There are a couple of interesting studies about collaboration and productivity in science cited in James Surowiecki's very thought-provoking The Wisdom of Crowds. Looking at Nobel laureates, scientists' publications and collaborative activities, studies found that "the most prolific man is also by far the most collaborating" (p. 162). Nobel laureates, it seems, collaborate far more than your run-of-the-mill scientist.

So how can we collaborate more or better? The greatest barrier is often cultural. Most people are accustomed to traditional hierarchical work groups where everyone is given assignments and information flows up to the case or project lead. Changing how we work is scary and daunting, and we have a hard time imagining how to go about it or the benefits. This extends to using tools like extranets (such as MindPort), wikis, and social tagging that facilitate collaboration both inside and outside the organization.

But if collaboration works for Nobel laureates, shouldn't that be enough motivation to reevaluate our current ways of working?