Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) is an interdisicplinary research area devoted to exploring the issues of designing computer-based systems that enhance the abilities of cooperating workers to coordinate and integrate their activities in an efficient, effective, and flexible manner. This rigorously selected volume represents both practical and theoretical approaches from many of the leading researchers in the field. As an interdisciplinary area of research, CSCW is characterized by bringing together widely disparate research traditions and perspectives into an arena of collaboration and contention. The selected papers reflect the diverse approaches and cultures of this multi-disciplinary field. This collection will be of interest to a wide audience - because of the huge practical import of the issues and because of the interdisciplinary nature of the problems and the solutions proposed. In particular, the volume will be of interest to researchers and professionals in computing, sociology, cognitive science, and human factors.
Prof. Giorgio De Michelis teaches Informatics for Organizations and Interaction Design at the University of Milano - Bicocca, where he has served as Head of the Department of Informatics, Systems and Communications from 2002 to 2007.
Giorgio De Michelis teaches also Interaction Design at the Faculty of Communication Sciences of the University of Italian Swiss - Lugano and he is member of the Faculty of the Master in Business Design at Domus Academy in Milano.
His research focuses on models of concurrent systems (Petri Nets), and computer supported cooperative work, community-ware, knowledge management and interaction design, where his group has developed prototypes of support systems for cooperative processes and knowledge management systems (CHAOS, UTUCS, MILANO, CAMPIELLO, KLEE&CO, MILK, ATELIER).
He is contributing to the research of his Department on e-government and information systems for Government and Public Administration.
He is also actively contributing to the Italian debate on industrial policy, with particular attention to the IT sector, to the Italian system of excellent small-medium enterprises, leading market segments in several sectors of b2c and b2b markets, and to the mutual relations between them.
Giorgio De Michelis has authored four books and more than 160 papers in the areas of his interest.
Giorgio De Michelis is vice-president of Fondazione IRSO, a research institute devoted to the study of socio-technical systems, industrial innovation and government organization, where he chairs the Scientific Committee. Giorgio De Michelis has created in 2008 Itsme, a spin-off of the University of Milano - Bicocca, devoted to the design and construction of a newly conceived Linux-based operating system for workstation.
