batte n br iefi n g inspiring the world through entrepreneurship and innovation
FEB 2013
The Double-Edged Sword of Collaboration Technologies Innovators' roundtable, FALL 2012. CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA.
Batten Institute
[Even] inside the same company weâre dispersed all over the world ⌠We need different kinds of glue to hold these networked organizations together ⌠The glue that weâre putting in place now ⌠is the informal, spontaneous, collaborative, knowledge-based glue that comes with 2.0 tools and social business.ââ1
glinskam@darden.virginia.edu
Andrew McAfee, author of âEnterprise 2.0: The Dawn of Emergent
contributors
Malgorzata Glinska Senior Researcher
Amy Halliday Writer and Editorial Consultant Batten Institute hallidaya@aol.com
Collaborationâ In the ongoing pursuit of innovation, many large companies use a variety of networkbased collaboration technologies to unearth new ideas, connect employees and create
seamless flows of information. And yet, therein lie some troubling ironies: technologies that are supposed to increase productivity and innovation can be a burden for the busy professionals who must learn how to use them. In an era of chronic collaboration, itâs
actually harder to have a conversation. Open innovation tools often generate an overwhelming torrent of ideas and input.
In short, the new collaboration technologies that promise tremendous benefits also
present complex management challenges. To overcome them, companies need specific capabilities.
The third gathering of the Innovatorsâ Roundtable, hosted by the Batten Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation on 4 October 2012, brought together innovation
executives and Darden faculty members for a candid discussion of the use of technology to further corporate innovation.
innovators' roundtable Report