Industry Updates

Enterprise Collaboration and Virtual Teams Report (May 22, 2008)

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The People Part of Enterprise Collaboration and Virtual Teams

  • Enterprises are embracing Web 2.0 tools within the firewall for better staff communication and collaboration. “When respondents were asked which groups Web 2.0 technologies were designed to serve, 82 percent said current employees. In addition, when asked to name the two biggest drivers for Web 2.0 at their companies, 71 percent of respondents said improved communication and collaboration among internal staff, while 46 percent said improved communication and collaboration with customers.” The survey was conducted by Ziff Davis Enterprise Research.

  • Seth lays out his new standards for meetings and conferences, with the rising price and pain of travel. “Here’s what a speaker owes an audience that travels to engage in person: more than they could get by just reading the transcript. And here’s what a conference organizer owes the attendees: surprise, juxtaposition, drama, engagement, souvenirs and just possibly, excitement …. If you’re a knowledge worker, your boss shouldn’t make you come to the (expensive) office every day unless there’s something there that makes it worth your trip. She needs to provide you with resources or interactions or energy you can’t find at home or at Starbucks. And if she does invite you in, don’t bother showing up if you’re just going to sit quietly.“

  • Stephen reports on a change in communication tools and style at a school board he sits on. “By changing the tools and focus of the group, we’ve now got near-instant conversation. Much easier collaboration and a stronger community. The staff and board members are so excited by the opportunities this simple change has wrought that they are now seriously talking about expanding wiki use into the classroom and between teacher groups for professional development. This from a group of people who previously largely used computers for email, document writing and web browsing. Now, everyone’s involved and participating.“

  • One reason why collaboration isn’t happening as it should: knowledge workers want to be all things to all people. “Each of us has to learn to do what we are good at, and to let others do what they are good at. Even if we think we’re good at those things as well, we have to choose to do the things we are disproportionately better at. That’s not just a prerequisite for collaboration. That’s not just a prerequisite for teamwork. It’s a prerequisite for being a human being.“

The Technology Trends of Enterprise Collaboration and Virtual Teams

  • At some recent point, 37signals revamped the pricing structures for both Backpack and Basecamp. Both have three plans on offer now, and no ongoing free plan.

  • Colligo Networks is a Finalist for a Best of TechEd 2008 IT Professional Award for Contributor, its offline client for SharePoint.

  • BoardVantage offers Board Portal, a secure Web portal for Board of Director meetings. “The meeting-based features for board members includes: secure on-line and offline access, a searchable repository, the ability to annotate documents, email and voice alerts when new materials are available, and role-based content filtering. The features for corporate secretaries and support staff include: drag and drop uploading of documents, automated pdf conversion, automation of much of the board book creation process, auto-updates to board books, notification, and role-based distribution.” See BoardVantage.

Insights on Being Productive and Effective as an Individual

  • Michael asks “Is the Web killing your productivity?” “It seemed that I had a few hundred emails to sort through, Facebook relationships to accept, Twitter updates, LinkedIn approvals and did I mention phone calls to return? It seems that it is much harder to write than it was just a few years back. I was told that the Internet was supposed to help us get more done. It seems that rather it has created “more work.” And unfortunately this kind of work seems to be everything but profitable writing. Am I alone here? What’s your opinion? Are you finding it very difficult to sit down, clear your plate and let the creative juices flow?” Almost all of the commenters say “Yes!”

  • Brian and a group of great visual mappers are hosting a one-day conference on Visual Mapping on October 3 in New Jersey. “The entire team will spend the day sharing their insight and strategies to help you derive the benefits of intelligent visual mapping and to enable you to experience the power of visual mapping as your systematic framework for improvement.” Chuck Frey is one of the speakers.

Other Noteworthy Insights

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