Mode of access: World Wide Web.

System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Part of: Synthesis digital library of engineering and computer science.

Series from website.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 115-135).

1. The changing landscape --

2. Types of distributed collaborations -- 2.1 Distributed project or enterprise -- 2.2 Shared instrument or resource -- 2.3 Community data bases -- 2.4 Open contribution system -- 2.5 Virtual community of practice -- 2.6 Virtual learning community -- 2.7 Community infrastructure project -- 2.8 Remote expertise -- 2.9 Evolution from one type to another -- 2.10 Some other factors -- 2.11 Summary -- 2.12 Key attributes -- 2.13 Using the typology --

3. What it means to be successful -- 3.1 Success in research: the sciences and the humanities -- 3.1.1 Ideas -- 3.1.2 Tools -- 3.1.3 Training -- 3.1.4 Outreach -- 3.1.5 Impact -- 3.2 Success in corporations -- 3.3 Success in non-profits -- 3.4 Summary of successes --

4. Overview of factors that lead to success --

5. The nature of the work --

6. Common ground --

7. Collaboration readiness -- 7.1 Characteristics of the individual team members -- 7.2 The culture of collaboration or competition -- 7.3 Examination of the explicit sources of motivation -- 7.4 Trust -- 7.5 Group self-efficacy --

8. Organization and management -- 8.1 The project organization -- 8.2 The project manager -- 8.3 What's special about managing distributed work? -- 8.4 What management includes -- 8.4.1 Plans -- 8.4.2 Decision making -- 8.4.3 Managing across time zones and cultures -- 8.4.4 Managing legal issues -- 8.4.5 Managing financial issues -- 8.4.6 Managing knowledge -- 8.4.7 Launching a distributed project -- 8.5 Summary --

9. Collaboration technologies and their use -- 9.1 Kinds of collaboration technologies -- 9.1.1 Communication tools -- 9.1.2 Coordination tools -- 9.1.3 Information repositories -- 9.1.4 Computational infrastructure -- 9.2 Deciding what constellation of technologies a particular collaboration needs -- 9.2.1 Speed -- 9.2.2 Size -- 9.2.3 Security -- 9.2.4 Privacy -- 9.2.5 Accessibility -- 9.2.6 Control -- 9.2.7 Media richness -- 9.2.8 Ease of use -- 9.2.9 Context information -- 9.2.10 Cost -- 9.2.11 Compatibility with other things used -- 9.3 Example decisions about technology choices -- 9.4 Conclusions --

10. The science of collaboratories database -- 10.1 Information collected -- 10.2 Findings to date --

11. The collaboration success wizard -- 11.1 Details of the wizard -- 11.2 Details of the reports -- 11.3 Initial experience with the wizard -- 11.4 The wizard as translational research -- 11.5 Contact re the wizard --

12. Summary and recommendations -- 12.1 What about distance matters? -- 12.1.1 Blind and invisible -- 12.1.2 Time zone differences -- 12.1.3 Crossing institutional or cultural boundaries -- 12.1.4 Uneven distribution and the consequent imbalance of power or status -- 12.2 Recommendations -- 12.3 Recommendations concerning the individuals who are members of a distributed team -- 12.3.1 Collaboration readiness -- 12.3.2 Technical readiness -- 12.4 Recommendations for the manager of a distributed team -- 12.4.1 Selecting people for the team -- 12.4.2 Common ground -- 12.4.3 Collaboration readiness -- 12.4.4 The nature of the work -- 12.4.5 Management -- 12.4.6 Technology readiness -- 12.5 Recommendations for an organization that wishes to support a distributed team -- 12.6 In the future, will distance still matter? --

References -- Author biographies.

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Increasingly, teams are working together when they are not in the same location, even though there are many challenges to doing so successfully. Here we review the latest insights into these matters, guided by a framework that we have developed during two decades of research on this topic. This framework organizes a series of factors that we have found to differentiate between successful and unsuccessful distributed collaborations. We then review the kinds of technology options that are available today, focusing more on types of technologies rather than specific instances. We describe a database of geographically distributed projects we have studied and introduce the Collaboration Success Wizard, an online tool for assessing past, present, or planned distributed collaborations. We close with a set of recommendations for individuals, managers, and those higher in the organizations who wish to support distance work.

Also available in print.

Title from PDF title page (viewed on December 21, 2013).