Exploring cognitive absorption and trust for workplace collaboration in virtual worlds.

Abstract

Virtual worlds (VWs) are media-rich technologies that can possibly be used by geographically dispersed organizations as a cost-effective workplace collaboration tool. Using Media Naturalness Theory (MNT) this research proposes a nomological net for Adaptive Use Intention (AUI) of VWs for workplace collaborations. AUI implies intention for using a technology in a setting different from the one for which it was initially designed, which for VW is recreational social-networking. MNT suggests ‘high physiological arousal’, ‘low communication ambiguities’ and ‘low cognitive effort’ as the key motivations for AUI of VWs. Building on these motivations, this thesis identifies ‘cognitive absorption’ (CA) and ‘user trust’ in VWs as the mechanisms leading to the individual level AUI decision. Drawing on Social Cognitive Theory and literature on trust, this research develops a nomological network of ‘CA’ and ‘user trust’ in VW.

The proposed framework was tested via data collected from 197 VW users in Singapore. Results demonstrate the significant roles played by ‘CA’ and ‘user trust’ in VW collaborations. Implications for research and practice are also discussed.