Instant Messaging (IM) applications, such as AOL Instant Messaging (AIM), MSN Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger, have become very popular in the last decade. This paper by de Vos et al. (2004) investigates the adaption of Instant Messaging (IM) by individual users and pairs of users within a mid-size organization. This paper is important as it examines employees' willingness to adapt to instant messaging tools within an organization. The findings from the research showed a fourfold increase in IM use after the introduction, both in terms of users and the number of conversations. The findings are interesting as it has been argued that the main problem companies experience when implementing online collaboration tools is the objections many employees have when introduced to these new tools (Foster, 2009). The main limitation of the paper is that the authors' research sample was restricted to only one organisation. The period of research was four months before and three months after introduction of IM in an organisation, thus the authors indicate that further research needs to be undertaken to see how usage patterns develop over a longer period of time. de Vos et al found that business mobile phones users don't seem to benefit from IM. However, this finding is not applicable anymore as smartphones with IM applications have been introduced after the paper was written in 2004. References de Vos, H., ter Hofte, H. & de Poot, H. (2004). IM [@Work] Adoption of Instant Messaging in a Knowledge Worker Organisation. Retrieved from https://doc.telin.nl/dsweb/Get/Document-30163/205610019a.pdf Foster, D. (2009). Collaboration Technology and Organisational Change. Retrieved from http://gigaom.com/collaboration/collaboration-technologies-and-organizational-change/

This Strategic Guide on instant messaging is developed by ProcessOne, a company that delivers instant messaging services to businesses. The guide examines the real risks associated with instant messaging in corporate environments and explains how to mitigate them. ProcessOne argues that instant messaging is becoming a valuable form of communication in business environment, alongside the telephone and email. IM allows users to see if recipients are available to receive a message, thus it can be a much more efficient communication tool than email and telephone. The report suggests that danger arise when using public IM services like Gmail and MSN. Public IM services have not been designed for corporate activity and do not provide the level of security that is essential in a business environment. The report suggests different risk factors associated with public IM services as well as how businesses can overcome these risks. This guide is important as its attention is on security issues associated with instant messaging. A common concern among companies is that IM programs render their networks vulnerable to viruses and other potentially crippling intrusions (Glasner, J. 2002). ProcessOne suggests that the best way to reduce the risk of instant messaging is to bring IM in-house with the deployment of a central instant messaging server. IT departments can take measures to protect users and intellectual property through the use of encryption, anti-virus software, corporate policy, and domain certificates, thus the risks will be reduced. References Glasner, J. (2002). IM Bans Hush Workplace Chatter. Retrieved from http://www.wired.com/techbiz/media/news/2002/09/55090?currentPage=1 ProcessOne (2009). Instant Messaging and Security. Retrieved from http://www.process-one.net/resources/research/ProcessOne_Strategic_Guide-Security.pdf

In this paper, the authors examine the use of instant messaging (IM) during face-to-face, telephone, and computer-mediated team meetings, a practice they call "invisible whispering". Dennis et al. argue that organisational decision making is dominated by teams as a team has more resources, knowledge, and political insight than any one individual working alone. Collaboration technology has come to play an important role as teams have become more geographically distributed. The authors analyse how invisible whispering alters the socio-spatial and temporal boundaries of team decision making by using Goffman's theatrical conceptualisation of social interaction. Dennis et al. suggest that invisible whispering constitutes a new communicative genre. They distinguish between six types of invisible whispering and then describe how meeting participants used these practices to restructure the socio-spatial and temporal boundaries of collaborative decision making process. Findings from the research showed that invisible whispering is likely to improve the efficiency of collaborative decision making. However, they also found mixed effects on decisions quality, satisfaction, individual comprehension, and the relationship between group members. The paper is important as it shows how instant messaging can be used within organisations a decision making tool. The authors argue that workers are able to influence front stage decision making through backstage conversations, which would have been physically impossible or socially constrained without the use of IM. This proves that instant messaging is an important collaborative tool that organisations can benefit from. References Dennis, A. R., Rennecker, J. A., Hansen, S. (2010). Invisible Whispering: Restructuring Collaborative Decision Making with Instant Messaging. Decision Sciences, 41(4), 845-886. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/doi/10.1111/j.1540-5915.2010.00290.x/pdf

The authors examine uses of instant messaging in a high-tech firm to illustrate how knowledge workers use this tool to collaborate with co-workers. According to Quan-Haase et al., the objective with the study was to 1) identify the collaborative practices of individuals in mediated work environments by looking at use of IM, 2) discern what social processes are reflected in employees' use of IM, and 3) investigate how visibility, awareness and accountability are used in an IM system. The research found that IM is used extensively to exchange work-related messages, coordinate and arrange meetings, and inquiry about colleagues' availability for discussion. IM was used as much for internal communication as for external communication. The authors also found that IM functions as a barrier in some cases as some employees use IM as a way to create distance between them and their superiors. Quan-Haase et al. suggest that this is particularly useful when difficult decisions have to be made or sensitive topics discussed. Quan-Haase et al. examines how workers in a small high-tech organisation manage their IM use for the purpose of information exchange and collaboration. The article is interesting as it is based on a case study of an actual organisation. However, it is written 6 years ago so employees' willingness to adapt to instant messaging may have changed as collaborative tools are more common today. Still, most of the findings are still applicable today. References Quan-Haase, A., Cothrel, J. & Wellman, B. (2005). Instant Messaging for Collaboration: A Case Study of a High-Tech Firm. Retrieved from http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol10/issue4/quan-haase.html