A Positive 'Return on Collaboration'

Organizations that deploy collaborative technologies achieve more than double the return on their investment and perform better than their less-collaborative peers, new research has shown.

A new report by Frost and Sullivan, "Meetings Around the World II: Charting the Course of Advanced Collaboration," sponsored by Verizon and Cisco, surveyed 3,662 professionals in businesses and government agencies about their use of advanced collaboration tools such as voice-over-Internet Protocol, instant messaging or meeting via high-definition video to get their work done. The study found that 44 percent of organizations had deployed collaborative tools. The overall average "Return on Collaboration" score was 4.2, meaning organizations received an average return of four times their investment.

The survey also found several employee benefits resulted from organizations deploying communication and collaborative technologies. For example, 54 percent of workers believe that such tools allow for a better balance between life and work, and 52 percent believe that the devices enable them to gain more control in their busy lives. In addition, 60 percent of workers feel that collaborative tools increase their performance, and 56 percent said that the tools allow them to take advantage of opportunities as they arise, because they are connected wherever they go.

"Professionals see that collaboration can benefit them on a personal level, just as the technology can benefit the organization in which they work," the report states.

Wired Workplace is a daily look at issues facing the federal information technology workforce. It is written by former Government Executive reporter Brittany Ballenstedt and published on Nextgov.com. Click here to read the latest entries.