Wikinomics: Chapter Four Reflections

Chapter Four

What strikes you as interesting and why?

Assume the best people reside outside your doors. This is not a traditional thought. Most companies promote internally and externally the fact they have the best and the brightest. But, when looking at the entire world as your resource, it is easy to see how there may be better people out there. Comparing the world’s ideas to those from the 5000 employees that work within the confines of a company could lead you to believe the best people are outside the company. I had never thought about that comparison before or the opportunities available with mass collaboration.

How might you use these technologies in your workplace? Advantages? Disadvantages? Challenges? Benefits? Why?

The concept of ideagoras could be used in my workplace on a smaller scale even if the organization is not willing to search for solutions outside the company. The organization has about 10,000 employees, but it is divided into divisions and departments that often know little about how the other areas are run. I think the organization would benefit from tapping into resources across business units and departments. If there was a board to post questions/problems to tap into other leaders, IT areas, or training and development employees to see what solutions are out there, I think we could all learn something and be better for it. I am sure we repeat mistakes across business units due to a lack of collaboration or willingness to ask for help outside our own business units.

Other thoughts

Solutions in search of questions and questions in search of ideas: what a great concept. Of course a retired scientist should be paired up with an R&D department looking for answers. How great is it that this retired scientists can solve problems and provide unique solutions big R&D departments had not considered. This is a brilliant idea to connect those in search of help with those that have the answers. I do, however, see how the balance of these external resources and internal resources will become an increasingly difficult task. Along with the mindset change needed for the big companies to open their R&D vaults: their safety nets.