Innovation_workshop9_TrendsLearners by NORAH WENG

Workshop 9

4, Dec. 2012. On this special day, “Trendsformers” and “iLearn” Merge to become TrendsLearners

and get to know the value

of Mass Collaboration. Please kindly see our collaboration work of e-book, video, and workshop answers. Hope you enjoy it as we do 

To see the power of

1+ 1 = > 3

Introduction

Image Source: < http://wisconsinnovation.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/wikinomics-how-mass-collaboration.html>

Workshop 9 introduces us the idea about Innovation, Information and Mass Collaboration. Before we explore the workshop questions, our group would like to slightly talk about Mass Collaboration and explore the interrelatedness of disruptive innovation and diffusion. Innovation is an evolutionary process for it developed with a concatenation of changes that combine social, economic, technological and cultural are transforming innovation and collaboration. For example, the diagram below depicts the combination of changes brought by first computer invented in 1950s.

Source: Image drawn based on the background synthesis of workshop9; company logos retrieved from Wikipedia, Twitter, FB, and Dropbox.

Therefore, Mass Collaboration was made available by such evolutionary process, which was triggered by first computer in the 1950s. It did not really happen until the development of internet and social media where consumers can speak with their own voices and get recognition for the work they do via the â&#x20AC;&#x153;social communitiesâ&#x20AC;? anytime anywhere. According to Charles Leadbetterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ted talk and video (author of We Think), innovation cannot be diffused well if it does not have a good communication with customers and users. Therefore, the unlimited conversation via social network or social communities has speeded up the diffusion process of every piece of innovation through time, making users become big sources of disruptive innovation. In this way, Mass Collaboration has turn users become producers and make consumers become designers.

By Trendslearners Team 3

Task 1 : Bill Gateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s prophecies (All groups) 1. How does Gates explain the gap between investing in digital technologies and gains for business efficiency?

Most companies

invested well and a lot in the basic building blocks of technology, such as PCs for productivity applications, networks and electronic mail for communications and basic business applications. But they can hardly get enough revenue from their investment. Maybe 80% investment can only get 20% of benefits back. The reason was because of misunderstanding the possibility and potential when technology was used to move the right information quickly to everyone in the company.

On the other hand, before this, people had been in a long period of time flowing information in paper form, and people cannot use digital way to handle with information well. Very few companies are using digital technology for new processes, that radically improve how they function, that give them the full benefit of their employees capabilities, and that give them the speed of response they will need to compete in the emerging high speed business world.

Most companies donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t realise that the tools to accomplish these changes are now available to everyone. Though at heart most business problems are information problems, almost no one is using information well. People have lived for so long without information at their finger tips, that they do not realise what they are missing. So that cause the gap between companiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; investment and gain benefits back.

2. We have discussed a number of the innovations prophesied by Gates 5 years ago. What problems / barriers might there be to achieving the efficiency gains and lifestyle changes suggests?

Why has the paperless office not emerged ?

A paperless office

is a work environment in which the use of paper is eliminated or greatly reduced. This is done by converting documents and other papers into digital form. Proponents claim that "going paperless" can save money, boost productivity, save space, make documentation and information sharing easier, keep personal information more secure, and help the environment. The concept can also be extended to communications outside the office. Ten years ago, the tools for the paperless office were less commonplace. But now there are tablets, smartphones, laptops, high-speed wireless broadband, high capacity storage and many more. But paper remains at the heart of our culture. Every time a paper cup is used for coffee, a banknote is used, an email is printed, the post arrives or a physical newspaper is read at a desk, the paperless ideal disappears back into the mythology it came from. Companies have tried, but being genuinely paperless is an expensive thing to even attempt to do."We've worked out what it would cost - not just to reduce the amount of paper we're producing every day but to wipe it out," says Caroline Kimbell, head of licensing at the National Archives, the official archive of the UK government."It came to ÂŁ259m ($400m) to reduce the number of boxes we're producing in the reading room just by 20%. "We're a government department, we have got nowhere near that amount of money - neither does the hole private sector put together in this sphere."

4. If Gates was writing this in 2009 would he observe any differences?

Yes, he would. In 1999,

it was just a starter of digital information flow and PC network hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been widely accepted by companies and people. But with the development of the whole world, most people and companies have already accepted the way to work with computers via network and store information in a digital form. E-Business has a quick step forward, e-book is coming to take place of paper-copied books, and the gap between investment of technology and return is becoming narrow and narrow. People has get into an age that they can hardly work and live normally without computers and internet. And otherwise, with the development of cloud computing, we nowadays are not only talking about paperless work environment but hardwareless. Maybe in 2009, Gates will talk more about how social media will change the world and cloud computing as a new technology will help disrupt the current environment. 1999

2009

PC network hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been widely accepted by companies and people

Most people and companies have already accepted the way to work with computers via network and store information in a digital form.

E-business has not replaced the traditional way of buying and selling.

With the rapid development of e-business, online shopping becomes a more popular way and is accepted by the society.

Paperless is paid attention to change the traditional way of using paper in office.

With the advent of cloud computing, hardwardless has become one hottest.

Furthermore, mobile computing is also a new area developing fast, and Gates maybe will introduce and talk about mobile network and mobile apps to the new age.

5 . What is the difference between information and knowledge.

Information is different from knowledge, but we cannot talk about them separately, because they closely interrelated. First, information can be defined as a description of something or someone. Information is factual, but sometimes it can also be false. On the other hand, knowledge can be regarded as a usage or development or even a kind of analysis of information. Knowledge is a belief that is true, justified, and relies on no false premises. For example, we can describe an iPhone like it is black, it has a touchable screen, it is very thin and it has an apple logo on the back of the smart phone. These are the information about an iPhone. But how to make an iPhone, how the Apple develope the operating system is about the knowledge layer. In another way, we would say that information is what we get from our senses while knowledge need a process happened in our mind. It is a kind of sublimation of information. In the chart below, we can clearly see the relationship between the four related words, data, information, knowledge and wisdom. From the pyramid model, we can see a sublimation relationship between them.What about knowledge?In order to illustrate the difference between knowledge and information, we will use the example of a book. On the one hand, the color of a book, its author, number of pages, etc., that can be considered as information about the book. On the other, what is written in the book, what theory or technology the book shows to us, etc., are knowledge. This knowledge needs to be learned and absorbed.

Task 2 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; All Group Return to the Collaborative software/tools, social software and cloud computing section of the background synthesis and also read Nicholas Carr Big Switch Chapter 6 and watch this short video by Charles Leadbetter (author of We Think) Collaborative Innovation

1. Briefly overview the changes in technology, social processes, business behaviour that have contributed to the development of collaboration?

Changes in technology and social processes: Collaboration has been increasingly facilitated by

advances in communication technology. The ability to learn about the work of others has greatly been enhanced by access to online databases. Databases from numerous disciplines offer both up-to-date information as well as opportunities to search past publications. Relevant information can be obtained or exchanged through phone, e-mails, faxes, shipping (one-day delivery), teleconferencing, or through institutional/individual websites. Researchers may be better able to learn about each other's works as well as sustain collaborative efforts as a result of available communication technology.

Change in business behavior: The greatest improvement in business behaviour has been achieved thanks to introducing the concept of division of labour which has definitely contributed to the development of collaboration. To complete a project, tasks require orchestrating efforts with collaborators having diverse research interests, skills, and specialization. For example, in the sequence of research activities, some members of the team may engage in data collection, others may specialize in data handling and preparation, and yet others may perform data analysis and reporting. Given the nature and demands of each project, certain specialized tasks will remain in the domain of select experts, while more generic tasks may be shared by others. By dividing the workload according to collaborator skills, completing the work may become more manageable. A tacit assumption and expectation from the practice of division of labour, is that since each assigned activity targets team members with the appropriate experience and expertise, the tasks will be

performed with greater efficiency. This is to say that changes in Business practices have lead to the need for collaboration between individuals (Responsible Conduct of Research at Northern Illinois University).

2. Why and how have users become more important to innovation?

Manufacturers are not the only ones that innovate: sometimes it happened that users made the innovations that satisfied their needs (Hippel, 2005). This more open, democratised, forms of innovation that are driven by users, is now understood to be an important part of innovative activity in the economy. Also in a business, innovation can arise not only from the Research & Development department but also from the interaction with partners, suppliers and customers.

The reason why users become more important to innovation: A growing body of empirical work shows that users are the first to develop many and perhaps most new industrial and consumer products. Further, the contribution of users is growing steadily larger as a result of continuing advances in computer and communications capabilities.

The integration of users into the innovation process has become a fundamental element of many innovation strategies and has gained significant importance in strategic decision making processes(Anderson, n.d) .

How users become more important to innovation?

3. What are the potential pitfalls of mass collaboration for business?

The Cost of Collaboration May Be High

Although advancements in technology make it possible for collaborative efforts to cross international barriers and even time zones, the cost of doing this must be factored into the equation. The larger the collaborative group is, the greater the cost of the exercise in terms of directly facilitating meetings and indirectly because of the time spent away from their other duties.

Collaboration Often Leads to Longer Decision Times

When more people need to be consulted before a decision can be made, the project lead times are extended to facilitate this extra consultation.

Conflict Within the Group

When team members are constantly at crossroads over key points, the project suffers. Personality clashes have a lot to do with the ability to come to an agreement and if the chosen individuals are not able to communicate effectively, then, the project objectives might not see the light. (Jones, 2010)

Information security is essential when handling confidential data

Collaboration means basically that you transfer control of the application and data to a third party. This increases the risk of information leaks.

The Incidence of Group Think

While bringing different stakeholders together for the common good can introduce various new perspectives to the dynamic of the discussion, there is also the looming threat of group think. This occurs when the stronger personalities are so persuasive that they manage to take over the discussion and supplant their ideas as the outcome for the group.

Possible Ambiguity in Roles and Responsibility

If the responsibilities of the different stakeholders are not clearly defined their contribution may fall into ambiguity and the result can only be chaos. Ambiguity is particularly common in collaborative groups that are extremely large. The higher the number of members inside a group is, the harder it becomes to clearly define the role of each individual.

Task 3(Group 3)â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Trend Formers The Social Life of Information

1. What do they see as the successes of IT?

Why do they suggest it is misleading to see the ICT revolution as the end of everything conventional?

3. Listen to this conversation and tell us what surprised you about his reflections about what has and has not changed.

With

the rapid development of information technology, the capabilities of data

storage and data processing are increasing dramatically. Even surprisingly, the introduction of the Internet entirely changed the world. People now are connected virtually and have the access to massive information from all over the world. Our social life has gradually partially moved on a virtual network which enables us not only to acquire information easily and quickly, but also to communicate with others conveniently and effectively. Social media, as one of the most significant elements of social life of information, considerably influences the spread of information and the generation of knowledge. We are slowly towards some kinds of social media. Large amounts of information have been transferred and now are accessible on the internet. For example, we can find relevant information from Google and Wikipedia by just searching the key words. On the other hand, different views could be shaped as information is exchanged in larger social context in which social networks, such as Facebook, are the most influential. As different information is widely acquirable, the term of information is slightly changing. Information has to be distinguished from knowledge. However, it is difficult to define information and knowledge.

Paul Duguid suggests that we can simply examine the way we use each of the notions in language. For example, we normally say “can you give me your information” instead of saying “can you give me your knowledge”. Information can be attached from ourselves and pass around while knowledge includes processes for circulating, sharing and passing on knowledge. Knowledge is much more complex so that only information can be stored in a database. In addition, knowledge which is generated from people working together can be changed when passed on next generation. Whether the information is right or wrong, useful or useless does not rely on the information alone, but on the context. When coming into digital era, plentiful open resources online make information seems to be symmetry. Free access to massive information enables people to share equal opportunities to acquire knowledge. This arouses a question: how to choose information? It is hard to select trustful information from mass data accessible on the Internet. The paradox here is that “you trust the information that you are able to understand, but you do not need the information if you have understood it”. For example, if you understand what a doctor is telling you, you do not need to see a doctor. Therefore, social institutions are required to make us to trust someone else’s words. People are more likely to believe a doctor that graduates from a university with a medical qualification, because a university has reputation even though nobody knows who the doctor is. As social networks have been established on the web, such kinds of formal organisations might be replaced by online social organisation. Continual comments such as “the doctor treat me well” can significantly influence choices in the community. This democratic process supported by information technology could change the way people acquire knowledge

Task 3 (Group 4) – i Learn Group ‘The Internet is no longer about hooking up online, creating a gardening community or putting a video on You Tube. User generated media and ‘social networking’ are really just the tip of the iceberg. A new mode of production is in the making’ (Tapscot, Don and Williams, Anthony D (2008) Wikinomics (2ndedition) Use the Mass collaboration section of the background synthesis and watch the following video clip: Charlie Leadbetter ‘We Think’

1. In what senses does he see the emergence of mass collaboration as evolutionary?

Charles leadbeater (2010) says that mass collaboration is dramatically reshaping our approach to work, play, and communication. Society is no longer based on mass consumption but on mass participation. New forms of collaboration — such as Wikipedia, Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube — are paving the way for an age in which people want to be players, rather than mere spectators, in the production process. He mentioned that such mass collaboration as something that has existed in human society for many years. He saw the mass collaboration as evolutionary. The open source software reminds us the 18th Cornwall engine design. The initial engine for use in the tin mines, from Watt and Boulton, was heavily patented and mine owners couldn’t adapt it or build their own version for their particular mine. After their patent expired in 1800, Boulton and Watt never made another sale in Cornwall. In 1811 a group of mine engineers – lead by Joel Lean – started a journal to share new ideas. Just a year after it started, a new design emerged created by Richard Trevithick and Arthur Woolf that fast became the new operating system for the industry. Woolf and Trevithick did not patent their design and freely allowed other mines to copy from the original. The tight knit community of Cornish engineers were soon swapping ideas for how to improve on the basic idea, through the journal.

2. Go to his website http://www.wethinkthebook.net/home.aspx and tohttp://www.wikinomics.com/book/index.php what distinguishing features of

The first website, http://www.wethinkthebook.net/home.aspx, is Charles Leadbeaterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s We Think website. He wrote the book- We Think- by collaborative writing. He used wiki website â&#x20AC;&#x153;to promote discussion of the rise of mass, collaborative creativityâ&#x20AC;?. The process of collaborative writing was by the beginning of offering draft text of We Think. Charles Leadbeater thought that he could make a better book by opening it before the publish. In addition, the more important thing was by making the mass collaboration, he could spread his ideas into the world. He was focused on the conversation with other people. The Wikinomics website also has a Wiki page. For the book, the last chapter of Wikinomics has simple sentence: "Join us in peer producing the definitive guide to the twenty-first-century corporation on www.wikinomics.com." Tapscott and Williams have established a wiki where readers can write and edit the content of their book's last chapter. They have adopted wiki as a mass collaboration to finish the book. The collaborative writing is activities which involved in the production of a document by more than one author, then pre-draft discussions and arguments as well as post-draft analyses and debates are collaborative components (Dillon, 1993). Ede and Lunsford (1990) identified the patterns of collaborative writing. 1. the team plans and outlines the task, then each writer prepares his/her part and the group compiles the individual parts, and revises the whole document as needed; 2. the team plans and outlines the writing task, then one member prepares a draft, the team edits and revises the draft; 3. one member of the team plans and writes a draft, the group revises the draft; 4. one person plans and writes the draft, then one or more members revises the draft without consulting the original authors; 5. the group plans and writes the draft, one or more members revise the draft without consulting the original authors; 6. one person assigns the tasks, each member completes the individual task, one person compiles and revises the document; 7. one dictates, another transcribes and edits. 22

iLearn team has done our workshop task as a collaborative writing. We used some methods similar with the cases, not same. The method 1 is most similar with our work, but we wrote every part by each writer and compiled. It could be not efficient, but we thought that we were studying our innovation, not doing our homework. The method 6 must be the most efficient one for time saving in innovation class, but it would not be helpful for deeper understanding of theories and share the knowledge among group members.

3 What are the advantages and challenges of writing a book using

Collaborative writing

has either complex of writing and challenges of collaboration. Writing is a complex, and it needs deep thoughts. By writing with multiple authors, it has characteristics of complex. Challenges 1) Multiple users may accidentally delete the writing. So, the software should have backup and recover function. 2) This software requires constant internet connection, but users cannot always be online to access documents. However, recent software such as google document provide offline sync function as well. 3) Cultural barrier can make conversation issues. As the work force becomes more diverse, language and cultural differences must be taken into consideration to ensure a seamless assimilation into the group while still being respectful of others traditions. 4) It is always a challenge coordinating meetings with a disparate group of people who are all busy with other projects, it becomes more of an issue when trying to coordinate with those in different time-zones. When orchestrating meetings with those from different time zones, it is good to accommodate parties by compromising on schedules or using collaborative software that allow sessions to be recorded for later use. 23

Advantages 1) It is often the case that when users can directly contribute to an effort and feel that they've made a difference, they become more involved with and attached to the outcome of the project. The users then feel more comfortable contributing time, effort, and personal pride into the final product, resulting in a better final outcome 2) In addition, collaborative writing tools have made it easier to design better work processes. These tools provide ways to monitor what users are contributing and when they contribute so managers can quickly verify that assigned work is being completed. Since these tools typically provide revision tracking, it has also made data sharing simpler. Users won't have to keep track of what version is the current working revision since the software has automated that. 3) Furthermore, because this software typically provides ways for users to chat in real time, projects can be completed faster because users don't have to wait for other users to respond by asynchronous means like email. 4) One more advantage is that since this software makes it easy for users to contribute from anywhere in the world, projects can benefit from the inclusion of perspectives from people all around the world.

CONCLUSION A Case Study of Mass Collaboration -Duolingo

Duolingo is a free language-learning website which used crowd sourced text translation platform when users learn language through lessons; they simultaneously help to translate website and other documents. As of September 2012, Duolingo provides French, German, Spanish, and Portuguese courses for English speakers or English courses for French, German, Spanish, and Portuguese speakers. And they will add Italian and Chinese courses too. Users gain "skill points" as they learn a language, such as when they complete a lesson. The site maintains a translations area where users can translate web content, and are awarded skill points for doing so.

The idea behind Duolingo is to teach users a new language, but also make them translate online texts. Just like reCAPTCHA — which von Ahn sold to Google — is both a way of distinguishing bots from humans, as well as a way to crowd-source optical character recognition. Can you imagine that all of Wikipedia’s English entries can be translated into Spanish in 80 hours? That’s the power and beauty of Mass Collaboration! 25

References 

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Anderson, R. n.d. THINKING USER-CENTRED INNOVATION - FAD OR THE FUTURE? [online] Available at: <http://www.edengene.co.uk/article/user-centred-innovation-fad-or-the-future/ > [Accessed:2 December 2012] Dillon, A. (1993). "How collaborative is collaborative writing? An analysis of the production of two technical reports." Ede, L. and A. Lunsford (1990). Singular Text/Plural Authors: Perspectives on Collaborative Authoring, Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale. Foss N., Laursen K., Pedersen T., 2005. Organizing to Gain from User Interaction: The Role of Organizational Practices for Absorptive and Innovative Capacities. [online] Available at <http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0 CDUQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fciteseerx.ist.psu.edu%2Fviewdoc%2Fdownloa d%3Fdoi%3D10.1.1.126.4479%26rep%3Drep1%26type%3Dpdf&ei=rIa6ULa5Ju qj0QWehoHwBw&usg=AFQjCNEyYrZYewwtvL-WpnWKvbVYlJQePw&sig2=ap5 RjNpNlidGLDsxG8nkUw> [accessed 28 November 2012]. Franke, N., and E. von Hippel. 2003a. Finding Commercially Attractive User Hippel, E. (2005) DEMOCRATIZING INNOVATION [online] Available at : http://libros.metabiblioteca.org:8080/bitstream/001/183/7/0-262-00274-4.pdf [Accessed:2 December 2012] Hudson A., .2012.Is the paperless office possible [online] Available at: <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/click_online/9735525.stm> [Accessed:2 December 2012] Innovations. Working paper, MIT Sloan School of Management Jones，N., （2010）. Collaboration at Work: A Look at the Pros and Cons.[online] Available at <http://www.brighthub.com/office/collaboration/articles/73856.aspx> [Accessed:2 December 2012] Leadbeater, C. (2010). We-Think: Mass innovation, not mass production, Profile books. Jones N., 2010. Collaboration at Work: A Look at the Pros and Cons. [online] Available at <http://www.brighthub.com/office/collaboration/articles/73856.aspx> [accessed 28 November 2012]. Responsible Conduct of Research at Northern Illinois University. Need for Collaboration. [online] Available at <http://ori.hhs.gov/education/products/niu_collabresearch/collabresearch/need/n eed.html> [accessed 28 November 2012]. 26