Changing Large-Scale Collaborative Spaces: Strategies and Challenges

Introducing new collaboration tools in an organization is difficult and will most often cause side- effects and unforeseen consequences. In this paper we use the concept of Common Information Spaces (CIS) to analyze how information is shared within a large organization. We draw on findings from a large, international oil and gas company to analyze the the implementation of a Microsoft SharePoint based collaboration system within the organization. Analytically we discuss the drifting nature of large-scale efforts to establish a company-wide centralized and tightly integrated CIS. Acknowledging that introducing information systems that instigate changes in work practices are inherently difficult within any organization, and even more so in large enterprise organizations, combined with the diversed perspectives on how to establish CIS within the existing literature we characterize large-scale common information spaces and identify directions for further research.