ADOPTING A COLLABORATIVE TECHNOLOGY – A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
For more than 20 years, collaboration and work have almost always meant the same thing. Innovation is one of the most valuable activities in organizations, which derives from ideas owed to collaboration. Without a doubt collaboration means people working with other people and together having their greatest impact. The expansion of Internet and technology created the network-enabled collaboration, both within and between businesses that is changing work in fundamental ways. Whether it is synchronous or asynchronous, within the company or distant, collaboration is various and we have never had so many ways to work together without having to be in the same place at once. Besides the tools that make collaboration possible (voice mail, video-conferencing, social networking, telepresence or instant messaging) companies may have to be prepared to change their strategy or culture as well. Although you have the tools necessary, collaboration it is a social phenomenon and it is people that will have to connect, share, discuss and interact socially. That is why managers will have to rethink how to encourage collaboration, how to fit it within the organization\'s culture and how to defy the distance that currently exists between teams, partners and customers. One of the challenges of network-based collaboration is its intangibility. It is difficult to visualize abstract tasks, deadlines or remote colleagues, therefore the most successful collaboration tools are able to provide updates from colleagues, deadline reminders, news feeds and other visual helpers that make the intangible tangible. This definitely helps team members in remote locations to have their connections more palpable and immediate. Product innovation is mandatory in today\'s market as this differentiates companies from their competitors, grows market share and brings revenue. Inside the company however, this means an increase in operational complexity plus they may end up in duplicating a lot of effort and investment when multiple teams are working individually to improve the product. In this case real-time collaboration and content sharing from any location becomes necessary. Leveraging video technology, companies can provide exceptional customer service also it can help in training and developing of their workforce. Companies will have to understand that the power of collaboration is through people and collaboration is the process of bringing people and information together in order to optimize business outcomes. Simply put, collaborative technology is about bringing people together with the right information and the right time to enable quick and high-quality decisions. This ability to share best practices and lessons learned is a critical aspect in successfully creating and implementing product innovations.
ABOUT IT GREEN LIGHT IT Green Light is an IT consultancy company, focusing mainly on special IT projects and technologies. Headquartered in Romania, the company develops IT projects worldwide through its offices in Munchen and Dubai. For over 10 years, IT Green Light designs and implements collaboration solutions, business intelligence, corporate intelligence and knowledge management solutions. Contact details: Address: 28, Cameliei Street, Bucharest, district 1 E-Mail: office@glit.ro office@itgreenlight.ro Web: www.fanica.ro www.itgreenlight.com