Are You in the Right Collaboration Environment?

More than team building and management.

Collaboration is, to me, about the division of labor (as the word's etymology implies) that leads to cooperation toward a common goal. There are two models of collaboration and team-building that I believe speak to the spirit of consensual cooperation.

One is Christensen's model of consensus-driven cooperation*. From that view, the effectiveness of collaboration depends on how well one executes two factors. The first is to correctly identify the extent of agreement in the organization; and the second is to employ the tools of cooperation that are right for the circumstances surrounding the level of consensus.

A. Map Extent of Agreement on Wants and Causation

To effectively divide/assign the work-to-be-done the team/organization must first gain an understanding of its people's agreement along two axes: the extent to which people agree on WHAT THEY WANT on one axis and the extent to which people agree on THE PATH TO GET WHAT THEY WANT. This is the path of cause and effect to solve/fix problems by the work done.

The resultant 2x2 matrix gives you 4 scenarios of agreement:

1. people don't agree about what they want and they don't agree on how the world works
2. people don't agree about what they want but do agree on how to get there
3. people have common hopes but differ on the actions required realize them
4. people agree on what they want and agree on how to get there.

B. Employ Tools of Cooperation According to (A)

For the unfortunate people experiencing scenario (1.) the tools of cooperation are such "Power Tools" as coercion, threats and force. For groups in scenario (2.) the tools of cooperation are such "Management Tools" as SOPs, standard ways of measuring performance and coordinated training methods. Organizations in scenario (3.) are best served by "Leadership Tools", examples of which are vision and mission statements, salesmanship and charisma. Finally, for people in organizations experiencing scenario (4.) the best tools of cooperation appear to be such "Culture Tools" as ritual, folklore and democracy.

The second of these collaboration models is Rath and Conchie's strengths-based components of talented teams. In this model, the most effective teams employ people whose collective talents partner to form strength across the behavioral domains of "execution", "influencing", "relationship building" and "strategic thinking".

Fantastic subject to contemplate and upon which to set plans in preparation for the new year.

On This Topic I've Enjoyed Reading

"Disrupting Class" (chapter "Forging a Consensus for Change")
by Clayton Christensen

"Strengths Based Leadership" by Tom Rath

"Organizational Culture and Leadership" by Edgar Schein

*Consensus-driven cooperation is my term for the elegantly constructed model that I merely describe in this post.