1. Collaboration Information Systems David Kroenke
Using MIS 3e Chapter 2
Collaboration
Information Systems
David Kroenke

2. Chapter Preview
One of the best ways of improving team meetings is to use collaboration information systems, as you’ll learn in this chapter.
We begin by defining and describing collaboration. Given that definition, we’ll then look at the five components of a collaboration system and consider the procedure and people components in particular. Then, we’ll examine how three different types of collaboration system can be used to facilitate communication, manage the team’s work product, and control team workflow. We’ll then consider collaboration in the business context. We’ll examine how information systems improve collaboration for problem solving, project management, and decision making.
As you read this chapter, keep in mind (from Chapter 1) that collaboration is one of the four critical skills that Robert Reich identified for twenty-first-century workers. As you’ll see, the ability to use collaboration systems is a key part of modern collaboration skills.

3. Study Questions Q1 What is collaboration?
Q2. What are the components of a collaboration information system?
Q3. How can you use collaboration systems to improve team communication?
Q4. How can you use collaboration systems to manage content?
Q5. How can you use collaboration systems to control workflow?
Q6. How do businesses use collaboration systems?
Q ?

4. Chapter Opening Scenario
Does that FlexTime meeting sound like meetings you have with fellow students?
It doesn’t have to be that way.
One of the best ways of improving team meetings is to use collaboration.

5. What Is Collaboration?
Collaboration occurs when two or more people work together to achieve a common:
Goal
Result
Work product
Greater than individuals working alone
Involves more than coordination and communication alone

6. Importance of Feedback and Iteration
Feedback and iteration provide an opportunity for team members to:
Proceed in a series of steps (iterations) by continuously reviewing and revising one another’s work.
Learn from one another rather than working in isolation.
Change the way they work and what they produce.
Ultimately, produce a product that’s greater (and better) than an individual could accomplish working alone.

7. Critical Collaboration Drivers
Effectiveness of a collaborative effort is driven by three critical factors:
Communication
Content management
Workflow control

8. Communication Communication skills and abilities of group members
Key Elements
Ability to give and receive critical feedback?
Availability and use of effective communication systems

9. Content Management
Users need to manage content in order to avoid conflicts.
Need to know who made what changes, when, and why. Content-management systems track and report such data.
Members have different rights and privileges.
Information systems play a key role in enforcing such restrictions.

10. Workflow Control
Workflow is a process or procedure to create, edit, use, and dispose of content.
It specifies the particular ordering of tasks.
It includes processes for handling rejected changes and exceptions.
It ensures tasks are completed in an orderly manner.
Ad hoc groups—communication most important drive, rather than formalize workflows.

11. Study Questions
Q1 What is collaboration?
Q2. What are the components of a collaboration information system?
Q3. How can you use collaboration systems to improve team communication?
Q4. How can you use collaboration systems to manage content?
Q5. How can you use collaboration systems to control workflow?
Q6. How do businesses use collaboration systems?
Q ?

12. Components of a Collaboration Information System
Hardware
Client hardware
Computers and other communication devices (iPhones, Blackberries)
Server hardware
Computers installed and operated by IT professionals that support the collaboration system.

13. Software Google Docs & Spreadsheets Free, only need Web browser to use
Microsoft Groove
Must be installed on the client computers of all group members
Microsoft SharePoint
Setup on a server computer
User need only browser to use
Integrated with Microsoft Office
Can be expensive for business users

14. Components of a Collaboration Information System

15. Data
Collaboration data consists of documents, discussions, tasks lists, and other types of team data.
Google Docs & Spreadsheets will store and manage Word and Excel documents.
Groove allows users to store almost any kind of computer file including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Acrobat, pictures, drawings, other document types, multiparty chat, chat session logs, VoIP.
SharePoint can store discussion lists, task lists, announcements, calendars, and more. SharePoint supports team Wikis and team member blogs.

16. Types of Collaboration Procedures
Procedures for using the collaboration software:
Perform basic tasks like creating announcements, reading and storing documents, adding items to lists, responding to surveys and so forth.
Procedures for conducting a collaborative project:
Concerns how the team will perform its collaborative work.

17. Collaboration Procedures
Starting phase
Planning phase
Doing
Wrapping-up
Iteration and feedback—loop is nature and power of collaboration

18. Starting Phase Set ground rules
Consider team authority—set goal/objectives and determine how to accomplish them
Set expectations for team members
Role each will play
Authority for each member
Establish procedures for meetings

19. Planning Phase Determine “who will do what and by when”
Identify task dependencies
Evaluate alternatives
Make clear assignments of tasks to team members:
To ensure that team members know when, and by whom, tasks will be accomplished.

20. Doing Ensure that tasks are accomplished on time
Identify schedule problems as early as possible
Add, delete, modify tasks, change task assignments, add or remove task labor and so forth, as necessary

21. Wrapping-Up Document results Document the “learnings” for future teams
Close down the project and disband

22. Decisions and Procedures for Project Phases

23. Important and Not-Important Characteristics of a Collaborator

24. Study Questions
Q1 What is collaboration?
Q2. What are the components of a collaboration information system?
Q3. How can you use collaboration systems to improve team communication?
Q4. How can you use collaboration systems to manage content?
Q5. How can you use collaboration systems to control workflow?
Q6. How do businesses use collaboration systems?
Q ?

25. Types of Communication
Synchronous communication
Team members meet at the same time, but not necessarily at the same geographic location.
It may include conference calls, face-to-face-meetings, or online meetings.
Asynchronous communication
Team members do not meet at the same time or in the same geographic location.
It may include discussion forums or exchanges.

26. Technology Available to Facilitate Communication

27. Virtual Meetings
Don’t require everyone to be in same place at same time
Virtual meeting tools
Conference calls—can be difficult to arrange the right time
Multiparty text chat—easier to arrange if everyone has mobile texting
Videoconferencing—requires everyone to have the proper equipment
—most familiar but has serious drawbacks in content management
Discussion forums—content is more organized than
Team surveys—easy to manage but don’t provide very much interactive discussion

28. Students Should Forgo Face-to-Face Meetings
Group calendar—Outlook, Evite
Virtual meetings—Synchronous
Conference calls
Webinars—WebEx, SharedView
Multiparty text chat—Groove
Videoconferencing—Live Meeting

29. User Participating in NetMeeting
Figure 2-5

30. Communicating Asynchronously
Problem of too much freedom, too easy to hide
Discussion threads disorganized, disconnected
Difficult to find particular s, comments, or attachments

31. Example of Discussion Forum
Fig 2-6 Example of Discussion Forum

32. Portion of Sample Team Survey

33. Study Questions
Q1 What is collaboration?
Q2. What are the components of a collaboration information system?
Q3. How can you use collaboration systems to improve team communication?
Q4. How can you use collaboration systems to manage content?
Q5. How can you use collaboration systems to control workflow?
Q6. How do businesses use collaboration systems?
Q ?

34. Three Categories of Sharing Content
Your choice depends on the degree of control your team needs to complete their tasks

35. Shared Content with No Control
attachments are most primitive and have numerous problems.
Someone may not receive the , ignores it, doesn’t notice it, or does not save the attachments.
Difficult to manage attachments.
Shared file server provides a single storage location for all team members.
Uses FTP technology to access files
Known location for finding documents
Problems can occur if multiple team members try using same file at same time.

36. Shared Content with Version Management
Version management—track changes to documents and provide features and functions to accommodate concurrent work
Three version-management systems
Wikis
Google Docs & Spreadsheets
Microsoft Office Groove

37. Wikis (We-keys)
Wikis are shared knowledge bases, repositories of team knowledge that can track changes.
Simplest version-management systems
Most famous wiki is wikipedia.org
Publicly available general encyclopedia
Tracks who created entry, date of creation, identity of who changed entry, date, and possibly other data.
Some users are given permission to delete wiki entries.

38. Figure 2-9

39. Google Docs & Spreadsheets
Access at with a Google account (not same as Gmail account)
Google account can be affiliated with whatever account you provide.
Documents are stored on Google servers making them accessible from anywhere.
Team members can track revisions and review change summaries.
A free service but you must use Google programs for processing.

40. Revisions Shared by Three People
Sample Google Docs & Spreadsheets Document Versions

41. Microsoft Office Groove
A user creates a workspace and invite others to join.
Workspace has a collection of tools
Automatically propagates changes to workspace to all group members’ computers.
Show all work that was done while user was away
Does concurrent update control
Multiuser chat, VoIP
Use it asynchronously or synchronously
Use any computer or server to access workspaces
Each user must have a license and install it on each computer (may be exceptions).

42. Downside of Groove Each user must purchase a license for Groove.
Groove must be installed on each member’s computer.
Member creates a workspace, which is a collection of tools, documents, and users. The creator of the workspace invites others to join by sending them an .
Invitee accepts to join the workspace and can view all workspace contents, including documents, schedules, drawings, announcements of meetings, and so forth.
When a user changes a document, Groove automatically propagates that change to workspaces on other users’ computers.
Supports multiuser text chat and Voice over IP (VoIP).

43. Example of Groove Workspace
Fig 2-11 Example Groove Workspace

44. Shared Content with Version Control
Each team member is given an account with a set of permissions.
More control over changes to documents.
Uses shared directories (a.k.a. libraries) to store documents.
Users are given permissions that limit what they can do with the documents.
Permissions—user might have read-only permission for library 1; read and edit permission for library 2; read, edit, and delete permission for library 3; and no permission even to see library 4.
Requires users to check out documents and check them back in.

45. Example of Document Checkout
Fig 2-11

46. Version-Control Applications
Microsoft SharePoint is the most popular for business use.
Requires a publicly accessible server
Difficult to install
Has features for creating and managing team work products: surveys, discussion forums, wikis, member blogs, member Web sites, and workflow
Master Control
Document Locator
CVS—software team use
Subversion—control versions of software code, test plans, and product documentation

47. Checking Out Document Problem_Definition_Ricky
Figure 2-12

48. Study Questions
Q1 What is collaboration?
Q2. What are the components of a collaboration information system?
Q3. How can you use collaboration systems to improve team communication?
Q4. How can you use collaboration systems to manage content?
Q5. How can you use collaboration systems to control workflow?
Q6. How do businesses use collaboration systems?
Q ?

49. Types of Workflow Sequential workflow Parallel workflow
When a document is reviewed by one group member, then another, and so forth
Parallel workflow
When documents are reviewed simultaneously by multiple members
SharePoint site
Workflows can be defined and SharePoint ensures team members perform required tasks

50. Sample Sequential Workflow
Fig 2-13

51. SharePoint Workflow Form
Fig 2-14

52. SharePoint Sequential Workflow
Fig 2-15

53. Study Questions Q6. How do businesses use collaboration systems?
Q1 What is collaboration?
Q2. What are the components of a collaboration information system?
Q3. How can you use collaboration systems to improve team communication?
Q4. How can you use collaboration systems to manage content?
Q5. How can you use collaboration systems to control workflow?
Q6. How do businesses use collaboration systems?
Q ?

54. Using Collaboration Systems for Problem Solving?
Perceived difference between what is and what ought to be
Different people can define/perceive a problem differently
Tara defines the problem as Felix doesn’t regularly come to meetings. Felix defines the problem as the team is focused on cost savings when it should be focused on revenue. Other team members might have other definitions.

55. Using Collaboration Systems for Project Management
Procedures and Decisions for Project Phases

56. Using Collaboration Systems for Decision Making?
Operational decisions
Concern day-to-day activities—How many widgets should we order from vendor A?
Obtain data from transaction processing systems
Require very little collaboration
Managerial decisions
Focus on the allocation and utilization of resources—How many engineers should we assign to project B?
Require some collaboration
Strategic decisions
Are broader in their scope and center around organizational issues—Should we start a new product line?
Are almost always collaborative

57. Two Decision Processes
Structured Decisions
Have an understood and accepted method for making decisions
Have optimal solution
Require very little collaboration
Unstructured Decisions
No agreed-on decision-making method
No proven optimal solution
Are often a collaborative process

58. Relationship Between Decision Type and Decision Process
Operational decisions tend to be structured.
Strategic decisions tend to be unstructured.
Managerial decisions tend to be both structured and unstructured.
Unstructured operational decision: “How many taxicab drivers do we need on the night before the homecoming game?”
Structured strategic decision: “How should we assign sales quotas for a new product?”

59. Decision Process and Decision Type
Fig 2-18

60. Decision Making and Collaboration Systems
Few structured decisions need collaboration.
No feedback or iteration are necessary
Collaboration in routine, structured decisions is expensive, wasteful, and frustrating.
Unstructured decisions
Feedback and iteration are crucial
Different perspectives required
Communications systems are very important to the process.

61. Collaboration Needs by Decision Types
Fig 2-19

62. Study Questions Q7. 2020? Q1 What is collaboration?
Q2. What are the components of a collaboration information system?
Q3. How can you use collaboration systems to improve team communication?
Q4. How can you use collaboration systems to manage content?
Q5. How can you use collaboration systems to control workflow?
Q6. How do businesses use collaboration systems?
Q ?

63. How Will Collaboration Change By 2020?
Face-to-face meetings (F2F) will be rare.
Employees not needed to be present on site will work at home, either full time or at least several days a week.
Nearly all corporate training will be online, mostly asynchronous.
Business travel will be a shadow of its former self.
Travel industry will re-organize for nearly exclusively for recreational travel.
Conventions will become virtual.

64. Ethics Guide: Virtual Ethics?
Virtual—“Something appears to exist that does not exist in fact.”
Is everyone present?
Is everyone really who they say they are? (No spoofing)
Is everyone invited who should be?
Was everyone, in fact, notified?
Is it illegal to spoof someone?
Are your ethics virtual?
If others cheat on an online exam, are you justified to cheat too?

65. Guide: Securing Collaboration
Collaboration systems pose serious security risks.
All documents are stored on Google computers, which are located, well, who knows where? Does Google protect those computers appropriately? If those computers are located in, say, San Francisco, will they survive an earthquake?
Wireless traffic is unprotected from wireless snoopers. Are you processing that data at a local coffee shop? Do you care that anyone in that shop can copy your data?

66. Guide: Securing Collaboration
You post data in a Groove workspace so both your advertising agency and marketing guru can view it. You have just violated corporate security.
Marketing guru makes a copy and uses it to improve her knowledge of consumer behavior. Unknown to you, she also consults for your chief rival and uses that knowledge to benefit your competitor.
SharePoint has extensive security features, if administrator implemented a proper security plan.
But, SharePoint makes it easy to download data.

67. Ethics Guide: Egocentric vs. Empathetic Thinking
Egocentric thinking
Centers on self
“I’m right, everyone else is wrong.”
“I believe sales are declining because our price is too high. We need to cut the price.”
Empathetic thinking
“My view” is one possible interpretation.
Take time to learn what others are thinking.
Take time to understand the problem domain as a system. (What factors can affect sales?)

68. Egocentric Thinking Egocentric thinking
“Professor Jones, I couldn’t come to class last Monday. Did we do anything important?”
Egocentric thinking
Implies the student isn’t accountable for his actions
Implies professor lectured on nothing important
Doesn’t take into account professor’s view of absences
Assumes the professor has time to rehash the class discussions and activities one-on-one
Puts responsibility on the professor to remember everything said in class

69. Empathetic Thinking Empathetic thinking approach
“I couldn’t come to class, but I got the class notes from Mary. I read through them, and I have a question…Oh by the way, I’m sorry to trouble you with my problem.”
Empathetic thinking approach
Takes personal responsibility
Minimizes impact of absence on someone else
Considers impact from professor’s side
Considers that the professor must interrupt their other work to give extra help so you can recover from your absence

70. Active Review
Q1. What is collaboration? Q2. What are the components of a collaboration information system? Q3. How can you use collaboration systems to improve team communication? Q4. How can you use collaboration systems to manage content? Q5. How can you use collaboration systems to control workflow? Q6. How do businesses use collaboration systems? Q ?

71. Case Study 2: Microsoft SharePoint at Intermountain Healthcare
Operates a network of 21 hospitals with over 2,300 staffed hospital beds
130,000 patients and delivered 33,000 babies
Has more than 150 clinics and employs more than 30,000 people
Provides free private Web pages for patients or family members to communicate patient care and health matters to one another
Provides a facility by which family and friends can send s to patients that are printed and delivered to patients
Web-based portal that patients use to view test results, make appointments, view medical records, and conduct other healthcare matters.
Provides a Web nursery of photos of recently born babies

72. Microsoft SharePoint at Intermountain Healthcare

73. Microsoft SharePoint at Intermountain Healthcare
Publishes traditional business documents such as announcements, policies, forms, pay schedules, consolidated business reports under a SharePoint umbrella
Employees have one place to go to find and produce reports that they want.
Result is reduced costs and better information for employees
Employees can post new procedures or techniques or new ways of solving problems and can describe them on SharePoint sites.
Made it easy for users to create Team Spaces where teams could collaborate on documents, share calendars, and perform other collaboration functions
No formal user training; created a short video that walked users through process
Thousands of employees contribute online now

74. Microsoft SharePoint at Intermountain Healthcare

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