Angry Birds smashing silos

Angry Birds is a game in which small birds with different abilities topple structures (well, for the purposes of this metaphor, anyway).

An individual bird has a literal arc for a career, sometimes a long curve, sometimes a sharp peak, but always ending with a final impact.  That impact may be a single wall destroyed, or it may be the final touch that causes an entire structure to collapse.

Each has different abilities - some have bursts of speed, some explode, some drop bombs, others simply smash through by brute force.  Different combinations are needed to achieve the desired results.

We talk of smashing silos when we speak of IT project improvement or public service renewal.  We talk of the Ivory Tower under assault

@danielleganza Danielle Robichaud

The defences of the Ivory Tower are under attack - by the Internet. #jcdl2011

http://twitter.com/danielleganza/status/80631996623237120

So can ask yourself a few questions: What kind of bird am I?  What career arc do I want?  At the end of my career, what final impact do I want to have, whether it's a single brick dislodged or silos toppling like dominoes?

Sometimes it may seem impossible

but in the end, there is always a way

The above written to provoke discussion at Wednesday June 15, 2011 Web 2.0 Practitioners tweetup in Ottawa.

Sidebar: After having thought of this idea (while bathing, although fortunately for everyone I did not run the streets shoulding Eureka!  Angry Birds!) I was rather surprised and worried to see Angry Birds ... Understand Collaboration show up in my tweetstream from GovLoop the very same day.  It actually turns out to be some specific collaboration lessons you can learn from Rovio, who have done various clever things to promote their game.