Freedom to Fail and the Value of Knowledge

In the previous chapter Clay Shirky writes regarding open-source efforts (such as that of Linux), that what makes these open collaborative efforts work is that they are free to fail.  Its a very much Peter Drucker concept in a way.  [See his work  Managing the Non-Profit Organization for more, among other texts.]

The ability to fail is essential for a group or organization to prosper.  It is what allows a group to take risks, to change, to adapt, etc.  It is also what allows a group to read the world around itself and sense the changes which may be taking place in society, in people, and in the coming days and years. 

Shirky writes, "Unlike the business landscape, where companies have an incentive to hide both successes (for reasons of competitive advantage) and failures (to forestall any perception of weakness), open source projects advertise their successes and get failure for free" (Shirky, 258-259). 

This quotation reminds me of my Dad's infinite wisdom which he often shares with me.  My Dad is famous for saying that "We live in an information rich and knowledge driven society."  The more information and knowledge we have access to, the better informed we are, and the more capable of making a better decision we potentially can be.  In the old way of doing things, for-profit organizations had an incentive to hide their knowledge (and lack thereof) from the world and their competitors.  In the new way, of collaborative efforts such as that of Wikipedia or Linux, people are able to share ideas not for the point of monetary profit but of collective gain.  New insights can be shared and are had daily, if not every minute of each day.  The potential here then is in a way, limitless. 

Maybe this is a bit overly optimistic and a naive view of the world, especially given the continued reality of such sociological or economic condundrums like the Prisoner's Dilemma, but, it shows what good can come not just through sharing but coming together in the collective, if for only a small thing such as providing a Wiki post on what the city of Poulsbo is.