Web 2.0 is all about making things work. The general mantra is about making things simple, more efficient and just plain old working well. In his book getting real, Jason Fried mentions Skunk Works, a division of Lockheed Martin that was specifically created to innovate in autonomous environment. No committees, no long decisions, no bureaucracy or org charts, just good work. With that you get one of the first jet aircraft prototypes after WWII in about 5 months. The senate committees consist of small teams and of course, the the master innovators at IBM and apple.

Small teams are like simple organisms, they need less to survive. WIth larger teams there are more craving of power and with that come a responsibility of discipline. Collaboration is not about cracking the whip of correction, its about fostering the informal networks that already exist. Its about bringing the water cooler talk to the table and really putting the light on the black sheep in an organization. In my time in this new industry and in business in general, I've noticed two things: innovation happens by accident and it happens with small teams.

Labels: small teams