Social Media Enables Enthusiastic Collaboration
One of the very first classes I took in my graduate studies was Management of Information Organizations. We spent a lot of time on management theories, and we took tests to determine if we were extroverts or introverts. One of the things that definitely stuck with me though was the necessity for a team leader.
Without a team leader, projects have a hard time getting off the ground. Ideas are proposed with vigor, so it is much easier if one person can take a step back and determine the best course of action. The alternative of a democratic vote is valid, but much more time intensive, and has the potential to make people feel as if their toes have been stepped on. But this is not always the case….
I believe that there are two types of collaboration. The first, I’ll call inorganic collaboration, and it involves assigned projects (from a boss or a teacher). This type almost always needs a leader to succeed because there is so much at stake and there is limited time. The second type of collaboration, which I’ll call, organic collaboration, involves a group of people with a common goal and ideals who all want or need to accomplish their goal. This group is self-motivated, and I believe that this is the most creative form of collaboration. The shared dream of this group means that individuals may be more willing to compromise and will always put forth their full effort. This group does not need a team leader. They are the ultimate Knights of the Round Table.
Web 2.0 has fostered organic collaboration because it increases the chances of like-minded people with similar goals to interact despite geographical distance. Organic collaboration is the ultimate outcome of participatory social media. Accordingly, the job of a good information professional is to turn inorganic collaboration into organic collaboration, and one way that this can be done is by using social media to bring together teams of like minds who may or may not be geographically separate. These groups could include other information professionals, members of academia, members of the local community, patrons of other communities…. The list is endless and full of undiscovered organic collaborators.