Teamwork, Edison Style

This article discusses Thomas Edison’s concept of teamwork and collaborations. Edison fundamentally viewed collaboration as a connecting force, a transformational force that facilitated and made possible the development of new knowledge. Edison’s innovations were generated through focused approaches to teamwork and collaboration. He viewed collaboration as the beating heart of his laboratories, a sustaining resource that fueled the knowledge assets of his innovation. Edison designed a process of collaboration that was used across his entire enterprise of more than 200 companies worldwide. Because Edison believed that individuals are vital to collaborative success, he placed emphasis on the contributions of each team member as a critical component of the team’s joint efforts. Because he believed that a diverse group of individuals offered the best chance for collaborative success, Edison consistently created teams that had members from several disciplines. The famous group that drove the breakthrough thinking behind the incandescent electric light consisted of a glassblower, a machinist, a chemist, a mathematician, an instrument maker, and a textile worker, along with Edison himself.