Things are really flying right now at work, we have a lot of change - new office, new development methods, new project and a new governance structure to work within. On balance it’s all good but I have been slow to maintain the blog - tut tut.
I wanted to write about the slightly contentious topic of sharing data among ourselves, encouraged by a comment from Rob Sim. At the heart of this contention is the argument that as organisastions, we are effectively competitors and more so these days and we shouldn’t be sharing data or content that might lose us some competitive advantage.
I absolutely do not buy into this argument. Having worked entirely in the commercial sector for almost 20 years prior to this, I still recall with amazement and almost disbelief the day that Monash sent us some code for a student system report we were struggling to develop. How refreshing to stumble across an industry where people didn’t cling onto knowledge but openly shared it and how fitting that this should take place within a seat of learning.  Of course we reciprocated shortly after and the systems support relationship between the two organisations went from strength to strength.
When organisations who have shared catch up at conferences or forums, they already have a connection, the conversation is instantly more productive, progress accelerates and as a result both parties benefit considerably.
Of course I am not advocating sharing all our sensitive data, but co-developing, assisting or bouncing ideas off each other is good. It provides another avenue or resource for exploration, it justifies taking certain approaches (”look, they did it and it works really well”) and it allows us to get the mundane bread and butter stuff, that we all do out of the way so we can focus on the really cool stuff that does differentiate.
This really cool stuff is what pushes us forward, when we exploit technology and collectively give ourselves an edge then Aus/NZ universities can be regarded as forward-thinking and acting and not solely traditional custodians of a shrinking ready-market.
So next time someone calls you or emails you for advice, or you see a DWSiG posting asking for some help, spend a minute investing your time in them, it will pay back handsomely…
