New systems are needed to support freedom in the workplace

By Mark Dowds | No Comments

The average person spends one third of their life at work and the economy is sustained by their efforts, however many still permit a manager to do their thinking for them. This stems from a philosophy proposed by Frederick W. Taylor in the late 19th century which sought to carefully plan daily tasks for each worker, standardize tasks and tools, provide good pay for good work and poor pay for failure, and remove all “brain work” from the shop floor and place it in the planning department (Rarick, 1987). The intent of this aspect of effective management in an industrial world was held within the framework of the modern dream, where a future was being created where citizens would be freer to enjoy life eventually. This deferred hope never arrived and many hearts grew sick giving way to an unsettled craving for more of life today. READ ALL

Brainpark Makes WorldBlu’s 2010 List of Most Democratic Workplaces ™

By Mark Dowds | No Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Jon Motz
jon @ brainparkinc.com

Brainpark Makes WorldBlu’s 2010 List of Most Democratic Workplaces ™

Alamo, California, United States – April 13, 2010 – Brainpark.com, a leading developer of enterprise social networking software and project collaboration tools, is pleased to announce their inclusion in the 2010 WorldBlu List of Most Democratic Workplaces. Brainpark is one of 44 companies chosen and this is the second consecutive year they have been included on this list.

The WorldBlu List of Most Democratic Workplaces is a global list recognizing and honoring organizations that operate democratically. It is a list, not a ranking, and is announced on an annual basis. The purpose of the list is to honor companies that champion organizational democracy and freedom in the workplace. READ ALL

Enterprise Social Networking Startup Wins Red Herring Global 100 Award

By Mark Dowds | 2 Comments

Brainpark.com, a leading developer of enterprise social networking software and project collaboration tools, has been awarded one of the technology industry’s most sought-after awards for start-ups; The Red Herring Global 100. READ ALL

Community Productivity in the Enterprise

By Mark Dowds | No Comments

Most of us agree with the African proverb that “it takes a village to raise a child”. I experienced it growing up in a small village in Ireland called Ballygowan. Everyone knew everyone and it was quite common to get a “cuff” on the ear from someone else’s mother when getting up to no good. I got confused later in life when I discovered half of the people I called “aunt” or “uncle” had no relation whatsoever, family is extended in a village. READ ALL

Enterprise 2.0 – more is not necessarily better

By Mark Dowds | No Comments

One movie scene most of us will never forget is when Oliver Twist, desperate with hunger, rose from the table and advanced to the master with bowl and spoon in hand to audaciously ask, ‘Please, sir, I want some more.’ The carnage that followed all hinged around the shock and repetition of the word ‘MORE!’

‘More’ is a word that rarely raises an eyebrow or causes disdain in our modern world. Some things are changing due to energy crises and obesity but mostly ‘more is better’ is the mindset of the masses. Rockerfella was once asked how much money one needs to be happy. His response was ‘just a little bit more.’ READ ALL

Capitalizing on ‘social intelligence’

By Mark Dowds | No Comments

Technology Spotlight just released their 2009 edition called “Transforming Ideas”. On page 34 Brydon Gilliss, Brainpark’s product design manager, reveals his bare feet along with some of what is going on in the Guelph office. Page 35 highlights aspects of how we self-organize ourselves and submit to democratic practices. There are a few facts and figures that are inaccurate (like the amount of employees we have etc) but otherwise it is a great article and we are honored to be profiled alongside so many great companies.

2009 Tech Impact Award

By Mark Dowds | 2 Comments

Congratulations to the 2009 Tech Impact Award recipients, recognized for their lasting contributions to the success of the Waterloo Region tech sector:

Jim Estill, formerly of Synnex Canada
Brydon Gilliss, Brainpark
Steve McCartney, formerly of Atria Networks LP

10 Things You Need To Build a Great Company

By Mark Dowds | 2 Comments

A few weeks ago EduFire launched their business channel. This channel is catered towards those who want to grow their business or get some training in specific areas of entrepreneurship and those who are looking to retrain during a job transition. EduFire is a live video learning platform that offers an Ebay of teachers that enables students to learn at anytime from anywhere. READ ALL

Brainpark at IBM

By Brainpark | No Comments

This week Brainpark is getting profiled at the IBM conference in NY. One of our co-founders Mark Dowds is the keynote speaker with the topic of “The Future of Data Governance”. Our other co-founder Bobby John has a panel called “Enterprise 2.0 and Governance”. The topics sound very “heady” but in their basic format are all to do with how we enable employees to be smart and work better together while protecting the information and intellectual property of the company. READ ALL

Beyond Search

By Brainpark | 4 Comments

Almost from the inception of Brainpark one of the things we wanted to move beyond was search (see one of Brydon’s earlier blog posts). We recognized that the majority of people spend a significant amount of time searching for information from various sources. Scenario: someone asks you if you can help them on a particular task. You know you have done something like this before and have the information to help. The problem is, some of the information is in your browser bookmarks, some is in files on your hard drive, the rest is mixed up in email and project tools. Being the decent person you are…you spend an hour or two searching and trying to rebuild the information for your own and someone else’s benefit. READ ALL