Knowledge management in mobile CSCW: evaluation results of a mobile physical/virtual meeting support system

Abstract

We have developed and evaluated RoamWare, a mobile physical/virtual meeting support system intended to support knowledge management (KM) in mobile CSCW (Computer Supported Cooperative Work). The design of RoamWare was based on a previous empirical study of knowledge management and mobility at Telia Nära [12]. The evaluation of RoamWare was done in two ways: (1) by exercises and, focus groups and, (2)by demonstration and interviews. The main objective of this research was to explore two issues: 1) The use of the RoamWare system to support knowledge management 2) The way in which RoamWare could be integrated in everyday work. The paper ends by highlighting important aspects of knowledge management of particular concern when designing mobile CSCW systems, as well as summing up the impact of Activity Checklist as an analytical tool and the strengths of using the UMEA approach to guide design of knowledge management systems to support mobile CSCW.

Mobility: an extended perspective

“…14,20]. With the use of stationary and mobile ICT applications, people can organize and manage their work activities with fewer constraints, making the work environment flexible and independent from geographical and temporal constraints [4,28,31,34,55]. However, considering the broad aspects of mobilization of our social interaction induced and facilitated by various ICTs including mobile technologies, another important dimension of mobility needs be addressed: contextuality.…”

“…[4], [5], [6], [11], [12], [13], [24], [26], [27], [31], [34], [35], [51], [55] Temporality -When -Clock time vs. Social time * Objective vs. Subjective -Monochronicity vs. Polychronicity [2], [29], [30], [40], [51], [54], [55], [56] [16], [18], [19], [23], [24], [33], [43], [44], [47], [48], [50], [56] the complex, emerging reality of mobility in our social lives. The mobilization of spatiality in human interaction results from the complex and rapid flux of all entities in our living world including not only humans but also objects, symbols and images.…”

Extending knowledge management to mobile workplaces

“…On the other hand, mobile technology in connection with expert finder systems or virtual meeting support systems (e.g. [26]) can be used to improve the access to and initiate the exchange with other workers or experts that otherwise could not be contacted at all or only with difficulties. Thus no time consuming search activity needs to be conducted, as expert finder applications can immediately show the availability and location of relevant experts.…”

MOPCVE: A New CVE Prototype Running on Mobile Phone

“…It has already been list as one important issue in CSCW workshops since about the year 2000 1 . Mikael Wiberg [2] identified 5 important research areas for mobile CSCW including memberships, co-operation and knowledge sharing, customer service & co-ordination, process optimization vs. isolation and control, maintaining the mobile community. Some mobile CSCW systems or prototypes have been developed [3] .…”