Dr. Dobb's | Wikinomics and a World of Change

Wikinomics and a World of Change

The new art and science of collaboration

October 16, 2007
URL:http://www.drdobbs.com/open-source/wikinomics-and-a-world-of-change/202402679

Joining us today is Don Tapscott, co-author with Anthony D. Williams of Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything.

DDJ: Don, what does the term "wikinomics" mean?

DT: Wikinomics is the new art and science of collaboration that demands that business leaders think differently about how to compete and be profitable. This is more than open source, social networking, so-called crowdsourcing, smart mobs, crowd wisdom, or other ideas that touch upon the subject. Rather, we are talking about deep changes in the structure and modus operandi of the corporation and our economy, based on new competitive principles such as openness, peering, sharing, and acting globally.

DDJ: Is there anything unique about the concept of wikinomics that applies to high-tech companies in general, and software companies in particular?

DT: For years the IT industry fiercely fought concepts like open systems and open source. But in the last decade there has been a stampede towards open standards, in part because customers are demanding them. Customers were fed up with being locked into each vendor's architecture where applications were islands and not portable to another vendor’s hardware. Microsoft reaped huge revenues as the provider of a standard platform on which software companies could build their applications, regardless of the brand name on the computer. The shift to openness gained momentum as IT professionals began to collaborate on a wide range of open software platforms. The result was Apache for web servers, Linux for operating systems, MySQL for databases, Firefox for Browsers and the World Wide Web itself.

DDJ: Wikinomics and collaboration go hand in hand, it seems.What is it about today's global economy that makes collaboration so essential?

DT: Collaboration is important because in today’s global economy, competition can come from anyone and anywhere. Rapid scientific and technological advances are among the key reasons why openness is surfacing as a new imperative for managers. Most businesses can barely manage to research the fundamental disciplines that contribute to their products, let alone retain the field’s most talented people within their boundaries. So to ensure they remain at the forefront of their industries, companies must increasingly open their doors to the global talent pool that thrives outside their walls.

DDJ: Wikinomics the book is up for an award. Can you tell us about that?

DT: Wikinomics is one of the six finalists of this year's Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award. The award aims to select the book that provides "the most compelling and enjoyable insight" into modern business issues, including management, finance and economics. The winner will be announced October 25.

DDJ: Best of luck. Is there a web site readers can go to for more information about wikinomics?

DT: Yes, the can go to www.wikinomics.com