SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Bridging Distance in Collaborations Lessons Learned from a Broad Look at Collaborations in Science & Engineering and in the corporate world Judith S. Olson Richard W. Pew Professor of Human-Computer Interaction School of Information Ross School of Business University of Michigan

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN What’s the problem? n Organizations are constructing teams of people from geographically dispersed locations –That’s where the expertise is –Experts won’t relocate –They “throw” technology at it with attachments Video conferencing Shared databases n It doesn’t work well

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN The solution n One size does not fit all n Understand the situation –The tasks –The technologies –The social/organizational situations n Design –New technologies, new combinations of existing technologies –New social practices n Evaluate n Reflect

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN A Mix of Research Methods Traditional Support New Support FieldLab

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Distributed work n Upper Atmospheric Physics n Clinical Radiology n HIV/AIDS research n Brain research n Design engineering n Earthquake engineering n Corporate financial reporting n Global telecommunications software design n Automobile transmission design

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Long-Distance Auto Engineering: Audio Conferencing

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Long-Distance Auto Engineering: Video Conferencing

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Great Lakes CFAR: Virtual Lab Meeting

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN IARC: Remote meetings

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Ambient mic (tabletop) Presenter mic Presenter camera Audience camera Access Grid Nodes (ANL)

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN UARC/SPARC: Real time access to remote instruments and chat

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN UIUCU of Colorado NEES: Shared instruments

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Electronic Notebook

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN IARC: Shared coordination tools

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Science of Collaboratories Project  Perform a comparative analysis of collaboratory projects  Develop general principles and design methods  Test these principles on existing or upcoming collaboratories  Develop of a Collaboratory Knowledge Base  technical and social data and detailed findings from existing collaboratory projects

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Collaboratories at a Glance n Collect a large set of collaboratories –We have identified almost 200 examples n Collect a basic set of information n Note similarities and differences on both technical and social dimensions

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN In-depth n SPARC/UARC n GLR CFAR n Bugscope n EMSL n NEESgrid n InterMed n GriPhyN n iVDGL n AfCS n BIRN

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Taxonomy of Collaboratories n Research focus –Distributed Research Center –Shared Instrumentation –Community Data Systems –Open Community Contribution System n Practice focus –Virtual Community of Practice –Virtual Learning Community –Expert Consultation

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Distributed Research Center n Functions like a University research center, but at a distance. n Most communication human-human n Project is unified by a topic area of interest, and includes a number of joint projects in that area. n No single product as the focus n Alliance for Cellular Signaling

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Shared Instrument n Increases access to a scientific instrument n Often remote access to an expensive instrument n Often supplemented with other technology to support communication n Keck observatory

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Community Data System n Information resource that is created, maintained, or improved by a distributed community n Information is semi-public, of wide interest. n Zebrafish information network

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Open Community Contribution System n Micro contributions to a project n Modeled on open source software development n Open Mind Initiative n NASA Ames Clickworkers

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Virtual Community of Practice n A network of individuals who share a research area and communicate about it online n Share news of professional interest, advice, techniques. n Not focused on joint projects n Ocean US

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Virtual Learning Community n Main focus is on increasing the knowledge of the participants –Not to do original research n Can be inservice or professional development n Ecology Circuit Collaboration

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Expert Consultation n Provides increased access to an expert or set of experts n The flow of information is mainly one way, rather than two way as in a distributed center n TeleInViVo

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN What is Success? n Effects on the Science itself n Effects on Science Careers n Enhanced Science Education n Inspiration to others n Public perception n Reuse of collaboratory tools

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Factors That Affect Success n The Nature of the Work n Common Ground n Collaboration Readiness n Management, Planning and Decision Making n Technology Readiness

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Technical readiness n Right functionality, easy to use n Comfortable with the technology –People can’t make too big a leap n Technology gives benefit to participants n Reliable n Common platform n Adequate networking

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Technical readiness n Technical support at each location n Technical coordinator n If data sharing: defacto standards n If instrument sharing: certify remote users

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN The nature of the work n The more partitionable the work, the easier it is to do long distance –May not want total independence –Need interaction to avoid drift –Some success with standardization

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Common Ground n Mutual knowledge, beliefs and assumptions n People who have worked together before successfully presumably have worked this out n Common vocabulary n Common management or working style

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Veinott et al study n The less common ground you have, the more you need high bandwidth and rapid interaction for communication –Pairs of Native English speakers do not need video to communicate –Pairs of Non-native English speakers are much better when they have video as well as audio

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Collaboration readiness n The community has to have a spirit of collaboration. n Motivation to work together: –Mix of skills –Greater productivity –Like working together –Something in it for everyone –NOT Mandate from the funder The only way to get the money Asymmetries in value, etc.

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Collaboration Readiness n Trust –Reliable –Produce high quality work –Have their best interests at heart n Goals aligned n Group self-efficacy

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Management, Planning, and Decision Making n Principals have time to do the work n Distributed participants can communicate in real time > 4 hrs a day n There is a critical mass at each location –And a point person at each location

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Management, Planning, and Decision Making n Management plan n Project manager is respected and has project management experience n Communication plan n Plan has room for reflection and redirection

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Management, Planning, and Decision Making n No legal issues remain n No financial issues remain n Knowledge management system n Decision making is –Free of favoritism –Fair and open –Everyone has opportunity to influence

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Summary n Technical readiness n The nature of the work n Common ground n Collaboration readiness n Management, planning and decision making

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN The Collaboration Wizard n The theory as a set of questions n Remedies n Red flags

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Promise and Perils n Promise –Better, more ambitious science –Better science education –Greater outreach –Benefits beyond science & engineering n Perils –Success not inevitable as technologies evolve –Success is a mix of social and technical factors –Likely to be unanticipated effects –Science often on the leading edge

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Further information n n for papers n