Enterprise Collaboration and Virtual Teams Report (November 6, 2007)

The People Part of Enterprise Collaboration and Virtual Teams

4 Keys to Supply Chain Collaboration Success … Four management professors weigh in on the 4 success factors for supply chain collaboration: (1) be willing to engage; (2) build a collaborative environment; (3) learn from your partner; and (4) bring expertise to the table. MarketWire

Resolve Conflict … Four power principles for conflict resolution: (1) be impeccable with your word, (2) don’t take anything personally, (3) don’t make assumptions, and (4) do your best. “The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz gave me a few significant tools for moving past conflict in any arena. The book is about four habits you can adopt that improve your life in general, but I find it especially helpful when I’m anxious about a tough meeting, phone call, email exchange, or personal conversation. Before I head into the lion’s den, I review the agreements to put myself in the right frame of mind.” 43folders

The Technology Trends of Enterprise Collaboration and Virtual Teams

RIM Professional Edition … “Research In Motion today announced the immediate availability of BlackBerry Professional Software – a new wireless communications and collaboration solution that tightly integrates with the industry leading email servers and is specifically designed and priced to meet the needs of small and medium-sized businesses. BlackBerry Professional Software is based on the core functionality of the best-in-class BlackBerry Enterprise Server software used by governments and large organizations worldwide, but it is streamlined and tailored to meet the needs of smaller organizations with up to 30 wireless users. BlackBerry Professional Software is priced at $499 for 5 users.” RIM, see also PC World, InformationWeek (Introductory Offer)

Microsoft Sync Framework … Microsoft released the first test build of its forthcoming Sync Framework, for offline Web services. “Based on descriptions posted by Microsoft to its download site, the new framework will enable collaboration and offline capabilities for any application. It will roam and share information from “any data store, over any protocol, and over any network configuration,” according to the company. Microsoft has built and is making available to interested testers a reusable provider for synchronizing the contents of file system directories on PCs and removable media, such as USB thumb drives, according to the Web site.” ZDNet

MindMeister Offline … MindMeister released an extension so that users can take their mind maps offline. The service uses Google Gears. For Premium subscribers only. MindMeister

Day Communiqué Advanced Collaboration … Day Software announced Communiqué Advanced Collaboration, a Web 2.0 offering with wikis, blogs and calendaring capabilities. “Providing centralized management for social media and essential metadata information, CQ AC enables connectivity to social computing, social networking and user participation. By providing efficient management through a central repository for all departments in the enterprise, CQ AC extends the value of rich media. The product also leverages Web 2.0 design features, such as an AJAX user interface, making ease-of-use a key benefit.” Day

Connectbeam 2.0 … Connectbeam released Version 2.0 of its namesake enterprise social bookmarking server. “In partnership and feedback from several customers, we are proud to bring to you innovative and break-through product features and enhancements, that are easy to use, and delivered to the user at their place and point of search. This will further empower team collaboration, people and information discovery – leading to unparalleled worker productivity inside enterprises.” There’s a starter edition too at special pricing. Connectbeam

Insights on Being Productive and Effective as an Individual

Time and Energy … You need both, and you need to manage both. “What does it mean to manage your energy? In a competitive, 24/7, high tech, global work reality it isn’t enough to clock your hours. You need an intuitive understanding of the sources of energy in your life, and the uses of energy.” Fast Company

Increase Energy … 10 exercises to increase your energy, including (6) spend one day a month in complete silence, and (8) eat bigger meal in the middle of the day. Dumb Little Man

Michael Sampson