Researching for this week’s edition of recommended reading I found quite a few articles covering different industries where the thrust of the report was the conviction that collaboration is the key to either solving some major challenges, like in the case of the aviation industry and safety in light of the missing Malaysian plane. Hardly a new angle for collaboration, but very encouraging to see that a hot topic is actually not overheating but genuinely being better understood. In this selection of articles the diversity of areas and angles where collaboration is a major or critical factor once again is a reflection on the deep reach collaborative practice is able to achieve. In particular I point to the article on the future of global business operations; in my view a great insight into, among other areas, the way collaboration will feature.

Art of collaboration: when creatives, coders and councils join forces

In many major cities in the US and Europe artists are involved in social change projects. At the same time, other volunteers offer coding or data-crunching skills to civic initiatives, working with city officials, charities and advocacy groups. These people operate in silos, largely unaware of other groups working on similar projects. My goal is to start a conversation between deeply engaged creative workers – whether they be coders, designers, data analysts, visual artists, theatre performers, musicians, or other innovators – to prompt more effective and lasting collaborations…READ ON

“Collaboration takes place when people come together in a team effort to share and achieve a common goal.” – Arielle de la Loyère
Source: http://mainnovationmanagement.co.uk/2013/06/01/innovenviro-online-collaboration/

Knowable: Collaboration for Hardware Engineers

How can people come together to make a hardware product? That’s the question Simon Höher and his co-founders are setting out to answer with their new online platform, Knowable.org. Knowable is a website that, at first glance, looks like many other project sharing websites. You can post your project, something you’ve made, and others can find projects, learn about them, comment and share. So I spoke with Simon to find out their vision for Knowable, what they’re setting out to build, and how they think hardware makers can work better together…READ ON

Collaboration could fuel rise of the independent retailer

Independent retailers have it tough with competition from chain stores, the rise of e-commerce, and reduced consumer spending power. But with a little help from friends, they can do more than simply get by. Tim Lewis believes small retailers are an important part of society and says it’s important to see them thrive. He says they can do so through collaboration with others…READ ON

How to Build a Culture of Innovation Pt. 2: The 12 Pillars of Innovation

In part one of this series on how to build a culture of innovation, I focused on the challenges organizations face as they inevitably face disruption from direct and emergent competitors. But it’s not just external competition, it’s also internal forces that prevent companies from unlocking creativity to compete. As Viktor E. Frankl once said, “It isn’t the past which holds us back, it’s the future; and how we undermine it, today.” Why do we need to change? We’re profitable today! Change is for everyone else right? Wrong…READ ON

Collaborating Is a Waste of Time If It Falls Into These 4 Traps

Collaboration is a hot topic these days. With the rise of distributed workforces, the pressing need to get the most out of limited resources and the potential opportunities that mobile, social and cloud technologies bring to bear, companies spend a lot of time promoting collaboration as a way to be more efficient…READ ON

The future of global business operations

Global business process operations will be asked to play an increasingly important role in the future of corporate competitiveness – and not be confined solely to supplying a cost-effective foundation. Global operations will need to support the quest for new markets, emerging or local, and adjust to an ever-changing marketplace and evolving regulatory requirements. The transformation will require operations to pay close attention to three trends related to talent, technology, and process management…READ ON

…and now for something completely different…

10 Surprising Ways to Transform Your Creative Thinking

We’ve written about creativity a few times on the Buffer blog, but it’s hard to keep track of everything we learn about it. One day I’m adjusting the temperature in my workspace, and the next I’m trying to put off creative work until I’m tired. If you’re in the same boat, and you find it’s difficult to remember what will improve your creativity and when you should do your most creative work, hopefully this list will help you get it all straight…READ ON

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