Shrinking returns from business automation and the impact of Web 2.0 are conspiring to revolutionise the workplace and change the way we do business forever. Gartner analysts believe that organisations need to respond to these changes and open up their organisations to a wider collection of business and social networks, to allow a more collaborative and innovative workplace.

"Businesses have long understood the value of growing and supporting the business environment in which they operate,” said Nikos Drakos, research director at Gartner. “Collaboration can be supported in new ways, among customers, partners and teams and IT has a fundamental role in embedding these practices in the business.”

Gartner predicts that by 2009, six out of ten new collaboration-related IT projects will seamlessly incorporate supplier, partner, and customer personnel, heralding a move away from the traditional, closed, inward-looking organisation to a more open, collaborative and innovative environment.

Drakos added, “Innovation in the future will depend increasingly on extending your business to include a wider community and this will not be without risks.  An active, managed approach to open innovation will enable organisations to take collaboration to the next level and compete fully on a global level.

For those industries and organisations still contemplating being more open, the biggest issue is likely to be changing the culture inside the organisation to look favourably on collaboration and supporting social interaction.  Drakos advised, “Companies need to assess the social culture and processes in the workplace and use social software, exploiting IT to prioritise openness, usability, people-centricity and flexibility as well as encouraging staff to help others.”

Demand for improved information sharing along business functions is already driving solid growth for collaboration technologies. This is reflected in the growth of the enterprise social software market. Gartner estimates that the enterprise social software revenue market will reach $226.9 million in 2007 and will increase to more than $707.7 million by 2011.