Gender Differences and Cultural Orientation in E-Collaboration

IntroductIon Electronic collaboration (e-collaboration) is defined as collaboration among individuals engaged in a common task using electronic technologies (Kock & Nosek, 2005). Examples of technologies used in e-collaboration are email, groupware and chat tools, which support communication, information sharing and coordination among team members synchronously or asynchronously. Collaborative learning is regarded as an important information processing activity in e-collaboration. E-collaboration technologies enable affective learning related to interactive communication and teamwork to be achieved. Members learn from one another by actively engaging in exchanging knowledge and information based on their understanding as well as individual experiences (Harasim, Hiltz, Teles, & Turoff, 1995). New information is in this way integrated with existing cognitive structures (Leidner & Jarvenpaa, 1995). Growing interest in supporting the needs of active learning, along with concurrent improvements in e-collaboration technologies, has prompted research on computer-supported collabora-tive learning (CSCL). CSCL research focuses on the interaction of computer supported learning systems and collaborative systems by integrating collaborative learning and e-collaboration (O'Malley, 1995). Mediating through e-collaboration technologies, members' perceptions on status, roles and power repartition perceived by group members affect their participation in collab-orative learning activities (Rutkowski, Vogel, van Genuchten, Bemelmans, & Favier, 2002). Gender has been considered as one of the fundamental personal characteristics having profound influences on individual perceptions, attitudes, and performance, particularly in the collaborative learning setting (Morris, Venkatesh, & Ackerman, 2005). Morris et al. also promoted the importance of studying such influences. Gender differences are more profound in individualistic culture than in collectivistic culture. Hence, users' cultural orientation is another pertinent factor impacting jointly with gender on distributed e-collaboration teams (Rut-kowski et al., 2002). CSCL technologies make it possible for globally distributed teams to work on projects across cultures. Previous studies have highlighted the importance of individualism versus collectivism, and considered this dimension as the most distinguishing characteristic of culture 1 influencing group process (e.g., Oetzel, 2001; Triandis, 1995). People with different cultural backgrounds differ in perceptions on learning and working (Choong & Salvendy, 1999). Differences stemming from the contrasting cultural backgrounds would lead to different communication processes (Oetzel, 2001); this underscores the importance in building a set of group norms, which, if established, could potentially overcome the challenges (Levi, 2001). A set of col-laborative group norms, through promoting equal participation and group wellbeing, leads to the learning achievement of every group member. We adapt the expectation status theory in this study to investigate how and to …