Wikinomics was a book that I was reading for our Indy Book Mashup (Book Club) here in Indianapolis. I was actually supposed to be done with the book about a month ago and was supposed to get on with Digital Aboriginal.
There’s a reason why it took so long. This is just my personal opinion regarding this book, some folks would absolutely disagree with me. Shel Israel (who’s book Naked Conversations helped drive me to blog), loved Wikinomics! I thought it really dragged on and on.
I have great respect for Don Tapscott, he’s an author who is solidly established in the business and technology world. But this book was gruelling to get through and lacked excitement for this incredible stage in our evolution as human beings. Maybe I’m going overboard but Social Networking is both connecting and changing the world, economies, democracy, business, intellectual property, and communication as we know it. It’s a revolution!
Although it read like an Insurance document, you may be surprised that I think it would be a mistake not to buy and read this book. It’s a thorough analysis of the Wiki movement with excellent use cases spread throughout. If I were to read it all over again, though, I would simply read Chapter 8 on. This is where the meat of the book is.
Chapter 8 details “The Global Plant Floor”, I think this sums up the strategies that all businesses need to take on and is the advise to take to market:
- Focus on the critical value drivers
- Add value through orchestration
- Instill rapid, iterative design processes
- Harness modular architecture
- Create a transparent and egalitarian ecosystem
- Share the costs and risks
- Keep a keen future watch
I’m not adding Wikinomics book to my recommended reading list, it’s simply too much book to bring home the key points. Now on to my next read, The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations.
I have a couple more reviews to do besides these:
I’m almost done with The Wisdom of the Flying Pig. It’s a fantastic book for any leader to put on their nightstand or the corner of their desk. Jack Hayhow has clearly articulated what great leaders have in common, joined by colorful stories and inspirational quotes.
