Unit II Journal/Unit III Journal Instructions Unit II Journal Refer back to the 2027? sectionon page 69 (Q1-Q7)of the textbook in uCertify, which pr -

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Instructions Unit II Journal

Refer back to the 2027? sectionon page 69 (Q1-Q7)of the textbook in uCertify, which pr Order original solution to this paper here.

Unit II Journal/Unit III Journal
Instructions Unit II Journal

Refer back to the 2027? sectionon page 69 (Q1-Q7)of the textbook in uCertify, which provides an interesting discussion about the future of collaboration. After reading about the future of collaboration systems, how do you envision collaboration in your industry in the year 2027?
Describe the industry you currently work in or plan to work in along with a discussion of your vision of what collaboration will be like for your industry in the year 2027. Be sure to discuss some of the advantages and disadvantages to your vision of collaboration in 2027.
Your journal entry must be at least 200 words. No references or citations are necessary.

Instructions Unit III Journal
In this unit, you learned about the Internet of Things (IoT) and smart devices. Think about how these concepts apply to your life, and describe how you use devices such as these in your day-to-day life.
Your journal entry must be at least 200 words. No references or citations are necessary.

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Course Learning Outcomes for Unit II

Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

4. Explain how information systems can be used to gain and sustain competitive advantage.
4.1 Discuss how collaboration IS can provide competitive advantages for a specific organization.
4.2 Explain why collaboration IS are important from the organizations perspective.

7. Summarize the requirements for successful collaboration in information systems management.

7.1 Discuss how collaboration tools can improve team communication.
7.2 Identify the tools that will help create a successful collaboration IS.

Course/Unit
Learning Outcomes

Learning Activity

4.1

Unit Lesson
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Unit II PowerPoint Presentation

4.2

Unit Lesson
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Unit II PowerPoint Presentation

7.1
Unit Lesson
Chapter 2
Unit II PowerPoint Presentation

7.2
Unit Lesson
Chapter 2
Unit II PowerPoint Presentation

Reading Assignment

Chapter 2: Collaboration Information Systems

Chapter 3: Strategy and Information Systems, Q3-1 Q3-8

Unit Lesson

Chapter 2 investigates ways that information systems (IS) can support collaboration. It defines collaboration
and discusses collaborative activities and criteria for successful collaboration. It also discusses the kind of
work that collaborative teams do, requirements for collaborative IS, and important collaborative tools for
improving communicating content. The chapter ends with a discussion of collaboration in 2024.

Collaboration and Cooperation

Cooperation occurs when people work together toward a common goal. For example, in teamwork, each
team member is given a task to complete such as a project component. Collaboration occurs when people,
together or remotely, work together toward a common goal (Kroenke & Boyle, 2017). For example, a team
member in California and a team member in Texas might meet using Skype to discuss ideas for a project.

Figure 1 below illustrates collaboration in a team environment. In this illustration, the project manager is
responsible for collaborating with team members who are in different departments. For example, the project
manager may assign a project administrator who will document the various stages of project development,

UNIT II STUDY GUIDE

Collaboration Information Systems and
Strategy and Information Systems

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assign a person from software development to develop the software application, and assign a person from
operations to set up a testing environment. Each of these team members would work with the project
manager and with each other throughout the project; however, the project manager would be the main point
of contact.

Feedback and iteration are involved so that the
results of the collaborative effort are greater
than could be produced by any of the
individuals working alone. Lets take a
corporate strategic document as an example.
This document is not created by one person
but, rather, is created by various individuals in
the organization. Each individual incorporates
his or her statements into the document and
then passes it along to the next person. When
it is finished, someone will usually review the
document and provide critical feedback. Based
on this feedback, the document will be revised
and inserted as a part of the final document. As
each section of the final strategic document is
completed, the final document will then be
ready for submission to a corporate body for
approval; these revisions are called a series of
stages or iterations.

Collaboration tools can be used to manage
shared content such as shared content with no
control, shared content with version
management on Google Drive, and shared
content with version control (Kroenke & Boyle,
2017). Some examples of collaboration tools
are using Google Drive or Microsoft (MS)

SharePoint to share documents and other tasks and using Skype or Adobe Connect to meet and discuss
ideas, progress, or other information.

In short, a collaborative group works together to achieve a common goal via a process of feedback and
iteration by communicating, sharing information and knowledge, combining skills and sharing time. There are
12 qualities, attitudes, and skills of a good collaborator as explained by Kroenke & Boyle (2017). After
reviewing the Unit II Reading Assignment, think back to the Falcon Security scenario at the beginning of
Chapter 2. We can see what happens to collaboration when communication breaks down. It is apparent that
Felix was not in collaboration with his teammates. He had missed several meetings and did not read his e-
mails regarding the team project. As a result, the team had trouble getting a prototype of the drone finished.
Perhaps, if the team used better collaboration tools, they might have been more successful. For example,
they could have developed procedures for collaboration such as requiring all team members to be present. If
a team member could not be present, they could have used Skype or some other communication tool to meet
and collaborate.

Sometimes, team collaboration can fail for other reasons such as conflict. Most people think that avoiding
conflict and having similar ideas and opinions makes a group better. While social ability is important, research
indicates the importance of being able to have different ideas and opinions expressed. Team members must
have the skills to accept critiques, criticism, and revisions of their work. In some student teams, the focus is
strictly on fulfilling a requirement and not necessarily producing the highest quality of work possible through
the collaborative efforts of the team members.

Another problem that can affect team collaboration is ineffective team members. The characteristics of an
ineffective team member will include lack of interest and commitment, unwillingness to give or take criticism,
unwillingness to listen, and indifference. Students are typically not too tolerant of ineffective team members,
but they are not always willing to boot them off the team, preferring instead to just work around them.
Characteristics of collaborative success center on the output of the group being superior to the output that
could have been created by an individual working alone, including such things as being more productive,

Figure 1: Collaboration in a team environment

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being more creative, and generating more and better ideas. When forming a collaborative group, it is useful to
begin with a discussion of critical feedback guidelines. Refer to Figure 2-2 on page 42 of the textbook in
uCertify, and review the guidelines and examples of constructive and unconstructive feedback.

Collaboration IS

A collaboration IS is composed of the five components of an IS, as noted by Kroenke and Boyle (2017). A
collaboration IS exists for the purpose of sharing information, making decisions, solving problems, and
managing projects. Referring back to the Falcon Security scenario at the beginning of the Chapter 2, notice
that a collaboration IS could have provided the team with a better way to manage the project (e.g., discussing
solutions to the prototype problem). It could have also helped to solve meeting attendance issues for Felix
such as using Skype from home or other remote locations so that he could have attended project meetings.
The team could have also used another collaboration tool such as MS SharePoint so that Felix could have
downloaded project-related documentation if he had issues with his e-mail.

Solving Problems

There are several steps to take when solving problems, which are listed below.

Define the problem: Problem definition varies due to differences in experience, education, training,
personal goals, or job responsibilities. Groups need to develop a shared definition of the problem
through research, discussion, and compromise.

Identify alternative solutions: Identifying possible solutions may involve investigative research and
brainstorming.

Specify evaluation criteria: Determine the benchmark or standard measures to be used to evaluate
the problem.

Evaluate alternatives: Evaluating alternatives involves comparing test results to identify and eliminate
infeasible, substandard, or unacceptable solutions and to identify feasible, superior, or acceptable
solutions.

Select an alternative: Selecting a solution may be based on majority vote, consensus, or compromise.

Implement the solution: Implementing a selected solution includes monitoring and modifying as
needed (Kroenke & Boyle, 2017).

Egocentric Versus Empathetic Thinking

Egocentric thinking centers on the self. A person who is egocentric believes that his or her view is the only
view available and is often not able to think outside the box (Figure 2). Empathetic thinking is the ability to see
more than one view (i.e., the ability to understand the other persons perspective). A person who is
empathetic is able to consider multiple viewpoints and realize that people who hold a perspective different
from his or her own viewpoints are not necessarily wrong (but he or she does not have to be wrong either).
Using empathetic thinking is smart and results in better relationships because you do not need to change your
way of thinking to match the other persons thinking. Business is people working together in relationships.
Better relationships equate to better business.

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Negotiators, for example, need to know what the other side wants, what is important to the other side, what
issues can be negotiated, and what issues are nonnegotiable. Another example is a business meeting that
appears to be going nowhere. Whenever we find ourselves in such a meeting, is the problem due to different
perspectives? If so, one can sometimes find the root cause by engaging in empathetic thinking.

Competitive Strategy

Refer to Figure 3-1 on page 83 of the textbook in uCertify, which summarizes a planning process used by
many organizations. We start with Porter’s five forces model to analyze industry structure, and then we use
the model of four competitive strategies. Next, we evaluate the value chain and then the business processes;
finally, we analyze how IS can provide competitive advantage.

Competitive strategy determines value chain structure by primary activities in the value chain, support
activities in the value chain, and value chain linkages. An IS provides competitive advantages via products
and via business processes.

Think back to the Falcon Security scenario presented in the textbook reading for this unit. What is Falcon
Securitys competitive strategy? Falcon Security chose the differentiation strategy of using drones to provide
security surveillance services to its customers. Falcon Security had the proper system processes to provide
these services, but other questions remained; for instance, what should they do if they cannot obtain the
security contracts they need, and if they do get security contracts, do they have the systems and processes in
place to handle the increase in resources needed?

Summary

Effective collaboration is key to success. Suppose Falcon Security expands beyond its current location. How
can collaboration provide them with a competitive advantage? Lets assume that the parent location or
headquarters has a research and development (R&D) department. The R&D team is searching for ideas for
improving the current security drones. How can they do this? They can collaborate with other departments
that may have suggestions based on customer surveys or other customer interactions. They could also hold a
virtual collaboration conference with all of the Falcon Security branches and brainstorm new ideas for
improving their security services. Consider another example; the R&D team developed a new drone model
that can provide better and faster services than their competitors. How can Falcon Security share this news?
The answer is through collaboration. These are just a few of the many ways to use collaboration for
advancing and securing competitive strategies.

Figure 2: Characteristics of egocentric thinking

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Reference

Kroenke, D. M., & Boyle, R. J. (2017). Using MIS (10th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson.