Strategic Information Technology BZ400
Assignment 08, Collaboration Technologies
Collaborative technologies have been in use by many businesses today regardless of their size to help improve their productivity and output. This is through collaborative software tools. The result has been very positive as it has seen great growth for the businesses. Collaborative technology cannot be isolated from collaborative software. This is a shared software that supports joint functions and shared goals. It may be looked at as intentional processes arising from a common group that supports such shared processes and functions. The use of the collaborative process is clearly brought out in computer supported cooperative work (CSCW) that demystifies the collaborative activities and coordination as supporting means of computer systems. Collaborative technology may involve software products such as emails, calendaring, bookmarking, wiki, text chat, among others. This is when such are used for a social group. The technology may also apply outside the confines of a workplace to include such sites like online dating services, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and other social networking sites.
The collaborative working software gives rise to a collaborative working environment (CWE) and collaborative working systems that are looked at generally as forms of human organization that comes up anytime collaboration takes place. This is regardless of whether collaboration is formal or informal, or whether it is intentional or unintentional. It regards the technological elements that are computer supported, that help in computer aided cooperative work. They become useful as analytical tools that help in understanding the behavior and organizational variables that are closely associated with the concept.
The use of the software dates back in the 1980s by the US Government. The US Navy Common Operational. Richman and Slovak are renowned names who started working on the program in 1987. The benefits of the software include helping in the performance of joint tasks, helping in accomplishing shared goals, facilitating all action oriented groups in the course of their jobs and responsibilities regardless of where they are geographically located, improving the process of sharing files and documents and any other form of media. This software creates a platform that avails the necessary tools for communication within and outside a given geographic locality, proper collaboration between parties and strengthens the process of problem solving. It supports and strengthens project management functions by managing project deadlines, providing a platform to oversight the progress of the project and sharing the duties as outlined in the calendar.
Examples of collaboration tools
They include communication tools, conferencing tools, and coordination tools. This explores the differences between the systems. Communication tools include web-based and cloud-hosted tools that support the interchange of information. They also support unstructured discussion. This platform allows for sending and receiving information, messages, data and any other document. This may involve groups or individuals and allows for sharing and coordination of information. It includes voice emails, wikis, web publishing, emails and asynchronous or synchronous conferencing (Hattori, L., & Lanza, M, 2010, May).
Conferencing tools are also known as collaborative level tools. They refer to interactive work that is geared to creating work with a common goal. The main purpose is to facilitate sharing of information and collaboration. A common example includes data conferencing, video conferencing, online chat, internet forums and instant messaging. On the other hand, coordination tools refer to complex tools that are independent and work for common shared or shared goals. These work well to facilitate and manage group activities. They include examples of knowledge management systems that helps in collecting, managing, organizing information, electronic calendars that helps in scheduling events, online proofing, prediction markets, enterprise bookmarking, project management systems, client portals, social software systems, extranet systems among others (Mittleman, D. D, Murphy, J. D., & Briggs, R. O, 2013).
All the collaboration tools described are used to cover a wider group of people. They allow for shared data, information, files and media that is useful in coordinating the activities of a group. They are all useful despite the geographical barriers between the parties involved. All the collaboration software discussed are web based. This means that they require internet connectivity to function. They are all software collaboration tools that are based on knowledge management. They also involve knowledge creation systems that allow for information sharing and collaboration for management tools.
Communication tools are easy to use to use, unlike the others. They are commonly known by many people hence easy to operate. They, however, may not be the most secure ways to allow for transmission of information. As such, they are used for limited scope of information. Conferencing tools, on the other hand, are more interactive and can cover a wide geographical coverage allowing for transmission of vast information compared to communication tools. They involve more details that can make the sharing of information more real and easy to identify with like video conferencing and data conferencing. This makes them more interactive and easy to use. They are more technical to use and may require more technical know-how than normal communication tools. They may be more expensive compared to communication tools and others. Coordination tools represent the best form of collaborative technology. They are more independent and easy to use. They help in managing and facilitating vast groups than the other two. They are also more detailed hence require more technical knowledge and skill. They are more tasking to use and maintain due to high technical requirements (Andriessen, J. E, 2012).
References
Joe Valacich & Christoph Schneider (2014). Information Systems Today: Managing in the Digital World (6th Ed.). New Jersey: Pearson.
Sandra Hirsh (2015). Information Services Today: An Introduction (1st Ed.). Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
