The topic that Hubert Saint-Onge presented during the SIKM call last week wasn’t brand new. “Collaborative Networks and the New Enterprise” was e.g. already presented during KM World 2007.
Nevertheless, it’s always good to listen to a thought leader with 25 years of experience. There were three points which I’ve particularly appreciated:

• “Collaborative networks require commitment not compliance.”
  Yes, to be successful in collaborative networks you need a personal conviction, the ability to build trust in relationships and to deal with risks. Commitment is being willing to do whatever it takes.
• “Building interactions that are part of getting work done is more important than building knowledge bases.”
  Yes, and please leverage technology to make judicious use of face-to-face meetings.
• The fourth chapter of the presentation that outlines principles for effective partnering in collaborative networks:
  - focus on the customer
  - trust based interactions
  - testing assumptions
  - well-defined accountabilities
  - attention to process
  - appropriate elevation

Thank you Hubert for the presentation.