Skip to main content
Search
Search
    Quick Search anywhere
    Quick search in Citations
Advanced Search
Skip main navigationClose Drawer MenuOpen Drawer Menu
Previous article
Next article
Original Article

Network Autocorrelation of Task Performance via Informal Communication Within a Virtual World

Published Online:January 01, 2015https://doi.org/10.1027/1864-1105/a000129

Abstract

Network autocorrelation occurs when individuals receive assistance from others which regulates their own behavior, and it can be used to explain how group members may improve their task performance. This study explored how network autocorrelation, via informal communication within a virtual group, affected an individual’s task achievement in the online game World of Warcraft. Informal interactions between guild members during a 4-year period were collected and analyzed to assess how informal interactions with other group members affected an individual’s in-game achievement. Findings indicate informal communication from other group members (specifically the experience and helpfulness of the other members) positively predict an individual’s task performance, while tenure with the group negatively predict individual achievement. Findings are discussed with respect to network analysis and influence in online groups.

References

  • Allport, G. W. (1979). The nature of prejudice. New York: Basic Books. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Bailey, K., & Leland, K. (2006). Watercooler wisdom: How smart people prosper in the face of conflict, pressure, & change. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Bainbridge, W. S. (2007). The scientific research potential of virtual worlds. Science, 317, 472–476. doi: 10.1126/science.1146930 First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Bainbridge, W. S. (2010). The Warcraft civilization: Social science in a virtual world. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: Freeman. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Blizzard Entertainment . (2010, October 7). World of Warcraft subscriber base reaches 12 million worldwide. Retrieved from us.blizzard.com/en-us/company/press/pressreleases.html?101007 First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Borgatti, S. P., Mehra, A., Brass, D. J., & Labianca, G. (2009). Network analysis in the social sciences. Science, 323, 892–895. doi: 10.1126/science.1165821 First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Borman, W. C., & Motowidlo, S. J. (1997). Task performance and contextual performance: The meaning for personnel selection research. Human Performance, 10, 99–109. doi: 10.1207/s15327043hup1002_1 First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Burt, R. S. (1992). Structural holes: The social structure of competition. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Carr, C. T., & Van Der Heide, B. (2009, August). Communication technologies facilitating social and task dynamics: Examining intra-group relational satisfaction in World of Warcraft. Paper presented at the 6th Conference for Media Psychology, Duisburg, Germany. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Castronova, E. (2006). Synthetic worlds: The business and culture of online games. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Chen, C.-H., Sun, C.-T., & Hsieh, J. (2008). Player guild dynamics and evolution in massively multiplayer online games. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 11, 293–301. doi: 10.1089/cpb.2007.0066 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Chi, M. T. H., Glaser, R., & Rees, E. (1982). Expertise in problem solving. In R. J. SternbergEd., Advances in the psychology of human intelligence (Vol. 1, pp. 7–76). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Clark, H. H., & Brennan, S. E. (1991). Grounding in communication. In L. B. ResnickJ. LevineS. D. TeasleyEds., Perspectives on socially shared cognition. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Cordes, C. L., & Dougherty, T. W. (1993). A review and an integration of research on job burnout. Academy of Management Review, 18, 621–656. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Cross, R., & Cummings, J. N. (2004). Tie and network correlates of individual performance in knowledge-intensive work. Academy of Management Journal, 47, 928–937. doi: 10.2307/20159632 First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Currie, G., & Suhomlinova, O. (2006). The impact of institutional forces upon knowledge sharing in the UK NHS: The triumph of professional power and the inconsistency of policy. Public Administration, 84, 1–30. doi: 10.1111/j.0033-3298.2006.00491.x First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Dennen, V. P. (2008). Pedagogical lurking: Student engagement in non-posting discussion behavior. Computers in Human Behavior, 24, 1624–1633. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2007.06.003 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Doreian, P. (1981). Estimating linear models in spatially distributed data. In S. LeinhardtEd., Sociological methodology (pp. 359–388). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Doreian, P. (1989). Models of network effects on social actors. In L. C. FreemanD. R. WhiteA. K. RomneyEds., Research methods in social network analysis (pp. 295–317). Washington, DC: George Mason University Press. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Doreian, P. (2001). Causality in social network analysis. Sociological Methods & Research, 30, 81–114. doi: 10.1177/0049124101030001005 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Dringus, L. P., & Ellis, T. (2005). Using data mining as a strategy for assessing asynchronous discussion forums. Computers & Education, 45, 141–160. doi: 10.1016/j.compedu.2004.05.003 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Ducheneaut, N., Yee, N., Nickell, E., & Moore, R. J. (2007, April). The life and death of online gaming communities: A look at guilds in World of Warcraft. Paper presented at CHI 2007, San Jose, CA, USA. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Frank, K. A., & Fahrbach, K. (1999). Organization culture as a complex system: Balance and information in models of influence and selection. Organization Science, 10, 253–277. doi: 10.1287/orsc.10.3.253 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Frank, K. A., Zhao, Y., & Borman, K. (2004). Social capital and the diffusion of innovations within organizations: The case of computer technology in schools. Sociology of Education, 77, 148–171. doi: 10.1177/003804070407700203 First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Grebow, D. (2002). At the water cooler of learning. In Darden School of Business–Batten InstituteEd., Transforming culture: An executive briefing on the power of learning (pp. 55–57). Charlottesville, VA: The University of Virginia. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Han, J., & Kamber, M. (2006). Data mining: Concepts and techniques (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Morgan Kauffman. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Harrison, D. A., Price, K. H., Gavin, J. H., & Florey, A. T. (2002). Time, teams, and task performance: Changing effects of surface-and deep-level diversity on group functioning. Academy of Management Journal, 45, 1029–1045. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Huffaker, D. (2010). Dimensions of leadership and social influence in online communities. Human Communication Research, 36, 593–617. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-2958.2010.01390.x First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Huffaker, D., Wang, J., Treem, J., Fullerton, L., Poole, M. S., Ahmad, M. A., … Contractor, N. (2009, August). The social behaviors of experts in massive multiplayer online role-playing games. Paper presented at the International Conference on Computational Science and Engineering, Vancouver, BC First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Isaacs, E. A., Whittaker, S., Frohlich, D., & O’Conaill, B. (1997). Informal communication re-examined: New functions for video in supporting opportunistic encounters. In K. E. FinnA. J. SellenS. B. WilburEds., Video-mediated communication (pp. 459–485). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Johnson, J. D., Donohue, W. A., Atkin, C. K., & Johnson, S. (1994). Differences between formal and informal communication channels. Journal of Business Communication, 31, 111–122. doi: 10.1177/002194369403100202 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Kiesler, S., & Sproull, L. (1992). Group decision making and communication technology. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 52, 96–123. doi: 10.1016/0749-5978(92)90047-B First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Kraut, R. E., Fish, R. S., Root, R. W., & Chalfonte, B. L. (1990). Informal communication in organizations: Form, function and technology. In S. OskampS. SpacapanEds., Human reactions to technology: Claremont Symposium on Applied Social Psychology (pp. 145–199). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Kristof-Brown, A. L. (2000). Perceived applicant fit: Distinguishing between recruiters’ perceptions of person-job and person-organization fit. Personnel Psychology, 53(3), 643–671. doi: 10.1111/j.1744-6570.2000.tb00217.x First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Marin, A., & Wellman, B. (2010). Social network analysis: An introduction. In P. CarringtonJ. ScottEds., Handbook of social network analysis. London: Sage. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Marsden, P. V., & Friedkin, N. E. (1994). Network studies of social influence. In S. WassermanJ. GalaskiewiczEds., Advances in social network analysis: Research in the social and behaviorial sciences (pp. 3–27). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Nardi, B., & Harris, J. (2006, November). Strangers and friends: Collaborative play in World of Warcraft. Paper presented at the CSCW’06, Banff, Alberta, Canada. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Nowak, K. L., & Rauh, C. (2005). The influence of the avatar on online perceptions of anthromorphism, androgyny, credibility, homophily, and attraction. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 11, 153–178. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-2958.2006.00008.x First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Oh, H., Chung, M.-H., & Labianca, G. (2004). Group social capital and group effectiveness: The role of informal socializing ties. Academy of Management Journal, 47, 860–875. doi: 10.2307/20159627 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Olson, G. M., & Olson, J. S. (2000). Distance matters. Human Computer Interaction, 15, 139–178. doi: 10.1207/S15327051HCI1523_4 First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Pastor, J.-C., Meindl, J. R., & Mayo, M. C. (2002). A network effects model of charisma attributions. Academy of Management Journal, 45, 410–420. doi: 10.2307/3069355 First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Phillips, C. A., Rolls, S., Rouse, A., & Griffiths, M. D. (1995). Home video game playing in schoolchildren: A study of incidence and patterns of play. Journal of Adolescence, 18, 687–691. doi: 10.1006/jado.1995.1049 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Reicher, S. D. (1984). Social influence in the crowd: Attitudinal and behavioural effects of de‐individuation in conditions of high and low group salience. British Journal of Social Psychology, 23, 341–350. doi: 10.1111/j.2044-8309.1984.tb00650.x First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Resnick, P. (2001). Beyond bowling together: SocioTechnical capital. In J. M. CarrolEd., HCI in the New Millenium (pp. 647–672). Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Roy, D. F. (1959). “Banana Time”: Job satisfaction and informal interaction. Human Organization, 18(4), 158–168. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Seay, A. F., Jerome, W. J., Lee, K. S., & Kraut, R. E. (2004, April). Project Massive: A study of online gaming communities. Paper presented at the CHI 2004, Vienna, Austria. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Shen, C., Monge, P., & Williams, D. (2014). Virtual brokerage and closure: Network structure and social capital in a massively multiplayer online game. Communication Research, 41, 459–480. doi: 10.1177/0093650212455197 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Smith, K. G., Smith, K. A., Olian, J. D., Sims, H. P. Jr., O’Bannon, D. P., & Scully, J. A. (1994). Top management team demography and process: The role of social integration and communication. Administrative Science Quarterly, 39, 412–438. doi: 10.2307/2393297 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Sparrowe, R. T., Liden, R. C., Wayne, S. J., & Kraimer, M. L. (2001). Social networks and the performance of individuals and groups. Academy of Management Journal, 44, 316–325. doi: 10.2307/3069458 First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Sunwolf, & Seibold, D. R. (1999). The impact of formal procedures on group processes, members, and task outcomes. In L. FreyD. S. GouranM. S. PooleEds., The handbook of group communication theory and research (pp. 395–431). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Tedjamulia, S. J. J., Dean, D. L., Olsen, D. R., & Albrecht, C. C. (2005, January). Motivating content contributions to online communities: Toward a more comprehensive theory. Paper presented at the the 38th Annual Hawaii International Conference on Social Sciences (HICSS’05), Waikoloa, HI, USA. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Waring, J. J., & Bishop, S. (2010). “Water cooler” learning: Knowledge sharing at the clinical “backstage” and its contribution to patient safety. Journal of Health Organization and Management, 24, 325–342. doi: 10.1108/14777261011064968 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Weick, K. E. (1979). The social psychology of organizing (2nd ed.). Cambridge, MA: Addison-Wesley. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Wellman, B., & Gulia, M. (1999). Net surfers don’t ride alone: Virtual communities as communities. In M. A. SmithP. KollackEds., Communities in cyberspace (pp. 167–194). Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Wellman, B., Salaff, J., Dimitrova, D., Garton, L., Gulia, M., & Haythornthwaite, C. (1996). Computer networks as social networks: Collaborative work, telework, and virtual community. Annual Review of Sociology, 22, 213–238. doi: 10.1146/annurev.soc.22.1.213 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Williams, D. (2006). On and off the ’net: Scales for social capital in an online era. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 11, 593–628. doi: 10.1111/j.1083-6101.2006.00029.x First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Williams, D. (2010). The mapping principle, and a research framework for virtual worlds. Communication Theory, 20, 451–470. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-2885.2010.01371.x First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Williams, D., Caplan, S., & Xiong, L. (2007). Can you hear me now? The impact of voice in an online gaming community. Human Communication Research, 33, 427–449. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-2958.2007.00306.x First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Williams, D., Ducheneaut, N., Xiong, L., Zhang, Y., Yee, N., & Nickell, E. (2006). From tree house to barracks: The social life of guilds in World of Warcraft. Games and Culture, 1, 338–361. doi: 10.1177/1555412006292616 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Yee, N., Ducheneaut, N., Yao, M., & Nelson, L. (2011, May). Do men heal more when in drag?: Conflicting identity cues between user and avatar. Paper presented at the the 2011 SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Vancouver, BC, Canada. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar