One of the great things about the new business environment is that we’re starting to see a lot of experimentation with different models for organizing creative/commercial endeavors that rest on various degrees of openness, peering, and sharing. The really interesting models are the hybrid ones where project/business leaders manage to blend mass collaboration with a viable revenue model (of course things will get even more interesting when business leaders learn how to share revenue with contributors!). Last week, our colleague Lawrence Lessig took a step forward in categorizing these various hybrid models/approaches with an analytical model of his own.
The model is simple 2X2 matrix that identifies four distinct models for organizing creative endeavors based on whether or not the project invites external participation and whether project is a non-profit or commercial venture. He’s looking for help finding examples that fit into the four quadrants, and having taken a quick look at the matrix myself it looks like there’s a healthy list of examples. The matrix is on a wiki, so you can add to it if you’re inclined. For more info, see Lessig’s blog.
