Groupware and social dynamics

Computer support has focused on organizations and individuals. Groups are different. Repeated, expensive groupware failures result from not meeting the challenges in design and evaluation that arise from these differences. l Many expensive failures in developing and marketing software that is designed to support groups are not due to technical problems. They result from not understanding the unique demands this class of software imposes on developers and users. This article briefly outlines the origins of groupware, describes eight specific problem areas, and finally examines groupware successes in search of better approaches to supporting work in group settings. l Desktop conferencing, videoconferencing, coauthoring features and applications, email and bulletin boards (b-boards), meeting support systems, voice applications, workflow systems, and group calendars are key examples of groupware. Labels vary: groupware, collaborative computing, Workgroup computing, multiuser applications, computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW) applications. What is included? Not everyone agrees. Begin by asking, “Was this software designed to support groups? Is it being used to support groups?” Email and b-boards are well known, but few other groupware prototypes and products have done as well despite considerable effort. Successes exist, but progress is slow and can lead in unanticipated