Anyone who rows a boat generally doesn’t have time to rock it. So they say. While the original meaning of the saying does not necessarily reflect on contemporary situations where the market is disrupted on an ongoing basis, thus posing a challenge to the way we work, I can’t help but reinterpret things. So in my mind, the boat being the marketplace and ‘rocking the boat’ being the disruption, I feel this is where collaboration may be an antidote to emerging problems. In this edition of recommended readings there are plenty of good reads for the collaboration minded. For those who may be still thinking about it, I would single out the McKinsey Quarterly article by Ruben Schaubroeck, Felicita Holsztejn Tarczewski, and Rob Theunissen on the impact of cross-functional collaboration. As they point out, collaboration can deliver tangible increases in customer satisfaction for any customer focused business.

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

Making collaboration across functions a reality

Companies have long struggled to break down silos and boost cross-functional collaboration—but the challenge is getting more acute. The speed of market change requires a more rapid adaptation of products and services, while customers increasingly expect an organization to present them with a single face. Even well-established multinationals routinely fail to manage operations end to end. The result: interactions with customers are sluggish; complex, customized products are hard to create on time and on budget; and blocked lines of communication make new sales and distribution channels difficult to navigate…READ ON

Study: Collaboration Technology Key to Driving Teamwork, Not Revenue

Collaboration technology is critical to fostering teamwork among employees, which ultimately can lead to increased revenue, according to new research from Dimension Data. The ITC services and solution provider released the results of the 2016 Connected Enterprise Report on Tuesday, which polled 900 participants in 15 countries. The study concluded that although collaboration technologies rarely improve competitive positioning in regard to revenue increases, they are useful for team building and driving overall employee unity…READ ON

Collaboration is key to city-wide sustainability, says green building council

Collaboration between city councils and the private sector will deliver breakthroughs in city-wide sustainability, says the UK Green Building Council (UK-GBC). The charity and membership organisation also said that increasingly devolved cities and regions are “filling the void left by government policy”. The calls for collaboration followed a two-day summit organised by UK-GBC in partnership with Birmingham City Council, which included workshops attended by business leaders and members. Birmingham City Council and UK-GBC said they worked together to identify three topics that need to be tackled…READ ON

Opinion: Science: a model for collaboration?

Today, science, technology and innovation are among the most powerful forces driving social change and development. However, what is the actual role that a fundamental science laboratory like CERN can have when it comes to designing creative strategies to strengthen public goods in society? With a view to contribute to the realisation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was approved in September by the United Nations Member States, the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) hosted a one-day symposium organised in collaboration with…READ ON

Tackling youth unemployment in Kenya through public-private collaboration

80% of unemployed Kenyans are below 35 years old. Leaders from business, education and government must step up to address this. To tackle Kenya’s high youth unemployment, the private sector, academia and government must work together to develop innovative business models, industry-relevant curricula and enabling national policies. This was the key message from Building Future Markets, a day-long event that brought together leaders from business, education and government to explore the private sector’s successes, challenges and potential to address Kenya’s youth unemployment. The event was organised by UNDP, the Business Call to Action (BCtA), the Kenya Private Sector Alliance and the UN Global Compact Network…READ ON

Collaborate: An Imperative for Graduate Students

Graduate students need to seek out opportunities for collaboration at every stage of their graduate career. Experience working as part of a team is valuable for Ph.D. students preparing for a rapidly evolving academic job market, and it is indispensable for those pursuing careers beyond academe…READ ON