The magic powers of collaboration (where 1+1 makes 3!)

A spotlight on the work of Clay Shirky, for whom collaboration underpins innovation.

How can collaboration become the engine of change? It’s a question that preoccupies us a great deal at Morning, because every day we set ourselves the goal of sparking encounters and fostering new forms of collaboration between “our” members.This same question preoccupies Clay Shirky, a specialist in the web and digital transformation. In recent years, Clay has focused his research on understanding the effects of technology on society. Throughout his work, he has taken a particular interest in collaboration as a decisive factor in innovation.

Cognitive surplus: when the whole is greater than the sum of its parts

Clay Shirky’s research draws on the rise of new interactive media, which allow anyone to move from the passive consumption of content to production and distribution of their own. Even though we still love consuming media as much as we did in the 20th century, we are now also inclined to create and share.The resulting idea of “cognitive surplus” captures this spare capacity of the population to volunteer, to contribute and to collaborate on major projects, sometimes even global ones. Two factors are therefore essential to this new kind of production: the free time of talented people and their digital tools.

2007, during the presidential elections in Kenya.

Clay Shirky illustrates his point with a story that begins in Kenya, in December 2007. Following the deeply contested results of the presidential election, ethnic violence broke out across the country. Ory Okolloh – a Nairobi lawyer in search of information – asked the readers of her blog Kenyan Pundit to share information about the unfolding situation. Very quickly, Okolloh found herself overwhelmed by the flood of comments. Two “developer” readers of her blog offered to help by designing an interface capable of gathering and aggregating all the accounts before displaying them on a map. In 72 hours, the Ushahidi site was born. The word means witness or testimony in Swahili. Given the success of this new interface, its creators would go on to turn it into free, open-source software and a platform.

This story is a fine example of cognitive surplus. Thanks to digital tools, collective output is greater than the sum of individual contributions. According to Clay Shirky, we now live in a world where unexpected encounters are encouraged for two reasons: the first is the scale on which our communication network operates, and the second rests on everyone’s ability to take part in public debate. As a result, we are now more exposed to the serendipity of these virtuous connections. We are all more visible and ever better placed to join the dots, to help one another and to forge relationships.Every collaborative project is potentially a Wikipedia. Social media even let us go further, giving everyone the chance to share their most fleeting creations (just think of memes, for instance). Today we are all equal in our ability to consume, produce and share all at once. Shirky points out that these three activities are fundamental elements that the media are unable to deliver in a balanced way.

The collaborative model: valuing skills rather than assigned roles

“Read the crowd”, says the Ushahidi slogan. Isn’t that the very spirit of collective power? Reading what each person can offer and bringing together the ideas of that crowd for the common good. This idea follows a logic of placing greater value on everyone’s skills, so that they can be paired, combined, and so that the overall result is more positive than isolated initiatives.Cognitive surplus gives rise to a particular form of organisation that can extend into the professional world, beyond social media. Clay Shirky shows that the structure of companies is increasingly moving towards open networks of contribution, in which small contributors play an important role. He contrasts an institutional model with a collaborative one; hierarchical, dogmatic structures with flexible, dynamic relationships; tightly controlled information with the constant sharing of content. While most organisations still follow a traditional system, some more flexible structures are challenging this classic model, which always places a single decision-maker at the top to make decisions on behalf of the whole group.

The case of Zappos: collaboration in action

Among these more flexible companies is Zappos. The company has transformed its 150 departments into 500 circles that can be activated according to specific needs, project by project. Leadership is distributed across roles rather than individuals, and responsibilities shift continually. As a project progresses,  teams create and define new roles.

Zappos has introduced a badge system that lets employees easily showcase their skills. These badges are awarded by employees who are already recognised in the relevant areas. For example, an “Apprentice Writer” badge  marks out someone with limited permissions to answer customer emails, while a “GlassFrog Genius” badge marks out the expert on the company’s in-house software.Employees are called upon on the basis of skills certified by badges, rather than on the basis of their roles. A fine example of collective organisation and contribution built around everyone’s skills. Ultimately, collaboration today is more than a reality: it is a powerful tool that fosters creativity, well-being at work and career growth. Collaboration changes everything!