by David Brooks (Author), Stephen Hardison (Author), David Byrd (Author), Gary Wood (Author), Saurabh Calla (Author), Tim Speed (Author), Michael Martin (Author), Suzanne O. Minassian (Author)

Product Papers

IBM Workplace for Business Strategy Execution Redbook

v 1.0 (6/2006)  -  v2.6 (10/2006)

IBM Workplace for Business Strategy Execution utilizes portal, collaboration, and application integration technologies and adds unique capabilities specifically for organizations to manage the achievement of objectives – all presented to the user in a single, useful user experience. Effective strategy execution can be improved by effectively aligning business units and workgroups to corporate objectives, assigning accountability, monitoring progress, and accelerating exception resolution. Workplace for Business Strategy Execution delivers intuitive alignment and insight through actionable scorecards and in-context dashboards. This IBM Redpaper will guide you through the introduction of Workplace for Business Strategy Execution in your environment using a two organization scenario – one large, one small – to illustrate.

Research Papers

Studying Appropriation in Activity-Centric Collaboration
September 2005

We describe a case study of appropriation of a research prototype by a 33-member research community, leading to reinvention of the prototype and a successful transfer to product. Based on those experiences, we propose some lessons learned about designing for appropriation.

Shared Landmarks in Complex Coordination Environments
April 2005

We explore the concept of social landmarks in complex, shared information and coordination environments. Previous research in navigation and shared spaces has tended to emphasize individual navigation, formally inscribed spaces, social filtering, and boundary objects. Based on ethnographic research into complex collaborative work in organizations, we extend the concept of navigational “landmarks” to include not only individually-used documents, but also shared landmarks in the form of persons, roles, and events. This emerging concept of social landmarks may be applied in identifying and representing these coordinating points, to support the work of teams and organizations in complex projects.

Lessons from the ReMail Prototypes
November 2004

Electronic mail has become the most widely-used application for business productivity and communication, yet many people are frustrated with their email. Though email usage has changed, our email clients largely have not. In this paper, we describe a prototype email client developed out of a multi-year iterative design process aimed at providing those who “live in their email” with an improved, integrated email experience. We highlight innovative features and describe the user trials for each version of the prototype with resulting modifications. Finally, we discuss how these studies have recast our understanding of the email “habitat” and user needs.

Diverse Strategies for Interruption Management in Complex Office Activities
2004

Interruptions are common in today’s workplace. Some researchers have viewed interruptions as unwanted disruptions, using restrictive techniques to reduce them. Others have seen value in relevant interruptions, promoting their helpful effects, while classifications of interruptions have noted both the positive and negative consequences of interruption types. This poster describes strategies and artifacts for managing interruptions across various applications and media, revealed during ethnographic interviews of office workers in a large software company. Results show complex patterns of problems and advantages of interruptions, and suggest a more complex account of interruptions in working life.