Entrepreneurship and Social Computing

Did i get the spellings right? I guess so. But, more than the spellings, the content should be ok. I am taking off on the social computing bit, and the impact its been having on the organizational setup. I have written about this earlier. Here, I am just trying to take this one step further.

This thought process was triggered by an email. More and more, organizations are trying to innovate ... As they realize that breakthrough innovation, which changes the name of the game, is what can give an organization an edge in the marketplace. But, this kind of innovation doesnt come on a daily basis. What does come on a daily basis, though, is continuous improvement. What also comes on a daily basis, but something that companies are not able to tap ... is incremental innovation.

And this is where KM can play a role. Basically, one doesnt know where the next breakthrough idea is going to come from. Which means, that to be able to tap into the next big thing, the organization should be geared up with tools to do the capturing. And this is where social computing can play a very improtant role. Social computing is taking the idea of creation to people ... Ever wondered where the "webmaster" went? I dont see too many of them on websites today. Because, as we go along, there arent any, and there is the move towards "pervasive computing". I had read the term somewhere, but dont ask me where. It sounded fancy enough, therefore ...

Taking this one step further, though, in addition to the tools, there is the mindset which needs to be addressed. Most companies grapple with the scenario where managers believe that their job is only to manage. Not to create. This, to my mind, is the larger challenge than having the tools which enable companies to listen to what people are creating. This is more of an issue about the working environment of the company, and the kind of signals the senior management of the company sends out. Here's an interesting article to get the thought process going.