Chapter 8: The Global Plant Floor

Planetary Ecosystems for Designing and Making Things

"Winning companies today have open and porous boundaries and compete by reaching outside their walls to harness external knowledge, resources, and capabilities (p. 214). Many products we purchase today are designed, built and assembled by a worldwide network of suppliers. The author offers the following advice, "Regardless of the industry.... Always strive to be the best at what your customers value most, and partner for everything else (p. 236).

How could we build schools, or education institutions based on this model? Should we "orchestrate" on a global scale? Would a "modular approach" work in designing curriculum? Have we created a "transparent and egalitarian ecosystem?" How can costs and risks be shared, or should they be?

Chapter 7: Platforms for Participation

All the World is a Stage, and You're the Star

Open platforms are mass collaboration in action. Similar to information in Chapter 5, this chapter reiterates the idea of mashups, as the tip of the collaboration iceberg! The Katrinalist.net example is amazing. Imagine having 3,000 volunteers help to build a web solution, in less than a week. 

Think of Google Maps, Amazon, and eBay, and the developer communities that have formed around them. 40% of eBay content is uploaded automatically by third-party stores. With it's "open platform" approach, Amazon is noted as the "biggest game in town" and leads in both innovation and viral growth. 

What about the "culture of generosity" that has driven a lot of innovation (ala Wikipedia, and open source software)? Many "generous innovators" have sold their once-free creations to commercial companies (Flickr and del.icio.us both sold out to Yahoo). On p. 206 Om Malik states, "We become the outsourced workforce.... Will we share in their upside? Not likely!" However, those who use these services are contributing to the "wisdom of the crowds."

So, for businesses, platforms for participation "thrives on mass collaboration and embodies all of the wikinomics principles: openness, peering, sharing, and acting globally" (p. 212). How could this be applied to schools? Should it?