Collaboration

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." - Helen Keller


When we act individually, we are limited by our weaknesses. No matter how skilled an individual may be, he or she will still exhibit weaknesses based upon knowledge, strength, experience, background, etc. By the same token, we all have strengths, and not everyone's strengths are equal to one another. In this way, when banding together, weaknesses are minimized and strengths of all are highlighted.

It seems fairly obvious that if we can partner, as we work together and be collaborative our overall results will be that much better.  Not so fast, it is very difficult to effectively collaborate.  Blending the team together for a common goal is challenging. All one needs to do is look at some of the professional athletic teams that tried to buy their ways into championships.  Putting the pieces together to forge teamwork is difficult but it can be done.  Let’s look at some factors that could determine how effective collaboration takes place:

·         Set the ground rules upfront.  It’s evolution not revolution.  Do not expect things to change overnight.  It will take time and is vitally important to have legitimate expanse of time in place.  It will also take money.  Bringing together key personnel from various departments can be quite expensive.  Things to keep in mind when putting together your panel.

·         If at all possible, based on background...bring in the experts!  The best people that you have in the organization from various levels of the company and have them share with the group their particular expertise and proficiencies.  This will allow broad exposure to various backgrounds coming together to work on the project.  This also promotes ownership within the ranks and adds increasing responsibility if employees from various levels of the departments are utilized.  However we also need to have certain personalities that will be discussed later.

·         The inputs from various departments help to identify certain problem areas and also minimize the chance that a particular department has absolute control.  One of the problems that can occur is the domination effect without active participation from all departments.  In addition, there is a chance that strong personalities can take over and can overly influence the discussions. 

·         Although the goal of collaborative effort has the potential of decreasing time the opposite can be true when more people are involved in the ultimate decisions. As noted above you do not want to put extra time pressure into arriving at your decisions.  Recognizing synergies and also the ability to influence ideas and past experiences of the panel can have a positive impact on decision making.

·         The team involved should not be too large to help minimize the chance of uncertainty as to the final decisions.  The larger the panel, the greater chance that clarity in purpose is lost.  Ambiguity begins to surface in large panels where the expertise of the members becomes less defined. 

·         Beware of personalities and communication.  Although we want experts on the panel, we also want to have people who can listen and not have pre-occupied thoughts on matters unrelated to their expertise.  If the panel is constantly taking defensive postures over key points the ultimate goal of unity will suffer.  The ideal panelists will have good communication skills above and beyond their particular field of expertise.

By sheer definition, collaboration means teamwork, partnership and group effort.  The letter “I” is not in team, collaborate or partner but is in selfish.  Look for people on your panel who can think beyond themselves, complete tasks and are honest and tactful.