Assignment 2: Working at CIT

Although , I feel that the interactions I have with my co-workers while on shift qualify the employees as a group. The CIT HelpDesk is composed of many student employees, as well as a few full time staff members. Our output or production is the service to those who need assistance in solving their computer related problems. Since the HelpDesk is configured so that all employees are co-located, they are aware of each others' presence. There is also interaction between consultants, as consultants have to transfer calls, speak to supervisors, etc. Employees of the CIT HelpDesk can be considered a group.

According to Kraut (2004), groups perform using an Input-Process-Output model. At CIT, the input is mostly comprised of employees and their technical knowledge and skills as well as a wiki filled with solutions to common problems for which people would call the HelpDesk. But input also consists of tasks with which the consultants are presented. According to McGrath's Task Circuplex (1984), the tasks presented are almost always at least in the generate quadrant. Occasionally, some problems may be classified as either Performance/Psycho-motor or Intellective, but since the tasks require cooperation between the user and the consultant (and the problematic computer/system), the consultants must "generate" solutions to the task.

The process is solving the problematic computer/system at hand. Although all employees at the HelpDesk have the same intent, the norm is for one consultant to work with one customer at a time, unless the consultant feels it is necessary to consult a supervisor. Hence, the only interaction pertaining to work between consultants is through the customer, limiting and governing the interaction patterns.

Part of the output is the solution itself and whether the customer is satisfied with the result. This would be the production. Member needs is not quite as important because a consultant does not earn anything more from solving a problem apart from the joy of helping a customer. Group maintenance plays a large role because a consultant would be more reluctant to ask for help if he and his supervisor did not get along well, thus discouraging the consultant to ask for help when another problem arises.

As I mentioned before, employees of the HelpDesk are co-located in one room. The proximity of the consultants do play a role in helping the customer, but instead in group maintenance. Consultants bond over geeky stories, solutions to advanced personal computer configurations, and conversation of the like.