| In the past decades, as technology became | | | | it, they won't use it, even if in the long |
| more and more important and frequently used | | | | run it facilitates the group work process and |
| in the commercial world, the shape of our | | | | project management. Executive and management |
| daily business processes have drastically | | | | staff should also provide employees with |
| changed. Companies have expanded, opened | | | | benefits or incentives to encourage groupware |
| offices in various locations around the | | | | implementation and usage. Researches have |
| world, outsourced their work to cheaper | | | | examined social factors in the adoption of |
| countries and created remote or tele-working | | | | groupware tools and came to the conclusion |
| jobs. The colleague you work with or your | | | | that mandated use or executive measures |
| project manager might not be located in the | | | | seemed to be necessary. These high-level |
| cubicle next to you, but several thousand | | | | mandates might be received with mixed |
| miles across the globe. | | | | responses, but groupware will be used. |
| | | | Besides the management, it is up to the |
| This did not only change our business | | | | groupware designers who must find a way to |
| opportunities but also our work processes and | | | | make sure the application is perceived as |
| how projects are managed. Almost all projects | | | | useful for individuals even outside the |
| require cooperation between various | | | | context of full group adoption. In many cases |
| departments or multiple persons. Employees | | | | collaboration is at odds with the company's |
| traveling around in different countries still | | | | corporate culture so implementation will be |
| need to access information and must be | | | | disruptive and therefore shifting the |
| reachable by their colleagues. A variety of | | | | corporate culture from being competitive to |
| technology solutions have been utilized for | | | | being cooperative is no a small undertaking |
| this purpose, such as remote connections to | | | | and will require changes at all levels of the |
| the intranet, storing data on external drives | | | | organization. |
| or e-mailing corporate data back and forth | | | | |
| between employees in various locations. | | | | The second hurdle that needs to be considered |
| However, this was not the most efficient way | | | | when planning to implement groupware is the |
| of data sharing or managing projects. | | | | potential lack of interoperability |
| | | | compatibility. Many groupware applications |
| In order to achieve an efficient cooperation, | | | | fail, because anyone who wanted use the |
| data sharing and communication between | | | | system efficiently needed to have the same |
| various project groups and locations had to | | | | technology in place, otherwise it would not |
| be as productive as possible. For this | | | | work. A good example is instant messaging |
| purpose various groupware applications, also | | | | (IM). The user can only use IM, when the |
| known as collaborative software have been | | | | other party is using the same system such as |
| developed. Groupware are powerful software | | | | AOL IM or Yahoo. These compatibility issues |
| applications that support new ways of work by | | | | lead to general wariness among customers, who |
| providing efficient tools to solve | | | | in general wait to see what standard emerges |
| "collaboration oriented" tasks. It allows a | | | | and which technology becomes the most |
| close and in most cases, real-time | | | | popular. |
| cooperation and communication between several | | | | |
| people on a single valuable business project | | | | An alternative to groupware that allows |
| from different locations. This technology | | | | similar functionalities and features has been |
| also allows members to work on different but | | | | and still is the intranet. Intranet is a |
| correlated tasks, share documents, | | | | technology that has been used by corporations |
| information, and data by allowing them to | | | | for a much longer time than groupware and is |
| essentially work on the same page at the same | | | | focused on a less formal communication and |
| time, without creating duplicate ideas and | | | | the distribution of relatively unstructured |
| work. Many extra groupware features include | | | | information. Files and data uploaded to an |
| group calendars that are used to schedule | | | | intranet are not very well structured, the |
| videoconferencing meetings, multi-player | | | | search capabilities might be limited and |
| games using live video and chat to | | | | tracking of document changes is not as |
| communicate, newsgroup discussions as well as | | | | efficient as groupware solutions. In addition |
| document change tracking to allow for easy | | | | to that it is very hard to manage |
| identification of who is working on the | | | | "simultaneous" work, as such extensive |
| latest revision of the project. | | | | collaboration features are not very |
| | | | supported. The loose structure of the |
| With these new technological advances and | | | | intranet allows to stimulate the creative use |
| Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) | | | | of corporate communications and the diffusion |
| environments such as Lotus Notes and | | | | of knowledge. But at the same time they are |
| Microsoft Exchange it allows for tasks and | | | | not designed to facilitate the management of |
| business processes to get done more | | | | data, documents, and document-centered |
| efficiently and faster by using all required | | | | transactions within a distributed environment |
| human resources, even when not in the same | | | | as groupware solutions do. |
| location. The advantages of a groupware | | | | |
| system in comparison to a single user system | | | | In addition to that, groupware applications |
| are mainly when working in a project | | | | obey strict rules and produce precise types |
| environment where communication is essential | | | | of results. But an intranet application, must |
| between collaborators. Groupware allows for | | | | allow for "accidental encounters and |
| and facilitates a much faster and clearer | | | | unpredictable outcomes". Accordingly, the |
| communication where it would not otherwise be | | | | application development tools associated with |
| possible and is built so that every single | | | | groupware are tightly integrated with the |
| user can benefit from the advantages of | | | | product itself and seem to be highly |
| groupware, by allowing for multiple | | | | developed than those used with intranets. |
| perspectives, expertise and assistance with | | | | Intranet tools are typically generic, open, |
| group solving. Project managers and | | | | and unfocused. |
| executives can generate various reports for | | | | |
| tracking and monitoring the status of | | | | There certainly are enough advantages as well |
| business projects, resources, and | | | | as disadvantages when implementing groupware |
| departments. At the same time business | | | | solutions, but at the same time, our constant |
| project managers can use the robust benefits | | | | technology development is taking away the |
| of groupware to increase revenue, reduce | | | | location barriers, which allow us to work in |
| meeting times, boost customer satisfaction | | | | much larger dimensions and without |
| and minimize operational costs. | | | | boundaries. In order to maintain the |
| | | | technological advantages we have and use them |
| Although there seem to be only benefits in | | | | efficiently for business opportunities, |
| groupware, the probably two biggest hurdles | | | | corporations are forced to implement systems |
| with implementing it is the failure of | | | | that allow an easy, fast and efficient way in |
| achieving the critical mass of users and the | | | | getting the work done, staying in touch with |
| lack interoperability or compatibility of | | | | employees, business partners and contractors |
| systems. When planning to implement groupware | | | | all over the world. Keep corporations more |
| successfully, it means achieving the critical | | | | organized and unified in this global business |
| mass of users. Typically a groupware system | | | | environment is one of the biggest tasks |
| will not suceed unless most or all of the | | | | managers have to face and only groupware |
| target group is willing to use it and adopt | | | | systems provide a solution to this dilemma. A |
| the system. In contrast, a single user | | | | solution that allows employees to collaborate |
| application can be sucesfull even if only a | | | | on information, ideas, and many other facets |
| small portion of the target group adopts it | | | | of their work and allow them to be more |
| (Brink, 1998). A difficult task which IT | | | | effective, productive, and organized. Much |
| managers as well as executive staff need to | | | | research has been done and shown that if |
| face is convincing people to use groupware. | | | | efforts of each individual in an organization |
| This can only be done by providing the | | | | are combined, the greater the achievements |
| required training to make people comfortable | | | | will be and the more success the organization |
| using it. If people don't feel comfortable | | | | will have in the long run. |
| with the system or do not see a benefit in | | | | |