Lee Sproull
Biographic Data
| ID | 172748 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Lee Sproull |
| GIVEN NAMES | Lee |
| FAMILY NAME | Sproull |
| SIGNATURE | SPROULL L |
| AFFILIATIONS | Carnegie Mellon University |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 27 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 172 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 27 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1978 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2011 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Prosocial Behavior on the Net
Volunteers and charitable organizations contribute significantly to community welfare through their prosocial behavior: that is, discretionary behavior such as assisting, comforting, sharing, and cooperating intended to help worthy beneficiaries. This essay focuses on prosocial behavior on the Internet. It describes how offline charitable organizations are using the Net to become more efficient and effective. It also considers entirely new models…
Essence of distributed work
This paper provides a historical account of how the Linux operating system kernel was developed from three different perspectives. Each focuses on different critical factors in its success at the individual, group, and community levels. The technical and management decisions of Linus Torvalds the individual were critical in laying the groundwork for a collaborative software development project that has lasted almost a decade. The contributions of…
Coordinating Expertise in Software Development Teams
Like all teams, knowledge teams must acquire and manage critical resources in order to accomplish their work. The most critical resource for knowledge teams is expertise, or specialized skills and knowledge, but the mere presence of expertise on a team is insufficient to produce high-quality work. Expertise must be managed and coordinated in order to leverage its potential. That is, teams must be able to manage their skill and knowledge interdepe…
Essence of distributed work
This paper provides a historical account of how the Linux operating system kernel was developed from three different perspectives. Each focuses on different critical factors in its success at the individual, group, and community levels. The technical and management decisions of Linus Torvalds the individual were critical in laying the groundwork for a collaborative software development project that has lasted almost a decade. The contributions of…
Cooperating with life-like interface agents
As computer interfaces can display more life-like qualities such as speech output and personable characters or agents, it becomes important to understand and assess users’ interaction behavior within a social interaction framework rather than only a narrower machine interaction one. We studied how the appearance of a life-like interface agent influenced people’s interaction with it, using a social interaction framework of making and keeping promi…
The Kindness of Strangers
People use weak ties—relationships with acquaintances or strangers—to seek help unavailable from friends or colleagues. Yet in the absence of personal relationships or the expectation of direct reciprocity, help from weak ties might not be forthcoming or could be of low quality. We examined the practice of distant employees (strangers) exchanging technical advice through a large organizational computer network. A survey of advice seekers and thos…
When the Interface Is a Face
People behave differently in the presence of other people than they do when they are alone. People also may behave differently when designers introduce more human-like qualities into computer interfaces. In an experimental study we demonstrate that people's responses to a talking-face interface differ from their responses to a text-display interface. They attribute some personality traits to it; they are more aroused by it; they present themselve…
A prisoner's dilemma experiment on cooperation with people and human-like computers
Through a Glass Darkly What Do People Learn in Videoconferences
Interactive video communication, both in conference rooms and on desktop computers, is becoming an increasingly attractive technology, in large measure for economic reasons. In a longitudinal field study, the authors demonstrate, as have others, positive first-order efficiency effects of this technology. That is, people can achieve the same levels of performance in video interaction as they do in face-to-face interaction. However, the authors als…
What's Mine Is Ours, or Is It? A Study of Attitudes about Information Sharing
As technology for information access improves, people have more opportunities to share information. A theory of information sharing is advanced and we report the results of three experiments on attitudes about sharing technical work and expertise in organizations. Based on research on sensitive topics difficult to study in the field, we derived vignette-based measures of attitudes. Subjects read a description of an employee's encounter with a pre…
Connections
Technology and Organizations
Group decision making and communication technology
Learning from (and about) March
Self-Selected and Randomly Selected Respondents in a Computer Network Survey
Journal Article SELF-SELECTED AND RANDOMLY SELECTED RESPONDENTS IN A COMPUTER NETWORK SURVEY Get access JOHN P. WALSH, JOHN P. WALSH University of lllinois at Chicago Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar SARA KIESLER, SARA KIESLER Carnegie Mellon University Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar LEE S. SPROULL, LEE S. SPROULL Boston University Search for other works by this aut…
Learning from Samples of One or Fewer
Organizations learn from experience. Sometimes, however, history is not generous with experience. We explore how organizations convert infrequent events into interpretations of history, and how they balance the need to achieve agreement on interpretations with the need to interpret history correctly. We ask what methods are used, what problems are involved, and what improvements might be made. Although the methods we observe are not guaranteed to…
Computing and Change on Campus
Thinking About the Social Process of Technological Change: 1. Computers and society Herbert A. Simon 2. Old colleges, new technology James G. March 3. The social process of technological change in organizations Sara Kiesler and Lee Sproull Part II. Components of Change: Resources, Behaviour, and Attitudes: 4. The computers are coming! Suzanne Penn Weisband and Jane Siegel 5. Electronic observations of computer user behaviour Mike Blackwell 6. Fac…
Reducing Social Context Cues
This paper examines electronic mail in organizational communication. Based on ideas about how social context cues within a communication setting affect information exchange, it argues that electronic mail does not simply speed up the exchange of information but leads to the exchange of new information as well. In a field study in a Fortune 500 company, we used questionnaire data and actual messages to examine electronic mail communication at all …
Response Effects in the Electronic Survey
This report examines the electronic survey as a research tool. In an electronic survey, respondents use a text processing program to self-administer a computer-based questionnaire. As more people have access to computers, electronic surveys may become widespread. The electronic survey can reduce processing costs because it automates the transformation of raw data into computer-readable form. It can combine advantages of interviews (e.g., prompts,…
Pool Halls, Chips, and War Games
Computers are becoming ubiquitous in our society and they offer superb opportunities for people in jobs and everyday life. But there is a noticeable sex difference in use of computers among children. This article asks why computers are more attractive to boys than to girls and offers a cultural framework for explaining the apparent sex differences. Although the data are fragmentary, the world of computing seems to be more consistent with male ado…
Encountering an Alien Culture
This paper applies a cultural perspective to the problem of introducing novices to a new technology: computing. We suggest a general model of initial socialization composed of reality shock, confusion, and attempts at control. Cultural values and ideas contribute to the settings in which this socialization takes place, and one result of this socialization process consists of either cultural recruits or cultural dropouts. In a two‐part study explo…
Managing and Analyzing Behavioral Records
This paper argues that the text processing and interpreting capabilities of computers can and should be applied to the problems of managing and analyzing nonnumeric social data. It identifies behavioral records such as observation records or open-ended interview responses as good candidates for such an application because they are text based and at least semistructured. It describes one specific implementation of a behavioral record data analysis…
Response to Regula tion
Federal regulation of organizations is an increasingly important theoretical and policy topic. Current regulation analyses are deficient in that they overrely on economic assumptions and market sector organizations. This article proposes an organizational process framework for investigating and understanding how local organizations respond to federal regulation based on the argument that conventional approaches, which focus on system properties a…
Models in theory and practice; some examples, problems, and prospects
Managing Education Programs
Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Lee Sproull; Managing Education Programs: A Micro-behavioral Analysis. Human Organization 1 June 1981; 40 (2): 113–122. doi: https://doi.org/10.17730/humo.40.2.t504k73672313l71 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBi…
Response Effects in the Electronic Survey
This report examines the electronic survey as a research tool. In an electronic survey, respondents use a text processing program to self-administer a computer-based questionnaire. As more people have access to computers, electronic surveys may become widespread. The electronic survey can reduce processing costs because it automates the transformation of raw data into computer-readable form. It can combine advantages of interviews (e.g., prompts,…
Cooperating with life-like interface agents
As computer interfaces can display more life-like qualities such as speech output and personable characters or agents, it becomes important to understand and assess users’ interaction behavior within a social interaction framework rather than only a narrower machine interaction one. We studied how the appearance of a life-like interface agent influenced people’s interaction with it, using a social interaction framework of making and keeping promi…
Pool Halls, Chips, and War Games
Computers are becoming ubiquitous in our society and they offer superb opportunities for people in jobs and everyday life. But there is a noticeable sex difference in use of computers among children. This article asks why computers are more attractive to boys than to girls and offers a cultural framework for explaining the apparent sex differences. Although the data are fragmentary, the world of computing seems to be more consistent with male ado…
Self-Selected and Randomly Selected Respondents in a Computer Network Survey
Journal Article SELF-SELECTED AND RANDOMLY SELECTED RESPONDENTS IN A COMPUTER NETWORK SURVEY Get access JOHN P. WALSH, JOHN P. WALSH University of lllinois at Chicago Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar SARA KIESLER, SARA KIESLER Carnegie Mellon University Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar LEE S. SPROULL, LEE S. SPROULL Boston University Search for other works by this aut…
A prisoner's dilemma experiment on cooperation with people and human-like computers
Encountering an Alien Culture
This paper applies a cultural perspective to the problem of introducing novices to a new technology: computing. We suggest a general model of initial socialization composed of reality shock, confusion, and attempts at control. Cultural values and ideas contribute to the settings in which this socialization takes place, and one result of this socialization process consists of either cultural recruits or cultural dropouts. In a two‐part study explo…
Managing and Analyzing Behavioral Records
This paper argues that the text processing and interpreting capabilities of computers can and should be applied to the problems of managing and analyzing nonnumeric social data. It identifies behavioral records such as observation records or open-ended interview responses as good candidates for such an application because they are text based and at least semistructured. It describes one specific implementation of a behavioral record data analysis…
Through a Glass Darkly What Do People Learn in Videoconferences
Interactive video communication, both in conference rooms and on desktop computers, is becoming an increasingly attractive technology, in large measure for economic reasons. In a longitudinal field study, the authors demonstrate, as have others, positive first-order efficiency effects of this technology. That is, people can achieve the same levels of performance in video interaction as they do in face-to-face interaction. However, the authors als…
Managing Education Programs
Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Lee Sproull; Managing Education Programs: A Micro-behavioral Analysis. Human Organization 1 June 1981; 40 (2): 113–122. doi: https://doi.org/10.17730/humo.40.2.t504k73672313l71 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBi…
Organizing an Anarchy
Response to Regula tion
Federal regulation of organizations is an increasingly important theoretical and policy topic. Current regulation analyses are deficient in that they overrely on economic assumptions and market sector organizations. This article proposes an organizational process framework for investigating and understanding how local organizations respond to federal regulation based on the argument that conventional approaches, which focus on system properties a…
Prosocial Behavior on the Net
Volunteers and charitable organizations contribute significantly to community welfare through their prosocial behavior: that is, discretionary behavior such as assisting, comforting, sharing, and cooperating intended to help worthy beneficiaries. This essay focuses on prosocial behavior on the Internet. It describes how offline charitable organizations are using the Net to become more efficient and effective. It also considers entirely new models…
Learning from (and about) March
Organizing an Anarchy
Organizing an Anarchy
Response to Regula tion
Federal regulation of organizations is an increasingly important theoretical and policy topic. Current regulation analyses are deficient in that they overrely on economic assumptions and market sector organizations. This article proposes an organizational process framework for investigating and understanding how local organizations respond to federal regulation based on the argument that conventional approaches, which focus on system properties a…
Models in theory and practice; some examples, problems, and prospects
Managing Education Programs
Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Lee Sproull; Managing Education Programs: A Micro-behavioral Analysis. Human Organization 1 June 1981; 40 (2): 113–122. doi: https://doi.org/10.17730/humo.40.2.t504k73672313l71 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBi…
Managing and Analyzing Behavioral Records
This paper argues that the text processing and interpreting capabilities of computers can and should be applied to the problems of managing and analyzing nonnumeric social data. It identifies behavioral records such as observation records or open-ended interview responses as good candidates for such an application because they are text based and at least semistructured. It describes one specific implementation of a behavioral record data analysis…
Encountering an Alien Culture
This paper applies a cultural perspective to the problem of introducing novices to a new technology: computing. We suggest a general model of initial socialization composed of reality shock, confusion, and attempts at control. Cultural values and ideas contribute to the settings in which this socialization takes place, and one result of this socialization process consists of either cultural recruits or cultural dropouts. In a two‐part study explo…
Pool Halls, Chips, and War Games
Computers are becoming ubiquitous in our society and they offer superb opportunities for people in jobs and everyday life. But there is a noticeable sex difference in use of computers among children. This article asks why computers are more attractive to boys than to girls and offers a cultural framework for explaining the apparent sex differences. Although the data are fragmentary, the world of computing seems to be more consistent with male ado…
Reducing Social Context Cues
This paper examines electronic mail in organizational communication. Based on ideas about how social context cues within a communication setting affect information exchange, it argues that electronic mail does not simply speed up the exchange of information but leads to the exchange of new information as well. In a field study in a Fortune 500 company, we used questionnaire data and actual messages to examine electronic mail communication at all …
Response Effects in the Electronic Survey
This report examines the electronic survey as a research tool. In an electronic survey, respondents use a text processing program to self-administer a computer-based questionnaire. As more people have access to computers, electronic surveys may become widespread. The electronic survey can reduce processing costs because it automates the transformation of raw data into computer-readable form. It can combine advantages of interviews (e.g., prompts,…
Computing and Change on Campus
Thinking About the Social Process of Technological Change: 1. Computers and society Herbert A. Simon 2. Old colleges, new technology James G. March 3. The social process of technological change in organizations Sara Kiesler and Lee Sproull Part II. Components of Change: Resources, Behaviour, and Attitudes: 4. The computers are coming! Suzanne Penn Weisband and Jane Siegel 5. Electronic observations of computer user behaviour Mike Blackwell 6. Fac…
Learning from Samples of One or Fewer
Organizations learn from experience. Sometimes, however, history is not generous with experience. We explore how organizations convert infrequent events into interpretations of history, and how they balance the need to achieve agreement on interpretations with the need to interpret history correctly. We ask what methods are used, what problems are involved, and what improvements might be made. Although the methods we observe are not guaranteed to…
Group decision making and communication technology
Learning from (and about) March
Self-Selected and Randomly Selected Respondents in a Computer Network Survey
Journal Article SELF-SELECTED AND RANDOMLY SELECTED RESPONDENTS IN A COMPUTER NETWORK SURVEY Get access JOHN P. WALSH, JOHN P. WALSH University of lllinois at Chicago Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar SARA KIESLER, SARA KIESLER Carnegie Mellon University Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar LEE S. SPROULL, LEE S. SPROULL Boston University Search for other works by this aut…
Connections
Technology and Organizations
What's Mine Is Ours, or Is It? A Study of Attitudes about Information Sharing
As technology for information access improves, people have more opportunities to share information. A theory of information sharing is advanced and we report the results of three experiments on attitudes about sharing technical work and expertise in organizations. Based on research on sensitive topics difficult to study in the field, we derived vignette-based measures of attitudes. Subjects read a description of an employee's encounter with a pre…
Through a Glass Darkly What Do People Learn in Videoconferences
Interactive video communication, both in conference rooms and on desktop computers, is becoming an increasingly attractive technology, in large measure for economic reasons. In a longitudinal field study, the authors demonstrate, as have others, positive first-order efficiency effects of this technology. That is, people can achieve the same levels of performance in video interaction as they do in face-to-face interaction. However, the authors als…
The Kindness of Strangers
People use weak ties—relationships with acquaintances or strangers—to seek help unavailable from friends or colleagues. Yet in the absence of personal relationships or the expectation of direct reciprocity, help from weak ties might not be forthcoming or could be of low quality. We examined the practice of distant employees (strangers) exchanging technical advice through a large organizational computer network. A survey of advice seekers and thos…
When the Interface Is a Face
People behave differently in the presence of other people than they do when they are alone. People also may behave differently when designers introduce more human-like qualities into computer interfaces. In an experimental study we demonstrate that people's responses to a talking-face interface differ from their responses to a text-display interface. They attribute some personality traits to it; they are more aroused by it; they present themselve…
A prisoner's dilemma experiment on cooperation with people and human-like computers
Cooperating with life-like interface agents
As computer interfaces can display more life-like qualities such as speech output and personable characters or agents, it becomes important to understand and assess users’ interaction behavior within a social interaction framework rather than only a narrower machine interaction one. We studied how the appearance of a life-like interface agent influenced people’s interaction with it, using a social interaction framework of making and keeping promi…
Coordinating Expertise in Software Development Teams
Like all teams, knowledge teams must acquire and manage critical resources in order to accomplish their work. The most critical resource for knowledge teams is expertise, or specialized skills and knowledge, but the mere presence of expertise on a team is insufficient to produce high-quality work. Expertise must be managed and coordinated in order to leverage its potential. That is, teams must be able to manage their skill and knowledge interdepe…
Essence of distributed work
This paper provides a historical account of how the Linux operating system kernel was developed from three different perspectives. Each focuses on different critical factors in its success at the individual, group, and community levels. The technical and management decisions of Linus Torvalds the individual were critical in laying the groundwork for a collaborative software development project that has lasted almost a decade. The contributions of…
Computer Science (19 works) · Psychology (17 works) · Sociology (12 works) · Knowledge Management and Sharing (8 works) · Political science (8 works) · Social Psychology (8 works) · Team Dynamics and Performance (8 works) · World Wide Web (6 works) · Social Psychology (5 works) · Business (4 works)