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Knowledge Management Tools 281

Groupware and Collaboration Tools
Groupware represents a class of software that helps groups of colleagues (work groups)
attached to a communication network (e.g., LAN) organize their activities. Typically,
groupware supports the following operations:
• Scheduling meetings and allocating resources
• E-mail
• Password protection for documents
• Telephone utilities
• Electronic newsletters
• File distribution

Communication technologies used typically include the telephone, fax, videocon-
ferencing, teleconferencing, chat rooms, instant messaging, phone text messaging
(SMS), Internet telephone (voice over IP or VOIP), e-mail, and discussion forums.
Communication is said to be dyadic when it occurs between two individuals, for
example, a telephone call. Teleconferencing, on the other hand, may have more
than two participants interacting with one another in real time. Videoconferencing
introduces a multimedia component to the communication channel as participants
can not only hear (audio) but also see the other participants (audiovisual). Desktop
videoconferencing is similar but does not require a dedicated videoconference facility.
Simple and inexpensive digital video cameras can be used to transmit images. The
visual component is especially useful when demonstrations are presented to all
participants.
Chat rooms are text based but synchronous. Participants communicate with one
another in real time via a web server that provides the interaction facility. Instant
messaging is also real-time communication, but in this case participants sign on to
the instant messaging system and they can immediately see who else is online or live
at that same time. Messages are exchanged through text boxes. The SMS (short mes-
saging system) allows text messages to be sent via a cell phone rather than through
the Internet.
E-mail continues to be one of the most frequently used communication channels
in organizations. Although e-mail messaging is dyadic, it can also be used in a more
broadcast mode (e.g., group mailings) as well as in an asynchronous group discussion
mode by forwarding previous discussion threads.
Communication technologies are almost always integrated with some form of
collaboration, whether it be planning for collaboration or organizing collaborative