Channels of Collaboration Neil Canham Co-Founder, Flying Island
Nov 18, 2014
Channels of Collaboration
Neil CanhamCo-Founder, Flying Island
Overview
• What is Collaboration?• Channels and Modes• Tools• Conflict• Immersive Environments• Why Roobaab?
What is Collaboration?
Collaboration is a recursive process where two or more people or
organizations work together in an intersection of common goals — for example, an intellectual endeavour
that is creative in nature—by sharing knowledge, learning and building
consensus.Wikipedia
What is Collaboration?
Collaborate to work jointly on an activity or project
Compact Oxford English Dictionary
Collaborative Software
software designed to help people involved in a common task achieve their goals… The design intent is to transform the way documents and rich media are shared in order to
enable more effective team collaboration…
Wikipedia
Everyone’s Everywhere
• Most groupware used by colocated staff“Yeah, just put it on the network drive. You look
puzzled. Ok I’ll come and do it for you”
• Collaboration systems only get tested when there are no other channels
• Ease of use and reliability become key• Timezones, Languages
Communication - Collaboration
• Communication is not collaboration– It’s what you do with it that counts
• Discussion might be collaboration• Mode of communication – Synchronous vs Asynchronous– Do you NEED synchronous?– Sometimes asynchronous can be more
valuable
Channels
• Ways to pass information• Tools for sharing information• Modes• Channel of Collaboration?
Voice
• Synchronous– Telephone / teleconference– VoIP– Broadcast / streaming (one way)
• Asynchronous– Voicemail– Podcast
Text
• Synchronous– Instant Message– Shared Editing
• Asynchronous– Email– Shared Document repository–Wikis, Forums, Twitter
•Mixed Mode• Twitter• Google Wave
Missing Cues…
“Sure. I have all the time in the world, I’d love to do all the work and you all can just sit back and take the credit! That just sounds wonderful. Just kidding, it doesn’t really sound wonderful, but I don’t see why that wouldn’t work. I can work on it tomorrow night when we are done with our meeting.”
Text
• Synchronous– Instant Message– Shared Editing
• Asynchronous– Email– Shared Document repository–Wikis, Forums, Twitter
•Mixed Mode• Twitter• Google Wave
Text
• Synchronous– Instant Message– Shared Editing
• Asynchronous– Email– Shared Document repository–Wikis, Forums, Twitter
•Mixed Mode• Twitter• Google Wave
Change the Channel!
• Changing the main channel will have profound effects on group dynamics
• Don’t be afraid to change• A more restricted channel might be a
good thing!
Diagrams, Pictures, Video
• Synchronous– Shared whiteboard / desktop–Web camera– Video conference
• Asynchronous– Picture archive (Flickr)– Video clip / screen cam (YouTube)
Conflict?
• Good– Effective, efficient communications– Time for thoughtful reaction and
reflection
• Bad– Enforced strategies for use– Easier to be blunt / forthright /
ambiguous–Mixed sense of urgency for response
Channel of Collaboration
Communications channel with attitude… as long as it’s the right
attitude!
Collaboration is
Tools+
Shared Goals+
Agreed Process
Doing stuff together?
• Virtual Worlds• Persistent Immersive Environments
(PIE)• Powerful sense of place• Palpable, inescapable sense of sharing• Building, Watching, Listening, Being
TOGETHERTogethering?
Make it Simple!
• Acknowledge Corporate / occasional users
• Familiar environments• Intuitive tools to enhance sharing
and immersion
The Principle of Least Surprise
Roobaab
• Make it really easy to share and collaborate
• You choose when and how you want to collaborate
• Provide really useful tools
Bring the team together without bringing the team together
Not the end
There may be no ‘I’ in TEAM but
You can’t take the Labor out of Collaboration
For more info on Roobaab or a demo of any of the tools in this presentation contact Richard Meiklejohn in SL, or email [email protected]