Collaborative Search

Collaborative search, i.e., the process in which organizational members jointly contribute content to solve a non-trivial problem, is a common phenomenon in new product development organizations. In examining organizational problem solving, research has however neglected collaborative search processes, and has instead focused on coordination -- making separately contributed partial solution mutually compatible. This paper contributes towards a theory of collaborative search. We identify the organizational contingencies for which collaboration is beneficial, provide guidance on when collaboration does not improve performance, and identify methods for making collaboration effective.