About creativity in collaborative systems: Why it matters and how it can be supported

Abstract

Collaboration is about creating a shared understanding and build on sparks of dissent. Generate insight, new ideas or new artifacts is the rationality behind collaboration. Collaboration is based on communication, coordination and cooperation but extra components are still missing in order to allow team members to express their creativity. Creativity is goal bounded and requires that alternatives are analyzed and relevant ones selected and followed. It requires externalization objects to store mental efforts and form the basis for critique and negotiation. This aspect of collaboration requires tools like project and risk management and especially a flexible and integrated method of handling content.