Nothing tells you how fast things are changing more than reading a book written only a few years ago about how fast things are changing. It seems incredible how quickly what was a cutting edge example now seems like ancient history.

I had this sensation when reading Wikinomics by Don Tapshott and Anthony Williams earlier this year. It was first published in 2007 and was at one stage pondering that Apple might move into the phone market. I’ve just finished reading We Think by Charles Leadbeater (who we’re lucky enough to be able to work with at Nesta). It was written in 2007 and is a fantastic examination of what the impact of mass-collaboration might be, both good and bad. Both books are really thoughtful examinations of the broad changes to business and society facilitated by technology. The fact that some of the examples may already feel a bit out-of-date just shows how quickly things are moving. 

Wikinomics outlines how organisations can harness mass collaboration through technology to spur innovation. I was particularly interested in the chapter on the wiki workplace and what the future of work might look like (more on that another time).

Many of the things discussed in We Think have since come to pass, and much of work at Nesta on public services is closely linked to the arguments Charlie makes in the section on Public Services 2.0. What’s Mine is Yours: How collaborative consumption is changing the way we live by Rachel Botsman (who we are also a big fan of at Nesta), which was published last year, shows how far technology has enabled colloboration since We Think was written.

Both We Think and Wikinomics are visionary books. Reading them for the first time now, five years after they were written, can make you feel quite dizzy about the pace of change, in some areas anyway.