Groupware as a Form of Life-Saver for Many Organizations - Essay Example

Today, it is undeniable that technological innovation brings the convenience of many previous laborious works. It is also responsible for the massive growth and fast traffic of the flow of information. Collaborative Software also known as Groupware is a computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW). This study will nullify the downbeat notion of groupware that it is more trouble than worth for organizational functions. Tom Blinck along with fellow authors in their online work Introduction to Groupware (1998), said that one of the major problems of this software is the complexity of the technologies needed that will be compatible with its function.

However, hardware technologies are never seizing in development to comply with the best means suited for the need of the particular task. Another serious issue that Blinck and his company have been citing is the affordability of the available groupware for the company. It is undeniable the high price amount of the software, including the budget for the consultant of the software, and the training for the utilization. Blink quoted Larson, stating that: "Economic recessions and restrictions of small to medium-sized businesses produce decreasing budgets and therefore many firms perceive that they cannot afford to invest in GroupWare.

This leads to a lack of support from top-level management. Usually, the cost of implementation, hiring a consultant, and training programs all add up to significant sums of money, that most firms do not see as a wise investment" Blinck and his party have been probably just looking at the financial security of the company so as not advising to invest in groupware. But they failed to see the potentiality of reimbursement of the expenses for the groupware package, or even beyond the expected price of reimbursement, due to its convenience of the function and production of the result a company could benefit from using groupware.

The worthiness of groupware in the financial aspect is the solutions it could give to the company and its very user. The various components or collaboration tools of groupware surely make the various jobs in an organization a lot easier, and that is already worth the investment (Lank, 2005). Components of collaboration tools such as electronic communication tools (synchronous conferencing, Web publishing), Electronic conferencing tools (electronic meeting system, application sharing), and Collaborative management tools (electronic calendars, workflow system) are the features of the groupware that could be very useful at the same time do not limit the mobility of the employees within the workforce (Fjeld et al., 2002). Some of these features are common to the labels such as Lotus Notes and Microsoft Exchange (Search Domino.Com, 2005).

Another advantage of groupware is the wide scope of areas of concern it can encompass as it understands the many tasks it needed to support in a company. The traditional interface only focuses on one person's usability alone (Nielsen, 2008). Groupware is designed for the ease of the consumer and to assist regarding the productivity of the work in terms of quality and quantity that could be limited in the conventional interface of outdated systems. Some groupware even varies its design as the creators are considering the size of the company, and the distinctive roles of the users playing in a team (Nielsen, 2008).