Groupware

Abstract This chapter introduces readers to groupware. We begin with the “why” of groupware, an explanation of the difficulties of traditional group work. Then we present some traditional and more modern defining concepts of groupware. Our definition is that groupware is technology—typically software and networks—designed to support people working in groups. We combine some traditional and emerging concepts to categorize groupware, including whether it supports synchronous or asynchronous interaction, whether it is designed for collocated or geographically distributed groups, and whether it is accessible at any time from anyplace. Following are definitions and examples of groupware functionality. The next section focuses on management of groupware with the introduction of team theory, incorporated here to guide readers on how to map groupware functionality to organizational processes. The section then details some of the organizational management challenges that often accompany groupware adoption.