One of my first thoughts when attempting to write this particular chapter was about the absolutely unambiguous need for organizations to collaborate. Collaboration is no longer a function of maintaining a good image within your community or within the four walls of your organization. It's a question of survival. We live in an age where instant connectivity is the norm, where multi-million dollar transactions can be handled from the comfort of your iPhone. “Organizations of the future will increasingly live in a flatter, faster and much more chaotic world. They will have to respond in the market before headquarters realizes that the game has changed.” (Katzenbach & Khan, 2009, p. 99) In this world of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity, leaders must be ready to respond quickly and decisively. In this new era, organizations need the innovation that only collaboration can bring. Trust is the structure for collaborative relationships. Organizations need to foster an environment where constituents feel comfortable sharing their ideas. Leaders play a critical role in creating an environment where this type of independent thinking is encouraged. Leaders must give their constituents permission to rethink all aspects of daily operations and the power to recommend changes without fear of retaliation. (McKeown & Wiseman, 2010, pp. 117-121) This can only be achieved if leaders have the trust of their constituents. “At the heart of collaboration is trust. It is the central issue in human relations inside and outside organizations. Without trust you can't lead. Without trust it is not possible to achieve extraordinary things." (Kouzes & Posner, 2007, p. 224) Leaders must also build a culture of learning...... middle of the paper ...... t, in the first chapter I discussed a collaboration between Pepsi and Appalachian State University, which led to the creation of the new G-Series line of Gatorade athletic performance drinks. As I mentioned, Pepsi succeeded in part because of its cultural commitment to collaboration. Using the world as a Petri dish is one way to create such collaborative synergy. In his article Big Blue's Global Lab Steve Hamm identifies IBM's radical shift in R&D management. Through this shift, IBM has been able to create relationships with governments and universities around the world who are excited to conduct research with them for mutual benefit, tapping into the creativity and collective genius of the vast number of individuals around the world. (Hamm, 2009, pp. 40-45) This is the quintessential agile network.