Fast Forward

Survival of the connected. This is the future, according to Wikinomics, as it looks at how mass collaboration through Web-based tools is transforming the nature of creating products and services. From designing software to finding cures for diseases, authors Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams share stories of companies who have embraced the use of collaboration on a massive scale, including the sharing of proprietary information, in an effort to harness the collective genius – the skills, ingenuity and intelligence of participants across organizational boundaries – and are finding new growth and success. Wikipedia, Flickr, YouTube, and the Human Genome Project are promoted as examples of global self-organization leading to innovative outcomes.

Touted as a road map for doing business in the twenty-first century, Wikinomics is based on a $9 million research project led by author Don Tapscott, chief executive of New Paradigm, a think tank and strategy consulting firm. The four principles of the wikinomics path include openness – transparency and access both internally and externally to ideas and resources; peering – horizontal participation instead of top-down control; sharing – allowing greater access to intellectual property, products, bandwidth, and knowledge; and acting globally – engaging and cocreating across physical and geographical boundaries.

While I wouldn’t rush out to buy the book, and advise an adequate supply of caffeine to get through most of the techno language, there is some information that applies to campus ministry. Insights into the Net Generation (N-Gen), the first generation to grow up in the digital age, and their role as active participants in the Web rather than passive receivers of information, and their tendency to scrutinize and validate views and claims, be skeptical of authority and highly value individual rights to privacy and expression of their views should inform our approach to evangelism and discipleship. Interns and staff entering the scene are more likely to value highly collaborative and collegial work environments that allow for fun and flexibility in balancing work and life. (Tapscott’s book Growing Up Digital: The Rise of the Net Generation and its website http://www.growingupdigital.com/ may be worth a look.)

One story that stood out is that of Geek Squad founder, Robert Stephens, who built an elaborate wiki to keep the rapidly growing number of agents informed and to gain insights for improvements and innovations. Puzzled by the lack of participation in the wiki, Stephens realized he had failed to notice ways in which the agents were already collaborating – talking shop, swapping tips, and building rapport through online multi-player video games. As Stephens concluded, first observe – notice how self-organization is already occurring, and then implement – use strategies that people are already engaged in. Why waste time and resources, he concluded, by trying to get people to do something they don’t want to? Are there areas where we think that “if we build it they will come” instead of capitalizing on ways collaboration is already occurring (i.e. Facebook)?

How can, or should, we engage students, staff and the community together in a collaborative process in light of our mission? With clear goals and guidelines, what would it look like to involve more people in developing strategies and tools for ministry? What are the benefits and challenges of expanding the pool of participants? With email becoming a time-consuming tool (according to the book, Fortune 1,000 employees spend four hours a day on their in-box on average), how can we use blogs, wikis or other web tools to increase the efficient use of time? Join in the discussion!

You can find out more about Wikinomics at their interactive website: www.wikinomics.com.

This from Scott Santee as he completes the iPod Evangelism field test:

One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions.