sustainable collaborative research activities: a system’s approach to the implementation of e-...
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Sustainable Collaborative Research Activities:
A System’s Approach to the implementation of e- Conferencing for Lower Carbon
Footprint
Dr Mary Katherine Allan Social Science Research Centre
School of Social and Political SciencesUniversity of Canterbury
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Why e conferencing
The benefits of saving time, money, and reducing carbon footprint entailed in using e-collaborative technologies for remote research has been appreciated by individuals, industry, universities, and governments (Thorns, Allan M., White, &
Zeiher, 2009). Organisations and individuals express wishes to utilise
the technology for establishing sustainable research practices where increased use of e-collaborative technologies reduces the need for travel (Thorns, Thorns, D., Allan, M., Barclay, B., Chamberlain, G., Kerr, R., & Scott, J.2008).
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Applied approaches
Transferring these aspirations to practise has often been addressed using the
‘if you build it thy will come’ model,
where the provision of e conferencing technology is believed to instigate changes in practices and the replacement of face- to- face meetings with virtual ones.
More comprehensive approaches where non technical variables were addressed tended to follow the binary the binary trendtrend by classifying variables as drivers and barriers
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Binary models
A well formulated solution is provided for a well defined problem Problem and solution have an exclusively linear/binary relationship
which often has little or no relation to other parts of the whole One shape fits the one mould irrespective of potentially related ones
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The problem
The lower than anticipated uptake of e- conferencing technologies depicted in literature raises questions as to the effectiveness of the approaches applied so far.
(Allan & Thorns, 2008, 2009; Frost & Sullivan., 2005; Hirsh, Sellen, & Brokopp, 2005; Sankar, 2006; Vilaboy, 2007)
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Why binary doesn’t work
The most ubiquitous medium used for remote collaboration is email, which literature rates very low in media richness.
Reasons given for the use of email are:1. Most available2. Most familiar3. Perceived as most effective4. Is rated second to face-to-face in level of enjoyment5. Convenient- simple and immediate6. Not intrusive to other tasks7. Easy to use
People prefer face to face meeting over all other media because of the richness of the communication which enables building trust and establishing initial contacts.
Literature suggests that video conferencing is the next best thing to face to face meetings.
People refrain from using video conferencing because of technological challenges; lack of support; no time to train and get proficient in its use; costs; consumes time for setting up; need technician on site; compatibility and interoperability with systems of collaborators; time zone issues prevent using workplace high speed network facilities and technical support.
People see the benefits in video conferencing because it saves time and travel and more friendly to the environment
57.4% of organisations do not seem to promote the shift to e conferencing. Organisations see the benefits in using e conferencing technologies for reducing travel
Organisation lack a sense of what collaboration could /should mean and as a result there is no tangible reward for collaborative practices.
Organisations seem to have a strong sense of the potential benefits entailed in collaboration
Officially organisations encourage collaboration but do not provide sufficient institutional and cross-institutional backing.Collaboration is not given a high importance and most collaboration is initiated by individuals.
81.2% of the respondents said that their organisation encourages collaboration
No real incentives provided.Organisations do not see benefits of collaboration for the project.
Organisation see collaboration as beneficial for purposes of securing funding and acquiring prestige
Career success is measured by discipline based publications which provide higher impact factor and therefore are more desirable
Work is increasingly multidisciplinary
Collaboration is a buzzword, doing it for compliance is a waste of time.There is no tangible reward for collaborative practices.
People see the benefits in collaboration as increasing diversity, efficiency and providing stimuli
Different cultures sometimes cause difficulties for the collaboration .“Its tough to arrange”
People are wired to collaborate
Career structures and evaluation models promote individualistic competitiveness hence deterring people from collaborating
People enjoy collaboration
Practice Rhetoric
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Non linear non binary flow from Perceptions to Practices
The non linear flow from ‘perceptions to practices” highlights the need to look at uptake as comprised of various parts which on their own may seem unrelated to each other and sometimes irrelevant to the process
Solving the gap between perceptions and practices means linking what may seem as ‘odd shapes’ , which together create the shape befitting the mould, that is, the solution needed
To be able to see the right shape one needs to identify the parts but then step back and look beyond them to reveal the whole
Identifying the parts
Disassembling the process of uptake of e-conferencing
MethodOnline Survey (123 respondents)Semi structured interviews (14 interviewees)
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Findings overview
Analysis of survey’s qualitative data revealed 140 statements representing key issues raised by the participants
These were clustered into 29 categories of factors entailed in the uptake process
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Factor categories
Barriers to collaboration Collaboration value for Complexity Collaborative culture Collaborators Competitiveness Context Diversity Efficiency Environment Expectations of e conferencing Face-to-Face Funding Going virtual Human Nature and Collaboration Multidisciplinary
Networking Organisational support Quality of work Rhetoric Practice gap Standard practice System of factors Task Technology Technological support Technology Availability Technology Reliability Time Travel User Technology Work Relations
Statements clustered under factor categories
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Interrelating agents
Survey revealed interrelating agents
From Factor Category to Factor System
Identifying the links
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Agents linkages
Organisations Actors Technology
Perceptions Practices Expressions
Agents link statement clustered under Factor Categories to create Factor SystemsFactor Systems are no longer mere aggregates of statements but a system of interrelating statements linked through agents
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The making of a factor system Example: Barriers to
Collaboration Table showing Factor
Category – Aggregate of statements made by participants to survey
Non conducive structures
Organisation has minimal sense of collaboration
Organisations do not overtly promote e conferencing
Measurement of academic careers
PBRF hinders collaboration
Lack of high importance for collaboration
Careers are individualistic constructs
PBRF
Lack of incentive
Institutions structures between and within entities
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Linking statements through agencies Factor Category to Factor System
Statements - Barriers to collaboration
Actor Organisation Actor/Organisation Actor/Tech Org/Tec Actor/Org/Tech Perceptions Practices Expressions
non conducive structures
x X
organisation has minimal sense of collaboration
X X
organisations do not overtly promote e conferencing
X X
measurement of academic careers
X X
PBRF hinders collaboration
X X
Lack of high importance for collaboration
X X
Careers are individualistic constructs
X X
PBRF X X lack of incentive
X X
Table illustrates agents associated with each statementLinks between statements are created when multiple statements share an agent
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Barriers to collaboration A sub system within the uptake of e-conferencing
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From parts to the whole
Linking all 29 Factor systems together illustrates the whole uptake system
Barriers to collaboration Collaborative Culture
Funding User technology
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Building up the Whole
Statements made by respondents
Aggregates of statements under factor categories
Factor categories linked through agents forming
factor systems
Factor systems linked through agents
The whole
Each factor system is linked through the agencies to form the Greater system comprising the uptake process
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emergence - More than the sum of its parts
The uptake of e conferencing is an “emergent phenomenon” (Juarrero, A., & Rubino, C. A. 2008) -where the whole reveals something different to the sum of its parts
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Whole system of uptake of e-conferencing
Addressing the whole
Prioritising factor systems
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Tie numbers & prominence of Factor Systems
Factors no of ties
Collaborative culture 36
User Technology 26
Funding 22
Barriers to collaboration 18
Collaborators 12
Standard practice 12
Task Technology 12
Technology Availability 12
Diversity 10
Going virtual 10
Human Nature and Collaboration 10
Networking 10
Quality of work 10
Technological support 10
Factors no of ties
Collaboration value for Complexity 8
Expectations of e conferencing 8
Rhetoric Practice gap 8
Efficiency 6
Competitiveness 4
Context 4
Environment 4
Face-to-Face 4
Multidisciplinary 4
Technology Reliability 4
Time 4
Travel 4
Organisational support 2
System of factors 2
Work Relations 2
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Prominent Factors Systems
Numbers indicate amount of statements linked from each factor system
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Prioritising
The most prominent factor systems are:
Factor No of Ties
Collaborative Culture 36
User technology 26
Funding 22
Barriers to Collaboration 18
The emergent phenomenon enables changes to parts without disrupting the whole, enabling stability alongside change (Miller & Page, 2007)
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Conclusions Technology in itself does not drive uptake Non technical aspects play an important role in uptake Factors entailed in the uptake process should NOT be addressed in
isolation The implementation of innovation is a complex process involving
numerous interrelating factors Uptake should be addressed as a Greater systems comprised of
subsystems To enable manageable uptake process, subsystems need to be prioritised
and addressed accordingly Prioritisation is achieved by identifying prominence of a subsystem within
the Greater system Prominence is measured by the number of ties linking a subsystem to the
Grater system The emergent phenomenon enables working through systemic change
altering parts while not jeopardising the whole, but also facilitating the evolvement of something different to what existed in the parts
Allan, 2009
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Recommendations
Organisations need to treat the implementation of e conferencing for reducing travel as a Complex System comprised of multiple subsystems which have to be woven into the existing organisational and contextual systems.
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References
Allan, M. (2009). Sustainable Research Activities: e- Conferencing for Lower Carbon Footprint A Systems Approach (Research Report). Christchurch: Social Science Research Centre - University of Canterbury
Bertalanffy, L. v. (1971). General system theory : foundations, development, applications. London: Allen Lane.
Frost, & Sullivan. (2005). U.S. Vertical Markets for Videoconferencing Systems: Frost & Sullivan. Hirsh, S., Sellen, A., & Brokopp, N. (2005). Why HP People Do and Don’t Use Videoconferencing
Systems. Palo Alto: HP Laboratories. Juarrero, A., & Rubino, C. A. (2008). Emergence, complexity, and self-organization : precursors
and prototypes. Goodyear, AZ: ISCE Pub. Miller, J. H., & Page, S. E. (2007). Complex adaptive systems : an introduction to computational
models of social life John H. Miller and Scott E. Page. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
Sankar, J. (2006). The Results of the AARNet Survey on Video over IP in the Australian Academic &Research sector: AARNet Ptu Ltd & AARNET's Video Working Group.
Thorns, D., Allan, M., Barclay, B., Chamberlain, G., Kerr, R., & Scott, J. (2008). Virtual Conferencing Technologies: A survey of Users (research report). Christchurch: Social Science Research Centre University of Canterbury.
Thorns, D., Allan M., White, R., & Zeiher, C. (2009). Remote Collaborative Technologies (Project Report). Christchurch: University of Canterbury.
Vilaboy, M. (2007). The Satisfaction Gap. Channel Vision, September-October, 24-28.