Implementing Second Life in Organizations
By: Angela Becerra-Chvilicek, Lindsey Luckow, Erica Michels, & Steve Sampson
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
By: Angela Becerra-Chvilicek, Lindsey Luckow, Erica Michels, & Steve Sampson
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Task 6:Technology has become a tool that we all use in everyday life. It is becoming increasingly clear that technology can change the way we structure work and design organizations (Miller, 2006). With this in mind, many organizations are implementing technologies such as Second Life to change the way employees learn and work. Technological tools such as Second Life alter work conditions because they allow the organization to create virtual teams, offer virtual services, and allow virtual meetings and training. The most popular reason organizations are implementing Second Life is so members can communicate and learn on a virtual level. These technologies allow asynchronous communication even when members are at great distances, therefore, it is often not necessary for people working together to be in the same place (Miller, 2006). Since virtual worlds are flexible, organizations both large and small are benefiting from these technological advances in many ways.
Industry analysts and developers of virtual worlds believe that by immersing users in an interactive environment which allows social encounters, virtual worlds have the potential to succeed where other collaborative technologies have failed (Weil, 2008). This is why the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee could benefit greatly from implementing Second Life. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) currently has many virtual implementations such as online classes and online training sessions. However, they do not have any tools quite as interactive as Second Life. Second Life is supposed to resemble human interaction; therefore, anything goes (Weil, 2008). This “anything goes” mentality would fit perfectly with UWM’s “thinking outside the box” approach to learning and teaching.
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee should put Second Life into practice and give all professors training on how to use this form of a virtual world to educate students. Once in place the possibilities could be endless. By using Second Life, students could attend lectures, participate in group study sessions, take part in debates, complete exams, and give presentations. It is clear that by implementing Second Life, UWM and its students would gain many benefits.
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee would profit because they would have the competitive edge over other area colleges who are not using a virtual world like Second Life. UWM would also be able to attract more students from all across the world, because the students would have the availability to take classes at UWM and interact with their virtual classmates with out leaving the comforts of their own home. Students would also benefit from the implementation of Second Life for the same reasons as well as having the opportunity to closely interact with fellow students even when they are not present on campus.
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee could create a world in Second Life that is very similar to the actual campus. The Second Life campus could include a library, student union, health center, workout and exercise center, classrooms and lecture halls, writing centers, dormitories and computer labs. Having a virtual world that closely models the actual campus would allow students to feel more connected when taking online classes. Currently UWM has great opportunities for students who want to take classes online, but by implementing Second Life students who are geographically dispersed could enjoy an experience much more similar to an experience of a student who is actually on the UWM campus. This in return, would also increase the size of the student enrollment and profits for the school.
By implementing Second Life, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee would give them a competitive edge. At the same time, they are allowing students to get the most from their college experience. Virtual worlds give users increased flexibility (Miller, 2006). This increased flexibility will enhance the lives of college students who are continually looking for ways to make their education more flexible as they juggle school, work and their social lives.
There are many reasons an organization and its members would choose to implement a virtual world. Several of these reasons are based on social information and objective media characteristics. To get together as a group, we have moved from formal meeting rooms, to conference calls, to video conferencing, to computer conferencing to online chat rooms (Miller, 2006). This progression shows that organizations are using virtual worlds to create a new form of communication. Organizations can use virtual worlds to meet their company’s social and objective needs.
One of the social reasons organizations are implementing virtual worlds is due to the ease of communication. Many organizations are now using virtual worlds to communicate with other organizations that are in different locations. These locations can be neighboring cities, or different countries, which is another benefit from implementing virtual worlds. Computer-mediated communication is a key component of the emerging technology of computer networks (Kiesler, et al, 1984). In these networks, people can exchange, store, edit, broadcast, and copy any written document. They can also send messages instantaneously for minimal cost (Kiesler, et al, 1984). By using these benefits of computer-mediated communication, organizations can create virtual worlds for work projects or meetings. These teams can work twice as hard on a project by bringing many people together. Tasks worked on together may be complicated, but more brains can equal quality information which will help organizations succeed.
Virtual teams work best because of the global nature of marketplaces. In this field, there is the necessity to get projects done as quickly as possible in order to receive new projects in other global markets. In order to accomplish this, organizations must be able to tap into the best brains for those projects (Gerber, 1996). Different people in different areas have a variety of thoughts and information. Many people feel it is important to meet face-to-face before working together over computers or other technologies because they can get to know a person better this way. Face-to-face communication is sometimes not as easy as it seems because many organizations are located around the world, thousands of miles apart. By using virtual worlds, they can create a “face-to-face” type of communication without actually meeting. In addition, building trust in an organization is the key to success. Virtual communications give the “real life appeal” that can bring people together to meet their communication needs and to help them build trust among their group members. New members can be added into virtual teams easily as long as information is kept in a shared database (Geber, 1995). Team leaders, also known as virtual managers, are also important attributes to virtual teams. Additionally, it is important that there is a virtual facilitator that monitors and helps conflicts and other arising situations (Geber, 1995).
As previously shown, there are many factors that should be considered when implementing a virtual world. The most important task to be performed is that both the individuals and organizations involved need to make sure that they have looked at the advantages and disadvantages of virtual worlds to determine if it is the best form of computer-mediated technology to use for the project or projects. Once a decision has been made, the organization and the employees must rely on the necessary tools available to them in order to make the virtual world a success in the workplace. This will help eliminate conflicts and ensure overall group success.
In order to insure success of a virtual world in a company, the organization needs to make sure they are doing their part. First of all, the organization needs to do research on what type of virtual world will suite their needs. For example, Second Life may be a great solution for Manpower or IBM, but not for other organizations like Apple. Also, by doing research, an organization can decide if they want to allow other members or the public to have access to their site, or if they want it to remain private to company employees. By setting security measures in place, organizations can eliminate outside distractions (Miller, 2006). Another contributing factor that the organization must provide is the funding. Access to a virtual world can become expensive. Organizations must provide computers, Internet access, and software to all of its team members.
In addition to providing funding, organizations must set the standards for the group and the employees that are hired to participate in the virtual teams (Geber, 1995). First, the company must decide if the virtual members will ever meet face-to-face or if all communication would be conducted online. Geber (1995) suggests that in order for a virtual team to be successful in any form of computer-mediated technology, organizations should conduct team building sessions both online and face-to-face. Formal team building sessions will help team members get caught up on what may be going on or help to resolve any conflicts that may arise. Informal face-to-face meetings (i.e. work parties) will help group members to get to know each other better and help them to build trust with one another (Geber, 1995). Second, organizations need to establish group leaders of the virtual world in order to maintain high levels of performance. Next, companies need to make sure that they choose group members carefully (Geber, 1995). For instance, the team members should be comfortable with computers, the software, virtual worlds and sharing information over the computer. Furthermore, team members should possess strong personalities and have the ability to assert themselves. Finally, organizations should decide on whether or not to use a group decision support system which is a tool that can help team members in making decisions in order to reduce group conflict (Miller, 2006).
The organization, however, is not the only contributing factor in implementation of a virtual world. The individuals involved are also just as important. When an employee is considering being part of a virtual team in a virtual world, they must weigh many options. First of all, an individual must determine if they will provide some of the financial weight of being part of a virtual team or if the organization will carry all of it (i.e. Internet access fees). Another important decision the individual must make is whether or not they think they have the technological knowledge to become a successful team member. For example, are they familiar with the all the tools being used to implement the virtual worlds? If not, are they willing to take the time to gain the knowledge an experience that they need? Finally, they must determine if they are comfortable with the other employees and the communication systems that are being utilized.
Other factors that individuals need to consider are more personal. For example, individuals need to make sure that they are completely committed to the mission of the team and are goal-orientated in order to help the group become successful (Geber, 1995). Also, there are certain personality types that perform better in virtual teams than others. Research has shown that individuals that are considered introverts, who are shy, thrive on this type of communication where extroverts reject this from of communication (Geber, 1995). Therefore, individuals should consider if their personality will match the form of communication taking place in virtual worlds. One other important aspect that individuals should consider when entering teams in virtual worlds is their beliefs about this type of technology (Miller, 2006). For example, if they have a negative attitude toward virtual worlds, they may perform at lower levels. On the other hand, if they have a vibrant, positive attitude, it will help them and the group perform at high levels and ensure success.
As demonstrated, there are many factors involved in the decision to implement a virtual world in an organization. It is not an easy decision. The company must decide if it is the best thing for the organization and individuals need to decide if it is the best thing for them. Both parties need to be strong and committed in order to ensure the success of the virtual team and virtual world.
Task 7: There are also many other factors to consider when it comes to virtual worlds. The societal implications of virtual worlds in modern communication are ones to be examined thoroughly, because it is a new form of technology. The instantaneous working domain of the Internet makes programs such as Second Life a prominent solution for people and businesses to bridge the gaps caused by geography. “The web is a primarily visual interface and so it is important to consider how visual information is processed, manipulated and interpreted” (Ranjani & Rosenberg, 1999). This idea of how the web is used demonstrates how the implementation of virtual worlds has allowed for that specific communicative form to prosper because it is a visual communication phenomenon.
Ranjani and Rosenberg (1999) suggest that there is not one interface of a virtual world that fits general communication. It is not possible due to the fact of the various characteristics and conditions. Difficulties may arise because of slow download time, incompatibility of browsers, machines and software, inexperienced user abilities and many more (Ranjani & Rosenberg, 1999). The various degrees of knowledge and ability cause inconsistency from one user to another, makes it very difficult for a medium such as virtual worlds to be fully embraced by society.
Ranjani and Rosenberg (1999) also found, when looking at the way in which internet users surf the internet for information that most users searched for specific information that they desired. Instead of researching more extensively to find out more, users simply left the site instantly after the information they needed had been acquired. This is one of the problems that arise with the use of virtual worlds in society—users find what they need in the virtual world and leave. This eliminates further interaction that may have existed in a face-to-face scenario undeveloped. Once again, this demonstrates the problematic scenario when addressing virtual worlds. The instant gratification of information the internet is known for, is also expected when utilizing virtual worlds as means of communication. Once a user has gotten the information desired, the likelihood of them sticking around to see how the rest of the communication will progress is unlikely.
The implementation of virtual worlds for business and education could further perpetuate the “digital divide” that analysts have found to be present in today’s society. Since modern communicative technologies are becoming more and more prominent in society, there is still a universal fear that those who are unable to access the Internet, or are uninterested in accessing the internet, will fall out of touch with the world of communication. If communication continues to advance and these prominent computer-mediated forms of communication become a staple of the business world, those left in the dust will be unable to recover. So with the implementation of technologies such as virtual worlds as a staple in communication, the divide will continue and be further perpetuated in not only the society of business, but also in personal communication and interaction as well.
Virtual worlds provide many new ways for people and businesses to interact, however, with many new forms of technologies, it has its drawbacks. Since the internet is so instantaneous, users are not as likely to finish interactions further than what is initially required. Forms of communication such as virtual worlds can further perpetuate the problematic existence of the “digital divide.” The societal implications of virtual worlds are similar to the introduction of cell phones in the twentieth century. At first, they were not considered to be necessary, yet, now they are like an extra bodily appendage. Just like any other new technology, once the communicative world adjusts, the necessity is solidified with time.
Technology has come a long way over the years. One technological advancement that is still growing is the use of virtual worlds like Second Life. Organizations like UWM can benefit from virtual worlds for several reasons. As shown, virtual worlds can help increase the overall learning experience and student attendance by allowing students the flexibility and “real life experience” of a college campus. There are many reasons why an organization should choose to implement a virtual world like Second Life. One is because it allows for quick, efficient communication across states, countries and time spans. Another reason is to keep up with the growing global markets. What ever the reason may be, these organizations and its members need to take certain considerations into mind when deciding if a virtual world is the right choice for their company or school. In order for a virtual world to be successful, organizations must make sure that this form of communication is the best for the task and that its users have all the necessities to implement the virtual world such as Internet access and software. Some people still frown on new computer-mediated technologies like virtual worlds because it is a contributing factor to the digital divide. But, we believe just like the invention of the television, computer and cell phone, people will learn to make them a part of their everyday lives. Before we know it, virtual worlds will be another piece of equipment that we can not live without in our daily lives.
References
Geber, B. (1995). Virtual Teams. Training, 32 (4), 36-40.
Miller, K. (2006) Organizational communication: Approached and process (4th ed.).
Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Rajani, R. & Rosenberg, D. (1999). Usable? Or not? Factors affecting the usability of web sites.
CMC Magazine (January).
Weil, N. (2008). Virtual worlds. CIO 21. ABI Form.
Industry analysts and developers of virtual worlds believe that by immersing users in an interactive environment which allows social encounters, virtual worlds have the potential to succeed where other collaborative technologies have failed (Weil, 2008). This is why the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee could benefit greatly from implementing Second Life. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) currently has many virtual implementations such as online classes and online training sessions. However, they do not have any tools quite as interactive as Second Life. Second Life is supposed to resemble human interaction; therefore, anything goes (Weil, 2008). This “anything goes” mentality would fit perfectly with UWM’s “thinking outside the box” approach to learning and teaching.
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee should put Second Life into practice and give all professors training on how to use this form of a virtual world to educate students. Once in place the possibilities could be endless. By using Second Life, students could attend lectures, participate in group study sessions, take part in debates, complete exams, and give presentations. It is clear that by implementing Second Life, UWM and its students would gain many benefits.
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee would profit because they would have the competitive edge over other area colleges who are not using a virtual world like Second Life. UWM would also be able to attract more students from all across the world, because the students would have the availability to take classes at UWM and interact with their virtual classmates with out leaving the comforts of their own home. Students would also benefit from the implementation of Second Life for the same reasons as well as having the opportunity to closely interact with fellow students even when they are not present on campus.
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee could create a world in Second Life that is very similar to the actual campus. The Second Life campus could include a library, student union, health center, workout and exercise center, classrooms and lecture halls, writing centers, dormitories and computer labs. Having a virtual world that closely models the actual campus would allow students to feel more connected when taking online classes. Currently UWM has great opportunities for students who want to take classes online, but by implementing Second Life students who are geographically dispersed could enjoy an experience much more similar to an experience of a student who is actually on the UWM campus. This in return, would also increase the size of the student enrollment and profits for the school.
By implementing Second Life, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee would give them a competitive edge. At the same time, they are allowing students to get the most from their college experience. Virtual worlds give users increased flexibility (Miller, 2006). This increased flexibility will enhance the lives of college students who are continually looking for ways to make their education more flexible as they juggle school, work and their social lives.
There are many reasons an organization and its members would choose to implement a virtual world. Several of these reasons are based on social information and objective media characteristics. To get together as a group, we have moved from formal meeting rooms, to conference calls, to video conferencing, to computer conferencing to online chat rooms (Miller, 2006). This progression shows that organizations are using virtual worlds to create a new form of communication. Organizations can use virtual worlds to meet their company’s social and objective needs.
One of the social reasons organizations are implementing virtual worlds is due to the ease of communication. Many organizations are now using virtual worlds to communicate with other organizations that are in different locations. These locations can be neighboring cities, or different countries, which is another benefit from implementing virtual worlds. Computer-mediated communication is a key component of the emerging technology of computer networks (Kiesler, et al, 1984). In these networks, people can exchange, store, edit, broadcast, and copy any written document. They can also send messages instantaneously for minimal cost (Kiesler, et al, 1984). By using these benefits of computer-mediated communication, organizations can create virtual worlds for work projects or meetings. These teams can work twice as hard on a project by bringing many people together. Tasks worked on together may be complicated, but more brains can equal quality information which will help organizations succeed.
Virtual teams work best because of the global nature of marketplaces. In this field, there is the necessity to get projects done as quickly as possible in order to receive new projects in other global markets. In order to accomplish this, organizations must be able to tap into the best brains for those projects (Gerber, 1996). Different people in different areas have a variety of thoughts and information. Many people feel it is important to meet face-to-face before working together over computers or other technologies because they can get to know a person better this way. Face-to-face communication is sometimes not as easy as it seems because many organizations are located around the world, thousands of miles apart. By using virtual worlds, they can create a “face-to-face” type of communication without actually meeting. In addition, building trust in an organization is the key to success. Virtual communications give the “real life appeal” that can bring people together to meet their communication needs and to help them build trust among their group members. New members can be added into virtual teams easily as long as information is kept in a shared database (Geber, 1995). Team leaders, also known as virtual managers, are also important attributes to virtual teams. Additionally, it is important that there is a virtual facilitator that monitors and helps conflicts and other arising situations (Geber, 1995).
As previously shown, there are many factors that should be considered when implementing a virtual world. The most important task to be performed is that both the individuals and organizations involved need to make sure that they have looked at the advantages and disadvantages of virtual worlds to determine if it is the best form of computer-mediated technology to use for the project or projects. Once a decision has been made, the organization and the employees must rely on the necessary tools available to them in order to make the virtual world a success in the workplace. This will help eliminate conflicts and ensure overall group success.
In order to insure success of a virtual world in a company, the organization needs to make sure they are doing their part. First of all, the organization needs to do research on what type of virtual world will suite their needs. For example, Second Life may be a great solution for Manpower or IBM, but not for other organizations like Apple. Also, by doing research, an organization can decide if they want to allow other members or the public to have access to their site, or if they want it to remain private to company employees. By setting security measures in place, organizations can eliminate outside distractions (Miller, 2006). Another contributing factor that the organization must provide is the funding. Access to a virtual world can become expensive. Organizations must provide computers, Internet access, and software to all of its team members.
In addition to providing funding, organizations must set the standards for the group and the employees that are hired to participate in the virtual teams (Geber, 1995). First, the company must decide if the virtual members will ever meet face-to-face or if all communication would be conducted online. Geber (1995) suggests that in order for a virtual team to be successful in any form of computer-mediated technology, organizations should conduct team building sessions both online and face-to-face. Formal team building sessions will help team members get caught up on what may be going on or help to resolve any conflicts that may arise. Informal face-to-face meetings (i.e. work parties) will help group members to get to know each other better and help them to build trust with one another (Geber, 1995). Second, organizations need to establish group leaders of the virtual world in order to maintain high levels of performance. Next, companies need to make sure that they choose group members carefully (Geber, 1995). For instance, the team members should be comfortable with computers, the software, virtual worlds and sharing information over the computer. Furthermore, team members should possess strong personalities and have the ability to assert themselves. Finally, organizations should decide on whether or not to use a group decision support system which is a tool that can help team members in making decisions in order to reduce group conflict (Miller, 2006).
The organization, however, is not the only contributing factor in implementation of a virtual world. The individuals involved are also just as important. When an employee is considering being part of a virtual team in a virtual world, they must weigh many options. First of all, an individual must determine if they will provide some of the financial weight of being part of a virtual team or if the organization will carry all of it (i.e. Internet access fees). Another important decision the individual must make is whether or not they think they have the technological knowledge to become a successful team member. For example, are they familiar with the all the tools being used to implement the virtual worlds? If not, are they willing to take the time to gain the knowledge an experience that they need? Finally, they must determine if they are comfortable with the other employees and the communication systems that are being utilized.
Other factors that individuals need to consider are more personal. For example, individuals need to make sure that they are completely committed to the mission of the team and are goal-orientated in order to help the group become successful (Geber, 1995). Also, there are certain personality types that perform better in virtual teams than others. Research has shown that individuals that are considered introverts, who are shy, thrive on this type of communication where extroverts reject this from of communication (Geber, 1995). Therefore, individuals should consider if their personality will match the form of communication taking place in virtual worlds. One other important aspect that individuals should consider when entering teams in virtual worlds is their beliefs about this type of technology (Miller, 2006). For example, if they have a negative attitude toward virtual worlds, they may perform at lower levels. On the other hand, if they have a vibrant, positive attitude, it will help them and the group perform at high levels and ensure success.
As demonstrated, there are many factors involved in the decision to implement a virtual world in an organization. It is not an easy decision. The company must decide if it is the best thing for the organization and individuals need to decide if it is the best thing for them. Both parties need to be strong and committed in order to ensure the success of the virtual team and virtual world.
Task 7: There are also many other factors to consider when it comes to virtual worlds. The societal implications of virtual worlds in modern communication are ones to be examined thoroughly, because it is a new form of technology. The instantaneous working domain of the Internet makes programs such as Second Life a prominent solution for people and businesses to bridge the gaps caused by geography. “The web is a primarily visual interface and so it is important to consider how visual information is processed, manipulated and interpreted” (Ranjani & Rosenberg, 1999). This idea of how the web is used demonstrates how the implementation of virtual worlds has allowed for that specific communicative form to prosper because it is a visual communication phenomenon.
Ranjani and Rosenberg (1999) suggest that there is not one interface of a virtual world that fits general communication. It is not possible due to the fact of the various characteristics and conditions. Difficulties may arise because of slow download time, incompatibility of browsers, machines and software, inexperienced user abilities and many more (Ranjani & Rosenberg, 1999). The various degrees of knowledge and ability cause inconsistency from one user to another, makes it very difficult for a medium such as virtual worlds to be fully embraced by society.
Ranjani and Rosenberg (1999) also found, when looking at the way in which internet users surf the internet for information that most users searched for specific information that they desired. Instead of researching more extensively to find out more, users simply left the site instantly after the information they needed had been acquired. This is one of the problems that arise with the use of virtual worlds in society—users find what they need in the virtual world and leave. This eliminates further interaction that may have existed in a face-to-face scenario undeveloped. Once again, this demonstrates the problematic scenario when addressing virtual worlds. The instant gratification of information the internet is known for, is also expected when utilizing virtual worlds as means of communication. Once a user has gotten the information desired, the likelihood of them sticking around to see how the rest of the communication will progress is unlikely.
The implementation of virtual worlds for business and education could further perpetuate the “digital divide” that analysts have found to be present in today’s society. Since modern communicative technologies are becoming more and more prominent in society, there is still a universal fear that those who are unable to access the Internet, or are uninterested in accessing the internet, will fall out of touch with the world of communication. If communication continues to advance and these prominent computer-mediated forms of communication become a staple of the business world, those left in the dust will be unable to recover. So with the implementation of technologies such as virtual worlds as a staple in communication, the divide will continue and be further perpetuated in not only the society of business, but also in personal communication and interaction as well.
Virtual worlds provide many new ways for people and businesses to interact, however, with many new forms of technologies, it has its drawbacks. Since the internet is so instantaneous, users are not as likely to finish interactions further than what is initially required. Forms of communication such as virtual worlds can further perpetuate the problematic existence of the “digital divide.” The societal implications of virtual worlds are similar to the introduction of cell phones in the twentieth century. At first, they were not considered to be necessary, yet, now they are like an extra bodily appendage. Just like any other new technology, once the communicative world adjusts, the necessity is solidified with time.
Technology has come a long way over the years. One technological advancement that is still growing is the use of virtual worlds like Second Life. Organizations like UWM can benefit from virtual worlds for several reasons. As shown, virtual worlds can help increase the overall learning experience and student attendance by allowing students the flexibility and “real life experience” of a college campus. There are many reasons why an organization should choose to implement a virtual world like Second Life. One is because it allows for quick, efficient communication across states, countries and time spans. Another reason is to keep up with the growing global markets. What ever the reason may be, these organizations and its members need to take certain considerations into mind when deciding if a virtual world is the right choice for their company or school. In order for a virtual world to be successful, organizations must make sure that this form of communication is the best for the task and that its users have all the necessities to implement the virtual world such as Internet access and software. Some people still frown on new computer-mediated technologies like virtual worlds because it is a contributing factor to the digital divide. But, we believe just like the invention of the television, computer and cell phone, people will learn to make them a part of their everyday lives. Before we know it, virtual worlds will be another piece of equipment that we can not live without in our daily lives.
References
Geber, B. (1995). Virtual Teams. Training, 32 (4), 36-40.
Miller, K. (2006) Organizational communication: Approached and process (4th ed.).
Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Rajani, R. & Rosenberg, D. (1999). Usable? Or not? Factors affecting the usability of web sites.
CMC Magazine (January).
Weil, N. (2008). Virtual worlds. CIO 21. ABI Form.
