Mixed-Mode Virtual Team Spaces

Synchronous and asynchronous collaboration are in themselves, not new.  Mixed-mode however, is.  Asynchronous provides the after-hours visitation in the team space while Synchronous involves immersive, live and interactive online meetings. I.M., persistent chat and document sharing also have mixed modalities.

At WebEx, the Connect Ecosystem team meets every week, in person mostly to keep each other up to date on the progress of each sub-group.  The overall group is lead by one of the VP’s and he holds a WebEx online meeting for the remote members of the team.

We thought that what better way to exercise WebEx connect for team spaces then to create one and use it for our cross-functional team.  I set out to create a space called ‘Connect Ecosystem’.  This first screen shot shows the ‘discussions’ tab within the Ecosystem space.    Here, members can leave messages for each other or chat in real time.  The entire conversation is persistent and can be seen by all space members.     

    

 

FlowThrough

Getting conceptual here ..  FlowThrough refers to information and knowledge as they move through the many minds in the world interested in using it.  Sometimes it goes right through without modification or derivation.  Ideas come from bits and pieces of information, concepts and images passing into and out of people’s minds.  One realizes that in a way, this process is self-replicating as in the wider physical universe whereby planets and other heavenly bodies are made up of remnants of exploded stars moving around in a vast space. 

Knowledge and learning are radiant in nature.  Ideas ripple through our consciousness, passing through our minds like a radio transmission. Since humans have the propensity to share, this knowledge is transmitted to anyone interested in receiving it.  Anyone around to listen will get a copy. This also encourages temporary ownership of the orginal data, voluntary modification or expansion, building of new data from the old and eventually, live, realtime colaboration to affirm, extrapolate or nullify new types of ideas. 

In the conditions spoken about earlier, human communication tends to resemble other processes of nature such as the expansion of the cosmos.  With the idea of FlowThrough, we cry for lower resistance to knowledge, easier exchange of information and better understanding of new concepts. 

Alternative View #1 - Task - Solve a complex problem as a group. 

A small number of people, spread around the globe possess as a group, all of the knowledge to solve a particular problem.  Each has a piece of the puzzle.  To foster their creativity and allow the least constrained work environment, they are not brought together in a physical location.  Instead, they create a virtual thinktank

where their ideas, data files, supporting theories and research results are placed for each member of the group to consume.  At key times, individuals draw on a virtual whiteboard, sketches of their ideas.  At future times, others, using different markers draw over previous sketches for others to freely view.  Another member leaves a message for the group that it may be a good time to gather in the tank, live and online to discuss and further develop their ideas.

While together, they can markup drawings, documents and share their computer desktops freely.  All of these interactions can be recorded and perused at their leisure. 

A shared calendar is exposed to the group as well as the member contact info and online status and presence.

This virtual think-tank can be replicated with a template and regenerated for different problems, groups or objectives.  Think of what happens to knowledge in this state:  It gets to flow-through everyone’s computers, the network and ultimately their minds.