Is Enterprise Collaboration Getting Easier?

 

Situation: You think it might be time to  focus on collaboration again.

In a few weeks I'll be attending the Gartner Portals, Content, and Collaboration Summit - which is an obvious thing to do for someone in my position.  This year, fellow collaborator, I think it's something you should consider doing as well.  I think we have arrived at a unique point in time where collaboration needs not be something you force people to do.  It's just something you set the stage for and nurture over time.  The forces I see making this a good time to focus on collaboration are:

Niche Communities
Every time I attend these things, I'm struck by how useful the event is to people who are responsible for enterprise collaboration - especially those who deal with niche communities.  Presenters used to point out modest internal successes and relate them to far more successful consumer-based ones.  These days, when we talk about collaboration, I hear more about internal successes that create immediate value far beyond what's happening more broadly online. These efforts are often more effective because they address smaller, more tightly focused, and interconnected communities.  Tight knit communities are motivated by shared needs that people on the outside simply don't share.  I know that tools matter, but to be honest they often feel as inconsequential as the brand of golf club you use.  It's mostly about the people and how much sharing between them "matters".  The more people share in common, the more they can help each other and the more they care.

It's not "weird and wasteful" anymore
People's willingness to share has changed a lot based a larger cultural shift. Society is just more attuned to social networking in general - more open to online interaction.  Ten (or maybe even just a few) years ago, it was near impossible to get people to participate in knowledge sharing of any sort online because they just didn't understand it.  Now so many people provide their "friends" with highlight reels of their lives through facebook, that it's just second nature to share.

People are seeing the value of it - personally
In Stephen Covey's book "The Speed of Trust", he talks about the importance of Social Trust and what he calls "The Principal of Contribution".  It's sort of an extension of "you get from life what you put into it."   Essentially, there is an increasing need for individuals to display their contribution to society online.  Here on gantthead, I talk about your profile being an central hub for your Project Management "body of work".  Facebook gives you a place to "let people know what you are up to" and Linkedin is pretty much a place for people to see what you've accomplished.  Again, it's all about the "personal show", not so much about the details of each transaction.

One of Gartner's Keynote speakers Clay Chirky wrote a book entitled, "Here Comes Everybody".  In this book, he explores how the content "balance of power" has changed over the years to where users are more in control. More recently, he wrote "Cognitive Surplus," where he reveals how new technology is changing us from consumers to collaborators, increasing creativity in many ways.

So I guess my point is that we're getting to the point where techniques, and perhaps where we are in our socio-technical evolution matters more than tools.  Attending conferences like the Gartner event can help you understand what's working.

Do you think it's gotten any easier to get people within your enterprise to collaborate online?  What's working well for you?

Note: If you would like to join me at the Gartner Conference, they are a sponsor of ours and will give you $300 off, if you use the promotion code "GANTT".