Investigation of Organizational Interaction and Support in an NGO through Computer-Mediated Discussions

Discussion forums have been used to support organizational communication and they have become a candidate for study of organizational behaviors. However, online behaviors of NGOs have been insufficiently studied compared to those studies conducted in education and industries. Our empirical study examined how social workers in one NGO used an internal discussion forum to help them disseminate time-sensitive employment opportunities for people with mental impairments, provide space for collective expressions of support, and enable sharing of information and experiences. The main purpose of the paper is to study a multifaceted assessment methodology to assess online discussion forums in an NGO. In this paper, we carry out a systemic set of assessment methods including network analysis, category analysis, and content analysis for evaluating online social software, and particularly discussion forums. The methods are used empirically to assess patterns of information sharing, social network, and peer support in an NGO.