Better Together: Embracing Collaboration
The 2016 GE Global Innovation Barometer illustrates trends around The 4th Industrial Revolution that are shaping the future of work and the global competitive landscape, including a growing recognition of collaboration as a competitive advantage.
For more, check out these outlooks on collaboration and the digital revolution from Don Butler (Ford MotorCompany) and Kakul Srivastava (GitHub):
The Future of Innovation Requires Collaboration
Innovation and collaboration are inextricably paired. At Ford, it is part of our DNA, from harnessing the power of the assembly line more than one hundred years ago, to partnering with cutting-edge companies today as we continue redefining the way the world moves. In today’s connected world, a diversity of perspective is needed. That’s why we’re working with Amazon to connect your car to your home, and why we’re sponsoring technology competitions and providing software platforms to foster the next generation of innovators working to dream up the future of everything from smartphone connectivity to mobility solutions to the customer experience. Our collaboration efforts are all about making people’s lives better which results in a strong business. More than two-thirds of the executives surveyed in the GE Innovation Barometer said that collaborative innovation activities have yielded an increase in financial results. So it’s no surprise that 68 percent of executives said their firm is open to risk-sharing associated with innovation. They understand that the future of innovation — and of their companies — requires collaboration. At Ford, we’re driving innovation in all parts of our business by encouraging our team to take risks, challenge custom and question tradition. Within the auto industry, this means working together to develop connected car technology that can help prevent accidents before they happen — all possible because of collaboration. With innovation happening at a rapidly expanding pace around the world — across borders and between industries — companies that embrace the spirit of collaboration will excel.
How Software Collaboration Will Unleash the Next Wave of Innovation
At GitHub, we believe that democratizing the software development process will be critical to the next wave of innovation. When companies break down barriers for internal teams, and invite the broader community to participate in building software openly, the speed at which we advance technology will increase exponentially. We see it in our community every day — whether it’s the doctors working on software to 3D print stethoscopes for doctors in conflict zones, or the scientists at NASA JPL building software to help us get to Mars, or the farmer in Canada who forked a piece of driverless car software to build an automated tractor to work his field more efficiently. Marc Andreessen famously said a few years ago that “ software is eating the world.” In our view, it’s becoming clear that it’s the other way around — the world is eating software. By lowering the barrier to entry to software development and expanding the pool of people working together in the open, we will be able to reach new heights of technological advancement and explore new worlds.
Adopting New Models of Collaboration
The 2016 GE Innovation Barometer finds that collaboration has increased in most surveyed markets. Click here to compare and contrast where executives are realizing a return on their partnership investments.
Originally published at www.gereports.com on January 19, 2016.
