Through all of my experiences as an artist I am still in awe of the collective intelligence of collaboration and the unexpected results it can bring. Working collaboratively is a standard artistic practice and artists have a deep wealth of knowledge in this field, navigating project deadlines while remaining open to the potential, risk and inspiration that collaboration can bring. As companies seek creative innovation (and profits), this knowledge can be applied to innovate and creatively solve problems not only in product and marketing, but also in traditional business departments such as finance and operations. The growing conversation around the future of work techniques such as developing an organisation’s internal collective intelligence and collaborative practices to include the input of customers, suppliers and even competitors are now vital to remain competitive.
One strategy towards nurturing a collaborative culture is the creation of collaborative work environments. Beyond assisting adoption of new work practices, as the new environment is a constant reminder of the culture change, collaborative environments also have unique and measurable benefits for organisational problems such as crippling communication overheads, managing large-scale collaboration and staff ownership of tasks and workflows.
In an early stage of developing his PhD, ‘Stigmergic Collaboration: A Theoretical Framework for Mass Collaboration’, Mark Elliot founder of collabforge, poses the question: “Could a collective creative process become a medium in its own right, subject to the design interests of a ‘composer’?”[1] From his wealth of knowledge in artistic collaboration, Elliot develops this exploration into the mechanics of the collaborative process and how it scales. As opposed to the traditional form of collaboration (that we have all experienced) which involves social negotiation to reach consensus, the core concept explored is stigmergic collaboration. That is, the “indirect communication between agents which is coordinated through interactions with their local environment”[2]; originally observed in termite mounds among other swarm phenomena as the method of collaboration. Continue reading
, where Alice exasperatedly states that “one can’t believe impossible things”, to which the Queen replies “I dare say you haven’t had much practice” (see full quote below). It is a quote that has followed me around for quite a few years now and sums up my practice of innovation and the process of developing that initial vision, these “impossible things”.
, “language pulls us toward the current paradigm by forces that are as strong as they are unconscious”.
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Talking about listening – innovations in true dialogue
Still holding onto my childhood change-the-world spirit, I am fascinated by the role of conversation in developing innovation. A separate yet complimentary practice from invention, Peter Denning and Robert Dunham define innovation in The Innovator’s Way
as “the art of getting people to adopt change”. This change can be social and personal (values, practices or the adoption of a new technology), organisational or institutional.
Successful innovators have the ability to sense opportunities for innovation, create a vision, offer that vision to a community, then refine the offer, and suggest paths to adoption. By offering possibilities in conversations and listening to responses, an innovator can navigate their vision to a sustained practice (that is, the change the world bit!)
We’re all aware of the basic construct of conversation as a two way street based on talking and listening. Everyone has their own path to finding a balance between these two main dimensions of conversation. For me it was learning the art of listening. I was one of those smart-arse kids who always had something to say, so much so that in my early twenties I developed chronic Laringitis. I was sent to a throat specialist and diagnosed with polyps on my vocal chords. Instead of surgery I was assigned a speech therapist. Continue reading →