Online Collaboration
Lionel P. Robert Jr.
Professor
Co-Director, Digitalization of Work (DOW)
School of Information
University of Michigan
Welcome
By way of introduction, I am an Associate Professor in the School of Information (UMSI) at the University of Michigan. I am also an affiliate of the Michigan Interactive and Social Computing (MISC) Research Group and the Information Behavior and Interaction (IBI) Research Group all at the University of Michigan and the Center for Computer-Mediated Communication (CCMC) at Indiana University.
My research in the area of online collaboration typically involves one of three research questions: 1) how and why does online collaboration alters teamwork, 2) how to facilitate more effective teamwork through online collaborations and 3) how to design technologies that can facilitate more effective teamwork through online collaborations. Below you will find links to my two areas of study as they relate to online collaboration along with several grants and funded research associated with both areas.
Grants/Funding related to Online Collaboration
National Science Foundation (NSF): Large-Scale Examination of ...Shocks on Crowd Attributes and Performance .... 2016-2019
($515,463) Co-PI along with Daniel Romero and Ceren Budak. This project will advance understanding of how groups of volunteer contributors to online resources perform in the face of sudden, unexpected events related to their work.
Lieberthal-Rogel Center for Chinese Studies, University of Michigan 2016
($2,500) PI. An exploratory travel grant. The goal of this project is to examine the influence of culture on crowds.
U-M MCubed Project: Why So Risky: Understanding Risky Decisions in Design Teams 2016-2018
($60,000) Co-PI along with Jesse Austin-Breneman and Nigel Melville. This project will use a mix of human subject experiments and quantitative modeling techniques to examine how individual characteristics may affect risky team decisions.
U-M Office of Research and Rackham Graduate School, Spring/Summer Research Grant 2013
($10,000) PI. Examining how to promote knowledge sharing in diverse virtual teams.
Information Technology Research Institute, University of Arkansas 2009
($3,000) Co-PI along with Newell, J. B., Maruping, L. M., Riemenschneider, C. Using technology to leverage diversity in virtual teams.
Mark and Dayna Sutton Research Faculty Support Fund (Walton College of Business) 2009
($1,500) PI along with Srinivasan, S. S. and Maruping, L. M. Effects of team size and dispersion on individual social loafing in technology-supported teams.
Mark and Dayna Sutton Research Faculty Support Fund (Walton College of Business) 2008
($2,000) PI along with Alnuaimi, O. and Maruping, L. M. Linking team size and dispersion to individual social loafing.