One Trend Your Business Can Not Ignore

Ever since we were children, our parents taught us to share because it was the right thing to do. Who knows if we would have seen that miraculous rescue of those 33 miners pulled up from a Chilean mineif numerous companies, governments and individuals had not shared their resources, experiences and ideas. That rescue was a celebration of collaboration.

But sharing isn't just a moral thing to do - it's a necessity to survive in today's global marketplace.

Three new books tackle the issue of sharing in the corporate world - its risks and its rewards.

In WHAT'S MINE IS YOURS The Rise of Collaborative Consumptionauthors Rachel Botsman and Roo Rogers explain how organized sharing be it bartering, lending, trading, renting or swapping products and ideas are done successfully online and in the real world.

In the book the authors show how the globe is moving into the new realm of consumerism one where trust between strangers exists and ownership is replaced by shared access.

The authors make the case that this model will create more sustainable consumerism and increased alternatives to outdated modes of business. (You can read more at the authors' web site)

In THE POWER OF CO-CREATIONauthors Venkat Ramaswamy and Francis Gouillart offer a roadmap to start and then work thought the many mine fields that accompany corporate collaboration.

The authors say that the idea of co-creative enterprises adopts "a different perspective on how to innovate and deliver offerings" moving from a "firm-centric" process to one of engagement for all stakeholders - internal and external.

Using numerous examples from companies like Nike, Starbucks Apple and Cisco, the book explains in depth how thePower of Co-Creationcan become a "win-more/win-more" for all involved engaging "all stakeholders in creating value together, while enhancing network economics and governing risk-value relationships in the ecosystem." (You can read more at the authors' web site)

And in her book, Mesh: Why the Future of Business is SharingLisa Gansky says the future of business will revolve around the idea of sharing goods, services and products, or as she calls it, "meshing."

Gansky says those businesses that "Mesh" throw away the traditional model of first make something, THEN sell it. She says these new businesses use social media, wireless networks and data gathered from everywhere - anywhere - to provide people with what they want and the exact moment when they want it without the burden and expense of having to actually own them.

Gansky's book is full of examples of some well-known 'mesh' companies including ZipCar, Netflix, FedEx, and Craigslist.

Gansky has written a Guest Author Blog for Bullish in which she explains how these new so-called "Mesh" businesses have a crucial edge.

THE MESH PLATFORM

Guest Author Blog: The Mesh Advantage by Lisa Gansky author of The Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing