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Collaboration: Friend or Foe?

I wrote an editorial about Microsoft's move to turn its major software platforms into one big collaborative platform.

My point was that having the phone, Web conferencing, video conferencing, IM, presence, e-mail and all forms of social networking is overwhelming. How can you get any work done when you spend all of your time communicating?

Avanade, a massive consultancy, has research that backs my assertions. In a recent survey they chronicle how important this technology is, and how it can sometimes be a colossal waste of time. In fact, 25 percent of survey answerers "dread" this stuff, seeing it as pulling them away from key tasks, killing concentration and generally wasting time.

What is your experience with all this collab tech? Are all these communication technologies a distraction or a help? Whether you love it or hate it, please write (but don't tweet, IM or FaceBook me just yet) to [email protected].

Posted by Doug Barney on June 07, 2010


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