Communication is the simple ability to exchange information between parties involved in a collaboration process, usually in different forms. Communication patterns may emerge as a set of definitions describing desired or acceptable interaction patterns within a community. Patterns for various forms of interaction in groupware are often provided as templates (for instance, shared news databases or simple discussions,) in systems, such as lotus notes. However, both formal and informal communication structures are useful for adaptive coordination support within organisations (Atkin et al., 1994). Formal communication represents channels which incorporate: agenda-based meetings, formal correspondences/interviews; flow within the chain of command or task responsibility, as defined by the organisation (Daft, 2000). Informal communication embodies conduits such as tea room chats or forums, and is not usually bound to strict rules and conventions. Such channels exist outside the formally authorised channels, with no
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regard for an organisational hierarchy of authority (Daft, 2000). Table 3.3 presents some examples of how communication is influenced by aspects of collaborative tools.
Table 3.3: Examples of Collaborative Tools Influence on Communication
PEOPLE COOPERATIVE GROUPWARE MANAGEMENT WORKFLOW VIRTUAL COMMUNITIES Communication
Sporadic face to face Telecommunication Voice/fax technology Messaging /voice Synchronous/asynchronous Skype: messaging/video conferencing, Gmail/Yahoo: instant messaging/e-mail Instant conference Basic Support for Cooperative Work (BSCW)
shared workspace +awareness
Automated
asynchronous event- driven notification
Web-based Toxic Farm Work List/mail
notification
Web-based messaging /voice Synchronous/asynchronous
Google+, Facebook instant
messaging/ e-mail and forums
Second Life Avatar online
formal/informal meetings Tea rooms/water cooler
Both formal and informal communication channels between collaborators are useful and aid in avoiding misunderstandings or mismatching. In situations of uncertainty, workforces communicate to establish a shared understanding or to resolve issues. Generally speaking, groupware tools enable communications between collaborators working on a mutual task and usually include using different communication technologies, from simple plain-text chat, to advanced video-conferencing (Martín, et al., 2003). Text-based communication via e-mail and chat programs, for instance, have been complemented by multimedia e-mails, Internet telephony and video conferences, among others. WFMS clearly does not deal very well with communication and is often focused on one-way notification systems at best.
In collaborative communities, effective and efficient communication is essential to perform and coordinate work, in conjunction with defining, calibrating, and evolving community governance structures and processes. This is because communities are not declared, but develop over time (De Moor & Weigand, 2006). These communications help to create a sense of community and belonging for members, allowing them to influence others, and to relish a state of flow (Kohl & Kim, 2004; Blanchard, 2004). Communication processes are critical for virtual communities to succeed, be productive, focused, sustained, and to evolve. A variety of tools are employed by collaborative communities in an endeavour towards achieving a common purpose (De Moor & Aakhus, 2006). A multilateral communication type is supported and evidenced, for instance, by bulletin boards and list servers.
Support for direct communication among a distributed team may be realised through standard synchronous and asynchronous methods of computer- and network-based communication: telephone calls, video and audio conferences, text talk, e-mail/news. Other direct communication approaches utilise avatars in 3D virtual spaces, for instance, as in Second Life, which also integrates the communication and conferencing capabilities
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of Skype. Studies indicate that the emergence of an appropriate communication structure may lead to more productive teams (Hinds & McGrath, 2006; Cramton, 2001) Members of distributed teams depend considerably on communication technologies to facilitate their interactions. Situations arise that only benefit from tightly-coupled modes of work, which require more communication overheads. This underscores the requirements for technological support to facilitate such necessary communication. Liechti (2000) holds that an indication of whether users are present in a shared workspace encourages real-time interaction in a virtual space. This accentuates the substantial role and significance of the element of contextual awareness as a facilitator. Groupware, comprising mechanisms such as e-mail, desktop and video conferencing tools, are transforming personal and business communications (Poltrock & Grudin, 1995). While each, individually, offers unique benefits, newer technologies are able to gain advantages and market share through the integration, amalgamation and incorporation of these e-mail and conferencing features. For instance, Skype, an integrative groupware, allows users to communicate with peers through a microphone for voice input, a webcam for video interface, along with instant messaging and image sharing over the Internet. Additionally, this technology is being further integrated, extended and advanced. For instance, the Outlook.com e-mail service of Microsoft is assimilating Skype to webmail, thereby adding video and audio calls to its interface (Lancet, 2013).
Organisations often use e-mail to hasten the flow of information and to cut coordination costs (Sproull & Kiesler, 1991). There are negative elements associated, however, aside from the issues relating to spam and virus contaminations. An additional threat results from administrative overheads, which manifest from the sheer volume of e-mail an individual is expected to manage and acknowledge (Symantec survey, 2010). This has become a common, frequently recognised problem in groupware or virtual communities. The complexities associated with e-mail content control and archiving has resulted in the overwhelming interest in intuitive e-mail management applications, such as ‗Mailbox‘. Certain mail providers, for instance Google, have modified their mail system (priority inbox), to assist the user to sort and categorise mails in accordance with specified urgencies, significances and priorities, thereby aiming at reducing the management burden on the users.
Kiesler (2002) contends, however, that while technologies may provide communication links, people tend to communicate less and engage less in unplanned, spontaneous interactions with their co-workers (Hinds & Mortensen, 2005), with a significant drop in face-to-face exchanges. Workflow technologies, as previously stated, are examples of IT applications that reduce the need for communication and coordination, as they
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automatically route work-related documents, information rules and activities to the active, participating individuals (Alavi & Leidner, 2001). Essentially, workflow technologies communicate by passing information, documents and tasks from one employee or machine within a business to another. A workflow process can be designed to generate notifications about the progress of a specific record or activity, especially where the reports include e-mail notification. These notification or alerts can be specifically allocated with purposely designated roles or groups as recipients. Workflow systems can locate and communicate with a client for whom the execution is carried out. In a state of dynamic, fluctuating and context-dependent situations, effective communication and exchange of distributed data or services is crucial in collaborative networks (Bianchini & Antonellis, 2006). A primary benefit of group awareness tools is to facilitate coordination among people, and to provide cues helpful to initiate communication and collaboration. This is clearly evident in a virtual community collaborative environment, through certain elements, including news feeds and presence. This is so in existing mail systems which define the availability of using a communication channel, whether text or voice.