Wikinomics
| Wikinomics | |
|---|---|
| Author | Don Tapscott Anthony D. Williams |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Portfolio |
| Publication date | December 2006 |
| Pages | 324 |
| ISBN | 1-59184-138-0 |
Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything is a business book by Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams, published in December 2006. The book focuses on how companies, governments, and individuals use digital networks and online collaboration to organize work, share knowledge, and create economic value.
The authors use the term wikinomics to describe new forms of economic activity based on openness, peer production, and large-scale participation enabled by the internet. Much of the book discusses how these ideas began to influence business practices in the early 21st century.
Overview
Tapscott and Williams argue that collaboration over digital platforms differs from earlier models such as outsourcing. Instead of transferring work to a limited group of contractors, organizations increasingly rely on large and often informal networks of contributors. These contributors may not be employees and are frequently motivated by factors other than direct financial compensation.
This form of collaboration is often associated with what later became known as crowdsourcing.
Models of collaboration
The book describes several recurring patterns of mass collaboration.
- Peering refers to decentralized cooperation among participants who work without traditional managerial hierarchies. One example discussed in the book is Marketocracy, a mutual fund that incorporates collective decision-making into its investment process.[1]
- Ideagoras are platforms that allow organizations to present problems to a wide external audience. InnoCentive is cited as a case in which companies seek solutions from independent scientists and researchers.[2]
- Prosumers are users who both consume and produce content. The book mentions Second Life as an example of a digital environment largely shaped by its users.[3]
- New Alexandrians describes communities that focus on sharing information and knowledge openly through online networks.
In 2007, the authors invited readers to participate in writing an additional chapter, making the book itself an experiment in collaborative production.
Principles
According to the authors, wikinomics is based on four main ideas:
- openness in sharing information and ideas;
- peer-based collaboration rather than rigid hierarchies;
- wider sharing of resources and intellectual property;
- global participation across organizational and geographic boundaries.
Economic perspective
In the chapter titled The Perfect Storm, the book discusses the relevance of Coase’s Law to digital collaboration. Coase’s Law suggests that firms grow until the cost of managing internal operations becomes higher than using the market.[4]
Tapscott and Williams argue that digital communication technologies significantly reduce coordination costs, making external collaboration more efficient for many activities traditionally performed within firms.
Reception
Harvard Business Review reviewed the book shortly after its publication, describing it as forward-looking while noting that it places strong emphasis on successful examples of collaboration.[5]
Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries recommended the book for general and professional audiences but observed that the analysis focuses primarily on positive outcomes.[6]
Later developments
In 2010, the authors published Macrowikinomics: Rebooting Business and the World, which expands on many of the ideas introduced in Wikinomics.[7][8]
References
- ↑ Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything, p. 24
- ↑ Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything, p. 97
- ↑ Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything, p. 124
- ↑ Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything, p. 56
- ↑ The wiki way – The Guardian
- ↑ Choice review – August 2007
- ↑ Don Tapscott – Books
- ↑ Macrowikinomics official website