Wiki Management: A Revolutionary New Model for a Rapidly Changing and Collaborative World

By Rod Collins

We now live in a “wiki” world where mass collaboration is not only possible—it’s often the best solution. Conventional management thought assumes that command-and-control is the most effective way to organize the efforts of large numbers of people, but rapid change and increasing complexity have rendered that model obsolete. As a result, most managers today lack the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in an age when networks are proving smarter and faster than hierarchies. Designing organizations for mass collaboration demands a new and very different model—wiki management. Featuring enlightening examples from forward-thinking companies including Google, Whole Foods, Linux, and Wikipedia, Wiki Management outlines the revolutionary but necessary steps companies must take to: • Leverage their collective intelligence
• Effectively integrate diverse points of view
• Transition leaders from the role of “boss” to that of facilitator
• Make “delighting customers” more important than pleasing superiors
• Achieve a shared and actionable understanding of the key drivers of business success The power of networks is dramatically reshaping both the work we do—and the way we work. This groundbreaking book reveals what it takes to succeed in this fast-paced and exciting business environment.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AMACOM
• Release date: Nov 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9780814433096

Rod Collins

ROD COLLINS is the Director of Innovation at Optimity Advisors, a national management consulting firm, and a leading expert on the next generation of business management.

Reviews for Wiki Management

[slavenrm · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As usual I received this book for free because someone gave it to me for review. This time it was a LibraryThing drawing. Despite that kind consideration I give my candid opinions below.Usually in my reviews I try to draw out some positive and negative aspects of a book and make an argument for the assigned rating. That's difficult to do with non-fiction because the topics are so varied and of sometimes dubious interest. Instead I'll just try to tell you what this book is and what it isn't.The first third of the book argues quite vehemently and specifically for tearing down traditional hierarchical management structures. By these I mean those archaic constructs in which a boss controls 6-7 employees and he in turn has a boss above him controlling 6-7 of his peers onward and onward. It argues instead for a collaborative structure in which groups of employees choose their own teams based on work needs at a specific time with leadership positions only there to referee in the event of deadlock. Rather than the usual 6:1 ratio of employees to managers the book recommends 60:1.After it makes its case for why you should organize your company in this way, the book settles down in the latter two thirds to give specific practices that successful organizations use to make this style effective. It goes on at length and in great detail about how to manage such an organization from meeting styles to employee evaluations. It is a soup-to-nuts treatise on modern management structure and practice.My only real beef with the book lies in the practicality of what it has to say. As a non-management professional in the software industry I respect the proposition and would love to work in such an environment but I have trouble imagining any workplace I've ever been in successfully pulling off anything from this book except dangling bits and pieces. Unfortunately, when companies try to reinvent themselves in the way the book describes the outcomes are almost always unpleasant. You can't really piecemeal your way into an entirely new style of management and no company I've ever worked for has been willing to go at this sort of thing with sufficient gusto. So if you're looking to start a company or are the CEO of a really tiny and nimble operation, I invite you to the book and suggest you build your company around it. I'll sign up to be your first employee as would every professional acquaintance I have.