Types of collaboration
First of all, there are two forms of collaboration:
Synchronous: Collaboration that takes place in real time, either virtually or in person. There are a number of ways a team can collaborate synchronously, such as through online chat, face-to-face video conference meetings, or while live editing a document or spreadsheet.
Asynchronous: This form of collaboration does not have to occur in real time. You can practice adding notes or comments to a document or presentation after the creator has shared it. This blog post, for example, was created through asynchronous collaboration, with rounds of edits completed at different times. Vidcast, for example, enables asynchronous video collaboration.
There are different types of collaboration:
Collaboration in the workplace can be described in different ways and take different forms.
Individual teams can collaborate within their core, but there are also opportunities for synchronization across functions and across multiple organizations.
It also raises the question of how open or closed the circle of collaboration should be, that is, how private collaborative efforts should be.
Other types of collaboration involve tools that enable and facilitate collaborative efforts. Here are some examples of collaboration at work:
- Types of collaboration focused on people
Team Collaboration: When a group of people come together to solve a problem or create something together.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: When different teams from the same company, but from different departments come together to execute a large project.
Social Collaboration: Also known as community collaboration or a form of crowdsourcing, social collaboration can involve complete strangers coming together for a common cause or message. This type of collaboration can start small and grow into a viral campaign.
- Types of software collaboration
Contextual collaboration: According to PC Mag, "contextual collaboration means more and more integration of collaboration applications."
Cloud Collaboration: Cloud collaboration is a medium that enables synchronous collaboration while working with virtual teams.
Virtual Collaboration: Due to the hours many of us have spent using video conferencing solutions in the last 18 months or so, many of us are quite familiar with this type of collaboration.