One of Blue Oxen’s most important ideas is something we call, “The Squirm Test.” To provide some context for what it is and why it’s useful, I’d like to share a great story written by Paul Culmsee. In 2006, he had been hired to help a mid-sized company install a major SharePoint installation. He explains:
This [...]
We’re currently trying to get a sense of how organizations collaborate with each other, both online and face-to-face. As a first step, we’re asking people to complete an anonymous survey. The survey should take about 20 minutes to complete.
We’re particularly interested in small organizations and nonprofits. If you yourself belong to such an organization, [...]
Wikis only work in practice, not in theory. –Gardner Campbell
The keynote I gave at Wikisym 2006 in Odense, Denmark. I talk about the essence of Wikis and how we can augment them in the future. (Video by Morten Blaabjerg.)
Fourteen years ago today, Ward Cunningham launched the first Wiki, the Portland Pattern Repository (which still runs [...]
As part of our continuing efforts to tell the wonderful collaborative stories of the people with whom we’re lucky enough to work, we’re pleased to announce a new podcast, Blue Oxen Barnstars. Each episode, we’ll highlight individuals doing extraordinary collaborative work.
Our first guest is Jeff Conklin, who’s been a great friend and teacher for many [...]
A few years ago, Deborah Meehan, the marvelous Executive Director of the Leadership Learning Community (on whose board I serve), taught me a great icebreaker, which I’ve used again and again over the years.
It’s a group counting exercise, and the goal is simple: Count to the number of people in the group. In other words, [...]
My mentor, Doug Engelbart, is famous for asking, “How can tools make people smarter?” I’ve seen him ask audiences that question over and over again over the years, and it always results in a rumble of approval and often standing ovations. I’m always both amused and troubled by this response. Why should we get so [...]
Peggy Noonan, the Wall Street Journal’s conservative columnist, observed something interesting and important about Barack Obama’s State of the Union speech last Tuesday. “A mysterious thing happened in that speech Tuesday night,” she wrote. “By the end of it Barack Obama had become president.”
Given the state of our economic crisis, Noonan noted that the wisdom [...]
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