The purpose of this research is to examine empirically the effects of emerging computing and communications technologies on the performance of globally distributed teams engaged in a specific type of collaborative work - engineering design. The primary objective is to investigate how social and cultural factors shape usage and effects of collaborative tools, and in particular shape distributed team communication processes and team performance. Design teams comprised of engineering students affiliated with a consortium of institutions in Asia, Europe and North America, and engineers working with our industrial partners are provided with collaboration tools. Surveys and thorough interviews with team members before, during and after project work highlight the interactions between distributed group communication and knowledge distribution processes, computer-mediated communication supports, and cultural factors. The results of this research will provide new approaches for using computer-based communication and collaboration tools to help distributed groups overcome problems associated with extreme geographic dispersion and cultural differences. A particular application of the research is to improve the likelihood of success of teams comprised of members from differing regions of the world who remain in their home locations. It thus has applications for international engineering design, engineering education, and collaborative systems development.
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