Fostering group norm development and orientation while creating awareness contents for improving net-based collaborative problem solving Tanja Engelmann a,⇑ , Michail D. Kozlov a,1 , Richard Kolodziej a,2 , Roy B. Clariana b,3 a Knowledge Media Research Center, Schleichstraße 6, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany b Pennsylvania State University, 314 Keller Building, State College, PA 16802, USA article info Article history: Keywords: Computer-supported collaborative problem solving Knowledge and information awareness Group awareness Norm development Norm orientation abstract Empirical studies have demonstrated that being aware of the knowledge structures and of the underlying information of other group members improves computer-supported collaborative problem solving. While such studies used pre-made individual concept maps as awareness tools, empirical studies that used individual concept maps created by the group members themselves have not shown an advantage for group performance. An assumed reason is that individual members’ concept maps differ too much structurally so that using them would need a lot of effort. This experimental study compares 20 triads whose members can observe the map creation process of the other members in their group with 20 triads without this possibility. The results demonstrated that access to the map creation process of the other group members while building one’s own concept map led to a group norm of how to create such a map. As a result, group members created more structurally similar maps, which led, as in prior studies with pre-made maps, to improved group performance. Ó 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Collaboration: benefits and challenges In an increasingly globalized world, solutions to problems often require the collaborative effort of experts who are separated by great distances, cultural boundaries, and time zones. Physical pres- ence of each member of a collaborating collective is often difficult to achieve. In order to solve ad hoc problems, experts from various parts of the globe can, however, utilize communication technolo- gies, especially the various possibilities for interaction afforded by contemporary personal computers. Yet, even though modern technology facilitates instant communication across the globe, col- laborating groups using the technology face a number of problems. These problems can be germane to the virtual setting within which interaction between group members takes place, or arise from the potentially volatile nature of the expert group whose members might not have worked together before nor anticipate interactions beyond the task at hand (cf. Bromme, Hesse, & Spada, 2005). 1.1. Problems faced by transiently collaborating groups Even though telecommunication in general and computer med- iated communication (CMC) in particular is constantly becoming more and more sophisticated, it is still not possible to convey ver- bal messages, gestures, or facial expressions at a level that would be comparable to face-to-face interaction (Buder, 2011; Carroll, Neale, Isenhour, Rosson, & McCrickard, 2003; Janssen & Bodemer, 2013). Hence, compared to face-to-face interaction, CMC has been reported to be less satisfying and more confusing (Thompson & Coovert, 2003). It also seems to generally increase the time and reduce the effectiveness with which groups can accomplish tasks (Baltes, Dickson, Sherman, Bauer, & LaGanke, 2002). However, given the fast paced strides in communication technologies, the challenges that technological limitations pose for CMC are likely to diminish with time. A more persistent problem for computer mediated collaborative efforts is therefore more likely to be the interpersonal dynamics inherent to interactions of transiently collaborating groups. For example, various lines of research indicate that groups are not very effective at processing information that is not held by all, or at least the majority of group members. Thus according to the information sampling model (Stasser & Titus, 1987; Stasser & Titus, 2003), the more members of a group are privy to a piece of information, the more likely this piece of information will be discussed. In a study http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.04.052 0747-5632/Ó 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. ⇑ Corresponding author. Tel.: +49 7071 979 239; fax: +49 7071 979 100. E-mail addresses: t.engelmann@iwm-kmrc.de (T. Engelmann), m.kozlov@ iwm-kmrc.de (M.D. Kozlov), r.kolodziej@iwm-kmrc.de (R. Kolodziej), rclariana@ psu.edu (R.B. Clariana). 1 Tel.: +49 7071 979 274; fax: +49 7071 979 100. 2 Tel.: +49 7071 979 367; fax: +49 7071 979 100. 3 Tel.: +1 610 648 3253; fax: +1 610 725 5253. Computers in Human Behavior 37 (2014) 298–306 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Computers in Human Behavior journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/comphumbeh