Few contest the claim that modern information technology, supported by computers and communications, contributes to a dramatic improvement in productivity and effectiveness among individuals engaged in a wide range of tasks. Computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW) aims to provide similar improvements for "multiple individuals working together in a conscious way in the same production process or in different but related production processes." (Marx 1867) If achieved, this aim, which has proven elusive during the relatively few years since the term CSCW was coined in 1984, promises to multiply our productivity, perhaps by more than the square of the number of users, as compared against the productivity improvements that personal computers provide to each of us as individuals.
In this article, we consider various definitions for CSCW and related terms, and we draw outlines around the large scope covered by CSCW. In a companion article (see CSCW Challenges) we consider the main challenges that have impeded us from realizing the great promise of CSCW. In both articles, we specifically survey different ground than Mahling (2000) covered in his excellent article on CSCW included in the first edition of this encyclopedia. We refer interested readers to the Mahling article for additional, complementary insights on CSCW.
