Collaboration is rich ground for keen researchers. It is important that more research into collaboration is conducted as the discipline continues to mature. At the same time, as with all research, one has to be aware that findings are not automatically taken as truth. It is important to note that what first might appear as a critical finding, may later prove to be flawed. Research is a process of discovery. This is where collaboration between the research community and practitioners may prove to be vital link. It is in the interest of all who value collaboration that it be done well and be worth investing in. With that in mind this week’s list of recommended reading focuses on research into collaboration.

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

Study: Collaboration Technology Improves Supply Chain Efficiencies

Research released by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, indicates that more organizations today are investing in B2Bi (business to business electronic integration) to cut costs and increase business flow efficiency. Of those surveyed, 94 percent saw significant improvement in their electronic connectivity capabilities and 68 percent reported that their clients said they were easier to do business with after using cloud-based B2Bi managed services…READ ON

Research Shows Teacher Collaboration Helps Raise Student Achievement

Research suggests that collaboration with colleagues around student instruction is an essential part of every teacher’s job and results in rising student achievement. These are the findings Carrie R. Leana, a professor of organizations and management at the University of Pittsburgh, writes about in the fall 2011 issue of the Stanford Social Innovation Review…READ ON

What It Takes to Collaborate

People work together all the time, yet it’s difficult to make collaboration happen. To better understand collaboration at work, Herman Miller conducted research on four continents. The findings reaffirm that collaboration is dependent on corporate culture, technology, and the facility. Offering a variety of workspaces, providing vertical space for display, and improving wayfinding can all help people collaborate…READ ON

Real Numbers: Does university-industry collaboration adversely affect university research?

With university-industry research ties increasing, it is possible to question whether close involvement with industry is always in the best interests of university research. Because industrial research partners provide funds for academic partners, they have the power to shape academic research agendas. That power might be magnified if industrial money were the only new money available, giving industry…READ ON

Case Studies on Digital Collaboration and Blended/Hybrid Learning

When the Associated Colleges of the South and the National Institute for Technology in Liberal Education issued our joint call for case studies in blended learning in the liberal arts, it was with the conviction that we needed examples. In a time when many liberal arts institutions are grappling with the exciting possibilities—and the many challenges and uncertainties—of online learning, one of the best resources we can offer one another is our stories: detailed accounts of the many ways in which liberal arts faculty and staff are creatively envisioning, implementing…READ ON

Researchers say the ‘success syndrome’ could explain why your best employees are quitting

In the latest issue of The Harvard Business Review, a team of researchers argue that a steady increase in collaborative work is undermining organisations’ performance. Across industries, they say, the most knowledgeable and helpful employees are barraged by requests from coworkers throughout the company until eventually they burn out and quit. It’s a sort of “success syndrome,” the researchers say — the more valuable you are to the company, the more demands get placed on you…READ ON

A Stitch in Time Saves Nine: Leveraging Networks to Reduce the Cost of Turnover

Over the past two decades, workforce mobility has risen significantly and is imposing dramatic but often misunderstood costs on many organizations. According to a 2008 report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 30% of workers stay with an employer less than two years, and more than half depart by the five-year mark. The average employee holds as many as eight jobs between the ages of 22 and 44. Although the recent recession has slowed turnover, historical trends suggest that organizations will see a significant increase in…READ ON