12th February 2009 is the bicentenary of Charles Darwin's birth. Darwin as we know is widely credited as the founder of modern Biology, the result of his work on evolution and the publication of his best known book "On The Origin of Species" (1859).

Having been exposed quite extensively to Darwin and has work as the result of bicentennial celebrations here in Shropshire (Darwin's birthplace in Shrewsbury is but a few miles from where I type) I have been struck by the extent of collaboration that went on between Darwin and his peers. Darwin's theories built on not just his own work but the work and ideas of others (we won't go into the accusations of plagarism here!) Darwin's main role during the famous 2nd voyage of HMS Beagle (1831 - 1836) was to observe, record and collect and his interest ranged wide to include geology and anthropology. Charles Darwin admitted to modest expertise in these fields and his notes and collections were regularly shipped home from the Beagle to his mentor, John Henslow, for comment and further analysis. On Darwin's return to England Henslow assisted in cultivating a network of specialists to help Darwin catalogue and identify many of the specimens he'd collected on his voyage.

Now if you believe the publicity churned out by most IT manufacturers collaboration is only possible by means of the internet using their software / hardware / service (delete as appropriate). Such technology was not available to the likes of Darwin of course, but somehow he managed a collaborative effort on a global scale. My point is that technology is a tool but it's of no use without people intent on collaborating. Darwin was very much a "gentleman" naturalist of independent means. His quest was primarily for knowledge. While he sought and enjoyed the prestige of his discoveries it never seems to have occurred to him that his personal interests would have been better served by not sharing, after all he benefited so much from the wisdom of others. Contrast this with the modern world where we have the technology to collaborate very effectively but competitive pressures. Your main asset as an employee is what you know. The targeted, bonus driven culture of recent years rewards you if you put yourself, and your personal targets, first - survival of the fittest but at the expense of the greater good. There are notable exceptions of course; academia, where much pure scientific research still goes on, is still hugely collaborative, and there is nothing more selfless or collaborative than the world of open source software where individuals and corporations contribute as equals on projects for the common good. On the other hand there is an industry in itself dedicated to the protection of IP (Intellectual Property).

So, if your organisation has problems with a lack of collaboration and information sharing don't expect technology alone to solve the problem. You first need a culture that is supportive and rewards people for sharing. Add technology and you just make the process a whole lot easier and faster. After all, when Darwin shipped artifacts and notes from South America and Australasia back to Henshaw in England they took 2 or 3 months to arrive, and another 2 or 3 months before Darwin got a reply. Today we get impatient if we have to wait that number of minutes. Happy bicentenary Charles Darwin!

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