The most influential photographers in the history of the medium (almost 200 years) created pictures, iconic pictures in fact, with cameras and technology that were well below the standard of cameras one can buy today. Nowadays, everyone can access cameras that are superior to, for example, that used […]
While not a new idea, competitor collaboration has become one of the central tenets of business strategy. The thinking behind this is twofold; businesses must consider expanding their circle of potential collaborating partners by joining forces with their biggest competitors, and, even if a business remains committed to […]
There is an abundance of excellent advice about the way collaboration can work, both internally and externally, and which can genuinely make a noticeable difference to any enterprise that appreciates the positive impact of collaboration. For the past couple of decades, collaboration has been researched and applied with […]
Unhappy staff leave their employers. The more talented your employee is, the more likely they will migrate to your competition if they are not fully engaged at work. Talent loss is a serious risk to business. Now, there are many strategies that can mitigate that risk. Sometimes they […]
Start any conversation on business collaboration and pretty soon it will generate a common question; can competitors collaborate. My own consultancy is based on a firm conviction rooted in firsthand experience that the answer is affirmative. Going a step further, competitors soon realise their competitive edge gets blunt […]
Dr Britt Andreatta, former Chief Learning Officer for LinkedIn Learning (previously Lynda.com) and consultant to Fortune 500 companies considers collaboration to be an essential skill. In her book Wired To Connect, Dr Andreatta argues that “Collaboration is a vital necessity for the success of today’s organisation and yet […]
Collaboration, like virtually every aspect of business strategy and performance, has elements that are deceptively simple. In the case of everyday collaboration, what often remains completely unobserved is the fact that simple, transactional engagement and information sharing between parties does not lead to the best that collaboration offers […]
A collaborative culture in any enterprise allows for the mediated design of a trusted environment (or at the very least, trust-building environment). Collaboration in any organisation allows for creation of a culture which offers employees the ability to create new meaning which is an essential form of motivation […]
Listen to this article (5 mins) “I think the next century will be the century of complexity.” That was the response Stephen Hawking gave to a journalist at the dawn of this century in January 2000. One fifth of the century in and we have seen plenty of […]
A recent business survey found that businesses which merely manage to survive tend to be stuck in going it alone, while those that are highly collaborative are more likely to see revenue growth. Increasingly, businesses are clear on the role of collaboration as a strategy of growth through […]
[5 minute read] Technology that enables people to work together is essential. And the more intuitively it is designed, the more effective it is. There is seemingly an exponential proliferation of tools that are branded ‘collaboration’ which promise a world of benefits. COVID-19 has also played an additional […]
2018 saw collaboration as a business strategy march towards mainstream practice. The proliferation of new research and material on the subject of collaboration is a clear indication that the value of good collaboration is a major ingredient of a sustainable and resilient business. This latest selection of recommended […]
There used to be time when collaboration was a smart business strategy only for advanced businesses and well-resourced companies that could afford the risks that came with it. Nowadays collaboration as a business strategy is the mainstay of an increasing number of enterprises across all industries. While good […]
Collaboration as a strategic approach to creating value is winning. People are increasingly relying on a collaborative way of working; be it within a business or between businesses across industries. This doesn’t mean that the work of promoting the practice and approach to collaboration should stop though. As […]
Edwin Land, the famous inventor and personal idol of the late Steve Jobs, remarked that ‘politeness is the poison of collaboration’. That is another way of saying that when people collaborate by ‘going along to get along’ they end up missing the whole point of collaboration. That’s not […]
There is no shortage of people who say they want to collaborate. Nor is there any shortage of people professing they know how to do it well. The slight problem is that a lot of collaboration talk is ‘over the counter’ grade quality. Collaboration is a genuine business […]
The growing need for collaboration is expanding the attitude of smart businesses which recognise one simple fact: collaboration is a strategy that can be crafted to work well. Good business solves problems. Complex problems call for collaboration, which invariably adds value to sustainable business. Undertaking collaboration successfully requires […]
The staying power of collaboration as a business strategy is a powerful reminder to business leaders that a truly competitive business can’t really ignore collaboration any more than it can its ICT, Marketing and Comms or HR strategies. Two very commonly observed factors that prevent some from embracing […]
Identifying the right opportunities for collaboration is often the most exciting part as it tends to be an area where everyone has an idea. Creative juices start to flow and excitement swells at the prospect of working on projects we have long dreamt of, and within a short […]
With collaboration now becoming a mainstream business discipline every bit as important as HR, Marketing, ICT, or Finance, there is an unavoidable rise in offerings of tools and aids. While most are predominantly technology based, not all are tech tools. Business is booming but an entirely separate question […]
“Start where you are, use what you have, and do what you can.” Arthur Ashe Research suggests that collaboration is good for business on many levels. Consider these findings by Deloitte: companies that prioritise collaboration are: Five times more likely to experience a considerable increase in employment Twice […]
More collaboration! That seems to be the loud and clear message across the business world in its endeavour to deal with a host of business challenges; from disruption to business slumps. While reports continue to indicate that collaboration can temporarily frustrate people, it should be remembered that collaboration […]
Hands up those who work for an organisation that has a vision statement. Hands up those who think that a company’s vision inspires them to collaborate. No such in-depth research exists but maybe it should; given that the likelihood of better workplace collaboration can be inspired directly by […]
Collaboration is a strategy. So, it only works as it should when it is approached as a strategy. But how we approach strategy is an even larger question. Over the years I have taken part in strategic planning in a range of capacities. Some I led myself, in […]
When people enter into a close working arrangement whereby the outcome of one party depends on the action of another, it is only natural that tension may arise; sometimes even dangerously so. The threat of conflict in itself can be a real turnoff, even for the most enthusiastic […]
