A collaboration system is, at its most basic level, a system designed to unite employees in a company for the accomplishment of a common task. This means that any system that is optimised for use by any member of a work group is a collaboration system, being essentially a multi-user programme. The definition of a collaborative system can even go as far as include instant messaging applications that allow people to communicate in real-time with a productive purpose in mind. They can split into 3 levels of collaboration:
- Communication. can be thought of as unstructured interchange of information. A phone call or an IM Chat discussion are examples of this.
- Conferencing (or collaboration level, as it is called in the academic papers that discuss these levels) refers to interactive work toward a shared goal. Brainstorming or voting are examples of this.
- Co-ordination refers to complex interdependent work toward a shared goal. A good metaphor for this is a sports team; everyone has to contribute the right play at the right time as well as adjust their play to the unfolding situation - but everyone is doing something different - in order for the team to win.
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