Computers, since their invention, have been employed to increase human productivity and groupware is an effort towards that goal. The question is not what belongs to groupware solution but rather how people use groupware and why? what are the challenges for human working together in a virtual space?
Based on this, a vriety of groupware applications have come on different definitions of what groupware should do. In different types of groupware applications, important concepts are workflow focus, communication focus, what-you-see-is-what-i-see (WYSIWIS), synchronus (real-time) and asynchronus (content repository). Groupware applications may represent a combination of any or all of these criteria.
Scalia and Sackmary have divided groupware applications in three categories based on their complexity: E-mail and electronic bulletin boards, computer conferences and group decision support systems.
For a successful groupware application, these dimensions should tailor to the task that is to be completed in the CSCW environment.
References:
Scalia, Lynne M., & Sackmary, Benjamin. (1996). Groupware and computer supported cooperative work in the college classroom. Business Communication Quarterly 59(4).
That paper (Scalia & co.) is pretty old and applications have changed a lot since then. Do you think that the categories are still "valid"? Internet was still in baby shoes when the paper was written.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post. It got me thinking.
Agreed with Niina. We need to relook at these categories!
ReplyDelete