Good business is always made better when it solves problems. The story of a business that is relevant is more compelling when its product or a service is something that at first can seem trivial. As the world changes, and it changes with more disruption and unknowns than it did only a couple of decades ago, then it makes sense for any business to think outside its usual ‘what can we do?’ and move towards ‘with whom can we do it?’ That’s the essential question any serious business has to analyse before it gets into anything that even remotely resembles collaboration. The good news is that the tide has turned and collaboration in a variety of forms is on the increase. Now not a single day goes by without regular announcements by various businesses unveiling new collaborations. It’s almost as though not collaborating is like being stuck in the Stone Age. The intensity of attention given to collaboration should come as no surprise given that the challenges businesses have to solve are increasingly becoming simply too complex in isolation.. This week’s selection may offer some insights into the shape of things to come.

Sincere thanks to those who have suggested articles for this edition of Roadmender Recommends.

Beyond Business Collaboration: How Educational Institutions Use the Cloud

The cloud has already demonstrated its impact on different industries and is now set to take over the education sector. Over the last few years, educational institutions worldwide have started turning to cloud technologies. A trend that only became more striking in 2013 and 2014. In 2012, surveys revealed that only 6% of the institutions were using the cloud in the past two years. Today, we see a great number of schools and colleges using servers or applications provided by Microsoft, Google or Amazon…READ ON

Joint ventures on the rise

Joint ventures and M&A are both poised to grow in the coming years, as interest in corporate partnerships grows. In fact, 68 percent of respondents to McKinsey’s newest survey on the subject expect their companies’ joint-venture activity to increase over the next five years, and 59 percent expect an increase in M&A…READ ON

Report highlights need for public safety collaboration between city, Pittsburgh Public Schools

Following a year of work, on Thursday Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto unveiled policy recommendations established by the city’s Education Task Force aimed at strengthening collaboration between the city and Pittsburgh Public Schools. At a press conference to announce the task force’s report, Peduto said Pittsburgh police will patrol school areas much the way they currently patrol the city’s business districts…READ ON

Managing a Remote Team Through Online Collaborative Tools

The fact that several people will be working together leads to some problems, such as lack of cooperation, failure to understand instructions, and the possibility of duplicate work. The situation may become increasingly problematic if the members of the team are working at remote locations. In fact many teams are dispersed in different locations, or even countries in real life…READ ON

Statewide ‘Farm to Plate’ collaboration creating jobs, boosting economy, and making more local food available

The local food movement has been capturing media attention all across the country. Vermont, in many ways, is serving as the pace setter for focused, coordinated activity that is driving job and food business creation, economic output, and finding creative ways for all Vermonters to participate in this renaissance of ‘relocalized’ food. “In 2009, when the Vermont Legislature set the Farm to Plate Initiative in motion, no one really knew what might come of it. As the Chair of the House Agriculture and Forestry Committee, I could not be more pleased,” said Carolyn Partridge, a state representative from Windham County. “We’ve seen incredible jobs creation, we’ve seen young people starting new farms, and we’re finding all sorts of creative ways to get fresh, local food onto the dinner table of Vermonters.”…READ ON

Why leaders should change the way they think about stress

I’ve seen many business leaders and team members succumb to the pressures of stress as they try relentlessly to achieve their targets. They push to the limits and then crack. That doesn’t do anyone any good, but it doesn’t need to be that way. Placing your teams under intense stress won’t magically result in high performance, and it could have negative impacts. However, getting things done to a tight deadline is often necessary, so it’s about getting the balance right. What is interesting is that well-managed stress can actually increase the performance of those it affects, enabling high performing teams to better achieve their targets. As a leader, it’s about knowing how to best create this balance…READ ON

Industry collaboration takes Women in Tech to the next level

One year ago, MTGx, Google and Spotify hosted the very first Women in Tech event. The event was a great success! Prior to International Women Day 2015, the founding companies, MTGx, Google and Spotify takes the movement to the next level by bringing onboard TeliaSonera, Tele2, Bonnier and Schibsted. The Women in Tech event is created in order to inspire talented women to consider a future in media and technology by providing the network and experience of successful women/men from the corporate and entrepreneurial worlds. This year, MTGx, Google, Spotify, TeliaSonera, Tele2, Bonnier and Schibsted opens the door at Musikaliska in Stockholm on Friday March 6th with exclusive speakers, interviews and panel discussions on stage, lead by moderator professionals Ola Ahlvarsson and Ulrika Fjällborg…READ ON

…and now for something completely different…

My Own Life: Sacks on Learning He Has Terminal Cancer

Art by Hanna Barczyk

A month ago, I felt that I was in good health, even robust health. At 81, I still swim a mile a day. But my luck has run out — a few weeks ago I learned that I have multiple metastases in the liver. Nine years ago it was discovered that I had a rare tumor of the eye, an ocular melanoma. Although the radiation and lasering to remove the tumor ultimately left me blind in that eye, only in very rare cases do such tumors metastasize…READ ON