Do collaboration tools enable collaboration

The disparate goals of the project team members will not be resolved by sending text messages, IMs, or tweets. That is not to say that there are not collaboration tools that can help. One IT professional we talked with told us that his organization had used traditional videoconferencing for years. He added that he believes that telepresence is more powerful than traditional videoconference in part because the picture quality allows you to see body language and facial expressions as well as you could in person. Of course, telepresence does place a tremendous burden on the WAN.

Just seeing body language and facial expression may not resolve the fact that the project team members have disparate goals. It does, however, have a better chance of succeeding than a text that reads: OMG, c u @ 10:15.