digital artifact

• Augment analysis with additional activities, e.g., start search on Google, resulting in activity streams to be investigated

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University of Innsbruck

Contact

Isabella Seeber

Isabella.Seeber@uibk.ac.at

University of Innsbruck

School of Management

Information Systems I

Universitätsstraße 15

6020 Innsbruck, Austria

Thank you for your attention!

Visit the following URL to download resources: http://www.uibk.ac.at/iwi/staff/iseeber/copra.html

University of Innsbruck

Case Example (con‘t) – Experiment with thinkLets

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Comments made per action

Accept Propose

Argue-against Reject

Argue-for Support

challenge Withdraw

Counter

Ne

goti

atio

n a

ctio

ns

Can we observe how deeply and comprehensively participants negotiate?

University of Innsbruck

Case Example – Experiment with thinkLets

12

Comments made per user

Can we observe (if and when) participation of group members (changes over time)?

University of Innsbruck

Case Example – Experiment with thinkLets

13

Sequences of Actions

Can we observe sequences of actions that can be interpreted as candidates for causal dependencies?