~*~
Herding Cats Through the Gates of Cyberspace
The Process of
Introducing
Virtual Collaboration and Learning Technology
As a
Tool For Large-Group Interventions
By Gail Terry Grimes and Claude Whitmyer
Copyright 2011 by Claude Whitmyer and Gail Terry Grimes.
Smashwords Edition.
Published by FutureU Press
a division of The University of the Future, LLC (aka FutureU™).
License Notes: This ebook is licensed for your personal use only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.
This ebook is not meant to be a substitute for legal or professional advice. It is the reader's responsibility to verify that the facts and general advice in this ebook apply.
~*~
Acknowledgement:
Thanks to Lisa Faithorn, Ph.D., consulting anthropologist to the NASA Ames Research Center.
~~~***~~~
Principles, Applications, Challenges and Proven Solutions
- Principle 1. A successful VCL initiative must have interest and meaning for the group.
- Principle 3. Virtual communications and learning technology must be useful and usable.
~~~***~~~
Herding Cats Through the Gates of Cyberspace:
The Process of Introducing Virtual Collaboration and Learning Technology As a Tool For Large-Group Interventions
Executive Summary
Virtual collaboration and learning (VCL) technology seems tailor made for large-group interventions. An expanding array of tools appears to hold great potential for organizational change and learning. To name a few, example tools include:
- Web-based
meetings
- Asynchronous discussions
- Data sharing
- Group
document editing
- Just-in-time training
- Online surveys
-
Keyword searchable document repositories
However, change consultants or organizational development professionals who anticipate a swift, easy introduction of technology may be in for a rude awakening. Without appropriate facilitation, any VCL initiative may flounder along with the intervention it was intended to support.
In the mid-1990s, organizational clients started asking us to help them facilitate the introduction of technology mediation to their communications and learning activities. From those assignments has come a set of principles for successfully introducing any VCL toolset to a large group. In this ebook we describe those principles, their application in various settings, the challenges that invariably arise, a range of proven solutions and insights, and the promise inherent in this next phase of human interaction.
Four Types of "Cats"
In 1997, Warren Bennis wrote Managing People is Like Herding Cats (Footnote 1), in which he described aspects of human nature that mimic the stubborn independence of cats, inhibiting organizational change and frustrating organizational developers. If Bennis is correct, then the process of getting a large group of humans to embrace one or more tools for VCL must surely compare to the Super Bowl for cat herders.
The usual challenges of group motivation and transformation are here aggravated by the technology itself. Even the best hardware and software will malfunction. Often the learning curve is significant. Emotions may run high. Moreover, not everyone brings to the table the same general skill level or the same attitude; in fact, addressing this variety of response to technology is a key element in the successful introduction of any VCL tool.
To expand on Bennis' metaphor, when it comes to VCL there are four types of "cats":
- Non-Adopters
-
Early Adopters
- Middle Adopters
- Late Adopters
Each group is sufficiently idiosyncratic to interfere with collaboration and learning if not given appropriate attention.
Non-Adopters
Non-Adopters will never see a practical use for technology in their lives; they do not think it is for them, and they may be right. Usually closer to retirement than not, they tend to exhibit well established, highly productive work habits that require nothing more sophisticated than a telephone to get the job done. In the our experience, CEOs, university chancellors and medical directors—typically with an assistant who screens, prints out and summarizes their email for them—tend to be Non-Adopters, as do some "tenure-track" professors.
Tip: When a new VCL tool is being proposed or introduced, the change manager is well advised to leave the Non-Adopters to their own devices rather than struggle to engage them in the new media. Overall communication is best served by keeping Non-Adopters informed and engaged through the least technological means possible. That may mean copying them on important emails but connecting by voice or in person if a reply or a more in-depth conversation is needed. Ultimately, this will take less time than attempting to bring them along. Better to move on to other, more promising audiences for VCL.
Early Adopters
Early Adopters, by contrast, tend to leap on every new tool before the ink has dried on the manual. They do not simply embrace technology, they advocate for it. Eliciting buy-in from this group is not the problem; reining them in, is. Leaders who allow their Early Adopters to take the lead on VCL without supervision may wake up one day to an invoice for far more technical power than is needed and with a distracted workforce that cannot contain its outrage and frustration. As we will explain, a more methodical approach, with Early Adopters motivated yet governed, will vastly improve results.
Tip: Early Adopters do have a valuable role to play in the process of introducing VCL. Formal training aside, most people learn how to use technology gradually, from colleagues. When Early Adopters are recruited as advocates, mentors and trainers prior to a larger rollout, their own motivation swells, and others are inspired by their success and sustained enthusiasm. The result is a higher return on investment for the organization.
Late Adopters
Late Adopters are often just as highly aware of the existence of technology as Early Adopters, yet they look at it quite differently; they know it is out there, and they know they may be expected to use it, but they tend toward neophobia, and they exhibit their resistance either through timidity or hostility. Comfortable and often successful in their old ways of communicating, they fear a loss of face if they should not perform well using the new media. To transform their disdain and anxiety into compliance and enthusiasm takes time and patience.
Tip: Late Adopters will most likely come on board if they are allowed to observe repeated success in others. Always invite, never coerce them. Offer multiple means of communicating; distribute a paper survey as well as an electronic version. Make opportunities available for over-the-shoulder participation. When Late Adopters are allowed to dip their own toes in the water, they will often, in their own time and with support and encouragement, become converts and full participants.
Middle Adopters
Early, Late and Non-Adopters, together typically comprise only a small minority within any large group. The rest of the population is typically made up of individuals who rarely think about technology and have formed no strong opinions of it. Initially neither resistant nor eager, they may quickly move to one camp or another as evidence mounts around them within the organization.
Tip: The fears of Late Adopters, if left unchecked, may infect the larger population and inhibit progress not only on the introduction of VCL but on any surrounding interventions. Conversely, members of the middle group will quickly achieve the same mind set and skill level as the Early Adopters, if their introduction to the technology is handled well.
Thus, from its earliest conception, a VCL initiative must be carefully managed. We have observed the same types of population sub-groups, and the same patterns of behavior, inside a range of organizations, irrespective of industry. Moreover, we have witnessed, time and again, that large financial investments in technology, and fervent wishes for institutional transformation, go down the drain when sub-groups are neglected or carelessly managed during a VCL ramp-up.
Tip: To maximize return on investment in any intervention, introduce VCL with attention to each segment of the population.
~~~***~~~
Principles, Applications, Challenges and Proven Solutions
Based on more than a decade of experience at facilitating the introduction of VCL into large groups, we have distilled the following general principles:
Principle 1. A successful VCL initiative must have interest and meaning for the group.
Hearkening back to Bennis, at least two of his principles have relevance for the introduction of VCL to a large group: Attention and Meaning.
Bennis advises leaders to steer their population's collective attention toward whatever the intervention's desired outcome or goal may be, and to inject that outcome with meaning. This eye-on-the-prize approach is intended to increase awareness of possibilities and make the outcome worth the struggle. When introducing VCL tools, the intertwining principles of Attention and Meaning work together to create buy-in and staying power.
The process of gaining and holding a group's attention must begin well before the technology purchasing decisions are made. A group will more fully embrace the tools, and use them more effectively, if all members are invited early on to describe how they currently interact and share information and what is missing from those experiences. Then they should be invited to assist actively in selecting tools that fit their needs and preferences.
This process is best illustrated by an example. A consortium of scientists from many disciplines and many institutions was established in hopes that, by working together across time, as a virtual community, the scientists might uncover truths that would otherwise remain buried behind traditional barriers to cooperation. However, geographic distance, busy schedules and the solitary nature of much scientific work prevented the consortium from meeting face to face more than occasionally, and so the consortium's administrators attempted to introduce VCL as a catalyst.
The IT staff selected and installed a full complement of hardware and software, including sophisticated document and data management systems, as well as videoconferencing rooms at each of a dozen primary sites. Unfortunately, the scientists failed to embrace any of this technology, and some tools turned out to be so inappropriate to their needs, so difficult to use, and, for some, so utterly incompatible with their available technology, that a mood of irritation and disappointment soon set in. The entire undertaking -- not just the technology initiative but the virtual community itself -- threatened to languish.
We were brought in to help rethink the original approach to VCL and attempt a fresh start. Working closely with a cultural anthropologist engaged by the consortium to study this dilemma and make recommendations, we employed both virtual and traditional channels to invite all of the consortium's support staff and every scientist in the group (from principal investigators to undergraduate students, amounting to some 500 individuals in all) to contribute to a summary understanding of the group's collective needs and preferences for sending and receiving communications and information. A discussion of potential obstacles and possible solutions was encouraged. Aggregate findings were immediately and widely disseminated, as was an in-depth analysis. A report was posted on the group's Web site using software that allowed for a separate, asynchronous, text-based discussion of each paragraph in the document.
The overall exercise elicited some surprising and important findings, not the least of which was that nearly half the group was using Macintosh computers rather than Windows-based units. Because many VCL software packages are platform dependent, a good many members of the consortium had therefore, by virtue of software choices that had been made without their input, been inadvertently excluded from participation. This vital finding henceforth eliminated many VCL tools from the field of consideration. A potentially fatal "insider versus outsider" scenario was thus averted.
Perhaps most important of all was the greater sense of inclusiveness that emerged from the inquiry process. With our guidance, the leadership had essentially taken Bennis' advice and gained the members' attention, focused it on VCL, and encouraged the members to formulate for themselves the meaning that VCL could provide in their work. Obviously not every member of the group took part in the inquiry to the same extent (although every principal investigator and co-investigator did fully participate, as did large majorities of other key stakeholder groups, such as IT and Administrative support). What matters, however, is that a precedent of decision making by consensus had been set, the topic of virtual collaboration and learning was now squarely on the table, and the members had started to consider what VCL might mean to them.
Principle 2. Once a tool is in place, leaders must actively and repeatedly draw attention to its availability, modeling its use and best practices.
Tools quickly "rust" from neglect, yet such a fate is not uncommon for even the most expensive hardware and software. The authors were not surprised recently when the training director at a major medical center shrugged her shoulders, shook her head and said, in the presence of her boss yet without apparent embarrassment, "I think we have that software, don't we? I'm not sure." Costly as the training tool in question had been, it had never taken hold, and nobody minded admitting so. Moreover, the tool's "failure" was likely to discourage, or at least slow down, further investments in truly useful solutions.
Attention alone, however, will not ensure that a VCL tool will make a positive difference in an intervention. Members of the group must not only have the tools in their minds; they must be motivated to use them.
According to Bennis, motivation derives from personal meaning. When an individual finds meaning in an action, that action gets done, despite challenges. Thus, the frustrations that surround an emerging technology, and the rapid evolution of the tools themselves, call for frequent, gentle reminders that perseverance will pay off. Consider the early days of the automobile, when cars routinely broke down, and people simply got out and waited for repairs. The outcome -- getting quickly from here to there -- meant enough to motorists to overshadow the inconveniences.
Certain technologies are bound to cause anxiety at first. More than a few Edwardians drew back in alarm when first handed the ear piece of a telephone. Country folk may to this day hesitate to board an elevator. The effective leader gently but repeatedly draws attention to the benefits that await on a higher floor, at the other end of the phone line, around the next bend in the road, or through the gates to Cyberspace.
Such examples should not be taken to imply that pep talks alone will inspire a group to embrace a complex new technology. Nor do the authors wish to brush aside the difficulty of building a participatory culture, especially inside a traditional organization where leaders hesitate to ask employees what they think. This fear of "opening Pandora's box" characterizes the persistent tension between "Theory X" and "Theory Y," (Footnote 2) a subject well covered by other writers; however, what should be emphasized here is that, in the authors' experience, members of an organization managed by "Theory X" (authoritarian management) are the slowest to accept new technologies. With VCL, as elsewhere, when individuals affected by a change are omitted from the conversation, the organizers should expect resistance, often through subtle, even unconscious, sabotage. On the other hand, where there is participative management, there tends to be greater personal meaning, and it is in such a context that an organization is more likely to become a virtual organization, with a commensurate rise in individual productivity, team performance, status as "employer of choice," and readiness for whole-system transformation.
Principle 3. Virtual communications and learning technology must be useful and usable.
In general, a tool is most useful if it accomplishes something meaningful and practical (e.g., improve communication, reduce cycle time, simplify data location). A tool is most usable if it has a friendly interface and a short learning curve. In a large-group intervention, organizers cannot afford for the population to get bogged down by an overly complex, overly powerful tool. Unfortunately, software developers tend to design for themselves and for the Early Adopter, the so-called "power user," not the average individual. The result is a tendency for even the most promising tool to evolve into a juggernaut.
For example, version 4 of Microsoft Word had about 100 possible commands, whereas version 6 had more than 1,000. Research indicates that the average computer user regularly employs only about 20 of those commands. Everything else is just clutter. Only Early Adopters are likely to take the time to master the so-called power of the tool, yet the entire population must wade through all the software's instructions, icons and other useless (to them) debris. (Footnote 3)
The practitioner who conducts a careful needs assessment before introducing any new or additional VCL technology will, provided, of course, that the right questions are asked, soon discover what members of the group perceive as their central communication issues and what solutions might prove most usable and useful to them.
Especially valuable in any needs assessment is at least one open-ended question that essentially asks, "What's on your mind?" The answers here often produce the richest data of all about the participants' skill level, attitudes, problems and ideas for useful solutions. For example, the needs assessment for the scientific consortium described above revealed that most group members wanted to collaborate, but that some felt "out of the loop" when it came to VCL ("None of the fancy virtual stuff is available to me in my far-flung position.") This information led to some rethinking about the allocation of funds for technology and a greater effort to address issues of usefulness and usability among the least sophisticated members of the consortium.
Principle 4. The quality of the VCL experience may be positively influenced when participants are trained in best practices and provided with easy access to answers for frequently asked questions.
From childhood on, modern human beings receive plenty of practice at traditional forms of communication and learning. They sit in classrooms, attend meetings, write letters, fill out surveys, make phone calls. Although formal training is available in all these processes, most people get along without any, because the processes are so ingrained in society that learning how to do them is simply an organic part of growing up. When adults participate in an intervention, they might benefit from some additional training (in brainstorming, for example), but for the most part the intervention processes (meetings, surveys, trainings), however innovative their model, nonetheless build on familiar life experiences.
Introduce VCL to an intervention, however, and suddenly even the most sophisticated individual may face challenges. The medium itself becomes a barrier to communication and learning.
This was the case for senior managers enrolled in a one-year fellowship sponsored by their professional association. Traditionally, the content (leadership skills) had been taught face to face. Then, to accommodate more learners, provide them with peer support and eliminate geographic barriers, the association started offering the workshops as facilitated asynchronous online modules. The content remained the same, but the medium had changed, and participants no longer came to the fellowship with the necessary skills or experience to excel. In catlike fashion, they retreated from the unfamiliar venue. The technology had become an obstacle to learning.
Then the authors provided the association with
1) a two-week
facilitated online module covering best practices for the online
classroom.
2) a Web-based answer bank about how to use the VCL
tools.
The new module became an integral part of the fellowship, delivered at the start of each cohort, prior to any other content. This preparation armed the new fellows with best practices and the assurance of easy access to technical answers. The technology quickly became invisible, and within a year, association leaders were reporting a "significant increase in the quality of participation" in all subsequent, content modules.
As the menu of available media grows, individuals must cultivate the skill of choosing the right tool for the job. The temptation is to try to make each new tool, especially the high-end ones, fit every need. People want to get their money's worth, after all; however, a slavish attempt to fit square pegs into round holes may reduce the quality of communication overall. No tool can or should replace all other means of interaction; sometimes, for example, talking face to face may be the best way to solve an interpersonal problem. The authors recommend training in how to determine which medium is best to use when.
Given the infancy of most VCL software and the rapid development of new and better options, the superior strategy for the next few years may be to invest in a collection of "best-of-breed" tools, each serving a specific function, rather than to choose an integrated suite for which the vendors have cobbled together a number of under-developed products around a single superior tool. Even though this approach may involve some challenges in moving from one tool to another, it assures the highest level of performance for each function and subsequently the highest level of satisfaction from users who need tools to actually get things done. For the time being, then, the focus should be on finding the right tool for each specific need rather than worrying about centralized integration.
Principle 5. The same design cycle applies to the introduction of virtual learning and communications technology as to any other planning process.
Discovery. The cycle begins, of course, with discovery -- starting with the assessment of need and engagement of personnel, as described above. Attitudinal and skills readiness must also be assessed. Results provide a baseline for measuring success.
The importance of this step cannot be over emphasized. A client in higher education engaged the authors to instruct a group of faculty in the basic techniques for designing and delivering virtual interactive courses. The leadership actively resisted taking the time for a user assessment ("We all use email. Everybody's ready to go."). Not surprisingly, on the first day of the training, some participants demonstrated a complete ignorance of the basic skills (word processing, uploading and downloading files to a Web site) required to create online course material. Had this low level of skill been discovered earlier, remedial training could have been offered to these novices. They would have learned more, and the more experienced participants would not have been held back.
The discovery phase also includes an inventory of tools already available to group members, an exploration of compatibility issues among existing solutions, and a full understanding of how those solutions have been received and used.
Design. Once all the assessment data has been analyzed, the process moves on to an evaluation of potential vendors. Features are matched to the needs identified during the discovery phase. A "bench model" of possible tools and features is uncovered. Hands-on, real-world tests of the tools are completed by a small cadre of influencers, decision makers and other volunteers.
As explained earlier, members of the target population should be invited to participate at every step, including even this phase. In the example of the scientific consortium, personal email invitations went out to everyone ahead of each vendor demonstration, which was always followed by a brief email opinion survey. Thus, consortium members had numerous opportunities to contribute to both the discovery and design phases.
Development. Once the hardware and software choices have been winnowed to a manageable set of candidates that appear to have the required features, a proof of concept or pilot rollout provides real-world experience with the top candidates.
Deployment. To maximize user adoption, a deployment or implementation plan should be constructed for the tools that survive this proof/pilot phase. Depending on the size of the organization, a phased implementation to discrete organizational units may be appropriate. The kind of training described for the previous two principles should be tailored to the reported needs and delivered first to Early Adopters and then, ideally with their assistance, to increasingly interested sub-populations until the entire group is skilled and comfortable with the tools. An evaluation of results is the final stage before the cycle begins anew with the next sub-population.
Adhering at least generally to these steps gives Early Adopters the necessary structure to remain motivated yet moderated. At the same time, the process unfolds gradually enough to avoid panic among Late Adopters and to spark the curiosity of the larger population. This systematic approach also reassures Non-Adopters that all is not chaos or caprice.
A comparison of two examples in higher education provides evidence of an improved ROI when the design cycle is followed. One institution introduced VCL to its faculty by steadily building consensus, skills, momentum and critical mass. The first year, under guidance from the authors, a half-dozen Early Adopters produced imaginative, well-crafted Web-based course materials and later delivered them with learning outcomes equal or superior to those in previous, traditional, classrooms. Their training included not only technical instruction in the use of the learning software but also an introduction to instructional design and group facilitation practices most suited to the asynchronous online setting. This pilot group then mentored the next group, and so on, with each subsequent academic term successfully bringing more faculty members, and their students, into the technology-mediated classroom.
The other institution in this example took the opposite approach, skipping the analysis process altogether and grouping Early Adopters and Middle Adopters together into a single, 35-member cohort for training purposes. The training itself consisted almost exclusively of detailed instruction in the use of the learning management software, including its most erudite features. Any emphasis on instructional design or transferable technical skills was actively discouraged by the leadership. One year later, this faculty was found to have produced no additional course shells beyond those created in the initial training, and only a few new courses had been added to the list of courses already offered partially or wholly online by the institution.
The two institutions had approximately the same budget for the introduction of VCL and a similarly diverse mix in the academic curriculum represented by the faculty. Moreover, both espoused participative management. Yet, they produced markedly different results. Although this evidence is only preliminary, and may or may not be generalized to other institutions or sectors, it does appear to suggest that a methodical approach to the introduction of VCL produces superior results.
Principle 6. The introduction of virtual communications and learning technology is a continuing, rather than a one-time, process.
No VCL tool has reached maturity. Moreover, new software products come to market every day, while others, often quite excellent ones, may suddenly disappear, leaving customers with no chance of further upgrades, training or support. Market consolidation is adding to the confusion and challenge. Organizers of large-group interventions must weigh the apparent advantages of a new tool against such factors as cost, learning curve and proof of concept. All this said, the addition of VCL to the organizational consultant's toolset will likely be a continuously unfolding process for some time to come. The authors recommend a gradual adoption of new tools in a way that carefully stretches the comfort level of the group and the organizer -- without jeopardizing the intervention itself. This approach is in alignment with the earlier recommendation that specific "best-of-breed" tools be used, rather than a less satisfactory integrated suite.
~~~***~~~
Conclusions and Implications
Ultimately, VCL technology may prove to be the Gutenberg Bible of large-group intervention. It promises to dissolve time and distance, add valuable shadings to communication, deepen evaluations and perform tasks with far greater ease, speed and accuracy than ever before. Using electronic survey software, even a very large and geographically dispersed group may now reach a simple consensus in a matter of seconds. Far-flung participants in a well-facilitated video teleconference say they quickly forget they are not in the same room with other attendees.
Facilitators of asynchronous discussions say the participants reflect more deeply on their ideas and thus often produce superior thinking to what comes out of a traditional meeting. (They also say the new medium levels the playing field for gender, race, disability and even shyness.) Automated email messages deliver customized reinforcements designed to deepen learning and improve retention, strengthen group decision-making, improve adoption of desired behavioral changes, and maximize investments of time and resources. Many VCL tools also produce extensive statistics on user behavior that may be used to inform and strengthen long-term project evaluations.
The authors are not advocating for the new media to replace traditional intervention activities; far from it (The vitality generated at a "Future Search," "Open Space," or "World Cafe" conference is a beautiful and unbeatable thing.). However, if millions of American voters can use the Internet to self-organize a national political campaign on the scale of Barack Obama's; if an instructor in San Francisco can create a true learning community from among a group of unacquainted and busy executives located in three-dozen states; and if NASA ground crews in Florida, Texas, California and elsewhere can collectively operate a robot on Mars -- then surely something big is happening in terms of the role technology can play in expanding the capabilities of groups.
This will not be an easy revolution. When Gutenberg printed his first Bibles, the main obstacle to wide distribution was illiteracy. If it is fair to compare VCL tools to the first printing press, then a similar learning curve surely exists today. Individuals must learn the new alphabet of technology before they can "read" with alacrity. As for large groups and the professionals who lead them, they will be best served by a combination of patience and vision.
As has been described, the process of introducing VCL technology into a group requires an intervention unto itself, one that may temporarily disrupt the timing of larger goals. What is uncertain is the extent to which this may be the case, if at all, or whether in fact the assessments, trainings and other activities described in these pages as part of the VCL adoption cycle may actually contribute to the larger processes of groups. In fact, in the future, the process of introducing VCL may be seen as fulfilling the "go slow" part of the commonly heard OD mantra "You Have to Go Slow to Go Fast." Later, once the tools enjoy wide acceptance, perhaps they will also support and even improve the "go fast" part of the equation.
The authors see a future in which large-group interventions will be cheaper, faster, and better because of virtual collaboration and learning. Moreover, they predict entirely new approaches to group transformation, facilitated by tools not yet imagined. The human element will always be present, of course, in varying degrees of independence and curiosity. But, just as cats know a good thing when they see it, anyone with an interest in group behavior may expect to see the human herd gradually finding its way into cyberspace.
~*~
Notes
Footnote 1. Bennis, Warren. Managing People is Like Herding Cats. Executive Excellence Publishing, 1997
Footnote 2. McGregor, Douglas. The Human Side of Enterprise: 25th Anniversary Edition. McGraw-Hill, 1985.
Footnote 3. Gibbs, W. Wayt. "Taking Computers to Task," Scientific American, July 1997.
~~~***~~~
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Appendices
Mental Model for Technology-Mediated, Large-Group Intervention
Potential Benefits of a Culture of Collaboration
- Faster consensus
building
- More “out-of-the-box” thinking
- Collective
knowledge building/exchange
- Synergies of shared approaches and
shared data
- Intellectual breakthroughs and innovative
applications
- Reduced redundancy in funding projects
-
Greater professional satisfaction
Stages of Culture Change
- Challenge
-
Innovation
- Introduction
- Dissemination
- Acceptance
-
Adoption
- Cycle begins again
The Social Challenges of Virtual Collaboration
- Differences of
language
- Learning curve regarding shared knowledge
- Time
pressure
- Degree of common interests/goals/purpose
- Uneven
access to collaborative opportunities
- In-Group/Out-Group
-
Intellectual property and attribution issues
- Continuum of
Enthusiasm
* nay-sayers
* neo-phobes
* early adopters
*
"power" users
- Continuum of Adoption
*
Non-adopters
* Early Adopters
* Early Middle Adopters
*
Late Middle Adopters
* Late Adopters
The Technical Challenges of Virtual Collaboration
- Ease of Use
-
Platform Incompatibilities
- “Bandwidth” (access speed)
-
Access to tools
- Uneven distribution
- Overbooking
-
Learning Curve regarding technology
- IT Support
Methodology for Adoption of Technology Change
- Embrace the Social
Processes
- Embrace the Potential of Technology
- Support
Social Processes with Technology
- Encourage a Culture of
Collaboration
- Use Immersive Approach to New Tools
1. Embrace the Social Processes
- Develop cultural
awareness
- Build consensus for choices
- Master the
technical skills
- Identify the best way to use the tools
-
Master these “best practices”
- Evaluate periodically
2. Embrace the Potential of Technology
- Faster
communication
- Less travel
- Lower long-term cost
-
Better data storage/retrieval
- More collaboration
3. Support Social Processes with Technology
- Ad hoc Virtual
Meetings
* Desktop/Laptop/Padtop/Phonetop/Room-Based
*
Real-Time, Anyplace
* Anytime, Anyplace
- Web-based Seminars
and Presentation
- Document and Data Sharing
- Knowledge
Building (shared, searchable information depositories)
- Online
Polling and Surveying
- Bulletin Boards
- Discussion Forums
- Automated Reminders and Reinforcers
4. Encourage a Culture of Collaboration
- Build consensus
*
Ask, ask, ask (What do you think?)
* Tell, tell, tell (Here's
what we've learned from each other.)
- Introduce a collaborative
tools design cycle
- Introduce communications tools via real
situations, wherever possible (immersive approach)
- Include IT
staff as strategic partners, but not necessarily as final arbiters
Collaborative Tools Design Cycle
- Discovery Phase
- Ethnographic
Research
* Gather target population demo and psycho graphics
*
Identify key stakeholders
* Characterize appropriate vendors
-
Key stakeholder interviews
- Organization-wide readiness and
needs assessment
- Research possible tools
- Arrange for
initial product demos
- Design Phase
- Demo promising
solutions
* Invite key stakeholder
* Invite representatives
from each stakeholder segment
- Evaluate demo outcomes
*
Survey attendees
* Share results
- Recommend promising
products for pilot
- Recruit pilot participants
* As many as
needed to get meaningful results but keep the project a manageable
size
* Try to include representatives of primary stakeholder
groups
Development Phase
- Conduct pilots
-
Evaluate pilot outcomes
- Identify best practices
- Plan for
IT support
- Develop deployment plan
Deployment Phase
-
Phased roll-out of sub-groups
- Evaluate deployment progress
-
Make course corrections based on participant feedback
5. Use Immersive Approach to New Tools
- Vendor demos
-
Immediate application when possible
- Participant comments
(Discussion/Survey)
- Patterns observed
- “Neo-phobia” /
“Neo-philia” separated from the real shortcomings
- Next
vendor demo improved by feedback
Design Cycle Checklists
Discovery Phase Checklist
[_] - Study your
purpose.
[_] - Identify your audience.
[_] - Determine your
budget.
[_] - Study the possible delivery mixes.
[_] - Study
your technology options.
[_] - Study the software options.
[_]
- Determine your formatting requirements.
[_] - Learn the
prevailing technical and instructional standards for your
organization.
[_] - Study existing online courses, if
appropriate.
[_] - Coordinate your calendar with the project
team.
[_] - Create project website for project management, team
communication, and information sharing.
Design Phase Checklist
[_] - Refine your
thinking about your purpose and audience.
[_] - Outline your
feature set.
[_] - Create tracking and measurement for evaluating
demos
[_] - Sketch out your project goals and measurable
objectives.
[_] - Contemplate your delivery mix: Supplementary,
Blended, completely Online (Virtual)?
[_] - Develop "bench
model" of possible features set.
[_] - Choose a few initial
vendors to demo their products
[_] - Invite key stakeholders and
other volunteers to attend and evaluate demos
[_] - Hold initial
demos to work out any bugs in the evaluation procedure
Development Phase Checklist
[_] - Finalize your
project objectives.
[_] - Create a demo participant roster.
[_]
- Create a pilot participant roster.
[_] - Gather and organize
vendor materials.
[_] - Obtain any new vendor materials.
[_]
- Choose distribution system for vendor materials (handed out at
demo, placed on project website for download or both, and so forth)
[_] - Create links on the project website to topical Web-based
resources if appropriate.
[_] - Produce evaluation survey for
each demonstrated product, including critical features to be
evaluated by demo attendees
[_] - Place links to surveys on
project website
[_] - Plan your (optional) discussion forums for
a deeper discussion of the products, features, etc.
[_] - Create
links to the discussion forums on the project website.
[_] -
Create a calendar of demos and share it on the project website.
[_]
- Recruit volunteer "hosts" for each demo event (from your
stakeholder groups)
[_] - Produce any necessary slides the
"hosts" may need to remind demo participants about the
agenda.
[_] - Make those slides downloadable from the project
website and on a thumb drive that you give to each "host"
to simplify access.
[_] - Create and make accessible any other
instructions or materials that you find necessary or helpful.
[_]
- Develop prototype of features set you want to include in the pilot.
This might be a single hosted instance of a software suite, or your
own integration of several "best-of-class" tools.
[_] -
Identify pilot participants by adopter type (Early, Early Middle,
Late Middle, Late).
[_] - Schedule pilot for each group (or with
large organizations, several groups of each type).
Deployment Phase Checklist
[_] - Conduct
pilot(s).
- [_] - Send a welcome message.
- [_] - Require an
initial response.
- [_] - Ask for introductions.
- [_] - Hold
an opening event.
- [_] - Provide group guidelines and tips about
best practices.
- [_] - Manage your course.
- [_] -
Facilitate the discussion.
[_] - Provide support (or access to
support) for installing and maintaining software.
[_] - Provide
initial training (or access to tutorials) for using the software.
[_] - Track and document each groups feedback about the features
set.
[_] - Modify tool set as needed, prior to the launch of each
new pilot group or segment.
[_] - Fix critical bugs as they
happen, but wait to make major changes to the tool set until the
current group(s) have completed their pilot.
[_] - Evaluate each
pilot.
[_] - Implement needed changes based on participant
feedback.
[_] - Evaluate progress of project overall.
[_] -
Reevaluate project after sufficient time has passed.
###
About the Authors
Claude Whitmyer
Claude Whitmyer is the co-author of Running A One-Person Business, and editor of two anthologies, Mindfulness and Meaningful Work: Explorations in Right Livelihood and In The Company of Others: Making Community in the Modern World. As a business consultant with more than 30 years of experience, he has provided resources, training, and guidance to many hundreds of individuals seeking creative and meaningful work in both the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors. He has also worked with managers in such corporations as the American Hospital Association, Apple Computer, Hewlett-Packard, Fujitsu America, NASA, Pacific Bell, and Southland Corporation.
Author profile on Smashwords.Com: [http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/claudewhitmyer]
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LinkedIn: [http://www.linkedin.com/in/cioclaude]
Email:
mailto:claude@futureu.com
Personal
Website: [http://claudewhitmyer.com/]
Gail Terry Grimes
Since the 1980s Gail Terry Grimes has served more than 150 organizations as an external consultant for:
- Development and
Marketing Communications
- Information Analysis
- Instructional
and Presentation Design
- Project Management
Her clients are mostly not-for-profit institutions in healthcare, education and human services. Her portfolio of writing and media fills 25 linear feet of filing space. She has orchestrated projects small and large, including surveys, special events, group processes and printed documents. And, she has interviewed countless community leaders, philanthropists, healthcare professionals and their patients, medical researchers, educators, non-profit administrators, small business owners and industry leaders.
LinkedIn:
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/gail-terry-grimes/0/92/b50
Email:
mailto:gail@futureu.com
Personal
Website: [http://gailterrygrimes.com/]
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About Gail Terry Grimes
"Thank you so much for your generous heart and for your absolutely essential skill and knowledge on the case statement for the Tibetan refugee camp. It's been a total pleasure working with you."
Kathleen Gorman
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~*~
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About Claude Whitmyer
"Claude Whitmyer is one of the most thorough, versatile and effective consultants I know. The breadth of his business knowledge and his demonstrated commitment to integrity and social responsibility make him a uniquely gifted business advisor and management consultant. Through FutureU and Noren, Claude truly makes a high value contribution to each project he undertakes. "
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~*~
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~*~
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David
Sibbet
Founder
The Grove
~*~
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Vosburgh
Artist and Branding Consultant
Whitney and Company
~*~
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