Collaboration in Information Systems

Collaboration in Information Systems

Key Characteristics of Collaboration

• Collaboration involves people working together to achieve a common goal.
• Two key characteristics are feedback and iteration.
• Cooperation lacks feedback and iteration loop.

Criteria for Successful Collaboration

• Successful outcome (achieved objectives).
• Growth in team capability over time.
• Meaningful and satisfying experience.

Importance of Effective Critical Feedback

• Members learn from each other through constructive criticism.
• Constructive criticism includes both positive and negative advice to improve an outcome.
• It's important to express different, even unpopular, ideas.
• Avoid groupthink—the desire for group cohesion, which can hinder critical thinking.
• Collaborator business experience is not important.
• Being popular or well-organized is not important.

Characteristics of an Effective Collaborator

The most important characteristics for an effective collaborator are:

1. Is enthusiastic about the subject of our collaboration.
2. Is open-minded and curious.
3. Speaks his or her mind even if it's an unpopular viewpoint.
4. Gets back to me and others in a timely way.
5. Is willing to enter into difficult conversations.
6. Is a perceptive listener.
7. Is skillful at giving/receiving negative feedback.
8. Is willing to put forward unpopular ideas.
9. Is self-managing and requires "low maintenance."
10. Is known for following through on commitments.
11. Is willing to dig into the topic with zeal.
12. Thinks differently than I do/brings different perspectives.

Guidelines for Giving and Receiving Constructive Criticism

Giving Constructive Criticism

• Be specific.
  • Unconstructive: "The whole thing is a disorganized mess."
  • Constructive criticism: "I was confused until I got to Section 2."
• Offer suggestions.
  • Unconstructive: "I don't know what to do with this."
  • Constructive criticism: "Consider moving Section 2 to the beginning of the document."
• Avoid personal comments.
  • Unconstructive: "Only an idiot would put the analysis section last."
  • Constructive criticism: "The analysis section might need to be moved forward."
• Set positive goals.
  • Unconstructive: "You have to stop missing deadlines."
  • Constructive criticism: "In the future, try to budget your time so you can meet the deadline."

Accepting Constructive Criticism

• Question your emotions.
  • Unconstructive: "He's such a jerk. Why is he picking apart my work?"
  • Constructive criticism: "Why do I feel so angry about the comment he just made?"
• Do not dominate.
  • Unconstructive: You talk over others and use up half the time.
  • Constructive criticism: If there are four group members, you get a fourth of the time.
• Demonstrate a commitment to the group.
  • Unconstructive: "I've done my part. I'm not rewriting my work. It's good enough."
  • Constructive criticism: "Ouch, I really didn't want to have to redo that section, but if you all think it's important, I'll do it."

Purposes of Collaboration

1. Become informed.
   • Share data and communicate interpretations.
   • Develop and document shared understandings.
2. Make decisions.
3. Solve problems.
4. Manage projects.

Understanding Decision Making

Decision Levels

• Operational Decisions—support day-to-day activities
• Managerial Decisions—support resource allocation
• Strategic Decisions—support broad organizational decisions

Decision Processes

• Structured—solution method is understood and agreed upon
• Unstructured—no understood and accepted solution method

Collaboration Needs for Decision Making

Increasing need for collaboration as decisions move from structured operational to unstructured strategic.

Solving Problems (Tasks)/Decision Making Steps

1. Define the problem.
2. Identify alternative solutions.
3. Specify evaluation criteria.
4. Evaluate alternatives.
5. Select an alternative.
6. Implement solution.

Managing Projects: Project Management Tasks and Data

Collaboration Information Systems

Components:

• Hardware
• Software
• Data and metadata
• Procedures
• People - Know when and how to use.

Collaboration System Requirements

Requirements for Different Collaboration Purposes

How Collaboration Information Helps

• Business professionals need to know how collaboration IS can improve team performance
• Understand how to collaborate effectively with future co-workers.
  • Giving and receiving critical feedback
  • Avoiding groupthink
  • Understanding what and how IS can support teamwork

Student-Project Collaboration IS Requirements Summary

• Required Features
  • Communication
  • Content sharing
  • Task management
• Nice-to-Have Features
  • Discussion forums
  • Surveys
  • Wikis
  • Blogs
  • Photo/video sharing
• Collaboration Tool Characteristics
  • Free/cheap
  • Easy to learn/use
  • Integrated features
  • Provides evidence of versions
  • Used in business

Collaboration Tools

• Enable iteration and feedback
• Share documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and work-product data
• Share project metadata (tasks, schedules, calendars, budgets)
• Application use and how team shares data depends on type of content

Commonly Used Collaboration Tools for Teams

Sharing Content with Google Drive

• Free, virtual drive in the cloud to create folders and store files
• Make documents available to others by entering email addresses or Google accounts
• Simultaneously see and edit documents
• Merge users’ activities into single document
• Track document revisions; brief summaries of changes made

Collaboration Tools for Sharing Content

Shared Content with Version Control

• User activity limited by permissions.
• Document checkout.
• Version histories.
• Workflow control.

Three Collaboration Tool Sets

Procedures and People

• Data component up to you.
• Metadata for project management demonstrates your team practiced iteration and feedback.
• Team needs to agree on tools to use.
• Train team members in the use of tools.
• Create special jobs or roles needed.