What can collaboration technology do for a business?

Bill Gates once stated, “Information technology and business are becoming inextricably interwoven. I don't think anybody can talk meaningfully about one without the talking about the other.” This statement has proven to be true many times throughout the past decade as the field of information technology (IT) continues to expand. One growing branch of the IT field is collaboration technology. Components of collaboration technology include the following: GoogleDocs, wikis, Facebook, Twitter, text messaging, instant messaging, LinkedIn, Google Wave, and more.

Collaboration technology has been proven to support “knowledge workers”, jumpstarts innovation, and improve profits (see Using Technology to Improve Workforce Collaboration). However, collaboration technology will succeed only if business leaders“…think first about behavioral and structural factors, not social media and other IT communication tools.” (The Technology—Collaboration Disconnect).

The effortlessness of worldwide communication through collaboration technology is astounding. However, in a business setting, “This ease of collaborating online is rarely experienced...Of those companies that do deploy collaboration programs, 75% consider them fair at best.” According to the staff of the Corporate Executive Board at Bloomberg’s Businessweek Magazine, businesses often mistakenly decide to think about the potential of technology instead of the “behavioral and structural factors”.

 

Instead, successful companies begin by determining the capabilities “knowledge workers” require, not what the technology can provide. Businessweek provides four questions to determine the collaboration needed to beef up productivity. The four areas include innovation, cost, execution, and talent. After these questions have been answered, only then can collaboration technology be utilized to increase innovation and profits while supporting the needs of “knowledge workers”. 

For more information please see:

The Technology-Collaboration Disconnect

Using technology to improve workforce collaboration