CROUP DECISION- AK COMMUNICATION, AND COLLABORATION

7.2 CROUP DECISION- AK COMMUNICATION, AND COLLABORATION

The Opening Vignette illustrates how computerized support can be provided to people who work effectively in groups for the benefit of their organizations. The SCORE system involves collaboration between groups at Chrysler and their vendors and also between groups within Chrysler. Other firms are using this model successfully. For example, Johnson Controls has cut production costs by $20 million with a collaboration portal that integrates supplier applications (see Hall, 2002). The London insurance market, through collaboration, has cut office costs by 10 percent, and paper processes by~ver 30 percent; Timex has cut production-development cycles by up to 40 percent (Konzer, 2002); and Lockheed Martin won a $19 billion contract on the basis of its collaboration capabilities (Konicki, 2001). People make decisions, they design and manufacture products, they develop policies and strategies, they design software, and so on. They collaborate and communicate-people perform groupwork. Some characteristics of groupwork are listed below:

 A group performs a task, sometimes decision-making, sometimes not.  Group members may be located in different places.  Group members may work at different times.

" Group members may work for the same or for different organizations. " The group can be permanent or temporary. " The group can be at any managerial level or can span levels. • There can be synergy (process and task gains) or conflict in groupwork. "

There can be gains and/or losses in productivity from groupwork. " The task may have to be accomplished very quickly. " It may be impossible or too expensive for all the team members to meet in one place. " Some of the needed data, information, or knowledge may be located in many

sources, several of which are external to the organization. " The expertise of non-team members may be needed.

When people work in teams, especially when the members are in different locations and may be working at different times, they need to communicate, collaborate, and access a diverse set of information sources in multiple formats.

For groups to collaborate effectively, appropriate communication methods and technologies are needed. The Internet and its derivatives, intranets and extranets, are the platforms on which most communications for collaboration occur. The Internet (World Wide Web or Web), a network of computer networks, supports interorganizational decision-making through collaboration tools and access to data, information, and knowledge from inside and outside the organization. Intraorganizational networked

366 PART III COLLABORATION, COMMUNICATION, ENTERPRISE DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS, AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

nal Internet. People within an organization can work with Internet tools and procedures through enterprise information portals. Specific applications can include important internal

documents and procedures, corporate address lists,e-mail, tool access, and software distribution. An intranet operates safely behind a company's firewall, which typically isolates it from inappropriate external access. A good example of an intranet application is the Osram Sylvania HR InfoNet (a portal) described in the Chapter 6 Opening Vignette. An extranet links a work group, functioning like an intranet for group members from several different organizations. Several automobile manufacturers have involved their suppliers and dealers in extranets to help them deal with customer complaints about their products. Other extranets are used to link teams together to design products, where several different suppliers must collaborate on design and manufacturing techniques. And extranets like the Covisint are used by entire industries to link companies and suppliers (see the Opening Vignette; Kemp, 2001).

There have been many advances in Web-based collaborative design, as is described in the opening vignette. New tools are continually under development (see Anthes, 2000). Autodesk'sArchitectural Studio and CoCreate's OneSpace allow several designers to work simultaneously. Most major auto manufacturers are moving in this direction because it substantially reduces the cost and time of bringing new models to market (see Konicki, 2002b,Gladwin, 2001). This market should be worth well over $100 billion by 2007 (see Konicki, 2002a, 2000b). For details on howGSS can enhance systems analysis and design, see Lowry and Wilson (2000), and Maybury (2001).

Even in hierarchical organizations, decision-making is usually a shared process. A group may be involved in a decision or in a decision-related task, such as creating a short list of acceptable alternatives or choosing criteria for evaluating an alternative. The following activities and processes characterize meetings:

 A meeting is a joint activity engaged in by a group of people typically of equal or

near-equal status.  The outcome of the meeting depends partly on the knowledge, opinions, and

judgments of its participants.  The outcome of the meeting also depends on the composition of the group and on

the decision-making process used by the group.  Differences in opinion are settled either by the ranking person present or, more

often, by negotiation or arbitration.

Many computerized tools have been developed to provide group support. These tools are called groupware because their primary objective is to support groupwork. The work itself may be known as computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW). (The literature uses the word cooperative, and we adhere to it, though collaborative might be a more accurate term. For example, consider two or more groups involved in negotiations.) Groupware tools can be readily found via a Web search. Some notable ones include GroupSystems OnLine and MeetingRoom, Groove, NetMeeting, WebEx, and PlaceWare. Some e-mail, chatroom, and instant messenger software exhibit groupware features.

Telecommuting, teleconferencing, supply chain management, and electronic com- merce are all enabled through communication and collaboration technologies. It is almost impossible to be away from the office (home, dormitory, etc.) and not be connected. Distance learning is a fast-developing area of collaborative computing. And groupware can enhance creativity in the decision-making process.

CHAPTER 7 COLLABORATIVE COMPUTING TECHNOLOGIES: GROUP SUPPORT SYSTEMS

Groups and groupwork (teams and teamwork) in organizations are proliferating. Consequently, groupware continues to evolve to support effective groupwork. For examples of effective groupware use in industry, see McGee and Murphy (2001), who describe the leading innovators in collaboration.

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