COLLABORATION
GLOBAL MOBILITY NETWORK SEMINAR: WORKPLACE TO ZERO?
Dr. Kjetil Kristensen © Kristensen Consulting 2009

This is the Workplace
Image: Microsoft
© Kristensen Consulting 2009 2

Collaboration – Rationale
“Firms come into being in order to enable human
beings to achieve collaboratively what they could not
achieve alone. If one accepts this as the true purpose
of any organization, then the main focus of
executives’ attention should be on how to foster
collaboration within their companies”
Hansen & Nohria, MIT MR 2004
© Kristensen Consulting 2009 3

The Big Picture
“The only thing that gives an organization a competitive
edge… is what it knows, how it uses what it knows, and
how fast it can know something new”
Laurence Prusak, IBM
“If only HP knew what HP knows, we would be three times
as profitable”
Lew Platt, former HP CEO
The majority of work is collaborative
Knowledge: 60-80 % of our time is spent on interactions
Trend: Portion of interactions growing [Gartner, McKinsey]
Technology plays an increasingly important role
Reducing the cost of interactions
Making it easier to find relevant knowledge and experts
New perspectives on knowledge and competitiveness
Possible to achieve a quantum leap in productivity
The million dollar question is – how to do this?
© Kristensen Consulting 2009 4

Communication and Collaboration Activities
Type* Description
Type I Coordination: Communication to coordinate the work
Type II Information: Communication to maintain staff knowledge of new
developments in their areas of specialization
Type III Inspiration: Communication to promote creativity
* Thomas J. Allen: Architecture and Communication among Product Development Engineers.
California Management Review, Special Issue on Workplace Design. Vol. 49, No. 2, 2007.
Evaluate Tailor
Spot barriers to
opportunities collaboration
collaboration
for collaboration solutions
Figure: Morten T. Hansen: Collaboration, Harvard Business Press, 2009.
© Kristensen Consulting 2009 5

Basic Performance Dimensions
Type I: Coordinate
Type II: Inform
Type III: Inspire
I: Input
I:
O:
O:
Input
Output
Output
Effectiveness ( )
G:
G: Goal
Goal G
R:
R: Resources
I Activity O
(Ak)
R
Efficiency ( )
Source: O’Donnell and Duffy, 2001
© Kristensen Consulting 2009 6

Basic Performance Dimensions
Type I: Coordinate
Type II: Inform
Type III: Inspire
I: Input
I:
O:
O:
Input
Output
Output
Effectiveness ( )
G:
G: Goal
Goal G
R:
R: Resources
I Activity O
(Ak)
R Make sure you
know what you
Efficiency ( ) want to achieve
Source: O’Donnell and Duffy, 2001
© Kristensen Consulting 2009 7

Basic Performance Dimensions
Type I: Coordinate
Type II: Inform
Type III: Inspire
I: Input
I:
O:
O:
Input
Output
Output
Effectiveness ( )
G:
G: Goal
Goal G
R:
R: Resources
“There is nothing quite so useless as doing with
I Activity O
great efficiency(Ak) which should not be done at all.”
that
- Peter Drucker
R Make sure you
know what you
Efficiency ( ) want to achieve
Source: O’Donnell and Duffy, 2001
© Kristensen Consulting 2009 8

Things you can’t do anywhere else?
Images: Microsoft, Arch+, ESA
© Kristensen Consulting 2009 9

Knowledge Worker 2.0 Requirements
Personal Workview
Activity Space Real Time Collaboration
Team Setup Knowledge Discovery
Management Overview
From the EU project
© Kristensen Consulting 2009 10

Statements for Reflection and Discussion
The current trend where the office is optimised for efficiency...
...is rapidly making the office obsolete because...
...the things you can achieve in the office you can achieve, often
equally well or even better, in other contexts, and...
...the office starts at an efficiency disadvantage due to...
...logistics and commuting times, and because...
...it comes with a hefty price tag, e.g. compared to One Alfred Place.
The only viable long term value proposition for the office...
...is therefore one that reinstates the workplace as a place where you
do things you can’t do anywhere else...
...which enables new levels of knowledge worker effectiveness...
...or one where the efficiency gains offset the additional cost of the
office compared to alternative solutions.
© Kristensen Consulting 2009 11

Kjetil Kristensen, PhD
Kristensen Consulting
Beddingen 8, Aker Brygge
Central Business District
N-0250 OSLO, NORWAY
E-mail kc@kristensenconsulting.com
Web www.kristensenconsulting.com
Office +47 22 82 36 44
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Blog www.collaborationperspectives.com
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Web www.kristensenconsulting.com