There’s a serious battle going on. Not something you’re likely to hear about on the evening news but for the business strategy observers not that hard to spot either. It’s the battle between old and new ways of thinking whereby collaboration and competition actually are now more dependent on each other than ever before. Old thinking, based on the idea that collaboration and competition are mutually exclusive, is no more. For some it’s a no-brainer; competition benefits from collaboration and collaboration is at its best when it embraces competition. With that in mind here is the latest edition of recommended reading on all things collaboration.

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

Collaboration vs. Competition

In the wake of the Super Bowl, an annual ritual celebrating athletic prowess, I’ve been reflecting on the role of competition in our colleges and universities. While we can all revel in the glitz and glory of the Big Game, competition also has its limits as a model for education. When we accept a winner-takes-all mentality as a model for higher education, we ignore the important fact that it is not a zero-sum game. Many institutions of higher education are inspired by this model of athletic competition at the intercollegiate level, and are also driven by its dictates off the field…READ ON

Google and Apple, once enemies, unite thanks to the FBI

The fault lines dividing Silicon Valley’s two most powerful technology companies shifted this week, however briefly, as Google was compelled to stand behind longtime rival Apple in its very public fight against the FBI. A federal court judge ordered Apple this week to help the FBI unlock an iPhone 5c belonging to one of the gunman behind the mass shooting in San Bernardino, California last year, in the hopes of uncovering any information, however unlikely, that could help with the ongoing investigation…READ ON

Uber and AirBnB call on EU to support ‘collaborative economy’

AirBnB, Uber, TaskRabbit and 47 other “collaborative economy” companies have penned an open letter calling on the European Union to prevent member states from clamping down on their businesses. Writing on behalf of the “European Collaborative Economy Industry”, more widely known as the “gig economy” or “sharing economy”, the signatories call for EU member states to “continue to seek to ensure that local and national laws do not unnecessarily limit the development of the collaborative economy to the detriment of Europeans”…READ ON

Why Atlassian’s Confluence is better than Google Docs for team collaboration

I’ve been advocating internally at work to move all conversational documents to Confluence instead of the Google Docs we’ve known and loved for years now. By “conversational documents,” I’m referring to product specs, project plans, brainstorming docs, or any other written thing where you are planning to solicit feedback in the form of comments…READ ON

How Data Collaboration Can Help Develop Your Customer Story

The average consumer consumes 100,000 words per day online. Of this group, 92% said they want brands to tell a story. The customer story is not the story of how a customer saw your product and then decided to buy it. This is the story of your brand that customers read and then decide whether they want to buy your product or not. Developing this story is always a tricky process. But data collaboration can help you do it. This guide is going to show you what it’s all about…READ ON

Familiarity Breeds Collaboration

The better you know someone, the less of a problem this is because there’s a level of trust, knowledge and understanding underlying every interaction. A strong baseline of in-person encounters, maintained through highly interactive communications, is key to promoting effective collaboration in any environment…READ ON