lead black slide. © 2001 business & information systems 2/e2 chapter 9 group collaboration

Lead Black Slide

© 2001 Business & Information Systems 2/e

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Chapter 9

Group Collaboration


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Our Agenda Encouraging Group Collaboration Characteristics of Group

Collaboration Types of Workgroup Applications Office Automation The Virtual Work Environment

4© 2001 Business & Information Systems 2/e

Learning Objectives Explain why group collaboration is

difficult in businesses and how workgroup information systems encourage group collaboration.

Describe the main characteristics of group collaboration.

Explain what groupware is.


Learning Objectives (cont’d.) List and briefly describe the main

types of workgroup applications. Summarize the group collaboration

characteristics of the main types of workgroup applications.

Explain what office automation is.


Learning Objectives (cont’d.) Describe the changes in the work

environment that can take place as a result of the use of workgroup applications.


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Encouraging Group Collaboration

Group Collaboration


Encouraging Group Collaboration Collaborating with others includes:

Discussing ideas Sharing thoughts Coordinating plans Commenting on the work of others


Encouraging Group Collaboration (cont’d.) Employees need to:

Exchange documents Transmit designs Send images Communicate with different people


Encouraging Group Collaboration (cont’d.) The principal difficulty with group

collaboration is that group members often are not in the same place at the same time.

A second difficulty is that the composition of a group changes – individuals come into a workgroup, work for a while, then leave.


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Characteristics of Group Collaboration

Group Collaboration


Characteristics of Group Collaboration Two basic types of collaboration:

1. Time – work together at the same time, people could be in the same room together or talk by telephone.

2. Place – people may work together at the same place, enabling direct contact, or at different places, in which case they cannot have direct contact without extensive travel.


Characteristics of Group Collaboration (cont’d.) Collaboration tools

Voice mail Faxes Overnight deliveries E-Mail Regular mail Conference calls Meetings


Characteristics of Group Collaboration (cont’d.) Forms of communication

Audio communication – talking to other people either in person or by telephone.

Visual communication – sights of people or other real things including facial expressions and body language.

Document communication - containing text, numbers, tables, diagrams, graphs, and other written representations.


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Types of Workgroup Applications

Group Collaboration


Types of Workgroup Applications Groupware includes

Electronic messaging (E-Mail) Information sharing Document conferencing Audioconferencing Videoconferencing Electronic conferencing Electronic meeting support Group calendaring and scheduling Workflow management


Electronic Messaging (E-Mail)

E-Mail permits document communication between group members at different times from different places.

Tone, inflection, facial expression do not come through.

E-Mail software is needed to send and receive e-mail.

Files may be attached to an e-mail.


Electronic Messaging (E-Mail) (cont’d.)

Instant messaging permits real-timee-mail messaging.

Chat software permits two or more people to have an electronic “conversation” in real-time.


Information Sharing Information sharing is a workgroup

application that involves sharing different types of information among members of a group.

Information sharing allows audio, visual, and document communication to take place between group members at different times and different places.


Information Sharing (cont’d.)

Best known information sharing program is Lotus Notes.

With Notes, users can create “document databases” to share information.


Document Conferencing Document conferencing, also called

data conferencing, is a workgroup application that provides collaboration on documents.

Document conferencing provides document communication between group members at the same time from different places.


Document Conferencing (cont’d.)

Whiteboard conferencing allows each user to see the same document on an electronic whiteboard which is a white area on the screen containing the document.

Application conferencing allows each user to see the same document on their screen within the application program.


Audioconferencing Audioconferencing is a workgroup

application in which two or more members of a group at different locations communicate with each other at the same time by voice over a computer network.

Computer telephony uses the Internet to bypass regular telephone lines.


Videoconferencing Videoconferencing is a workgroup

application in which members of a group at different locations can see each other at the same time that they talk to each other.

Videoconferencing allows audio and visual communications between group members at the same time from different places.


Videoconferencing (cont’d.) Two types of videoconferencing

systems:1. Room or Group systems – designed

for several people in a room. Can cost up to $50,000.

2. Desktop systems – designed for use by an individual. Can be less than $1,000.


Electronic Conferencing Electronic conferencing is

combining document conferencing with videoconferencing.

Electronic conferencing provides audio, visual, and document communication between group members at the same time from different places.


Electronic Meeting Support Electronic Meeting Systems (EMS)

permit using computer systems to facilitate the meeting.

The principal advantage of EMS is that all contributions are anonymous.

Two types of system: Room systems Desktop systems


Electronic Meeting Support EMS provides document

communication between group members at the same time and the same place for room systems.

EMS provides document communication between group members at the same time and a different place for desktop systems.


Group Calendaring and Scheduling

Group calendaring and scheduling is a workgroup application that assists workgroup members in coordinating their time.

Group calendaring and scheduling allows a specific type of document communication between group members at different times and different places.


Workflow Management Workflow management software

coordinates the tasks performed by different individuals in a workgroup and the flow of documents between people.

Workflow management allows document communication between group members working at different times and different places.


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Office Automation

Group Collaboration


Office Automation Office automation may include

individual applications such as word processing, desktop publishing, and presentation graphics.

It may also include workgroup applications such as e-mail, information sharing, calendaring and scheduling, and workflow management.


Office Automation (cont’d.) Special applications include:

Voice processing – voice mail and automated attendant

Facsimile Unified messaging – e-mail, voice mail, paging

and fax are combined into one system Electronic filing – instead of paper document

filing Image processing – digitized copies of graphs,

charts, photos, and other images Document management


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The Virtual Work Environment

Group Collaboration


The Virtual Work Environment

The virtual work environment consists of wherever and whenever people work.

Elements include: Telecommuting Virtual offices Virtual meetings Virtual companies


Telecommuting Telecommuting involves

“commuting” over the telephone, or other data communications channel, rather than commuting by car or public transit.

Initially, mainly computer professionals such as programmers telecommuted, but now many types of employees work this way.


Telecommuting (cont’d.) Advantages include:

Reduced commuting costs for employees Reduced office space cost for employers Increased productivity and decreased

absenteeism Disadvantages include:

Cost of setting up a “home” office Lack of face-to-face contact with

coworkers


Virtual Offices Virtual offices take telecommuting

an additional step. In addition to the employees working from home, there is no headquarters office address. Rather, the headquarters office exists “virtually”.


Virtual Meetings A virtual meeting uses electronic

conferencing and meeting systems that permit the participants to take part on their own schedule. Thus, all participants are not meeting at the same time.

The meeting may last several days to allow all to participate.


Virtual Companies A virtual company exists in such a

way that it does not have a regular place of business.

Employees may work from home, from nearby rented space, a hotel room when traveling, or from a customer’s office.


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Group Collaboration

Key Terms


Key Terms Application

Conferencing Audio Conferencing Chat Computer Telephony Desktop

Videoconferencing System

Document (Data) Conferencing

Electronic Conferencing

Electronic Mail (E-Mail) Electronic Meeting Electronic Meeting

System Electronic Messaging Group Calendaring

and Scheduling Group (Collaborative)

Computing


Key Terms (cont’d.) Group Decision

Support System (GDSS)

Groupware Information Sharing Instant Messaging Office Automations Room (Group)

Videoconferencing System

Teleconferencing

Videoconferencing Virtual Company Virtual Meeting Virtual Office Virtual Work

Environment Whiteboard

Conferencing Workflow

Management


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Summary Encouraging Group Collaboration Characteristics of Group

Collaboration Types of Workgroup Applications Office Automation The Virtual Work Environment

Final Black Slide

lead black slide. © 2001 business & information systems 2/e2 chapter 9 group collaboration

Documents

workgroup information

group members

basic types of collaboration

lead black slide slide

group changes individuals

virtual work environment

use of workgroup applications

place people