Autonomous workgroup memory establishment

Summary form only given. The paper aims to present our ongoing research-a novel approach towards the systematic definition and construction of the autonomous workgroup memory (AW memory). In introduction four general information-related problems are described, which workgroups have to face today. These are: (1) the overall information volume problem, (2) the problem of retrieving information according to the information context of the current task and its environment, (3) the need to form an easily accessible and homogeneous workgroup (e.g. organizational) memory, and (4) the twofold problem of psychological nature, based on a psychological cost in: (a) personal exchange of information and (b) attention distraction and desperation related to searching for information with ordinary search engines. In the second section related research works are presented (Answer garden, just-in-time information retrieval agents, TeamInfo, Information Lens and Knowledge Depot) and the difference to our approach is explained. The third, main section starts with an overall description of the approach we propose and explains the conceptual scheme of the AW memory. The paper concludes with plans for our future work, which will be directed towards refinement and a prototype implementation of the autonomous workgroup memory, with the assessment of its usability, appropriateness and efficacy