Working Together

I think the word "collaboration" is too fancy and is poorly understood by many in any event. I prefer to say "working together."

The best way to for people to work together is for them to be physically together.

When you are in the same room as your co-workers, you can easily interact, share ideas, asks questions, and accomplish things. Many people work better in a social environment where conversations fosters understanding, spark ideas and provide enthusiasm.

Of course, one can get carried away with talking to another and end up shooting the breeze all day and not accomplish anything. However, being alone in a quiet workplace, one can daydream all day and not accomplish anything just as easily as one can do significant, uninterrupted work.

One of the downsides to being together is the need to travel to a common gathering place, such as the office. Many companies have geographically dispersed workforces and more and more companies allow telecommuting so workers don’t have to spend as much time on the road.

For telecommuters, perhaps the next best thing to being physically together is to be virtually together. Software tools such as IBM LotusLive Engage, DRE Business Collaboration Network and Microsoft SharePoint can put everyone in the same “room” electronically.

Microsoft SharePoint uses a web server that provides Team Sites which allow sharing of information, calendars, tasks, ideas (wiki), and documents. The only missing component to virtual "working together" is the verbal/visual communication aspect. Perhaps SharePoint combined with video conferencing is the way to be productive, social, and working physically apart? What do you think?

Dr. Kirk Mousley