Decision Sciences Journal
Volume 29, Number 2
Spring 1998

Effects of Source and Participant Anonymity and Difference in Initial Opinions in an EMS Context

Surinder S. Kahai and Bruce J. Avolio
Center for Leadership Studies, School of Management, State University of New York at Binghamton, Binghamton, NY 13902, email: kahai@binghamton.edu, lead3@binghamton.edu

John J. Sosik
Department of Management and Organization, The Pennsylvania State University at Great Valley, Malvern, PA 19355, email: jjs20@psu.edu

Abstract: This laboratory experiment studied the effects of source and participant anonymity, and differences in initial opinions in an electronic meeting system (EMS) context. Results indicated that (a) inhibition to participate did not mediate the effect of anonymity on participation as suggested in prior deindividuation and EMS literature; and (b) the effect of anonymity on participation, satisfaction, and postdiscussion agreement depended on the level and type of anonymity involved and whether initial opinions among group members were similar or different. A mechanism that suggests that anonymity may cause participants to focus more on their task by turning attention away from other participants partly accounts for the effects of source and participant anonymity on participation in this study. Future work should focus on determining how different types and levels of anonymity influence process and outcomes in different types of groups.

Subject Areas: Group Decision Support Systems, Participation, and Socio-psychological Issues.