This is (again) a great article by Dion Hinchcliffe on the hurdles of collaboration in the Enterprise. Some key statements:
… collaboration often comes behind other urgent improvements to primary business applications …
It’s expected that unsanctioned, so-called ‘shadow IT’ will grow this year by a whopping 20%. These are end-user acquired applications and devices that are used for business purposes despite internal policies and controls against them. …
This has given rise to significant a new trend, now being referred to as BYOC, or ‘Bring-Your-Own-Collaboration‘, and is likely to lead to an unprecedented challenge in IT departments’ controlling their companies’ data and software assets. …
However, because of our modern tech-centric approach, too often collaboration is looked at as an tool-based activity, instead of a human activity. …
… Digital technology today requires a new and very different set of workforce skills, ones that are far more knowledge-centric, network-centric, and openly collaborative. These skills, which are largely almost entirely separate from the technology itself, are required to get the most interesting and exciting outputs from digital teamwork. …
Treat collaboration as a strategic skill, and create a supporting education program for modernizing the workforce. …
Not getting ahead of — and empowering as needed — grassroots adoption of new collaboration tools, neglecting the strategic view of digital collaboration as a new professional skill, and attempting to force one master, final collaboration solution. This will put the CIO and CHRO at risk of losing control over a growing share of collaboration, … Smart leaders will provide active local enablement, with a strong safety net underneath.
via How collaboration ended up in IT, and why it may move – Enterprise Irregulars.
Is it realistic to allow Bring Your Own Collaboration? How much effort is needed to apply “strong safety net underneath”. Honestly. I have my doubts.