Midnight Lunch

How Thomas Edison's system for collaboration can benefit any team

Thomas Edison created multi-billion dollar industries that still exist today. What many people don't realize is that his innovations were generated through focused approaches to teamwork and collaboration. Authored by the great grandniece of Thomas Edison, Midnight Lunch provides an intriguing look at how to use Edison's collaboration methods to strengthen live and virtual teams today. Edison's four phases of collaboration success offer a simple yet powerful way to see how different combinations of live and digital resources can multiply results and deliver outstanding ROI now.

• Shows how to draw together individuals from diverse disciplines, ensuring multiple perspectives and rapid problem-solving
• Explains how to mix specialists and generalists on the same team, preventing groupthink and discouraging a culture of "superstars"
• Reveals the steps needed to reskill team members for collaboration in the digital era

Team members from any field can take Midnight Lunch to their project meetings, engage instantly, identify action steps based on the book, and generate high-impact results.

Foreword Matthew Greeley xi

Acknowledgments xv

Introduction xvii

Chapter 1 What Is True Collaboration? 1

Is It True Collaboration, or Is It a Team? 4

Team A versus Team B 5

Thomas Edison Mastered Collaboration as a Force for Success 12

Tracing Edison’s Collaboration Beliefs and Practices 17

Edison’s Four Phases of True Collaboration 18

True Collaboration Fosters a Growth Mindset: Balancing Learning and Performance 25

True Collaboration Is a Superskill That Builds a New Type of Knowledge Asset 32

Chapter 2 Why Is True Collaboration So Crucial Now? 35

Shift #1: The Rise in Complexity Due to Massive Generation of Data and Real-Time Data Synthesis 40

Shift #2: The Rise of the Metalogue as a Tool for Creating Purpose and Connection 47

Shift #3: The Need for Reskilling Workers in the Innovation Age 53

Chapter 3 Phase 1: Capacity—Creating the Foundations for Collaboration to Thrive 57

Part i, Phase 1—Capacity 60

Part ii, Phase 1—Capacity 72

True Collaboration Toolkit: Hands-On Exercises—Phase 1 89

Chapter 4 Phase 2: Context—How Context Accelerates Collaboration and Innovation 92

Part i, Phase 2: The Solo Meld 98

Part ii, Phase 2: Group Meld 119

True Collaboration Toolkit: Hands-On Exercises—Phase 2 146

Chapter 5 Phase 3: Coherence—Building Coherent Teams 150

Part i, Phase 3: Coherence 153

Part ii, Phase 3: Coherence 169

True Collaboration Toolkit: Hands-On Exercises—Phase 3 194

Chapter 6 Phase 4: Complexity—Forming Smart Layers and Developing Collective Intelligence 198

Part i, Phase 4: Complex Systems and Smart Layers 202

Part ii, Phase 4: Footprinting Captures Collective Intelligence 237

Chapter 7 True Collaboration: A Look into the Future 250

Notes 255

About the Author 271

Index 273

SARAH MILLER CALDICOTT is a great-grandniece of Thomas Edison, and a seasoned executive with years of hands-onexperience driving growth in new and existingbusinesses. Coauthor of Innovate Like Edison, a groundbreaking book on Thomas Edison's innovation best practices, Sarah inspires audiences around the world through her keynote speeches and executive programs on how to integrate Edison's Five Competencies of Innovation in organizations today. Sarah also advises leaders on how they can use Edison's time-tested methods to create a culture of innovation, as well as accelerate the development of individual and team capabilities that propel collaboration success.

Thomas Edison created multibillion-dollar industries that still exist today. What many people don't realize is that his innovations weregenerated through the power of collaboration. Edison's collaborative approach propelled him to generate a record-breaking 1,093 US patents and 1,293 international patents over 62 consecutive years. Authored by Edison's great-grandniece, Midnight Lunch provides an intriguing look at how you can use Edison's collaboration methods to strengthen face-to-face and virtual teams today.

Leaders need to know how to design teams for maximum innovation impact, "rewire" their organizational culture to create growth, and hire collaborative employees that will thrive in an innovation-driven enviroment.Midnight Lunch outlines Edison's four phases of collaboration success, and demonstrates how different combinations of live and digital resources can deliver outstanding ROI.

Through action steps that yield high-impact results, Midnight Lunch shows how to:

• Build a team from diverse disciplines, ensuring multiple perspectives, rapid problem-solving, and a foundation for collaboration to thrive

• Mix specialists and generalists on the same team, preventing groupthink and discouraging a culture of "superstars"

• Encourage dialogue and experimentation

• Craft physical space that supportstrue collaboration

• Focus your team's attention on progress and small wins

• Reskill team members for collaboration success in the digital era

• Footprint your team's work, generating collective intelligence others can follow

In the coming decade, organizationsmust make true collaboration a priority ifthey want to remain nimble in the face of constantly shifting economic forces. Midnight Lunch brings Edison's legacy into the twenty-first century, offering us an imperative to embrace our collaborative spirit and achieve astonishing results.

Praise for Midnight Lunch

"Caldicott powerfully updates Edison's collaboration process for use by organizations operating in today's hyper-competitive global economy. If you're looking for a way to accelerate growth through innovation, this book offers deep insights on why collaboration is the 'superskill' that will drive success."
—Verne Harnish, CEO, Gazelles; coauthor of The Greatest Business Decisions of All Time

"Sarah has added an indispensable contribution to the success formula for business. Midnight Lunch magnifies one of Thomas Edison's most treasured traits—collaboration. This incredible piece of work provides insightful, yet practical guidance for all who desire to innovate their way to success."
—D. Keith Pigues, coauthor of Winning with Customers: A Playbook for B2B ;Dean, North Carolina Central University School of Business

"Innovation is not about individual heroes with a vision, it is about collaboration. Edisonunderstood this well, and Caldicott is a skilled guide to how he really got so much done.Applying Edison's four phases of collaboration will bring new power to your team efforts."
—Chris Trimble, coauthor of Reverse Innovation and The Other Side of Innovation

"Organizations today often fail to engage collaboration as a crucial part of their innovationprocess. Caldicott reminds us that Edison's world-changing success stemmed in largemeasure from his collaborative culture. Midnight Lunch updates Edison's approach for the twenty-first century, offering a practical guide for developing nimble collaborations."
—Vijay Govindarajan, Earl C. Daum Professor of International Business,Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College; coauthor of Reverse Innovation

"As in her earlier work, Sarah digs deep into her kinsman Thomas Edison's actual practices. We hear so much talk about 'innovation.' Well, here was the ultimate innovator, straddling fields and decades in his prodigious output. How did it really happen? Edison saw it as a team game. Sarah tells us how it was played."
—Nigel Cameron, President, Center for Policy on Emerging Technologies

"Midnight Lunch inspires action to orchestrate and groom multidisciplinary rock bands in an organization, not just individual rock stars, creating extraordinary results."
—Manish Tangri, Associate Director, New Business, Intel Corporation

"In an evermore complex and rapidly changing digital world, Caldicott effectively demonstrates the importance of collaboration as a crucial 'superskill' necessary for rapid innovation today. Read Midnight Lunch. Engage your people. Build collaborative networks. And innovate!"
—Maria Thompson, Director of Innovation Strategy, Motorola Solutions