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Software that helps people work together more productively
and share knowledge more efficiently. The groupware concept was popularised
in the early 1990s by Notes, a product developed by Lotus Development
(creator of the famous 1-2-3 spread-sheet). It has since been embraced by
nearly every vendor of software that allows more that one user, including
Microsoft, netscape, Novell and a host of smaller companies.
Some
groupware products have a board generic scope that helps with simple office
automation tasks and the sharing of resources. Other have much more
specialised roles in markets such as computer-aided design (cad), where it
is important for people to be able to collaborate on drawings and diagrams.
Even word processors and browsers are now packed with groupware features,
the former for aiding multiple contributions to documents and the latter for
building sophisticated mailing lists and discussion groups. One of the most
important applications is scheduling, an area where once- simple personal
information management software has mutated into big, complex programs for
planning meetings, building resources and managing multiple diaries.
Generally, these applications rely on expensive proprietary
technology, and are thus threatened by the more open and flexible
possibilities offered by internet standards. Intranets, in
particular, are much cheaper than large-scale Notes installations and
generally more flexible. From there, it is a short step to an extranet
capable of embracing customers, suppliers and business partners. With
this in mind, companies such as Lotus have been forced to lower their costs
and add tcp/ip-based features to their existing products.
Groupware is viewed with some suspicion by companies committed to
old-style hierarchical management teams. Like a newsgroup, it often fosters
an electronic soapbox mentality, encouraging employees to express views they
might keep to themselves in more traditional face-to-face environments.
Reaching any sort of consensus using groupware tools can be a challenge, and
many systems are thus used primarily as decision-support tools for senior
management rather than free-for all company-wide discussion groups. |
