Why are people drawn to social networking communities and sites like Wikipedia? Why do we want to share information and ideas for free? And what does that mean for the way we earn a living?

These are important questions that Charles Leadbeater examines in his new book We Think which was published in March 2008 by Profile Books. The book explores the web as a platform for mass creativity and examines the potential of the latest developments of the internet. His research focuses on how user driven innovation is reshaping organizations, with users increasingly co-creating products and services. He examines what these changes will mean for our culture, the way we work and how we run our governments and businesses.

Leadbeater, who has counciled Tony Blair, written for the Financial Times, and was ranked one of the top management thinkers in the world, posted the book online in a Wiki format before printing for everyone to view, edit, and correct. As if to prove his point, 91 people wrote emails with detailed suggestions for the book and about 150 comments were posted on the site. The first three chapters of the book are available for download here. And check out this cool short animation by Tim Cowie outlining the ideas of Leadbeater’s book: