The Meaning of Collaboration: A Study Using a Conceptual Mapping Technique

6 Pages Posted: 6 Jun 2005

See all articles by Petru Lucian Curseu

Petru Lucian Curseu

Tilburg University

Sandra Schruijer

University of Utrecht

Smaranda Boros

Babes-Bolyai University

Date Written: June 1, 2005

Abstract

In this study we investigate lay people's conceptualization of collaboration. We used a card-sorting variant of a conceptual mapping technique to explore the way in which individuals and groups understand collaboration. First an interview and a free association technique were used to identify the main concepts used to define collaboration by a sample of 80 students. Afterwards, a sample of 56 students (with an average age of 20.94, fifty women) participated first in an individual and then in a group (of 3 and 4 members) cognitive mapping session in exchange for extra-credits for a Social Psychology course. After the completion of every cognitive mapping task, a post hoc questionnaire was used to evaluate: satisfaction with outcome and with the process, task difficulty, task intelligibility, conflict, individual participation to the group outcome, communication, collaboration, planning, organizing, process efficiency, as well as perceived difference between the group and individual outcomes was filled in after the group map was completed. Our results show that the complexity of individual cognitive maps is significantly higher than the complexity of group cognitive maps. Teamwork quality moderates the relation between the individual map complexity and group map complexity.

Keywords: Collaboration, cognitive mapping, group dynamics

Suggested Citation

Curseu, Petru Lucian and Schruijer, Sandra and Boros, Smaranda, The Meaning of Collaboration: A Study Using a Conceptual Mapping Technique (June 1, 2005). IACM 18th Annual Conference, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=734965 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.734965

Petru Lucian Curseu (Contact Author)

Tilburg University ( email )

Postbus 90153
Tilburg, DC Noord-Brabant 5000 LE
Netherlands

Sandra Schruijer

University of Utrecht ( email )

Vredenburg 138
NL-3508 TC Utrecht, 3511 BG
Netherlands

Smaranda Boros

Babes-Bolyai University

RO-3400 Cluj-Napoca, Cluj
Romania

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