"Creative Collaboration" article excerpts

I looooved Cultural Studies as an undergraduate student. Now that I'm at a stage where I have to figure out how to convert my nerdy passions into "bread and butter" (or in my case, rice, cuz I'm Asian), I've developed an interest in organizational culture. I find that many of the rhetorical stuff I learned concerning culture, politics, society, blah blah, are applicable in the business environment. I just have to develop a stronger nose for business, then combine it with my humanist (idealist?) background to develop insights that utilize "the best of both worlds," so to speak.

(I did major in business, by the way, but dropped out of it because my interest in humanities and social sciences was too strong to ignore. Besides, I didn't like my classmates in business school. And yeah, I sucked in Accounting. There, I said it.)

Anyway, here are excerpts from an excellent article, a case study about company cultures, published in a trade magazine. The article's title is "Unleashing the Power of Creative Collaboration: A Look at Three Real-World Stories About Human Potential." Here's the author.

Communicators are helping people interact and connect with each other. They have, in a literal sense, become architects. They are using their expertise to not only design events and speeches...but also to help design office environments that encourage collaboration.

...

Success in today's global economy boils down to the single, universally recognized objective of getting more for less--with one exception: human resources. Human labor is not a disposable commodity. It is a unique creative resource for the future of the organization.

...

We're not talking about money now. We're talking about liberating untapped potential, about energizing employees and engaging their commitment and enthusiasm.

Give people a chance to grow and they will blossom. Entrust them with greater authority and they will take on greater responsibility. Educate them to understand the changing business dynamics and they will make excellent business decisions. Encourage them to collaborate and they will amaze you with their inventiveness.

If you're further interested in this article (for educational, non-commercial purposes), I can lend you a copy (as long as copyright geeks won't sue me for it). Just leave a comment or contact me.