1. CCT 333: Imagining the Audience in a Wired World Class 11: Special Topics: Supporting collaboration in group work

2. Collaboration Technologies CSCW - structured group communication technologies to share knowledge Knowledge management as emergent field in computing But it is all just computer-based? Broader definitions of technology apply here - organizational learning often not computer mediated

3. Group Communication Concepts Forming - figuring out task, administrative requirements - often tenuous, anxiety high Storming - brainstorming, conflict, can be rebellious Norming - cohesion and stability arrive, norms for conflict resolution Performing - task-directed work (Decay - task done, group dissolves)

4. Compliance and Conformity People have urge to belong, will comply to stated norms (even to the point of extremes - Zimbardo study and current examples) Power of suggestion from opinion leaders - Auch study of line length Both can easily lead to groupthink and mob mentality if not monitored

5. Social Loafing and Compensation “tragedy of the commons” - the larger the group, the more individuals might feel it possible to act in a selfish manner and/or be lazy Social compensation - group cohesion and leadership role might increase commitment even in the face of loafing

6. Computing and groupwork Can allow for individual contributions to be heard equally, but leadership still emerges over time Accountability, anonymity and loafing Can perhaps be isolating, taking longer to form group cohesion

7. Awareness, Technology and Groupwork Who is doing what where when and why? Any technology for collaboration has to answer at least some of these questions - without answers, it’s hard to collaborate Privacy and disruption issues

8. Grudin’s 8 Challenges Challenges common to many design issues, not just CSCW FSAE racecar study: very much about resolving these issues technologically and organizationally Required organizational buy-in - integration into politics of space

9. Who works, who benefits? Sharing information takes time If costs of sharing outweigh benefits, people quickly stop Short and long term cost-benefit FSAE: report writing, testing procedures issues - but also extraordinary examples of information sharing

10. Critical Mass Collaboration technologies must be used by critical mass, or it ceases to be effective Too much mass can be confusing though - email in particular FSAE: Email system (over)use and database issues, also importance of f2f

11. Political and Social Factors Technologies for collaboration exist within social and political contexts and often influences them - new technologies can create enemies quickly FSAE: issues in selling safety and testing procedures

12. Exception Handling Computing technologies in particular - rule driven and formalized Humans - random, contingent, able to sort out new ideas on the fly Handling exceptions necessary FSAE: move to searchable full text data vs. formal database architecture

13. Group Communication as Exception Some technologies compel sharing, create significant demands on time Individual work important - sharing should supplement but not trump it FSAE: meetings - make them efficient, necessary and few

14. Evaluating success Hard to tell if a particular collaboration strategy is working What works changes over time and changes in organizational culture FSAE: annual reports with recommendations, some of which were contradictory

15. Collective intuitiveness People intuitively know how to represent information - shared representations are harder without common language and symbols though FSAE: issues in notation of data, storage of shared resources; use of physical models as instructive tools

16. Managing acceptance Without organizational buy-in, even the best technologies may fail FSAE: buy-in at leader and faculty advisor level, but also on the ground level; management by walking around

17. Technologies and Collaboration Same time/place - meetings, support tools Same time, different place - IM, collaborative whiteboards, tele/videoconferencing Different time, same place - project management artefacts, post-its Different time/place - discussion forums, email, wikis

18. A few FSAE learning mechanisms Meetings Artefacts Lab notebooks Trial and Error Email Alumni contact Industry contact Telephone Past Reports Books/articles Gossip and Informal Chat Reverse Engineering Corporate Intelligence Past Reports Books/articles Gossip and Informal Chat Reverse Engineering Corporate Intelligence

19. Specialized vs. Common Technologies Some argue for specialized technologies (e.g., integrated databases like Notes, PeopleSoft) Can be powerful and tailored to org. needs Can be expensive to design and maintain FSAE: very little financial or human resources to maintain complex systems, off the shelf components easier to coordinate and use

20. The “right” mix? Multiple avenues of learning Avenues can contradict each other Individual preferences play a role Information generally follows path of least resistance (for better or worse) Design for multiple complimentary channels, minimizing noise or error but encouraging discussion and debate

21. Next week David with a bit on CSCL, and test discussion Presentations - come ready to show off your redesign work and answer questions