“Collaboration is not a buzzword”. So says Jason Martin (see below) and I could not agree more. Included in this week’s recommended reading list is a piece by Mr Martin who lays out a clear business case for collaboration that start-ups should follow to the letter. Buzzwords can be divisive. And never more so than today with social media platforms making it easy for just about any word to become a buzzword. All too often we use the label ‘buzzword’ purely because we want to reject a concept we don’t understand or in some cases do not like. The same goes with collaboration. It’s no secret that collaboration is a threat to many, thus a laconic and dismissive labelling of collaboration as a buzzword may allay the fears of some. But remember, we often fear what we do not understand. So learning about things can be an effective way to deal with fears. Thus the weekly recommended list of reading by ROADMENDER. Hope you enjoy this edition.

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

How To Create An Environment Of Collaboration

That slacker worker? He or she might be making your other employees less productive, especially if they’re working together on a project. In fact, collaboration can lead to reduced motivation and a loss of productivity if group members don’t contribute equally, according to a recent study published in Translational Issues in Psychological Science. So how do you create a work environment where teamwork works?…READ ON

50 habits that prove you were born to be an entrepreneur

Most aspiring entrepreneurs feel it in their bones – they were born to be an entrepreneur, to the point where nothing else in life could satisfy them. They’re dissatisfied as employees, followers or consumers. They want to create, build and grow their own enterprises, and they’re filled with the passion of their own ingenuity. Here are 50 habits that born-to-be entrepreneurs can’t help but show. How many do you possess?…READ ON

How to Set Up Your Workplace for Successful Collaboration

Back in 1998 my business partner and I designed our first workplace, which our landlord immediately dubbed a ’21st century Dickensian sweatshop.’ We had randomly plunked down desks in our rented WWI munitions factory, and called it an office. As we grew, we installed desks wherever we found empty floors, sometimes in rooms or hallways unconnected to the main studio. Our server room was the furnace room, where the IT manager sat in his underwear setting up Exchange accounts. As we worked, we shouted room to room, and ran back and forth to squat at each other’s desks. Slowly it dawned on us that in order to work well together, the layout of our workspace was really, really important. Thus began my learning curve….READ ON

Collaboration Goes Beyond File Sharing

Yes, Oracle Documents Cloud Service is an enterprise file sync and share (EFSS) solution. Yes, it is in the cloud as you would expect from a modern day EFSS solution. And yes, it is easy and intuitive to use with out-of-the-box mobile accessibility with the added security that you would expect from an Oracle solution. But why do we keep insisting it is more than just an EFSS or file sharing solution? Because beyond just providing cloud storage and 24/7 access and share and sync capabilities…READ ON

ARM, IBM expand IoT collaboration

This fusion will allow data from devices such as industrial appliances, weather sensors and wearable monitoring devices to be gathered, analyzed and acted upon. IBM also announced the first in a series of IBM Cloud-based, industry-specific IoT services with IoT for Electronics. The service will enable electronics manufacturers to gather data from individual sensors that can be combined with other data for real-time analysis…READ ON

Starved Rock Startups hopes to foster collaboration

A small business incubator has opened a collaborative workspace in downtown Ottawa to help small businesses, freelancers, designers and other startups get their business going, or take the next step. The co-working space, which is operated by Starved Rock Startups, is an open environment where entrepreneurs can collaborate while working on projects or operating their businesses…READ ON

Ribose Named Best Cloud Collaboration Platform in 2015 Technology Innovator Awards

Ribose was named Best Cloud Collaboration Platform in the 2015 Technology Innovator Awards hosted by the Corporate Vision Magazine. Ribose joined other winners including AIG, Level 3 Communications and Standard Life in accepting the award for its cloud collaboration platform, which democratizes collaboration technology – previously only affordable to large enterprises and government organizations – by putting world-class security and technology into the hands of all users. Announced on 3 September, the 2015 Technology Innovator Awards highlight the individuals departments and firms who, through their commitment, experience and willingness to explore and take advantages of the opportunities presented, are developing and sharing the technology…READ ON