Collaboration versus self sufficiency: an enlightening parable
Stumble It!
In this classic parable of cooperation I, Pencil by Leonard E. Read (1898 - 1983). the author shows that such views of individual independence don't bear close scrutiny.
Read shows that even something as simple as a humble lead pencil requires massive collaboration beyond our wildest imagination and could never be created by one person no matter how clever or powerful they were.
If the humble pencil requires this level of collaboration then how much more is required to create anything of real complexity or meaning?
Nothıng ın your room today was made by one person alone
"I am a lead pencil -- the ordinary wooden pencil familiar to all boys and girls and adults who can read and write. Simple? Yet, not a single person on the face of this earth knows how to make me. This sounds fantastic, doesn't it....?"
About Ken Thompson
Ken Thompson delivers keynote conference speeches, workshop facilitation and in-house consultancy in four key business areas:- Creating High Performing Teams in enterprises including Virtual and Mobile Teams (based on the Bioteams Book)
- Establishing effective Collaborative Business Networks enabling companies to co-operate effectively in areas such as sales and product development (based on the book - The Networked Enterprise)
- How to use the latest social media technologies including blogging and online communities to promote enterprises, brand, organisation or event
- Development of graphical on-line interactive Business Dashboards and What-if Simulators for organisations to support Performance Improvement, Strategy Development and Executive Team Development.
Tags: Collaboration
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Bioteams Books Reviews
Complex adaptive systems and virtual team collaboration
Leading complexity thinkers apply biological principles to enterprises: The Biology of Business is a set of essays by ten researchers and practitioners in Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS).
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