Reflective Designing for Actors and Avatars in Virtual Worlds

Author(s):  
Sisse Siggaard Jensen

This chapter proposes a designing strategy referred to as “virtual 3D exploratories”. It is a strategy by which to facilitate knowledge sharing and social innovation, activities important to many postmodern organizations and work groups—be they educational or commercial. The strategy will allow us to build virtual worlds, and universes, aimed at exploration—virtual worlds, where actors interact and communicate with each other by the means of avatars. To substantiate the designing strategy, this chapter calls attention to virtual phenomena such as: avatar-based interaction, communication, and scenarios designed for re?ective practices. Taking a ?rst step, the chapter presents narratives and video-based self-observations from 12 experiential sessions undertaken by the “Virtual 3D Agora-world” SIG as part of the EQUEL EU research project (2002-2004). Based on ?ndings and re?ections from these sessions, the designing strategy of virtual “exploratories” is outlined with reference to the “sense-making” theory (Dervin & Foreman-Wernet, 2003) and summarized in a “designing triangle”.

2008 ◽  
pp. 425-448
Author(s):  
Sisse Siggaard Jensen

This chapter proposes a designing strategy referred to as “virtual 3D exploratories”. It is a strategy by which to facilitate knowledge sharing and social innovation, activities important to many postmodern organizations and work groups—be they educational or commercial. The strategy will allow us to build virtual worlds, and universes, aimed at exploration—virtual worlds, where actors interact and communicate with each other by the means of avatars. To substantiate the designing strategy, this chapter calls attention to virtual phenomena such as: avatar-based interaction, communication, and scenarios designed for re?ective practices. Taking a ?rst step, the chapter presents narratives and video-based self-observations from 12 experiential sessions undertaken by the “Virtual 3D Agora-world” SIG as part of the EQUEL EU research project (2002-2004). Based on ?ndings and re?ections from these sessions, the designing strategy of virtual “exploratories” is outlined with reference to the “sense-making” theory (Dervin & Foreman-Wernet, 2003) and summarized in a “designing triangle”.


2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 14-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ignasi Capdevila

Purpose Collaborative spaces such as Fab Labs, Living Labs, coworking spaces, hackerspaces, makerspaces, etc. are localized spaces that offer open access to resources. The purpose of this paper is to explain what motivates participants in such spaces, according to different innovation logics. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on qualitative studies of 43 collaborative spaces in Paris and Barcelona. Findings This paper proposes a typology of different collaborative spaces to understand what motivates their participants. The classification is based on the innovation approach of each type of space: methods and techniques of ideation, social innovation, open innovation and user-driven innovation. Research limitations/implications The classification of collaborative spaces clearly identifies different innovation approaches. However, it might result to be too simplistic and may not represent all spaces under the same denomination. Practical implications This paper provides some guidelines for managers who run or intend to open a collaborative space. In bottom-up innovation modes, to increase the commitment of the participants, managers should provide the tools and resources needed to successfully achieve the goals of the members’ projects. In top-down innovation modes, managers should rather focus on designing an attractive and rewarding process of ideation. Originality/value This paper contributes to the understanding of collaborative spaces; it shows that participants’ engagement is related to the nature of the innovation activities that take place in collaborative spaces, and it compares different types of spaces to explain their differences and similarities.


2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 523-538 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei-Li Wu ◽  
Yi-Chih Lee

Purpose – Although the work group is the main context for knowledge exchange and combination in today’s organizations, few knowledge-sharing studies have been conducted at the group level. The purpose of this paper is to apply the concept of group social capital to determine how to promote knowledge sharing at the group level. The authors divided group social capital into two segments, conduits and resources, and argue that different group social capital conduits (i.e. work design in this study) lead to varied resources, which subsequently influence group knowledge sharing. Design/methodology/approach – In this study, group social capital conduits included social interaction and task interdependence, and group social capital resources included group trust and a supportive climate for knowledge sharing. The authors conducted a survey on work groups in the high-tech industry using a sample of 86 work groups. Findings – The results indicated that social interaction in a work group was positively related to group trust and that task interdependence was positively related to group trust and a supportive climate for knowledge sharing. Furthermore, group trust and a supportive climate for knowledge sharing were both found to have an influence on knowledge sharing. Originality/value – Applying the concept of group social capital, this paper is the first research to discuss how group social capital conduits and resources influence knowledge sharing. The results of this study lead us to a better understand the relationship between group social capital and knowledge sharing.


Author(s):  
Olinkha Gustafson-Pearce ◽  
Susan B. Grant

As social media and virtual world technology become increasingly commonplace, this paper considers how educators and industry can leverage the tools and systems of these mediums, to enable engagement and knowledge transfer between parties, with a view to informing industry from the lessons learnt. Virtual Worlds have become an extremely powerful phenomenon with millions of users. Businesses are only now beginning to acknowledge the benefits of using virtual worlds to enhance employee and supplier collaboration and to support new ideas and innovation through knowledge sharing across functions and organizational boundaries. Many businesses are still trying to understand the various implications of integrating internal communication systems with social media tools and private collaboration and networking platforms. The KNOWNET project (an EC funded Marie Curie IAPP) seeks to assess the value of virtual worlds and social networking for knowledge exchange across supply chains.


2019 ◽  
Vol 04 (04) ◽  
pp. 1950012
Author(s):  
John P. T. Mo ◽  
Ronald C. Beckett

In an earlier study, we had noted that the term transdisciplinary is used in describing a number of different situations but always implied some form of knowledge-sharing collaboration. Researchers have observed that the requisite knowledge lies both within a development team and outside of it, but how it all works in harmony may vary from case to case. In this paper, we explore the utility of a system architecture description standard, ISO 42010 as a framework for representing architectural knowledge in a consistent way. This is illustrated in a social innovation case study. The case also illustrates how knowledge from social, medical and physical sciences was combined at multiple levels within a telemedicine delivery system.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 (1) ◽  
pp. 15893
Author(s):  
Mariana Giovanna Andrade Rojas ◽  
Stella Yiyan Li ◽  
John Jianjun Zhu

Author(s):  
Timothy Hunting

The Trans Canada Trail is the world’s largest recreational trail network, spanning 24,000 km and connecting 15,000 diverse communities across Canada from coast, to coast, to coast. The research currently being undertaken is to investigate both barriers and solutions for best planning practices pertaining to recreational trail networks and, specifically, for the TCT. Using mixed methods of both semi-structured interviews and recurring surveys, the methodology of this research project pairs together key-informants from communities of both similar and diverse characteristics and provides them with a participatory outlet for knowledge sharing to occur. Applications of this research project has the potential to create synergies between various stakeholders and interest groups, such as active transportation coalitions, economic development practitioners, and conservation authorities. In rural Ontario, where safety and accessibility to the TCT is dramatically far from being consistent, research findings may have particular salience


Author(s):  
David Peacock ◽  
Stephen Huddart ◽  
Chad Lubelsky

Co-editor of this issue David Peacock interviews Stephen Huddart (President and CEO) and Chad Lubelsky (Program Director) of the McConnell Foundation, a historic supporter of postsecondary education across Canada. McConnell’s investments in community service-learning, social entrepreneurial and innovation activities and social infrastructure programs and dialogues have made them a significant partner for many Canadian higher education institutions. Yet not all community-campus engagement scholars and practitioners, and Engaged Scholar readers, may have heard McConnell articulate for itself its aims and goals for Canadian higher education and society. This interview canvasses the scope of McConnell’s work and interests in community-campus engagement, and sheds light on the actions of an influential private actor in the postsecondary sector.  


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