Silos are good for storing grain … or guided long-range missiles.  They are expensive and valued structures that make sense if your primary concern is food safety or warfare.  But when we build them in our workplace, they are nothing more than a major cost to business.  There are many ways businesses can use their resources to do away with silos in the workplace.  I tried collaboration and found it works pretty well.  What’s more, collaboration turns out to be an excellent way to grow business.  So, that is how we start this edition of recommended reading on all things collaboration; examining how agile collaboration can bust data silos and make business better. 

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

Busting Data Silos With Secure, Agile Collaboration

It’s no secret that data silos are bad for business. When valuable corporate information stays locked within spreadsheets, emails, workgroup file servers and departmental databases, collaboration comes to a standstill. Meanwhile, data deemed too sensitive to risk sharing may not be shared at all.  Today, cross-functional teams are too often relegated to sharing files via whatever means necessary, which includes the thumb drive—an approach that actually increases the risk…READ ON

What’s Your Ideal Workplace?

Based on your own individual personality, the What’s Your Ideal Workplace? infographic from Quill.com examines the best types of office environments to maximize your work performance…READ ON

Why Collaborative Games Are the Future of Brainstorming Techniques (And How to Use Them)

“Bananas!” Alex yells through the arguing voices. Our ragtag team suddenly stops their chatter. “We aren’t getting anywhere,” Alex announces. “We need a game of Monster.” Some of us groan, some jump out of our seats, and we all file out to the expansive deck overlooking the heart of the French Quarter of New Orleans.  The riverboat’s horn lets out a shrill squeal, and the sound of a passing parade drifts into the distance. Our group of “Change Agents” begins shuffling around the deck in a circle, making strange awkward movements and expressive squawking sounds. We look like angry predator birds…READ ON

Opinion: Is autonomy or collaboration better for innovation?

Organisations typically promote the importance of teamwork, and yet they reward individual results. It’s no wonder that employees can end up confused about where their loyalties should lie. The outcome can be an individualistic competitive environment that misses out on the most collaborative potential.  When it comes to innovation, it has been found that the innovative process is actually fuelled by embracing these apparent contradictions. An environment that supports innovation is best be supported by encouraging…READ ON

Business insight into more successful collaboration

Collaboration between univer­sities, business, government and the community is a major plank in contemporary innovation systems thinking. There is an expectation that stronger interactions and relationships will lead to improved productivity, performance and competitiveness at the firm, regional and national levels.  In the recently released report from the Australian Council of Learned Academies, businesses indicated they were keen to work with universities and research organisations, but the arrangements were not always in place to facilitate the development of relationships. One prominent businessman said that it sometimes needed internal mavericks who “aren’t being driven by monthly reporting…READ ON

Top insights on collaboration, sharing and digital productivity

Collaboration has always been a fundamental part of business, but digital technology and the rise of social media have elevated it to a new level. Today we don’t have to be in the same office or team to collaborate — we can participate in multiple teams simultaneously, working across boundaries of time, place and organization.  Trouble is, few of us have learned the skills to do that well, and the organizations we work for are often poorly structured to support these new styles of collaboration. At the same time…READ ON