Organisations that have a collaborative culture will find the transformation to more sustainable business easier, quicker and probably less costly. But what does true collaboration look like?
Collaboration is a buzz word right now, but do we ever stop to think what it really means? How do you create a more collaborative culture? These five steps might help you achieve true collaboration and, with that, better solutions…
I’ve just been working with a team who realised that several major problems they need to solve cannot be solved by them alone. The solution lies with involving wider change across the organisation and they don’t even know what that solution could be yet.
They took the brave move to stop the initial team coaching program that they had set up with me and to engage the ‘right’ people across their organisation to form a new group coaching program to solve each problem. For each problem, the members of the group changed slightly but we had all the people in the room that could co-create the solution.
The group aim to get the best result for the organisation as a whole. Everyone knows that either everyone wins, or everyone loses. Each person believes that they have something valuable to contribute so there is no sense of superiority or inferiority compared to others.
When individuals lose hope, others support them so that at any one time at least one member of the group holds hope for a solution and inspires the other.
The dialogue is focused on the solution only, so everyone listens when someone shares their opinion. Individuals who don’t have anything to contribute feel comfortable to stay silent. They are listening and engaged, not trying to show off/score points.
The individuals in the group are willing to contribute resources from their section if that is the best solution. They don’t compare who has put more resources in than another. They trust that in the future another solution might draw on other people’s resources and it will all work out ‘fairly’ in the end. They don’t even keep count.
There are no hidden messages/political game playing. Each person’s contribution is simply their best contribution in the circumstances. There are no second agendas being played out, no contributions that are in order to win territory, put someone else down, make a point about another topic that is close to their heart etc…
Those collaborating admire each other’s different strengths/life perspectives and want to hear all the different views so that the best solution can come out. They don’t argue for their preconceived solution. They don’t get bored and just say, ‘let’s just go with x solution’
There are no hierarchies of power, everyone has an equal voice and is equally respected for their views
Once all opinions have been heard and a majority agree on a solution, those that don’t agree, can state that and why (again) but will then comply with the group solution and back it fully. They don’t go away and try and sabotage it, or just do their own thing anyway. They don’t worry about having to cover their own backs because collaborative cultures do not (and actually cannot) blame individuals.
Each member of the group takes responsibility for the solution and if that is deemed incorrect at a later date, it is the whole group who will have to answer for it. At this point those who didn’t agree with the solution, don’t stoop to pointing the finger at other members of the group. The group ask themselves ‘what is the learning here? what can we do differently to prevent this mistake from happening again?’
