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The Second Bounce of the Ball Ronald Cohen

Each of our brains has some 10 billion neurons linked to one another through about 10,000 synapses. Imagine then the power of many of us connected through technology! That is “the new and potent ‘we’” which is far smarter than any singular ‘me’, declares We Are Smarter Than Me by Barry Libert and Jon Spector and thousands of contributors ( www.pearsoned.co.in).

“For the first time, humans can act in mass collaboration, using the kind of collective intelligence once reserved for ants and bees ... The result is a quantum increase in the world’s ability to conceive, create, compute, and connect.” Savvy companies are turning to the Internet hordes for help with new product development, customer service, sales, production, finance, and even management, the book informs. “They prosper by searching out, nurturing, and tapping the expertise of individual online communities, customers included.”

Don’t look at communities as a ‘one-night stand’, the authors caution. “Attracting a cast of valuable characters who share common interests cannot be accomplished overnight, and establishing and strengthening the personal relationships so necessary to a productive environment is a long-term proposition.” While the community is forming, what should the companies do? They should experiment with content and ways of inciting valuable discussion, the book counsels. “Community members themselves should be enlisted in that process, providing feedback and their own suggestions for keeping the idea pot bubbling. At the same time, companies would do well to help members improve their collaborative abilities, perhaps by encouraging them to get involved in other collaborative environments.” Important messages.

D. Murali

http://BookPeek.blogspot.com

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