Recent reads -- Wikinomics

Wikinomics
Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams

I'm a big fan of the concept and the book is basically an overview of how this works. If you're already sold on the idea, then I am not sure how much this book will help you.

While I am 100 percent convinced collaboration will work in some sectors (high tech for sure) I am less convinced about other sectors. And the book did not convince me that this will be a global phenomenon.

Two reasons:

1. There are some functions or sectors where sharing information is not in the best interest of the participants. Sales and recruiting come to mind right away.
2. Assuming you work in a sector where sharing information is OK, I still think we have a long way to go before people act this way. I agree it's the way to go, but people by nature are secretive and learn at an early age not to share (despite what our parents told us.)

It's also not clear to me how incentives will keep up. There are countless projects mentioned in the book where people go to huge lengths to collaborate. The response to Katrina is awe-inspiring. But in the normal course of business, people want compensation for their ideas. So any system that involves collaboration is going to have to have an equally innovative way to compensate people.

Update: I saw Don speak this week in Atlanta. Very compelling and interesting. Brings to life much of what is in his book. I am still skeptical about this idea working in every sector. (He used the example of the Boeing 787 being a collaborative effort, the same day Boeing announced a six-month delay in delivery due to issues with suppliers.) I also mentioned to Don the thought about compensation. My sense is that his examples, where people help others for only a fraction of the total benefit, will be exceptions. In the future the playing field will even out a bit. He agreed. Don also painted an interesting picture of why companies used to be closed -- transaction costs. Before the proliferation of information it was hard to find experts. Now it's easier to find them all over the world. There's less incentive to keep them on your payroll.