**3. The need for a virtual collaborative workspace framework**

The exponential growth of the World Wide Web (WWW) over the past two decades has driven both technological innovation and increased senstivity to immediacy in communication and collaborative business functions. As the web has evolved so too has our desire to become more involved with the process of content-sharing and content-creation. Now new web-based semantic technologies are providing smarter, more meaningful content and virtual world technologies are presenting that content with a new level of depth and interactivity (Lesko & Hollingsworth, 2010). Additionally, we do this all faster and with less willingness to wait for the process to evolve. As an interface, today's virtual collaborative technologies provide users with some unique capabilities including:


As a collaborative medium virtual workspace integration within any business requires some basic understanding of four key components. Those four key components are as follows:

1. Business Environment - this component recognizes both the internal and external factors that may impact the process of use of the collaborative medium. Factors such as geographical location, corporate policies and procedures, and collaborations with

Making it easier for employees because of business traveling, consolidates services, and

Increasing productivity because employees' are more focused with business related

Some challenges to integrating virtual workspaces still exist. For example, some challenges

Failure to leverage the technology that supports virtual workplaces resulting in

 Increased number and use of various formal and informal communications channels with the constantly-expanding use of social networking sites (Greenlee, 2003) (Powell,

The exponential growth of the World Wide Web (WWW) over the past two decades has driven both technological innovation and increased senstivity to immediacy in communication and collaborative business functions. As the web has evolved so too has our desire to become more involved with the process of content-sharing and content-creation. Now new web-based semantic technologies are providing smarter, more meaningful content and virtual world technologies are presenting that content with a new level of depth and interactivity (Lesko & Hollingsworth, 2010). Additionally, we do this all faster and with less willingness to wait for the process to evolve. As an interface, today's virtual

Interactivity: the world allows users to alter, develop, build, or submit customized

Persistence: the world's existence continues regardless of whether individual users are

Socialization/Community: the world allows and encourages the formation of in-world

As a collaborative medium virtual workspace integration within any business requires some basic understanding of four key components. Those four key components are as follows:

1. Business Environment - this component recognizes both the internal and external factors that may impact the process of use of the collaborative medium. Factors such as geographical location, corporate policies and procedures, and collaborations with

collaborative technologies provide users with some unique capabilities including:

Shared Space: the world allows multiple users to participate at once.

Graphical User Interface: the world depicts space visually.

Immediacy: interaction takes place in real time.

 Lack of human contact effecting team motivation, trust and productivity. Increased sensitivity to communication, interpersonal and cultural factors.

**3. The need for a virtual collaborative workspace framework** 

 Making collaborations with team members easier with a singular virtual workplace. Allowing a company to reach more of its employees via meeting workspaces and virtual training sessions (Shafia, Ebrahim, Ahmed, & Taha, 2009)(Hertel, Geister, &

assists in the communication processes.

Konradt, 2005) (Demster, 2005).

decrease in productivity.

Piccoli, & Ives, 2004).

content.

logged in.

social groups (Book, 2008).

of implementation of virtual workplaces are:

projects with only a single system to interact in.

external organizations can all influence the effectiveness of the virtual collaborative process (Duncan, 1972) (Mescon, Albert, & Khedouri, 1988).


The characteristics of each of these components is unique to the level of virtual workspace integration within a given business scenerio. These four components can be used to more clearly understand the technological level of functionality experienced by businesses that integrate collaborative medium virtual workspaces with in their business processes.
