2010 has been quite a year for all of us focused on this whatever-you-call-it-esque (E2/socbiz) shift to a more collaborative and open enterprise. The leaps are higher, and the steps forward are those of pretty tall folk. I finally got to see the McKinsey survey coverage yesterday, and what I see there is amazing. I remember sitting in the front row in Boston in 2007 listening to Andy McAfee implore the audience to collect a cache of case studies. We desperately needed more than a handful of success stories to point to. Though it’s easy to miss in our revolving door bubble of debate, we’re making steady progress. As the potential of collaboration becomes the new black, it’s hard to find an organization that isn’t at least looking to better understand their options. It feels like we’ve finally put aside the evolution/revolution and ROI debates and are focusing on the realities of defining our collaborative worlds. A simple scan of the vendor horizon shows relevant leaps in ubiquity, usability and rapid customization in this year alone. Hearing the McKinsey story point to definitive revenue increases shores up my optimistic perception. We’ve come a long way. 

This year specifically I’ve seen our internal work mature and be firmly woven into the fabric of our organization. It’s been challenging for all of us. Growth usually is. We, like many other organizations who’ve joined us in the past couple of years, are doing the hardest part of the work in self-analysis, integration and action toward the promise of collaboration. I’m not at liberty to publish public detail about Hello, but I can say that its evolution has, and continues to be, amazing to observe. In all of my snark on Twitter, never for a moment think that I don’t know how very lucky I am.

Outside of my work I’m fortunate to be connected to many of the best and brightest in our space. I’ve enjoyed the support and cheerleading of some fantastically smart folks. They are willing to entertain my ideas and my folly equally. Every time I talk with them… with you, I learn something. Every time. I’m so very grateful for that.

I offer a hearty Happy Holidays to all of you.

Now please, take a break already will ya?

Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/22244945@N00/3278869535/#/

What we could all really use in our work is a scratch track. In recording it's a running back up, a live reference mark. You use a scratch track to record a rough expected outcome that guides the finish work. If you're lucky, it's a lightening in a bottle. You may find yourself with a spectacular new idea. You press record knowing that there's a much higher (almost expected) rubbish outcome to be achieved on that track, that the focus is the finish work. Doesn't matter. It's muscle memory to do it. It's the process you trust. It's through that process that you make room for the really good stuff. Most creative activities have some version of this.

Social collaborative tools offer a scratch track. Our trail of serendipitous breadcrumbs. A bubbling of an idea that someone, or some group can align with and get excited about. I often wish we realized how creative seemingly rigid corporate roles really are. Especially through times of shift. I believe its part of what we talk about when we cry for innovation in corporate spaces. When we exercise that muscle memory and build a trail of breadcrumbs we see trends, opportunities, and flaws faster. With that intelligence we might not be so married to the oft repeated, not-so best practices and wasteful habits large enterprises tend to assume as operating norm. We also open the door to lightening in a bottle ideas that rigid processes often close.

Image credit:dave.kobrehel