by Shiv Singh
May 18, 2008 at 5:43 pm
· Filed under Collaboration, Enterprise 2.0
An often forgotten fact about collaboration is that the people who typically want to collaborate are also the ones who trust each other the most. They are also the people who recognize that they can benefit in some manner by collaborating. Those benefits usually extend beyond just learning from one another to also recognizing that their reputations get enhanced as more peers observe their ongoing collaborations. But these people aren’t always in the majority.
As we design and analyze Enterprise 2.0 solutions, many of us work with the assumption that people inherently want to collaborate and that they will given the appropriate tools and motivations. That’s not necessarily true. Some people are more prone towards collaboration – they are the ones that see the obvious benefits. But there are others too – people who don’t recognize the benefits (and in some cases there may not be any at all) and people who fear that the collaboration can limit their competitive advantages among their peers. In other cases, its also simply a matter of trust. People may not want to collaborate with each other because they don’t trust the other people to recognize their contributions and play fairly.
The next generation Enterprise 2.0 applications, won’t just make collaboration easy. They will need to focus on helping organizations to identify who are more naturally inclined to collaborate and who need to collaborate for their jobs. These future applications will give those people the right collaboration tools based on what they’re trying to do and with whom. They will also recognize that there’s a difference between providing sharing capability and allowing for collaborative production. The applications will also be designed with the assumption that not everyone needs to collaborate or should be pushed to collaborate. That’s a different mindset from today but a more practical, logical and desirable one. Hopefully, we will get to that place soon.
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I agree with your insights on the nature of collaboration but I think there is one aspect that is often overlooked. Collaboration takes time and many people just don’t have the time to collaborate. In addition to helping organizations identify natural collaborators and those who need to collaborate, Enterprise 2.0 solutions also need ways to involve the time constrained and the non-collaborator.
I know this is possible because (warning shameless plug) our E2.0 application calc{list} does just that. We call it “passive automation” which is a very simple emergent collaborative system. Even the slightest of interactions in calc{list} can contribute significantly to the collaborative efforts of the organization.
Enterprise 2.0 solution providers must find creative ways to involve the time constrained because often their contributions will be of very high value.
Shiv, Reading your post I couldn’t help but recall the most impressive strategic collaboration initiative I’ve enountered, presented at the 2004 Network Roundtable by Mars head of research. And the technology used was not what is traditionally considered a collaboration tool or “Enterprise 2.0″. The case is described pages 32-33 in this Leading Edge Forum document “Extreme Data: Rethinking the ‘I’ in IT”. http://se.country.csc.com/sv/kl/uploads/1715_1.pdf
Essentially the head of research was concerned about ensuring knowledge sharing across researchers and their groups to sustain innovation. Network analysis was used to identify who was and was not connected, and who needed to know whom. An nTag system was programmed and researchers attending an annual conference sent out in teams to make strategic connections.
In his comment Bob Lancaster points to the time pressures that prohibit collaboration. That’s a reality and from what I see of growing computer connectedness and information abundance, one that will become more challenging rather than less. However, I think you can also make the case that on strategically mission critical innovation and projects organizations cannot afford for people not to collaborate.
I’ve heard the Network Roundtable’s Rob Cross (www.thenetworkroundtable.org) on multiple occasions make the point that today’s opportunity and challenge is understanding where expertise is in an organization and facilitating the connections that can create value as Mars did. This 2006 Business Week articles cites other examples of companies strategically using organizational network analysis to facilitate bottom line valuable collaborations. http://tinyurl.com/4q4arh
~ Jenny Ambrozek
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