Abstract

Telepresence is a technology that combines the cost- and time-saving advantages of technology mediated communication with the lifelike experience of a face-to-face meeting. This paper describes the initial stage of an ongoing research project examining the role and relevance of telepresence in business meetings. We study whether and how telepresence can be used effectively and efficiently, and build several hypotheses from theory about the appropriateness of and justification for the use of this technology. In particular, we identify the following factors as key to the selection of telepresence as a business meeting mode: meeting purpose, active participation, topic sensitivity, and ancillary interaction. We also describe our ongoing empirical study to validate our hypotheses, and discuss some initial evidence from the study.

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Telepresence in Business Meetings

Telepresence is a technology that combines the cost- and time-saving advantages of technology mediated communication with the lifelike experience of a face-to-face meeting. This paper describes the initial stage of an ongoing research project examining the role and relevance of telepresence in business meetings. We study whether and how telepresence can be used effectively and efficiently, and build several hypotheses from theory about the appropriateness of and justification for the use of this technology. In particular, we identify the following factors as key to the selection of telepresence as a business meeting mode: meeting purpose, active participation, topic sensitivity, and ancillary interaction. We also describe our ongoing empirical study to validate our hypotheses, and discuss some initial evidence from the study.