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Collaboration lessons tumble from Steve Jobs’ recent memo explaining why Apple isn’t supporting Adobe’s Flash software on its recent devices. (Explained: Your iPhone won’t be serving you any Flash content. Sorry about that.) Here’s a summary of Jobs’ points and the collaboration hotspots I see:

 

OUT OF “TOUCH”

 

Flash, a widely used product for PCs that use mice as pointing devices, is not designed for touch screens that use fingers as pointing devices. Translated: Flash isn’t flexible enough to manage the newer ways people interact with their electronics. Collaboration hotspot: Obsolescence. If you haven’t yet moved into a 21^st century understanding of how your customers want to interact with your product, you’re risking your business even if you currently lead the market.

 

RELIABILITY, SECURITY, PERFORMANCE

 

Jobs pointed out issues with Flash’s reliability (is it working properly?), security (am I vulnerable when I use it?) and performance (is it running slowly again?). Collaboration hotspot: Mistrust. If you believe for a second that your coworkers are unreliable, you’ll probably begin watching them closer, double-checking their work, yanking them off of high profile assignments. As the reliability questions escalate, the entire team may begin to feel fear – how vulnerable are we when we trust this guy? The question of performance (speed, quality) turns into an issue of waste. If the employee can’t meet requirements, everyone suffers. But these are worklife basics, aren’t they? Work fast enough, deliver high quality and don’t make anyone worry that their trust in you is misplaced.

 

THIRD PARTY TOURNIQUET

 

Apple is also miffed because Adobe keeps developers from quickly taking advantage of Apple’s new features. Unless and until Adobe upgrades, developers must wait on the sidelines. Collaboration hotspot: Control. It’s tough to let others sit at the table, isn’t it? A culture of fear causes you to hold on tightly rather than consider what could be accomplished if other people were allowed to play too. Ease up some, okay?

 

LEADERSHIP SUMMARY

 

If your understanding of your customer’s way of interacting with your product isn’t fresh, get with the program. But even as you think about the new stuff, keep an eye on basic business requirements – reliably deliver high quality output. And consider inviting others to collaborate with you rather than insisting that you know it all. That’s it! Keep on Working Together Better.