Isuzu Australia Limited opted for a collaborative technologies increase communication efficiency. They selected the system in order to reduce the number of errors that was being experienced during communication between the head office and the dealers. The system was also adopted to provide real-time communication that would allow for information to be sent and received instantly. The company also adopted the system as a means of cutting costs (Bjorn 2003). Automation eliminated all forms of manual communication including taking the needed information and data manually to all the dealers in every location. The system also eliminated the cost of maintaining manual information storage in forms of files and the storage spaces committed to such. Finally, the system was adopted to support urgent decision making. The system allows collaborations and consultations to be efficiently carried out with different employees even at various locations. The system supports ease of storage and access to any information that might need for retrieval and use in decision making.
IAL chose the platform IBM Sphere portal and Workplace Web Content Management. IAL chose IBM Sphere because it provides the services needed for a unified user experience. The portal provides a single and personalized point of interaction for all the applications in play. The company benefits from being able to manage content from multiple channels through a single main repository. IAL chose the portal and the management systems so that they can provide a single sign-on view of the multiple systems they have efficiently and fast. The management system supports increased productivity for the employees because it streamlines processes and reduces redundant activities (Bidgoli 2013). The customers benefit from having a personalized experience. The dynamic experience also encourages customers to give feedback that the company can use to improve their services to match the client’s needs.
The wiki feature in the system is attributed with supporting open co-authoring of text. Anybody who has access to the network can contribute to the topic of interest. The wiki also has a transparent hyperlink mechanism that allows users to link content automatically and instantly across links (James and Margaret 2009).The wiki also supports the creation of hyperlinks that can be followed to get further information on the topic. IAL uses the wiki to share knowledge on how to improve customer satisfaction. Dealers in different locations could collaborate on how to solve issues that arise especially if such issues had been experienced in other sites. The wiki feature is also used in decision making where all the concerned parties can have an open forum where they can all air their opinion.
IAL could face the challenge of the disparity between who does the work and who gets the credit when implementing groupware. The application confers costs and benefits to different people depending on their preferences, roles, prior experience, and assignments. The application also faces the challenge of critical mass and prisoner’s dilemma problems (Bodker and Kristian 2004). The groupware at IAL is only as useful as a high percentage of the group members adopt and use it. If employees use different applications then, the benefits of the groupware will not be realized. Implementation of the groupware may also face the challenge of political, social and motivational factors. Although the groupware may offer tremendous benefits, it will be resisted if it is not in line with the complex and subtle social dynamics that operate in the group. IAL can overcome the challenge by creating awareness among the group members about the benefits to be ripped from the use of the groupware.
Works Cited.
- Bidgoli Hossein (2013). Management Information System. (4th ed.) South-Western College Publishing.
- Bodker Keld and Kristian Boving. (2004). Implementation of Groupware Technology in a Large Organization. Retrieved 17 Dec. 2014 from http://www.vits.org/
- Bjorn Erick. (2003). Implementing Collaborative Technologies in the Industry. London: Springer Publishing.
- James West and Margaret West. (2009). Using Wikis for Online Collaboration: The Power of The Read-Write Web. Retrieved 17 Dec. 2014 from http://www.e-reading.link/
