Is it too late to add another New Year’s resolution?  I reckon it’s not.  So my pledge is to increase the rate of collaboration.  It will definitely pay off in the long run, even though it can be a bit demanding in the short term.  For those who might like to do the same, here is the latest list of recommended reading on all things collaboration.  Check out the article on new apps that make collaboration easy. 

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

Strengthening Collaboration Through Encouraging Dissent

The first time I heard that groups thrive on dissent, I didn’t like the idea. It came up in conversations with Tom Atlee of the Co-Intelligence Institute, back in the mid-1990s. Tom was clear, based on his experience in activist movements and especially on a cross-country peace march, that dissent is essential for groups to function intelligently. So much so that if a group had too little dissent, he advocated for actively cultivating it to keep the group fresh and creative…READ ON

5 Apps To Help Employees Collaborate And Get More Done

With nearly 40 percent of U.S. workers telecommuting an average of two days a month, according to a 2015 Gallup poll, there’s never been a stronger need for mobile apps that can help employees collaborate from anywhere, on any device. Over 80 percent of employees think positively about a future where they can work from anywhere in the world, according to the ADP Research Institute. The right tools can streamline workflow and processes and improve both…READ ON

Why B2B Companies Struggle with Collaborative Innovation

Collaborative innovation is a hot topic in the B2C space, where it overlaps with crowdsourcing, but we see B2B players taking an interest as well. Of course, the two contexts are very different: Companies usually engage with few customers at a time, not a large online community; they use traditional face-to-face interactions, rather than a technology platform; and their choice of partners is driven by specific business goals, rather than by engagement and passion for a brand or product category…READ ON

Technology is making collaboration easier than ever

‘Don’t sweat the small stuff” is not exactly a management theory but it has become one of those modern proverbs that guides how business leaders think they should behave. Chief executives boast about their ability to “see the big picture” or take “the 35,000ft view”, while delegating lower priority tasks to their minions…READ ON

Taking Note: Lessons in Collaboration & Creativity from Thomas Edison

This post is part of our ongoing series, “Taking Note,” outlining the storied history and styles of note-taking. Throughout the coming weeks, we’ll explore how the practice of taking notes can improve your creativity and all the work you set out to accomplish…READ ON

Is the meaning of work about to change?

Our world is facing a crisis cubed: jobs are disappearing faster than they are being created; companies are struggling to attract people with the right skills; and people rightly worry how new technology will threaten their livelihood. These global challenges affect developing countries as much as highly industrialized economies. I have heard plenty of suggestions from all corners that this crisis can be solved by “creating more jobs”. It’s increasingly clear to me that creating more jobs is not enough, nor is it the real solution. This solution is based on a big misunderstanding. To tackle this crisis cubed, we need to focus on not just jobs but on people earning incomes. This requires us to develop a new model of work…READ ON

Take Social Collaboration To Next Level

Going it alone doesn’t work anymore, for companies or for individuals. With technology changing almost daily and increasing pressure to perform, success — for the individual or the organization — will depend upon the ability to amplify learning and accelerate performance improvement within large, diverse ecosystems…READ ON