Virtual Collaboration – dispatches from the front line

Bioteam's Guest Article by Charlie Bess

As a facilitator I do a lot of work with groups of small businesses who say they are interested in "collaborating as a network" (whatever that means). The conventional approach to working with such a group is to first build some trust, exchange company information and then start exploring collaboration possibilities. The problem is that this approach does not really work!

Evolutionary science has many lessons for our online communities

David Bollier offers a very interesting overview perspective of a workshop co-sponsored by the Berkman Centre and The Gruter Institute.The workshop, involving lawyers, biologists, social scientists, technologists and policy experts, focussed on what evolutionary science and "commons scholarship" can teach us about the social architecture of co-operative on-line communities ('on-line commons').

If you want to innovate you must first learn to collaborate

A couple of years ago I co-authored a major report for Forfas (the Irish national policy advisory board for enterprise, trade, science, technology and innovation) on Innovation Networks under the overall editorship of Tom Martin.

Can a mobile phone really double as a complete virtual office?

In a previous article, The virtual road warrior software checklist, I described how, with a little bit of preparation and a well-chosen web-based application (such as backpackit.com), you can stay connected and if you wish operate almost business as usual whilst on the road.

The real agenda in boring meetings: football, food and underwear

The UK guardian, Saturday September 24 reports that business meetings in the UK have become so boring that most participants totally mentally check out. However apparently this has an "up-side" as it stimulates the participants creative thinking – a bit like being in the shower or out on a long walk!

HOW LIVING CREATURES DO BUSINESS

Humans and other animals share a heritage of economic tendencies - including cooperation, repayment of favours and resentment at being short-changed. By Frans B. M. de Waal, Scientific American, April 2005 issue

or you don’t benefit from the know-how you don’t use

I do a bit of flying and Ray's excellent cautionary tale, which follows here, reminds me of the 3 most useless things in aviation:

1. Runway behind you


2. Sky above you (nobody ever crashed into the sky!)


3. Fuel back at the airport

Bioteams Guest Article by Ray Symmes

The Bumblebee's favourite team development techniques

People are always asking me about good (proven) techniques for developing and supporting teams, networks and communities.So I have put together an introduction to my favourite fifteen techniques for teams with a short description of each.

I came across an interesting paper, Management and Virtual Decentralised Networks: The Linux Project, published in First Monday in October 2001 by George Dafermos as part of his Masters Programme in Management at Durham Business School in the UK.