Collaboration often is a low priority for investment, with ad-hoc deployment of solutions here and there. One exception to this is the ubiquitous email with attachments, which has become the primary method of collaboration, and one that is difficult to manage and co-ordinate. In addition, there is an increase in the use of instant messaging (IM) and peer-to-peer file sharing solutions that bypass central servers, and which make a mockery of document and records management policies. These are easy to deploy, but, if used unchecked, can just add to the problem by proliferating multiple versions of content, and increasing the risk of failure to comply with statutory regulations.

All in all, most organizations do not address collaboration at corporate level; instead there is either a ‘scattergun’ approach towards investment in collaboration tools, or there is no approach at all, with solutions installed by staff, on a need-to-have and ad-hoc basis. These situations may work well for the computer literate workforce, who can easily switch from one application to another, and handle variations in functionality, but they leave those with lesser computer skills floundering, and unable to collaborate with their colleagues.

The changing world of business should leave organizations in no doubt as to the need for better and clearer collaboration strategies. One of the drivers for change is the requirement to operate in the global village, with a geographically dispersed workforce, working across different time-zones. This is instilling a culture of business anytime and anywhere in multinational companies.

Another driver for change is the knowledge worker’s need to access increasing volumes of information in order to keep up with developments in work-related activities such as projects, mergers and acquisitions, procurement, or other campaigns.

Additionally, every organization has to take action to mitigate risks associated with litigation, and regulatory and corporate compliance, by providing an audit trail for corporate documents and records. Collaboration solutions provide the means to achieve these objectives. They empower knowledge workers to easily communicate with each other in their familiar work environment using desktop tools that they use everyday.

There are a variety of collaboration tools that offer functionality for content and document creation and management, shared/team workspaces, portals, e-learning and knowledge management, web conferencing, IM, and presence solutions. Some of these tools are freely downloadable from the web; others are part of bigger applications that fit tightly with solutions such as enterprise content management.

It is time to put an end to collaboration ambiguity, and to deal with it as a corporate requirement. The corporate approach should address not only the types of solutions to deploy and use, but also the training needs of staff. Reasonable IT skills are essential, but a change of approach is also required.

Whereas most knowledge workers are used to popular desktop tools that are primarily designed for single users, such as spreadsheets and word processing packages, collaboration requires a change in attitude from single user-centric to a more team-centric mindset. The training should include usage guidelines to help the workforce make that change.

Technology has set the stage for collaboration, so let us make the most of it.

Source: OpinionWire by Butler Group (www.butlergroup.com)