TeamBuilder: a hyper-information environment for augmenting global collaborative work

Abstract

In this paper, the design and use of TeamBuilder, a new CSCW concept and prototype that demonstrates how to support team building and teamwork by combining elements of network-wide hypermedia, group user interfaces and coordination technology, is described. TeamBuilder enables the building of hyper-information networks as a group activity, and offers coordination support that is flexible in terms of human involvement. It takes advantage of the shift from centralized to decentralized configurations of systems architectures, where information generation and structuring can be done in the user's personal working environment.