Title: BrainSpace: a virtual environment for collaboration and innovation

Authors: Maurus Buesser, Andreas Ninck

Addresses: University of Applied Sciences Aargau, Department of Economics, CH-5401 Baden, Switzerland. ' Berne University of Applied Sciences, School for Business Administration, CH-3014 Berne, Switzerland

Abstract: Innovation and problem solving processes take place more and more beyond the boundaries of the enterprise. Therefore, new methods and tools are necessary to foster multiple stakeholder relationships and manage distributed knowledge creation. This paper addresses some of the key considerations for collaboration and innovation, compares different possible approaches to support them and derives an integral internet-based platform on which a method and different communication tools are combined to a distributed cognitive system. Sustainable solutions require procedures that combine the effectiveness of a team with the creative power and the expertise of a community. BrainSpace fills this gap, and allows innovation to proceed in a complex environment by striking a balance between order and creative chaos.

Keywords: BrainSpaceTM; CSCW; CSCL; distributed cognitive system; enterprise collaboration; innovation management; knowledge communication; knowledge creation; problem solving; internet; web-based collaboration; virtual collaboration.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.2004.005778

International Journal of Technology Management, 2004 Vol.28 No.7/8, pp.702 - 713

Published online: 05 Dec 2004 *

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