Online Collaboration in the Workplace

@MarkElliott

Going Social and Collaborating Across

the Boundaries

What is off-line collaboration?

A culture and practice of:• Co-creation (ideas, media, plans, outcomes) • Cooperative processes (proposing,

responding, sharing) • Coordination of knowledge (generating

patterns & efficiency)

What is online collaboration?

The previous slide points, plus:• Scalability of participation, beyond who

can fit in a room • Bridging distance, within and without the

organisation • Increased speed and penetration of

communication

What online collaboration is not?

• A broadcast, one-way channel • “Controllable” (but it is “influence-able”) • A technology problem (if you build it

they will not just come) 

How it differs from ext. social media

• There are walls (and "Chinese walls”) • There are integrated business processes • It challenges but extends established

structures, hierarchies and relationships

How do you build communities & scale collaboration?

• Establish shared vision that guides active contribution to shared plans and outcomes

• Maintain coherence of vision, plan and activities as new participants necessarily introduce dissonance

• Start small and grow organically, staying focused on meaningful interactions and purpose - always host & facilitate

How can it be supported by collaboration technologies?

• Reflect: Develop a "strategy habit" to continuously improve & communicate with clarity

• Experiment: Continuously & iteratively prototype with new and existing tools

• Learn: Capture your learnings explicitly & share them as widely as possible 

Discussion?

www.collabforge.com

twitter.com/MarkElliott