Transcript What is “Groupware?”

Evalueren van Groupware
J.H. Erik Andriessen
Technische Universiteit Delft
Examples of ICT supported
groups
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Teams of consultants in Germany
Aviation design teams
Home nursing in Sweden
Unilever communities
Ambulance ‘teams’
New work arrangements
Virtual offices
–Telework / Telecommuting
–Hotdesking / Hoteling
–Home workers
–Mobile work
Virtual groups
–Virtual fixed teams
–Virtual mobile teams
–Virtual communities
Developments in work settings
• Many modern organisations are “networking
organisations”.
– Many problems/tasks require people with different skills and experiences
– Workforces are more distributed, and organizations are becoming more
“virtual”
– Much work is done in groups
– Groups often work inefficient
• Dispersed cooperation is possible, but to make such
teams effective, knowledge is needed about:
– the functioning of groups in general,
– virtual groups, and
– the possibilities of ICT support
Virtual teams
So: Virtual teams have advantages
But: Virtual teams have also problems:
– Interpersonal communication is more difficult : No nonverbal signals; no unplanned encounters; no context
awareness
– And therefore : Difficulty in all kinds of group processes:
collaboration, coordination, developing trust, exchanging
knowledge
– ICT tools have to match with the type of group and its task;
And they have to be supportive for the group processes
Global virtual teams
GVT’s have even more problems:
• Time zone differences
• Language differences \ Cultural differences
Research suggests:
In individualistic cultures (EU, USA) people prefer direct
expression of opinions; In virtual groups they prefer
synchronous communication, through telephone, video
and chat.
In collectivist cultures (Asia, Africa) people are sensitive
to non-verbal signals and group relations. In virtual
groups people prefer asynchronous communication, to
be able to express themselves more carefully: e-mail
What is “Groupware?”
• Tools (hardware, software, processes) that support
person-to-person collaboration
• This can include e-mail, bulletin boards,
conferencing systems, decision support systems,
video and workflow systems, etc…
• Some common groupware acronyms:
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Group Support Systems (GSS)
Group Decision Support Systems (GDSS)
Electronic Meeting Systems (EMS)
Bulletin Board Systems (BBS)
Group Collaboration Systems (GCS)
Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) systems
Three types of interaction
All collaboration technology always implies:
• 1. Human - computer interaction
• 2. Human - database interaction: (information
seeking)
• Internets
• Intra-net
• Group networks
• 3. Mediated interpersonal interaction
(communication)
A Simple Classification of Groupware
(adapted from Johansen, 1991)
Same
Same
Location
Different
Time
Different
GDSS;
Support for
FtF Meetings,
Email,
Bulletin board,
Comp. Conf
Teleconferencing,
Instant Msg
Chat, Whiteboard,
Video
Email,
Bulletin board,
Comp. Conf
Web based CS
A GDSS Example
Video Conferencing
Groupware system
Five Basic group processes
co-operation
co-ordination
communication
learning by
knowledge
sharing
social interaction
team building
Dynamic Group Interaction model
Processes
Group
characteristics
Outcomes
Individual interpretation and performance
Group
Technology
Persons
Task
Group
Formal
structure
Culture
Physical
setting
Organisational environment
cooperation
Life
cycles
communication
learning
Reflection
Learning
Appropriation
coordination
social
interaction
Individual
rewards
Group vitality
Organisational
outcomes
Emerging
structures
Changes in organisational setting
Basic Principles
• The effectiveness of a group can be expressed in terms of three types
of outcomes, i.e. (quality and quantity of the )products, individual
‘rewards’ and vitality of the social relations.
• Effectiveness depends on the quality of the individual preformance and
six group processes, which have to match
• The quality of the group processes depends on the support of six
conditions, and on the interaction with the environment.
• The six aspects of the context-of-use have to fit to each other.
• Groups develop and tools become adopted and adapted to, through
interaction processes and feedback.
SUPPORT – MATCH – ADAPTATION
To evaluate the role of groupware
tools.
TOOL
Persons
Task
Group
Formal
structure
Culture
Physical
setting
cooperation
Life
cycles
communication
Evaluate
• Technical properties
• Degree of fit to task users, group, setting,
other characteristics
• Degree of support for processes
• Effects on outcomes
• Possibilities to adapt
Reflection
Learning
Appropriation
coordination
learning
social
interaction
Individual
rewards
Group vitality
Organisational
outcomes
Evaluation issues in more detail
1.
Describe the tool characteristics: reliability, portability,
maintainability, network performance, costs, infrastructural
quality, security/privacy and evaluate whether this is adequate
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
(ISO-9126)
Describe the functionalities
Analyse the task and evaluate whether the functionalities fit the task
Analyse the users and evaluate whether the tool fits the users (usability)
Analyse the group (structure, culture, setting) and evaluate whether the
tool fits the group
Evaluate whether the tool supports (or at least does not hinder) the
group processes: communication, co-operation, co-ordination, learning,
social interaction.
Evaluate whether the tool contributes to (or at least does not hinder)
individual, group, organisational outcomes.
Evaluate to which extend the tools can be adapted to learning and new
uses
Evaluation principles
• - Evaluation should be integrated in the design process from the
very beginning.
• - The design and the evaluation process should be iterative and
stakeholder centred; critical success factors of stakeholders
should be formulated.
• - Evaluation can take place at three periods in the design life
cycle
– a. Concept evaluation
– b. Prototype evaluation
– c. Operational assessment
Analysis of task, context
technology, stakeholders
Identification of technological
and organisational options
Development of
Future Usage Scenarios
Design
requirements
Identification of Stakeholders’
success factors
Choice of Evaluation approach
Analysis of potential impacts
Iterative tests of prototypes
Iterative
design and
implementation
Use, experience, adaptation
of new system
Concept
Evaluation’
Prototype
Evaluation
Operational
Evaluation
Lessons learned (1)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Groupware is part of a social system. Design not for a tool as such but for a
new socio-technical setting.
Design for several levels of interaction, i.e. for user friendly human computer
interaction, adequate interpersonal communication, group co-operation and
organisational functioning.
Design in a participative way, i.e. users and possibly other stakeholders should
be part of the design process from the beginning.
Analyse carefully the situation of the users. Success of collaboration
technology depends on the use and the users, not on the technology.
Introduction should match their skills and abilities, and also their attitudes,
otherwise resistance is inevitable.
Analyse carefully the context, since success of collaboration technology
depends on the fit to that context. The more a new setting deviates from the
existing one the more time, energy and other resources should be mobilised
to make it a success.
Lessons learned (2)
6. Introduce the new system carefully. Apply proper project management,
find a champion, try a pilot, inform people intensively
7. Train and support end-users extensively
8. Measure success conditions and success criteria before, during and
after the development process. Only in this way you can learn for
future developments.
9. Plan for a long process of introduction, incorporation, evaluation and
adaptation. Groupware is not a quick fix.
10. Despite careful preparations groupware is appropriated and adapted in
unforeseen ways. Keep options open for new ways of working with
the groupware, because this may result in creative and innovative
processes.
Evaluation methods
1. Inspection methods
• Heuristic Evaluation:
2. Performance analysis
• Human Reliability Analysis
3. Behaviour analysis
• Diagnostic Recorder for Usability Measurement (DRUM)
4. Effort and satisfaction
• NASA-Task Load IndeX (NASA-TLX)
• Measuring the Usability of Multi-Media Systems (MUMMS)
• MultiMedia Communication Questionnaire (MMCQ)
Evaluation Methods (2)
5. Task aspects and relations
• Extended Delft Measurement Kit
6. Network performance
7. System usage and interaction registration
• Automatic registration of the use of the system
• Coding schemes for communication content
Situational constraints
Tool
Person
Task
Setting
Organisational
environment
Interpretation :
•personal goals / task and perceived
usefulness of tools
•social relations and norms
•perceived ease of use of tools and
perceived situational constraints
Motivation to act and to choose
and use tools
Tool Choice
and Use
Task Performance
Reflection
Learning
Appropriation
Outcomes
Diversity Hypothesis
Fully Dispersed
Most Conflict
Least Trust
Three Subgroups
Two Subgroups
Least Conflict
Most Trust