Wikinomics: Chapter Two Reflections

Chapter Two

What strikes you as interesting and why?

Coase’s Law was interesting to me. The fact that it was written in the 1930’s, but still true today, and in fact may help explain why companies finally have to change again. Companies that continue to perform transactions in house that are cheaper in the marketplace and miss the opportunities the Internet and collaboration provide are not going to make it.

What application do you see between what you’re reading and your experiences? How so?

I don’t see much application. In the departments in which I have worked, I have found a traditional view toward leadership and training. There is still an overarching belief that classroom lecture is the best way to train; quick and you get the right information disseminated. Everything in this chapter goes against this idea. How do you know someone else does not have a better idea or a better way to do something? Is there really one right way? How can you keep the staff engaged without the option for input? How can you keep them engaged in training? How can anyone learn without application and interaction?

What implication do you see for how you and others learn? Why are these worth noting?

The discussion about the Net Generation was interesting, especially the idea that the real problem with education is not the undisciplined students, the teachers, or the standards rather the lack of engaging content. When learners are used to creating their own content, collaborating to get answers, and finding information about anything they are interested in within seconds, it is easy to see how a traditional classroom setting would not offer the engagement needed. The need for application, self-directed learning, interaction, and collaboration is greater than ever. I think this is not only true for schools, but also for corporate learning. It is extremely important for corporations to realize this when designing/developing training

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

I think blogs could be utilized in a number of ways in the corporate training world. Blogs would be a great way to get learners to reflect upon their learning; I don’t think we do enough of that. Others could learn from their peer’s experiences. The facilitator could provide questions or additional learning following a training session in a blog, which provides reinforcement for the training received and an arena for continued feedback and learning.
I still have questions about wiki’s and how they are maintained. I think they could be a valuable tool, but in my work environment the idea that anyone can add comments, correct or not, is a risk most are not willing to take.