Now THIS is classic Sesame Street. Classic. In this video, the Henson crew not only lyrically describes the impacts of cooperation, they also describe its viral and emergent properties. Note that the Fonz-muppet sees the other muppets building and cooperating and is moved to replicate that. Then other muppets are all like, “Hey, that’s interesting, how can we help?” Then they go off to do it again.
Simplistic? Very much so. But accurate nonetheless. Cooperation is viral and as it spreads it gains momentum.
It’s like that in companies, where policies create either cooperative or isolating cultures. Cultures that focus on the dissemination of information as a means of getting things done establish a foundation for sharing and cooperation. Cultures that avoid rigid role definitions and distribute decision making set this foundation as well.
Simple “seed” policies and an air of distributed decision-making can make it happen.
Cooperation.
Dig it.
Information is the lifeblood of business. As it relates to information, “free” is not synonymous with valueless. Free here means unrestricted movement. Information wants to move around your company. It wants to educate your staff, your customers, and your potential customers. It wants to be shared to generate more value. The more information you share, the more you increase your mind share … which directly leads to marketshare.
