When exactly do you stop learning? Is there such a point in time? Most people (or perhaps I hang out with the wrong tribe) would instinctively say that you never stop learning. That’s a kind of conventional wisdom we think we live by. In reality I think it’s more a nice theory than what really happens. Learning is an attitude. It is also an intellectual need. In fact it is many things. Why we learn things varies significantly, but self-interest may be the most obvious reason when it comes to business. The problem with our learning attitude is that we are by and large a society made up of individuals who are not prone to explore, take risks and be more forward thinking. The comfort zone where we are given direction and a carrot works just fine. I can’t see how that will be the situation in say 20 years. Many have already made a point that in future we will all need to be entrepreneurs. That alone is, or at least should be, strong motivation to check our learning attitude and engage more proactively in it. Perhaps that is why, as a student of collaboration, I, relentlessly pursue the idea that curating articles on collaboration will be of some help to those who want to deal with obstacles that prevent them from learning.

..attitudes…

71% of businesses failing on enterprise-grade collaboration

A survey by the Association for Information and Image Management [AIIM] showed that 89 per cent of respondents think that a formal collaboration tool is a vital component of a company’s infrastructure. The lack of a tool of that ilk has meant that workers are using the products such as Dropbox, iCloud and OneDrive to communicate with external partners despite the fact that tools of that nature are banned by most businesses. “As cloud solutions become a part of everyday life, it’s inevitable that employees will begin to use the consumer-grade file-share tools that they recognise to ease business processes if there aren’t suitable alternatives available, even if they aren’t the most effective or secure for business use,” said Piers Linney, co-CEO of Outsourcery. The survey went on to show that 71 per cent of workers think that the organisation for which they work has shortfalls when it comes to technical support for collaboration. Another 40 per cent admitted to feeling strongly that the business poorly supports collaboration and the adoption of consumer level solutions is likely to continue unless development of enterprise-grade solutions is prioritised…READ ON

10 Keys To Making Collaboration Work

You probably already know that you need to be collaborating better. After all, there is no shortage of research, studies, case examples, articles (and more articles) full of reasons why better collaboration is good for business. So I probably don’t need to convince you. Nearly every organization I talk to says that internal collaboration is a priority for them. They’re investing a crazy amount of money in enterprise social platforms and collaboration technologies, for starters. But even culturally, companies simply want to know how they can knock down some of those internal walls and silos and make the most of the knowledge and expertise they have in their organization. The big question, then, is not why but how…READ ON

4 Signs You Need A New Approach To Collaboration

If you’re seeking to improve collaboration and communication across your organization, tools like SharePoint are able to help. But technology alone isn’t going to make a difference. To truly embrace the changes that collaboration tools enable, you need to change how your organization operates and thinks, according to an article on Re/code. The article highlights several pitfalls to avoid if you want to truly transform your workplace and drive cultural changes. “In other words, if you find yourself doing these things, it’s time to reconsider the tools and processes on your team, and try something new,” Steven Sinofsky writes. Here are four signs that, as Sinofsky puts it, “you’re doing it wrong.”…READ ON

Why Your Business Needs To Break Into Emerging Markets

Looking for the next big opportunity to grow your business? It might just be thousands of miles away–but instantly reachable through low-cost digital technology. Globalization has destroyed middle-class jobs in developed economies but it is also creating whole new groups of customers that U.S. businesses can serve. The action is in emerging markets, where millions of people have finally escaped grinding poverty and can now afford what is considered a middle-class lifestyle. But entrepreneurs need to figure out how to capitalize on that opportunity in order for it to create more jobs here…READ ON

The ABCs of Transformational CSR

You’d be hard pressed to find any mid- to large-sized company today that is not paying some mind to its role as a good corporate citizen. We all know it’s the right thing to do and, in this age of transparency, you’re at risk if you ignore it. The Responsible Business Continuum. But there’s a huge divide between those that pay lip service and those that can measure results. We call this the Responsible Business Continuum. On this continuum, the smart ones have figured out how to leverage citizenship for business advantage:…READ ON

Collaboration is about having a common goal

When it comes to sharing (information, facts, pictures, data) there is one single thing that differentiates true collaboration from mere communication and exchange: a common goal. We collaborate when we all have an end in mind and that has to be the same for each and everyone. From there it emerges the power of passing ideas, information around. It is then when we bring the best of us so the whole group can move on. If we don’t have that same goal, what is it that we do? Well, call it building relationships, relating to others, having fun, even gossiping, but it is not collaboration…READ ON

…and now for something completely different…

The slow death of purposeless walking

A number of recent books have lauded the connection between walking – just for its own sake – and thinking. But are people losing their love of the purposeless walk? Walking is a luxury in the West. Very few people, particularly in cities, are obliged to do much of it at all. Cars, bicycles, buses, trams, and trains all beckon. Instead, walking for any distance is usually a planned leisure activity. Or a health aid. Something to help people lose weight. Or keep their fitness. But there’s something else people get from choosing to walk. A place to think. Wordsworth was a walker. His work is inextricably bound up with tramping in the Lake District. Drinking in the stark beauty. Getting lost in his thoughts…READ ON

Sign up (see menu on the left) and join the ROADMENDER conversation