Enabling a collaborative approach to management

Abstract

In this paper the collaborative approach to management is examined and, in particular, how this approach could benefit from the right technological support. Collaborative management focuses on the joint performance of tasks, and values em­powerment, the group process and free-flowing discussion. The collaborative group process, based on consensus building, depends on an effective group interaction process. A model is proposed for consensus building and involves an iterative divergent/convergent group process which takes full advantage of the heterogeneity of co-actors. It is showed how, through the right technological support, the time-consuming process of consensus building could function as a practical day-to-day management approach.