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Lecture on Group Collaboration

Discover the importance of group collaboration in business, exploring various applications like electronic messaging, document conferencing, and video conferencing to improve teamwork dynamics. Learn about groupware for effective collaboration.

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Lecture on Group Collaboration

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  1. Lecture on Group Collaboration www.assignmentpoint.com

  2. Encouraging Group Collaboration • Teams, committees, departments, and other workgroups collaborate on common tasks • They can have meetings, use the telephone, and route written information (faxes, etc.) • Groups need workgroup information systems to support them • Also called group support systems (GSS) www.assignmentpoint.com

  3. Encouraging Group Collaboration (cont’d) • Collaboration is essential to business • The value of groups exceeds the value of combined individual group members • Groups solve problems, make collective decisions • Meetings can be hard to arrange, expensive • Group members change, may cross functional boundaries, and may be busy www.assignmentpoint.com

  4. Encouraging Group Collaboration (cont’d) • Collaboration may take place during telephone and conference calls • Problems: • Time zones • Only verbal information is exchanged • Faxes must be sent when changes occur • Workgroup information systems are better www.assignmentpoint.com

  5. Group Collaboration Characteristics • When, where, what www.assignmentpoint.com

  6. Group Collaboration Characteristics (cont’d) • Forms: • Audio • Visual • Data/document www.assignmentpoint.com

  7. Workgroup Application Types • General name: groupware • Also referred to as group computing, collaborative computing • Personal computer software may be used (e.g., sharing a spreadsheet on a server) • Groupware has more capabilities than PC software www.assignmentpoint.com

  8. Workgroup Application Types (cont’d) • Electronic messaging • Transmission of electronic data • May take place at different times from different places • An important message may not be read soon enough • Non-verbal cues will be missing www.assignmentpoint.com

  9. Workgroup Application Types (cont’d) • Electronic messaging (cont’d) • Email • Each user has an address and mailbox • Capabilities: • Simple word processing features • Ability to add attachments • Ability to send email to groups www.assignmentpoint.com

  10. Workgroup Application Types (cont’d) • Electronic messaging (cont’d) • Email (cont’d • Capabilities: (cont’d) • Ability to save emails for review • Ability to reply without entering an address • Examples: Lotus cc:Mail, MS Mail www.assignmentpoint.com

  11. Workgroup Application Types (cont’d) • Electronic messaging (cont’d) • Other more, sophisticated software: • Assign tasks to individuals or groups • Send special notices • Record “while you were out” messages • Example: Lotus GroupWise www.assignmentpoint.com

  12. Workgroup Application Types (cont’d) • Information sharing • A database can hold information so it can be viewed by many users • Advantage: Doesn’t have to be sent through email • Disadvantage: Some information doesn’t fit the database approach (e.g., diagrams) www.assignmentpoint.com

  13. Workgroup Application Types (cont’d) • Document conferencing • Also called data conferencing • 2 types: whiteboard and application • Group members at different places can view documents at the same time • Useful when group members are distant • Members must be available at same time www.assignmentpoint.com

  14. Workgroup Application Types (cont’d) • Document conferencing (cont’d) • Application conferencing • User sees the actual document within a word processing program • User sees the actual spreadsheet within a spreadsheet program • Users can comment or make changes • Store-and-forward capability www.assignmentpoint.com

  15. Workgroup Application Types (cont’d) • Audio conferencing • Most common form • Audio conferencing can be at a computer using computer telephony software • Via a computer network or the Internet • Same time, different places • Only verbal; no documents or visuals www.assignmentpoint.com

  16. Workgroup Application Types (cont’d) • Video conferencing • Same time, different places • Allows audio and visual communication • Can replace face-to-face meetings, and is generally less expensive than travel • Can’t communicate documents • Participants must be available www.assignmentpoint.com

  17. Workgroup Application Types (cont’d) • Video conferencing (cont’d) • Equipment needed: video camera, monitor, microphone, speaker • Point-to-point connects users at two specific locations • Multipoint connects users at many locations simultaneously • Two types: room/group and desktop www.assignmentpoint.com

  18. Workgroup Application Types (cont’d) • Video conferencing (cont’d) • Room/group video conferencing system www.assignmentpoint.com

  19. Workgroup Application Types (cont’d) • Video conferencing (cont’d) • Desktop video conferencing system www.assignmentpoint.com

  20. Workgroup Application Types (cont’d) • Video conferencing (cont’d) • Desktop video conferencing (cont’d) • Video uses a large number of bits when transmitted over digital channels • Video compression/decompression is used to improve efficiency • Desktop PCs have separate boards for video conferencing www.assignmentpoint.com

  21. Workgroup Application Types (cont’d) • Video conferencing (cont’d) • Desktop video conferencing (cont’d) • Less expensive than room systems ($1,500 to $3,000) • Small, jerky images • Quality and use should increase over time www.assignmentpoint.com

  22. Workgroup Application Types (cont’d) • Electronic conferencing • Combines video and document capabilities with whiteboard and application functions • Integrated functionality offers flexibility • Designed for users at the same time in different places • Requires expensive hardware and software www.assignmentpoint.com

  23. Workgroup Application Types (cont’d) • Electronic conferencing www.assignmentpoint.com

  24. Workgroup Application Types (cont’d) • Electronic meeting support • Meetings facilitated by computer support • Electronic meeting system (EMS) • Leader presents topic for discussion • Participants key in comments and ideas • All ideas and comments keyed by participants are anonymous www.assignmentpoint.com

  25. Workgroup Application Types (cont’d) • Electronic meeting support (cont’d) • The leader summarizes the material and participants can vote electronically • EMS is same time, same place • Provide document communication • Room systems are very expensive • All group members must be available www.assignmentpoint.com

  26. Workgroup Application Types (cont’d) • Electronic meeting support (cont’d) www.assignmentpoint.com

  27. Workgroup Application Types (cont’d) • Group calendaring and scheduling • Used to set up meetings and help group members coordinate their time • Helps individual group members keep track of their appointments • Helps users in different places meet electronically at the same time www.assignmentpoint.com

  28. Workgroup Application Types (cont’d) • Group calendaring and scheduling (cont’d) www.assignmentpoint.com

  29. Workgroup Application Types (cont’d) • Workflow management • Group work sometimes involves tasks that are sequenced • Work flows from one person to another, in a particular order • Workflow management software helps the work flow more smoothly www.assignmentpoint.com

  30. Workgroup Application Types (cont’d) • Workflow management (cont’d) • Coordinates the tasks performed by different individuals in a workgroup • Document routing ensures that work flows to the right person in sequence • Used to coordinate user’s work at different times in different places • Users must check regularly for work www.assignmentpoint.com

  31. Workgroup Application Types (cont’d) • Workflow management (cont’d) www.assignmentpoint.com

  32. Workgroup Application Types (cont’d) • Summary www.assignmentpoint.com

  33. Office Automation Systems • OAS combine workgroup and individual applications and other technology • OAS provides support for office functions • May include word processing and other individual information system functions • May include workgroup applications such as email and scheduling tools www.assignmentpoint.com

  34. Office Automation Systems (cont’d) • Some other features: • Voice messaging • Facsimile • Electronic filing • Image processing • Document management www.assignmentpoint.com

  35. Virtual Work Environments • People can work at home, in the office, in hotels, and other locations at any time • The workplace can be a virtual work environment, wherever and whenever people work • Telecommuting • Employees dial in to company computers using a modem www.assignmentpoint.com

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