Thursday, February 10, 2011

Chapter 2: Collaboration Information Systems

Q1: What is Collaboration?
Collaboration is when two or more people work together using coordination and communication to achieve a common goal, result, or product. If it is effective, the results are greater than when a single person works alone.
Collaboration involves feedback and iteration, where group members review each others’ work and give feedback.
The effectiveness of collaboration is driven by:
Communication:
                >Communication skills
                >Availability of effective communication systems
Content Management: make sure the conflict of interference with each others’ work doesn’t occur.
Workflow control: process/procedure by which the work is created, edited, used, & disposed of.
Q2: What are the components of a collaboration information system?
Hardware:
                >Client Hardware-  computers & other devices used by the group
                >Server Hardware- computers that are installed by IT people to help the group
Software: programs such as GoogleDocs, Microsoft Sharepoint.
Data: documents, discussions, tasks lists, etc.
Procedures:
                >Starting Phase
                >Planning Phase
                >Doing
                >Wrapping Up
                >Iteration and Feedback

People: The most important element is people.
                12 Most Important Characteristics for an Effective Collaborator:
1.       Enthusiastic about the subject of collaboration
2.       Open-minded & curious
3.       Speaks their mind even if it’s an unpopular viewpoint
4.       Gets back to the group in a timely way
5.       Willing to enter into difficult conversations
6.       Perceptive listener
7.       Skillful at giving/receiving negative feedback
8.       Willing to put forward unpopular ideas
9.       Self-managing and requires “low maintenance”
10.   Follows through on commitments
11.   Willing to dig into the topic with zeal
12.   Thinks differently than I do/brings different perspectives
Q3: How can you use collaboration systems to improve team communication?
Synchronous communication is when all team members meet at the same time, such as with conference calls or face-to-face meetings.
Asynchronous communication is when team members don’t meet at the same time.
Q4: How can you use collaboration systems to manage content?
Shared Content with No Control:  sending attachments; sharing content on a file server.
Shared Content with Version Management: systems that provide version management, track changes to documents and provide features and functions for works. Ex: Wikis, Google Docs & Spreadsheets, Microsoft Office Groove.
Shared Content with Version Control: each member has an account with a set of permissions.
Q5: How can you use collaboration systems to control workflow?
Sequential Workflow: activities occur in sequence
Parallel Workflow: activities occur at the same time
Q6: How do businesses use collaboration systems?
Using Collaborative Systems for Problem Solving: Different points of view will help determine what issues to solve and how.
Using Collaborative Systems for Project Management:  Dividing the work into phases, making a list of things to accomplish for each phase, and matching a collaboration tool for each task helps the job get done.
Using Collaborative Systems for Decision Making: Decisions occur at 3 levels:
                Operational: day to day activities, can use transaction processing systems (TPS).
Managerial: concern the allocation and utilization or resources
Strategic: concern broader-scope, organizational issues.
-Decision Process:
                Structured Decision: there is an understood and accepted method for making a decision
                Unstructured Decision:  there is no agreed-on decision-making method
Q7: 2020?
With data storage and communications improving, face-to-face meetings will occur less and less. With technology improving every time, people can communicate with each other anytime anywhere, making it possible to work more effectively and efficiently in a collaborative environment.

Kroenke, David. "Chapter 2: Collaboration Information Systems." Using MIS. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2011. 30-63. Print.

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