My research focuses on Collaboration Engineering - a design approach
for the development and deployment of recurring collaboration
processes for high-value tasks that practitioners can manage
in a self-sustaining fashion using collaboration techniques and technologies.
My work proceeds on two parallel fronts: Theoretical and
applied. I strongly believe in the value of informing and
grounding theory in practical experiences, and guiding practice
by theoretical models and heuristics.
Theoretical
Current work focuses on the development and refinement of the
following theoretical models and instruments based
on field and experimental exploration (between brackets the current focus):
- Satisfaction Attainment Theory (SAT): A Theory of Satisfaction with Teamwork (theory & instrument
development)
- Cognitive Network Theory of Creativity (theory development & experimentation) Technology Transition
Model (theory development & field data collection)
- Intellectual Bandwidth model on collaborative value creation in organizations (theory development)
- Phenomenological inquiry into the characteristics of effective facilitation from a participant perspective
(field data collection & analysis)
- Measurement strategies to determine the added value of GSS in organizations (field data collection &
analysis)
- Modeling techniques & strategies for designing repeatable methods.
Applied
- Development of thinkLets: Building blocks for collaboration processes. A collection of thinkLets represents
a pattern language for Collaboration Engineering.
- Development of Repeatable Methods - Purposely-built collaboration processes. Examples include a Risk &
Control Self Assessment process for operational risk management and Sorbanes-Oxley Assessment process in an international financial services firm, and
a domain-independent collaborative usability testing process.
- Facilitation training: transferring repeatable facilitation techniques (thinkLets) to novice and expert
facilitators. Over the past few years over 400 people have been trained in thinkLets.
