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Introduction to the special issue

Citation for published version (APA):

Ulijn, J. M., Vogel, D. R., & Bemelmans, T. M. A. (2002). Introduction to the special issue. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 45(4), 213-218. https://doi.org/10.1109/TPC.2002.805145

DOI:

10.1109/TPC.2002.805145

Document status and date: Published: 01/01/2002 Document Version:

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Introduction to the Special Issue

—J

AN

M. U

LIJN,

ASSOCIATE MEMBER, IEEE, GUEST EDITOR

,

D

OUGLAS

R. V

OGEL,

GUEST EDITOR

,

AND

T

HEO

M. A. B

EMELMANS,

GUEST EDITOR

Abstract—Information and communication technology (ICT) studies have a wide scope of application, particularly in their attention to the communicative interaction among human beings above and beyond man–machine interaction. The topic of human communication and culture for ICT is a timely one. While studies to date have focused largely on the technical communication aspects of ICT, this special issue proposes to innovate in its emphasis on the impact of the interaction of professional culture, rather than national or corporate, and new media on communication, with particular attention to economic ICT.

Manuscript received September 12, 2002. J. M. Ulijn and T. M. A. Bemelmans are with Eindhoven

University of Technology, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands

(email: j.m.ulijn@tm.tue.nl; t.m.a.bemelmans@tm.tue.nl). D. R. Vogel is with the City University of Hong Kong 83 Tat Chee Avenue

Kowloon, Hong Kong

(email: isdoug@is.cityu.edu.hk). IEEE DOI 10.1109/TPC.2002.805145

T

he last 30 years of digital revolution, with its ever-expanding set of new media, has had a growing impact on how people communicate. This process has been largely a matter of technology push, where gadgets-loving nations, like the USA, take the lead in trying out what is technically possible and available for human communication. Do all these new media really increase the quality of human communication? Is the fact that some cultures are more conservative in introducing the latest Information and Communication Technology (ICT) a sign of lagging behind in the new economy? Or might this technical development be less than a blessing for global human communication? Might it be more culturally prudent to implement only those ICT inventions that actually enhance the quality of global human interaction? Can this explain cultural differences? How do we explain the cultural and communication behavior of a young person who prefers to use her mobile phone walking in a busy street instead of taking the opportunity to communicate face-to-face? If this happens in Beijing, does it mean that the

person would like to avoid the collectivism and social control of the Chinese culture? In Western, individualistic societies, is this an expression of personal freedom? What should we think about the quality of human interaction of a “nerd” who is so dependent on his PC that he experiences miscommunications of an emotional nature because he avoids any face-to-face communication? Needless to say, answers to these questions might make it possible to get away from technology push in the ICT-arena and toward an understanding of cultural factors.

While the answer to all such questions is beyond the scope of this single issue, research addressing human interaction and cultural fit for ICT is addressed here. The topic of human communication and culture is a timely one. The interest in such questions is growing, as shown by publication of several special issues of the IEEE TRANSACTIONS ONPROFESSIONAL

COMMUNICATION: in 1999, an issue devoted to Communication in Virtual Organizations edited by El-Shinnawy [1] with contributions by Burn and

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Barnett [2], Harrington and Ruppel [3], Scott and Timmerman [4], Johansson et al. [5]; in 2000, an issue devoted to Communication in Cross-Functional Teams [6] (published as a joint issue of

Technical Communication) with

contributions by McGee [7], Robey et al. [8], Bernhardt and McCulley [9], and Norton [10]; in 2001, an issue devoted to Communication as a Social Construct Within an Information Society edited by Irani et al. [11], with contributions by Te’eni et al. [12] and Ruppel and Harrington [13]; and also in 2001, an issue devoted to Technical Innovation and Global Business Communication edited by Ulijn and Campbell [14], with contributions by Zahedi et al. [15], Vogel et al. [16], and Ulijn et al. [17]. Other professional communication journals have paid increasing attention to documentation for ICT-products (e.g., Journal of Business and

Technical Communication, Journal of Technical Writing and Communication, Technical Communication, and Technical Communication Quarterly). Most

of the research mentioned above, including a special issue edited by Price [18], in 2001, devoted to Modeling Information in Electronic Space (in Technical

Communication), focuses on

the technical communication aspects of ICT. However, research reporting on cultural implications of ICT is relatively rare (see, in particular, Burn and Barnett [2], Ruppel and Harrington [13], and some contributions to Ulijn and Campbell [14]).

Other IEEE journals reflect a computer science orientation in ICT research: IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON COMPUTERS, IEEE TRANSACTIONS ONKNOWLEDGE AND DATA ENGINEERING, IEEE

TRANSACTIONS ONPATTERNANALYSIS AND MACHINEINTELLIGENCE, IEEE TRANSACTIONS ONPARALLEL ANDDISTRIBUTEDSYSTEMS, IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON SOFTWARE

ENGINEERING, and IEEE

TRANSACTIONS ONVISUALIZATION AND

COMPUTERGRAPHICS.

As suggested above, ICT studies have a wide scope of application, particularly in their attention to the communicative interaction among human beings above and beyond man–machine interaction. To define “culture,” this special issue adopts a multilevel analysis, not only from the viewpoint of national or corporate arenas, but also within professional cultures (see the outline [19]). Ulijn, Nagel, and Tan [20] elaborate on the characteristics of professional culture, noting that it had been a rather overlooked area of culture study. As a result of ICT implementation in human interaction, a virtual culture may even develop [2]. Human interaction between cultures, “intercultural communication,” is distinguished from cross-cultural communication [21]. In sum, the current special issue proposes to innovate in its emphasis on the impact of the interaction of professional culture, rather than national or corporate, and new media on communication, with particular attention to economic ICT studies (see Rifkin [22], in a rare attempt to relate economy to culture).

T

HE

C

ONTENTS OF

T

HIS

S

PECIAL

I

SSUE

The selections of our special issue impose some constraints. ICT research might include negotiation, international web design, visual communication, hypertext, and computer–human interface.This range of topics illustrate that ICT is no longer a matter of technology push from the Northern and Western hemispheres of this planet, but that through a kind of market pull, the global community will be of increasing importance for future studies of ICT and its consequences for human communication and culture. For example, Asian countries

are potentially huge markets for Western communications products, but only if local cultural (and political) issues are taken into consideration. We are seeing the emergence of cooperative ventures in many countries that are aimed at creating synergy as indicated in projects such as the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) created by the government of Malaysia (see Mohan et al., this issue).

All this shows that the relation between culture and (ICT)

economics is intricate and complex and not easy to understand. An example of a global agenda in ICT economics and culture is presented in this issue in the case of the Multimedia Super Corridor created by the government of Malaysia. Many countries worldwide are seeking to develop technology parks and other inducements to help create synergism between local entrepreneurs in small- and medium-sized organizations and large multinational organizations. The objective is not only to benefit from those associations through job creation and slowing “brain drain” to other countries but also to attain recognition of local products and services in more global contexts

The four papers in this special issue address a range of topics examining ICT study implications for human interaction and culture. Our authors are a mix of engineers, computer scientists, psychologists, communication and educational experts, and economists. “E-Collaboration: The Reality of Virtuality” by Rutkowski et al. focuses on the communicative dimensions of global virtual teams and places special emphasis on balancing electronic communication during synchronous and asynchronous e-collaboration (i.e., videoconference, email, chat session, distributed use of group support system) to bridge cultural and stereotypical gaps, to increase profitable role repartition between

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the participants, and to prevent and solve conflicts. The authors report on four years of research involving hundreds of participants from different national cultures working together for six weeks on a specific project. Experiences are presented and conclusions drawn giving special attention to the process and structure of ICT required to support efficient virtual teaming in education and industry. “E-Cooperative Design Among Mechanical and Electrical Engineers: Implications for Communication Between Professional Cultures” by Delinchant et al. provides an intriguing look into professional, cross-cultural cooperative design. The design process involving an electromechanical plunger is used as an example to point out limitations of existing CAD/CAM and supporting technologies in the context of collaborative synchronous and asynchronous communication. Improvements in methodology and features are proposed to remedy media richness deficiencies for various types of collaborative interaction. To validate suggestions, data were gathered and used to gauge methodology and technology effectiveness in cooperative design activities. New collaborative tools are proposed to address shortcomings of commercially available support.

“The Contribution of Electronic Communication Media to the Design Process: Communicative and Cultural Implications” by van Luxemburg et al. explores the impact of ICT on cooperative design activities between a company and its customers during the early stages of research and development. The paper is especially noteworthy in its examination of onsite interactions in case studies in established organizations. Aspects of national and professional culture are integrated into the discussion. Hypotheses are qualitatively tested based upon

the described communication activities. Analysis demonstrates that electronic communication media can play an important role in technological innovation by supporting interaction between suppliers and customers. Features and functionality of collaborative product development tools supporting interactivity (moderated by cultural variations) are suggested.

“Malaysia’s Multimedia Super Corridor: A Case Study of the Communication Linkages Among Stakeholders in a National System of Innovation” by Mohan et al. highlights the linkages developed for communication among the various components of a national system of innovation (NSI) manifested in the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) Cluster created by the government of Malaysia. This paper demonstrates how a set of resources can be synergistically integrated through government and business cooperation: the study describes how multinational corporations play a major funding role in creating technology parks adjacent to universities. The paper recognizes flagship applications that retain local social and economic values. Special recognition is given to the Flagship Coordination Unit as critical success factor. Aspects of electronic government pilot projects are presented.

Two of our articles illuminate the educational aspects of ICT use from an intercultural perspective. Robey et al. [8] conclude from a study in a Southern and Northern U.S. town cross-functional virtual teams (between vendors and buyers) offer a lot of situated learning in the same geographical area and time zone, but once they realize that technology does not constrain them, they develop communication practices that operate across time and space. In a more formalized educational setting, electronic office hours become a component of distance

learning and a distributed simulator is developed for control experiments through the internet to learn to operate the different parts of an industrial process (e.g., [23], [24]). The article by Rutkowski et al. in this issue turns virtuality into reality as a major innovation in education between engineering and business students in three countries.

Delinchant et al. also bring students together as actors in an innovation management process: mechanical and electrotechnical engineers who codesign an electromechanical plunger. Their focus is more on the cooperation between the different actors in a supply chain at the upstream level of R&D. Innovation ideas are not just “thrown over the wall,” but related to a very downstream function, such as marketing. Jin [25] studies the mutual learning process between marketing and R&D in the context of 171 different ICT products and concludes that role flexibility is needed: one has to look over each other’s boundaries of professional expertise and even expeditiously remove separating walls. The van Luxemburg et al. study in this special issue brings even the customer into the codesign process as an actor with the supplier. The difference between up- and downstream then tends to disappear: corporate and professional cultures are melting together into a new virtual culture. Papers by both Delinchant et al. and van Luxemburg et al. indicate that the socio-technical approaches, such as the actor model and the psychological profile of the actors involved (see also Rutkowski et al.) are helpful to disentangle their professional communication and cultures before they disappear into one virtual pot.

C

ONCLUSION

The challenge of this special issue was to link economics to communication and culture around ICT in a broad context.

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Were we successful? It is obvious that international communication professionals have as a mission not only to manage operations, but also innovations in a company. ICT can play not only a routine role in operations management, but also a strategic one in innovation management, paralleled with solid face-to-face interaction, as for instance, in design cooperation with the customer.

Whereas computer-mediated communication tools (e.g., email) might be good enough for operations management (strongly supported by standardization and normalization in the innovation implementation), richer media are required in innovation management occupying the supply chain between R&D and manufacturing. Other projects and their characteristics might well benefit from a mix of communication tools with some tool (or tools) more important at one project phase than others. Ultimately, it becomes useful to consider a portfolio of tools with a sound understanding of the impact and implications each tool (individually and in concert) as

a function of the activity or task and experience of people being supported. By definition, this has cultural connotations. It also requires considerable flexibility. What is deemed useful in one context may not be so in another. Further, any given tool or tools can be used differently because of changing work patterns and interaction structures.

From an intercultural point of view, the interaction between professionals leads to specific subcategories of professional communication, for instance, in the growing building, medical, or biotechnology sectors. On the level of national culture, this issue takes us from East/South to North/West and back with the opportunity to conclude that ICT is no longer a matter of technology push from the Northern and Western hemispheres, but that market pull from other parts of the globe will be of increasing importance for future studies of ICT. Customers and citizens are both consumers of an information society whose needs and desires will pull the ICT suppliers because their products have serious consequences for

human communication and culture. May the studies presented here lead to more communicative analyses to make ICT more beneficial both for the customer and the citizen.

Finally, we have entered into an age in which no nation is an island. Webs of communication technologies and experiences in their use create a network of nations and organizations, some of which have no natural boundaries. National and professional cultures increasingly interact in global contexts as organizations seek to achieve cultural synergy and benefit from opportunities presented. Governments continue to fuel experiments in extended interaction as well as to create policy and regulate ICT use. International standards bodies and more general cooperation and interoperability among vendors (at least at some levels) continue to encourage interaction expansion. Economic impacts are pervasive. All of this suggests that ICT implications for human interaction and culture, the focus in this special issue, will continue to be salient for many years to come.

R

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Jan M. Ulijn holds an endowed Jean Monnet Chair in Euromanagement at Eindhoven

University of Technology (NL) in the Department of Organisation Science, has part-time affiliations with the Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble (France) (CLUSTER chair in Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Culture) and the University of Darmstadt (Germany) (Lehrbeauftragter Professor), and is a Fellow of the Eindhoven Center of Innovation Studies. He fulfilled visiting professorships in Belgium (Ghent), Denmark (Aarhus), and Albuquerque (U.S., Fulbright professorship). His past professional experience includes work in the U.S. (Stanford), and China (Shanghai) in the areas of innovation management, technical communication, and business culture, on which topics he has published extensively. His current research interests include Entrepreneurial and Innovation Culture as a mix of professional, corporate, and national levels, with some implications for international management and negotiation practice. He is a fellow of STC, an associate senior member of IEEE, and earned the 1998 ABC Outstanding Researcher Award, as one of his three scientific honors gained so far.

Douglas R. Vogel is Professor (Chair) of Information Systems at the City University of

Hong Kong. He received his Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of Minnesota in 1986 where he was also Research Coordinator for the MIS Research Center. His research interests bridge the business and academic communities in addressing questions of the impact of management information systems on aspects of interpersonal communication, group problem solving, collaborative learning, and multicultural team productivity. He is especially active in introducing group support technology into enterprises and educational systems.

Theo M. A. Bemelmans is Full Professor at the Eindhoven University of Technology.

He received his Ph.D. in Econometrics from the University of Tilburg, The Netherlands, in 1976. He worked for several years in industry as information manager and controller of a large international firm. In 1978, he joined the faculty of Industrial Engineering and Management Science at the Eindhoven University. His research interest are in the domain of Information Systems, especially Executive Information Systems, quality issues in ICT, Collaborative Systems, and Information planning and strategy. He currently serves as Dean of Technology Management at the Eindhoven University.

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