The solution begins with CO-

It is a fascinating feeling when you witness something emerging without being quite sure what it is, nor why it is occurring, and even more so when you are not only a witness, but also an unwitting protagonist. This is exactly what is happening to our society and our economy, affected as they are by a powerful yet almost imperceptible change that will lead them from the dominance of the individual (me) to the conviction of the group (we).

Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, and fully immersed in a huge crisis fuelled by the insatiable greed and credit of a consumer society, a score of experiences whose common denominator is collaboration are emerging in the world. The power of “multiplying” the assets already coexisting in our system is evident in personal (collaborative consumption), organisational (business intersections) or social (citizen activists) fields.

In an era marked by a fascination with networks (Internet, social networking, globalisation), the key lies in realising that what really matters are not the nodes (neurons) in the network, but their connections (synapses).

This book gathers together 50 ideas/examples of why the world is becoming a co-world. As a species we either collaborate or perish, and the same is also true of society. So let us prepare to witness a revolution in which we should also be the protagonists. The road to a collaborative society and economy is inevitable. The alternative is failure.

Index

Introduction: book summary
1. Towards co-capitalism
2. Co-innovation
emerges
3. Transferring models
4. Collaborating is a process
5. Co-space/time
6. Co-creation
7. Co-learning
8. Networks and markets
9. Collaborative consumption
10. Co-society