During the last nine months of executive coaching sessions, the subject of collaboration has surfaced often. Many people are curious about how to improve it in order to solve both strategic and operational problems. And it is an important subject given current challenges. However, I first think we need to understand what collaboration means
The dictionary defines collaboration in the following manner: “to work with another person to achieve or do something.” It appears that the focus is on the word “achieve” more than anything else in the definition. And this is the focus of most people in leadership positions. Execution is the #1 priority.
Still, I believe that the part of the definition that states “to work with another person” gets forgotten in the rush to “do something.” It is the former that makes the latter possible. But the former gets little or no attention when it comes to the subject of collaboration. There is the miraculous assumption that putting two people in a room will result in them instantly working well together and getting something done successfully. I think this is admirable and totally unrealistic.
Now, when we think about people working together as a team, we do not hesitate to reference the work of Bruce Tuckman from 1965 when he stated that teams go through different stages before they are able to work well together. Those stages are forming, storming, norming, and performing. And each stage is necessary and important in order for the team to perform well over time.
But when it comes to the subject of collaboration, many leader instantly assume that the first and only stage is performing or, in essence, working well together. After many decades of doing this work, I don’t make this assumption, and I don’t assume that people actually know how to collaborate, let alone what it feels like to do it well. In short, I believe collaboration happens after a series of previous choices have been made.
First, we have to remember that most people work in isolation or with few other people. This is the case when looking back over the last three years of a global pandemic. Either way, there is minimal or no communication that takes place on a daily basis. Those involved share with others as needed, and for the most part, just focus on getting their own work done.
Second, if they are not working in isolation, be that at work or in their own home office, some people will seek out others for perspective or advice. This consultative form of engagement regularly results in an individual taking the parts of what they learn that they like, and the parts that cause the least amount of disruption to their daily work flow. And in the end, they do what they want to do. This level of “collaboration” only happens at an input level.
Third, after working in isolation or checking with another person on something, i.e. consultation, some people choose to coordinate their actions with another individual or group. This is a common form of working together to get something done. In simple terms, it is the “I plan/You plan” form of collaboration but in reality, it mostly is getting together to solve a problem that, to one degree or another, we are both dealing with at the same time. There is some shared effort and focus, but on many levels, it is minimal at best.
Fourth, we move into true collaboration. At this level, all involved participate in a joint analysis which includes an agreement about what is the problem. Then, those involved engage in shared planning and execution. This happens because there is a compelling reason to collaborate and there are agreed to guidelines to the process of working together. All involved understand there will be periods of trial and adaptation, and they recognize that there will be a high degree of reliance on each other in order to be successful. Within this form of collaboration, there will be a degree of co-creation, namely the sharing of resources based on a high degree of personal, strategic and organizational trust.
When we understand the above pathway to collaboration, we have to recognize that collaboration is a mindset, i.e. a way of thinking, not just a way of working. And at the core of that mindset is an understanding of “why” we need to collaborate, not just what needs to get done together.
FYI: to be continued on Tuesday.
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