Research Commentary — Vigilant Interaction in Knowledge Collaboration: Challenges of Online User Participation Under Ambivalence

Information Systems Research 21(4), pp. 773–784, ©2010 INFORMS

13 Pages Posted: 12 Dec 2014

See all articles by Sirkka Jarvenpaa

Sirkka Jarvenpaa

University of Texas at Austin - Red McCombs School of Business

Ann Majchrzak

University of Southern California - Marshall School of Business

Date Written: December 10, 2014

Abstract

Online participation engenders both the benefits of knowledge sharing and the risks of harm. Vigilant interaction in knowledge collaboration refers to an interactive emergent dialogue in which knowledge is shared while it is protected, requiring deep appraisals of each others’ actions in order to determine how each action may influence the outcomes of the collaboration. Vigilant interactions are critical in online knowledge collaborations under ambivalent relationships where users collaborate to gain benefits but at the same time protect to avoid harm from perceived vulnerabilities. Vigilant interactions can take place on discussion boards, open source development, wiki sites, social media sites, and online knowledge management systems and thus is a rich research area for information systems researchers. Three elements of vigilant interactions are described: trust asymmetry, deception and novelty. Each of these elements challenges prevailing theory-based assumptions about how people collaborate online. The study of vigilant interaction, then, has the potential to provide insight on how these elements can be managed by participants in a manner that allows knowledge sharing to proceed without harm.

Suggested Citation

Jarvenpaa, Sirkka and Majchrzak, Ann, Research Commentary — Vigilant Interaction in Knowledge Collaboration: Challenges of Online User Participation Under Ambivalence (December 10, 2014). Information Systems Research 21(4), pp. 773–784, ©2010 INFORMS, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2536448

Sirkka Jarvenpaa

University of Texas at Austin - Red McCombs School of Business ( email )

Austin, TX 78712
United States

Ann Majchrzak (Contact Author)

University of Southern California - Marshall School of Business ( email )

701 Exposition Blvd
Los Angeles, CA California 90089
United States

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