AN ASSESSMENT OF ELECTRONIC MEETING SYSTEMS IN A CORPORATE SETTING

This article reports on the effectiveness of electronic meeting systems (EMS) in organizations. The findings of this field study were consistent with laboratory experiments and indicated that electronic meetings were highly rated in terms of both meeting task and process outcomes. The participants felt that, compared to traditional meetings, EMS led to generation of more high quality ideas in less time. Furthermore, the participants were highly satisfied with the electronic meeting process and perceived a high level of group cohesiveness during the meetings. Observation of group interaction processes during the electronic meetings and post-meeting interviews further suggest that (1) EMS do not replace but augment verbal communications in a face-to-face meeting. This increases the volume of information generated and communicated during the meetings; (2) user interface and ease of use of EMS software can compensate for low levels of participant computer literacy and for typing skills; (3) electronic meeting systems increase participants' concentration and enjoyment of the task; this may lead to increased creativity and productivity. As more organizations begin implementing and using EMS, additional field studies are needed to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the organizational implications of the adoption of these systems.