Analyzing Organizational Routines in Online Knowledge Collaborations: A Case for Sequence Analysis in CSCW

TL;DR

This paper advocates for using sequence analysis to understand work routines in online knowledge collaborations like Wikipedia, revealing structural patterns and behavioral motifs in editing sequences.

Contribution

It introduces a novel application of sequence analysis methods from bio-informatics to study coordination patterns in online collaborative work.

Findings

Identified common editing sequences as behavioral motifs.

Demonstrated the significance of sequential patterns in Wikipedia revisions.

Highlighted methodological opportunities for future research in CSCW.

Abstract

Research into socio-technical systems like Wikipedia has overlooked important structural patterns in the coordination of distributed work. This paper argues for a conceptual reorientation towards sequences as a fundamental unit of analysis for understanding work routines in online knowledge collaboration. We outline a research agenda for researchers in computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW) to understand the relationships, patterns, antecedents, and consequences of sequential behavior using methods already developed in fields like bio-informatics. Using a data set of 37,515 revisions from 16,616 unique editors to 96 Wikipedia articles as a case study, we analyze the prevalence and significance of different sequences of editing patterns. We illustrate the mixed method potential of sequence approaches by interpreting the frequent patterns as general classes of behavioral motifs. We conclude by discussing the methodological opportunities for using sequence analysis for expanding existing approaches to analyzing and theorizing about co-production routines in online knowledge collaboration.