Requirement of collaboration

Requirement of Collaboration

Successful collaboration requires an appropriate organizational structure and culture, along with suitable collaboration technology.

Constructing a Collaborative Culture and Business Process

• Control-oriented organizations
• Teamwork and lower-level decision-making participation are not valued
• Collaboration in business
• Teams of employees are reliant on senior management.
• Teams are necessary for the policies, items, designs, procedures, and systems.
• The goal of a manager is to create teams.
• Teams are expected to operate together with amazing synchronization.

Tools and Techniques for Collaboration and Teamwork

A team that values collaboration seeks to develop outcomes that will promote it. They need to employ a range of cooperation strategies or tools in order to capitalize on this phenomena. The following is a list of the various collaboration tools that are available:

• Instant messaging and email.
• Whiteboarding.
• Composing in groups.
• Online presenting
• Teamwork in reviewing.
• Arranging for work.
• Scheduling events.
• Wikis for document sharing.
• File exchange.
• A mind map.
• Sharing a screen.
• Webinars with a large audience.
• Voice conferencing
• Co-browsing.
• Visual conference.

Two Dimensions of Collaboration Technologies

• Remote or colocated space (or location)
• Synchronous or asynchronous time

Software tool evaluation involves six processes. These are what they are:

• What are the obstacles to collaboration in your company?
• Which types of solutions are practical?
• Examine the price and advantages of the items that are accessible.
• Analyze the security threats
• Consult users for questions on applications and training
• Evaluate product suppliers

Information Functions in Business

Information Systems Department

• Information technology services are provided by a formal organizational unit.
• Frequently, the chief information officer (CIO)
• Other top positions include chief privacy officer, chief knowledge officer, and chief security officer (CSO) (CPO)
• Programmers
• Systems experts
• Managers of information systems

End Users

• Reps from other departments for which applications have been created
• Increasingly important role in system development
• Users or clients who use the information system or the information it produces are also referred to as end users. They could be managers, customers, clerks, engineers, accountants, or salespeople.

IT Governance

• IT use strategies and policies for the company.
• Accountability.
• Choice privileges.
• Information system function organization: centralized, decentralized, etc.

Organizing Information System Function

• There are many different business entity kinds, and there are numerous organizational structures for IT departments.
• To change the direction of development on each step of management, a number of decisions are made.
• The feedback provided by the control system integrated with the IT functions prompts the decisions or actions.
• A very small business won't have a formal information system group where one employee is in charge of overseeing all information system elements, including the network, various applications, etc.
• Depending on the nature and interests of the company, large corporations will have a dedicated information systems department with a variety of organizational structures.
• The business will be able to handle these elements with certainty if it has an efficient information system, which will offer enough information.
• The information support system fills in knowledge gaps, broadens experience, and strengthens analytical skills, all of which lead to better business decisions.
• The bigger topic of IT governance, which covers the strategy and policy for using IT inside a company, includes how the information department should be organized.
• The following challenges are addressed by IT governance:
  • How much of IS should be centralized?
  • What choice must be made to guarantee efficient management and application of IT?
  • Who should decide on this?

Basic Plan for Organizing Information System Function

Information system function organization and implementation is a difficult undertaking that requires thorough preparation in order to be implemented successfully. For IT organization, there are many different activities. These are described in detail below:

• Site Preparation
  • This is a significant task that takes up space as it gets the location ready for the actual installation of the hardware structure. The input and output devices, air conditioning, storage, input hardware, and professional office furniture are all included in the physical hardware framework.
• System Development Plan
  • As a result, the physical structure will be distributed in accordance with their goals for site preparation. When determining the hardware and software requirements, this will assist in managing the quality and time. This will support the long-term financial plan for putting IT into use. Making a plan for training, the hiring procedure, hardware, and software will be aided by this. A comprehensive system development plan would be extremely helpful in creating the organization's IT operations and implementation plans.
• IT Installation Schedule
  • It is necessary to have a schedule with item-by-item information for the hardware and software installation, testing, and acceptance. This would go with the system development strategy to synchronize the installation with the utilization of hardware and software. Data conversion, switching from the old to the new system, rewriting the program for the new system, and other steps are part of the installation's normal schedule. Such a timeline will facilitate the switchover to the new system.
• Recruitment and Training for IT Personnel
  • For the efficient application of the IT, a trained and skilled staff is essential. The skill could be applied to a language, a tool, a new engineering technology, or an information system. The organization will be impacted by the rapidly evolving technology, therefore providing different types of training for IT staff members participating in system development calls for skill improvement.
• Training of Users
  • It takes trained users to use information technology effectively. So numerous training for awareness to understanding of the specific tools should be conducted on the organization so that the user may use various Information Technology facilities. The user will progress toward becoming a knowledge worker with the aid of training. Such instruction is provided to employees, officers, and managers.
• Investment Plan
  • IT is being strategically invested in. This will provide an estimation of the plan's cost and user. The information technology implementation strategy should be accompanied by a thoroughly thought-out investment plan for approval. The investment, productivity improvements, and policy will be highlighted in a presentation to the senior management to secure approval for the adoption of the information technology.

Reference

Laudon, Laudon, "Management Information Systems Managing the Digital Firm", twelfth edition