Collaboration, growth and the future

It seems the McKinsey trend report that we highlighted in our recent post here has got you talking about the future. One reader of the report pointed me to this slightly older, but nonetheless equally poignant report published by The Economist Intelligence Unit and sponsored by Cisco Systems.

The report available here, titled 'Collaboration: Transforming The Way Business Works' establishes some of the following key points:

• Companies are facing a new imperative to form collaborative relationships.
• Successful collaboration requires a cultural shift which is already well under way
• Companies face challenges in measuring and monitoring the benefits of collaboration
• Despite the promise of technology, there is still dissatisfaction with online collaboration tools

So if, as the report states, the future belongs to those who collaborate then business needs to address not only the method of engagement with their collaborators, be they clients suppliers, customers, experts academics or employees, then a cultural change needs to take place within the business. The most successful example of this shift taking place is perhaps over at IBM under the visionary leader and CEO Sam Palmisano. Collaboration and co-creation requires businesses to open up and be more tactile. The Innovation Jam is a good starting point in terms of a platform for collaboration. Some basic tips for business leaders are be open and honest, sharing and flexible and talk more....

Categories: Co-creation, Collaboration, Crowdsourcing.