The authors investigated the hypothesis that as group tasks pose greater requirements for member interdependence, communication media that transmit more social context cues will foster group performance and satisfaction. Seventy-two 3-person groups of undergraduate students worked in either computer-mediated or face-to-face meetings on 3 tasks with increasing levels of interdependence: an idea-generation task, an intellective task, and a judgment task. Results showed few differences between computer-mediated and face-to-face groups in the quality of the work completed but large differences in productivity favoring face-to-face groups. Analysis of productivity and of members' reactions supported the predicted interaction of tasks and media, with greater discrepancies between media conditions for tasks requiring higher levels of coordination. Results are discussed in terms of the implications of using computer-mediated communications systems for group work.

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We examined the effects of communication media on judgments in job interviews. Fifty-nine MBA students (applicants) had mock interviews in face-to-face meetings and either by videoconference or telephone. Results show that interviewers evaluated applicants more favorably in telephone versus face-to-face interviews. This difference was stronger for less physically attractive applicants, which suggests that the telephone filtered negative, visual cues. Although interviewers reported more difficulty regulating and understanding discussions by videoconference versus face-to-face, they did not evaluate applicants less favorably by videoconference. In contrast to interviewers, applicants had less favorable reactions in videoconference versus face-to-face interviews for most measures. Implications for media use in employee selection and recruiting are discussed.

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PURPOSE Successful use of electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) is a key requirement for demonstrating meaningful use of electronic health records to qualify for federal incentives. Currently, many physicians who implement e-prescribing fail to make substantial use of these systems, and little is known about factors contributing to successful e-prescribing use. The objective of this study was to identify successful implementation and use techniques. METHODSWe conducted a multimethod qualitative case study of 5 ambulatory primary care practices identifi ed as exemplars of effective e-prescribing. The practices were identifi ed by a group of e-prescribing experts. Field researchers conducted in-depth interviews and observed prescription-related workfl ow in these practices. RESULTSIn these exemplar practices, successful use of e-prescribing required practice transformation. Practice members reported extensive efforts to redesign work processes to take advantage of e-prescribing capabilities and to create specifi c e-prescribing protocols to distribute prescription-related work among practice team members. These practices had substantial resources to support e-prescribing use, including local physician champions, ongoing training for practice members, and continuous on-site technical support. Practices faced considerable challenges during use of e-prescribing, however, deriving from problems coordinating new work processes with pharmacies and ineffective health information exchange that required workarounds to ensure the completeness of patient medical records. CONCLUSIONSMore widespread implementation and effective use of e-prescribing in ambulatory care settings will require practice transformation efforts that focus on work process redesign while being attentive to effects on patient and pharmacy involvement in prescribing. Improved health information exchange is required to fully realize expected quality, safety, and effi ciency gains of e-prescribing.

We investigate the effects of group collaboration on member learning in a laboratory experiment. We test the hypothesis, based on theoretical ideas from research on cooperative learning, that groups provide opportunities for transfer of learning to individuals and that such learning occurs via cognitive and social processes that arise during group interaction. Eighty-six students solved puzzles either individually, in groups, or individually while observing a group. Analysis of subsequent individual performance on a transfer task showed that participating in or observing a group caused transfer of learning, whereas working alone did not. Furthermore, results suggest that transfer of learning occurred mainly due to cognitive, but not social, factors. Implications for structuring group work are discussed.Group effectiveness is generally operationalized in terms of multiple criteria, including the quality and quantity of outputs, or performance; the capability of the group to work together in the future; and the effect of the group on its members. The field of social psychology is replete with studies of group outcomes as well as the effects of individuals on groups. However, far fewer studies have examined the impact of groups on their members. In this study, we