LRND 6790 Thesis Purpose Statement:
The research study will focus upon the use of collaborative media systems such as wiki’s and intranets within the corporate environment. The primary area of interest is upon the editing capabilities that such a system has the ability to represent and whether or not such systems are used to their full potential or are disregarded. Comparisons will be drawn between wiki’s used in corporate systems and those that are open to the public, such as Wikipedia. Primary focus is upon what differences, if any, exist in how users edit documents between the two systems. Data analysis as provided by a case study will set the stage for determining the differences between usage patterns of the open vs. closed environments. An area of interest exists whether or not system users will edit company documents created by their superiors, and vice versa.
Hypotheses:
1) Users of wiki’s in the corporate environment will sustain the top-down information trickle-down effect and not step outside the bounds of their station. In effect, the office environment will be transferred to the virtual one, with little to no changes in knowledge transfer.
2) The same user of both a public wiki and a private, company-run one will feature different usage patterns.
Quantitative Questions:
1) How often does the wiki get used per employee?
2) Who has editing privileges?
3) What is the dormancy rate towards usage in the company?
4) Identification of the top and bottom users.
5) Appearance of a top-down, bottom-top, or level knowledge transfer.
Qualitative Questions:
1) Is the wiki used in such a way that it influences the creation of a company culture?
2) Pressure upon employees to use the system.
3) What knowledge gaps does the wiki fill?
A mixed methods approach will be utilized to analyze the questions put forth by the hypotheses. Quantitative questions will best be answered by using surveys as produced in the form of the Likert scale. The survey will be offered in primarily a digital format, with the option of printed versions as well, if the situation merits. Qualitative questions will be interview-driven. A random sample of employees as well as a more targeted approach will be taken. Management, top, and bottom users will be questioned.