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Looking at the structure of many modern day companies we see that capable parts do not always create a unified whole. This dilemma has a close relation to the Frankenstein monster: while constructed of strong individual pieces, he is inherently cumbersome and lethargic. Enterprise collaboration initiatives are focused on optimizing the way individuals, teams, and departments work together to increase productivity and communication to develop a more agile organization.
 
Ok, we could probably sit here all day spinning collaboration theory, but what is going to make others listen? How are we going to get managers and co-workers on board? While sluggish, the Frankenstein monster steadfastly stands his ground.
 
As the context of business changes, many companies still remain complacent with their established workflow methods. Having stable core processes is what holds most companies together but changes to the formula are required to remain cohesive as business and economic environments change.
 
Start by developing clear objectives for solving real problems your company is facing. Collaborating for collaboration’s sake is not enough.
 
Take an adaptive planning approach to meet your objectives. Analyze results as you work towards each of your objectives and make appropriate changes along the way. Capitalize on what you learn from mistakes and failures.
 
Praise collaborative efforts. While one person can do great things, the advantages of a team challenging and complimenting each other can produce greater results. By promoting the achievements of team efforts you will encourage others to join in.

Technologies that are emerging to assist in enterprise collaboration efforts offer dynamic tool sets for developing solutions in a real-time business environment. Strongly influenced by Web 2.0 social networking and social media, Enterprise 2.0 focuses on a horizontal playing field where communication and collaboration drive innovation.

The latest from Google Labs is a simplified data analysis and visualization tool that allows users to collaboratively develop and manage tabular data. Traditional database systems are known for containing complex SQL queries and transaction processes. Google Fusion Tables has developed a system where the “focus is on fusing data management and collaboration: merging multiple data sources, discussion of the data, querying, visualization, and Web publishing.”
 
Collaborating on large data sets has the potential to produce inaccurate results simply through process. Duplicate copies of the data can emerge where inconsistencies occur. Google Fusion Tables provides a workspace in the cloud where you can invite multiple users to collaborate. Changes made to the data are consistent and you can also select which portions of your data to share with collaborators. An attribution feature gives credit where credit is due, so you’ll know who made what changes. Discussion features allow you to carry on conversations along rows, columns, or even specific cells.
 
The most power feature is the ability to combine multiple data sets and really see the big picture; data from independent sources can be fused on a primary key. Visualization features allow you to instantly present your data on charts and maps; Google Fusion Tables will automatically interpret locations from your data. You can also apply filters to enhance and tweak your visualizations.
 
Google Fusion Tables is fresh out of the garage, so for testing purposes you are allowed to import Microsoft Excel (.xls) and Google spreadsheets, or CSV (comma-separated values) files with up to 100 MB per data set, and a max of 250 MB per user account. You can also export data to CSV files.
 
Source: Google Research Blog