4. Disruptive Collaboration

Computer-based collaboration was a natural consequence of networked computers with collaboration software. Collaboration enables brainstorming and idea generation, as well as policy development, product development, and service delivery. The process of collaboration has gone through multiple iterations with each new wave of technology. Social networks, the most recent wave of technology, have disrupted and radically transformed collaboration including the very definition of collaborators. Facebook and Twitter have become an integral part of our daily lives. However, collaboration for the sake of collaboration is not enough. It must be followed through in terms of actions and decisions. In the June 2013 issue of Inc. magazine, Eric Paley [1] wrote a provocative essay called “A Great Idea is Never Enough.” Paley’s refrain that “The system vastly overvalues great ideas and undervalues execution” is on point for these times. Disruptive collaboration enabled largely by social media has transformed how people socialize, work, and learn. It also influences the economics of what societies create and consume. Changes introduced in the way people collaborate tend to be long-term disruptive trends that change the very fabric of societies. Everything from idea generation to product development, manufacturing, and supply chain integration and management is impacted by disruptive collaboration technology. Disruptive collaboration is redefining the germination of ideas and how organizations approach collaboration to fuel innovation. With today’s advances in social networks and their use in crowdsourcing, the collaborate-innovate-field cycle can now reach out and touch every individual with access to the Internet. This chapter discussed the impact of innovation on collaboration, and the emergence of large-scale disruptive collaboration. It then delves in the key trade-offs that need to be addressed and how to go about addressing them.