2010-01-23: Virtual Office (IBM)
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As collaboration evolves, it becomes more fluid, moving from private conversations to public conversations—from telephone, e-mail and instant messaging, for example, to shared bookmarks, wikis and blogs. Collaboration and its tools can be seen as a virtual office, where others visit and add input to a person’s knowledge.
The shift from a document-focused work style to a people-focused work style is an important step in creating environments that foster innovation. The document- focused style, which connects systems and data, too often ends up producing content for its own sake. But the people-focused style, which connects people and ideas, taps people for knowledge and insight in pursuit of an activity in which content is only one part. In the new collaboration, information is made available to a wider group of people who work together openly, quickly and more cost-effectively. Finding and connecting with subject matter experts are critical steps to the success of collaboration.
In people-focused collaboration, information is made available to a group, enabling work that is more open, faster and more cost-effective.
