Collaborative Model of Innovation

It is interesting to see a rep from the worlds biggest patent filer (IBM) speak of open standards and a collaborative model of innovation. This FE piece states:

“Given the complexity of our most pressing societal problems and the diversity of skills and resources required to solve them, innovation will increasingly require collaboration on a broader scale then ever before. Since innovation transcends the invention of new technologies— it is the application of these technologies to some useful purpose —it will require collaboration among creators of technology, those with the skills to apply it, and the beneficiaries of the innovation. Leave out any element of that cooperative process, and the result will be diminished.

Often, this will actually involve a diverse group of interested parties, raising an interesting Babel-like challenge: how to communicate effectively. The common tongue that will bind collaborators will not be English, French, Spanish or Chinese — it will be standards, open business standards not controlled by any one participant. The best way to illustrate the potential impact of collaboration and open standards is through an example, and what better example of an area ripe for innovation than the US healthcare system. “……

“Perhaps the biggest IT challenge is achieving interoperability — what works within the walls of a hospital or an insurance company must translate across business models and environments.
For interoperability, open standards are a must. Efforts like the recently-formed Interoperability Consortium, where eight of the largest technology companies have agreed to embrace open technology standards as the basis for creating a national healthcare network, are already exploring the right way to build this infrastructure”