On the measurement of cooperative compatibility to predict meaning variance

Computer Supported Cooperative Work may rely on information technology in order to share information regardless where stakeholders are. Nevertheless, cooperative work needs more than just information sharing, notably because of meaning variance. Considering that during cooperative work the same information may have different meanings from one person to another, we propose an approach in order to predict meaning variance by measuring cooperative compatibility. We study the expectations individuals may have from their colleagues during a given cooperative work. Such study leads to the measurement of cooperative compatibility, which has been used to predict meaning variance. The calculation method proposed, as well as its relationships with meaning variance are discussed in this paper and currently tested within organizations.