There is no doubt that collaboration is a buzzword. Unfortunately though, for some that is all there is to it. But on the flip side, many more will make the best of it. Collaboration as a discipline is still in an early phase of development and is finding its way around the marketplace. Much more rigour is needed in its practice, and research is still far from the standards that disciplines like, say, marketing or human resources have reached. That said, one can always learn thanks to the growing number of articles written by thought leaders, practitioners, business managers and a host of other pundits who are realising that this phenomenon is not going anywhere any time soon. ROADMENDER’s list of recommended reading for this week might be a good starting place.

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

The 5 ways collaborating makes your business smarter

Over the past 50 years, technology has swept through the office, with computers, email, tablets and phones at the forefront. But while the technology underpinning the way we work has changed, sometimes our methods of working haven’t. Many companies remain stuck in old ways of thinking and old workflows, and there’s a sense such companies are living on borrowed time: as a more tech-savvy workforce emerges, they need to change to satisfy their employees’ needs – or risk losing them…READ ON

Has Microsoft just redefined collaboration?

CEO Nadella talks Microsoft’s mobile ambitions, Windows 10 strategy, HoloLens and more

Let’s say you’re an account executive and you have an urgent customer issue you need to resolve. A typical process for this common scenario may involve email messages, the customer support ticket, the customer record (CRM), information about inventory (ERP) and prices, and a few other tools like chat, video conferencing and more. How do you bring all that information together to combine into a single story? How do you share that with the people that need to be involved to resolve the issue? How do you make sure each person…READ ON

Collaborations for Supply Chain Sustainability: What It Takes to Generate Real Impact

At BSR, we believe that truly sustainable supply chains are inclusive, resilient, and transparent. This means that supply chains should be structured and managed to reduce environmental impact and build climate resilience and to ensure that jobs and economic benefits generated by supply chains will support inclusive growth and poverty reduction. To achieve this vision, BSR and others have long engaged in collaborative initiatives to harness the collective insights and lessons of the private sector and their stakeholders. In fact, collaboration in supply chains has become ubiquitous, with a boom of initiatives in the last couple of decades. From 1990-2015, several organizations with missions grounded in private-sector collaboration have been…READ ON

IoT needs collaboration and data sharing, but privacy is still a red flag

Collaboration and data sharing will be vital in ensuring that the Internet of Things (IoT) develops in a way that can deliver real benefits in areas such as smart cities, but this will also create major new privacy and data-sharing concerns. This was the consensus among several high-profile speakers from across industry, government and academia who discussed the rise of the IoT at the HyperCat Summit in London. Kicking off proceedings, Simon Anholt, an independent policy advisor who has worked with governments around the world, explained that, while businesses and governments have been focused on out-competing…READ ON

Collaboration part 3: The future of collaboration

Gazing into a crystal ball and predicting the future is problematic, especially when it comes to technology. Five years ago, the (then) CTO of Cisco, Padmasree Warrior, took up the challenge and made five predictions on the future of collaboration. With the help of the latest IDG survey on UC and collaboration, let’s take a look at how those predictions have unfolded….READ ON

78 years ago, a journalist who studied 500 millionaires isolated a key to success we still preach today

Roger Federer would not have won 17 Grand Slam singles titles without passion.

In 1939, journalist Napoleon Hill published his masterpiece, “Think and Grow Rich,” which would become one of the bestselling books of all time. He drew on interviews with — and extensive research on — over 500 incredibly rich and successful men to uncover and share their strategies, which he outlines in 13 principles. One commonality he found was what we now call “following your passion.” Do what you love, Hill says, or else you will lack the energy to become truly successful…READ ON