Collaboration In Small Groups
Vignette 3: Bank Software Help Desk (Martin, 2000; Martin et al., 2002)
Cooperative Arrangement
Small group of workers (manager plus three other employees). Location within a site and close co-location. . Ability to overhear and oversee one another. Focus on the collaborative techniques personnel use to carry out the work on the bank software help desk.
Representation of Activity
There is no explicit representation of the collaborative activity as a whole, however details of some collaboration and information to initiate and support collaboration is represented in the various systems used. The main system in focus is the Capricorn call recording system, which the staff use to time, classify and provide narratives to calls. This supports teamwork through its record of previous interactions with customers including which operator dealt with the call. The operators collaborate on other tasks such as setting up new users for the banking software package and this has a record on the system.
Ecological Arrangement
Banking Executive Help Desk Plan.
Key: S = supervisor, O1-3 = operators, PC = personal computer, F etc. = files, in-out trays, miscellaneous forms bits of paper etc., T = telephone, FPL = flashing phone light.
Coordination Techniques
The operators collaborate in a number of ways. Commonly when calls are answered the answering operator will look up the Capricorn record. This allows them to view any details of previous contacts and who dealt with them. Most often this either leads to a discussion with the previous operator or simply the handing of the call over to them. The workers collaborate to share knowledge in general and of specific cases. Help may be volunteered as operators overhear or see one another but is also explicitly elicited. The operators may work together in a more explicit, less ad hoc manner when carrying out task that require them to all access the same application at the same time or when working to complete a series of activities towards a deadline. An example of the former is in setting up new users to the electronic banking application they support, and of the latter is ensuring that the money transfers for the day make the 2pm deadline.
Community of Use
Inter organisational group of workers on a bank help desk (three phone operators and a supervisor).