collaboratING to win
Collaboration Today
Is your firm leading, managing, and teaming up for the ultimate collaboration success in this new global marketplace? That is the question CNBC poses on its website where it announces a new five-part series “Collaboration Now.” CNBC describes collaboration as the one essential key to success. “The time to use collaboration as a tool for success is now,” said Susan Krakower, Vice President, Strategic Programming and Development, CNBC. She added, “Collaboration is becoming a necessary tool to compete in an ever demanding global environment” (RealityTVWebsite.com).
In a changing and challenging environment, the word “collaboration” has taken on new meaning and significance. No longer does it simply mean working together. Instead, it means leveraging the talents, resources, and ideas of many to become and to stay competitive. It means working as a team to execute a vision and competing as a team to win.
The Collaborative Leader
With all the publications, media attention, and talk today on collaboration, it is clear collaboration is an important competitive tool. Therefore, it is important to foster a culture that practices collaboration. This change involves shifting from a dictatorial leadership approach to an embracing, collaborative leadership style. In the August issue of the “Rapport Connection,” The Breakthrough Company, by Keith McFarland, was the recommended reading. McFarland explained that companies who “crown the CEO” lose opportunities to advance to breakthrough status. Crowning the CEO means the business revolves around the wants, needs, and desires of the CEO instead of revolving around the wants, needs, and desires of the company. Similarly, an organization with a dictatorial leadership approach misses an opportunity to create a successful union of people and to harness ideas for advancement because it is focused on the opinions and directives of its CEO.
Jan Brandt, former Vice Chair and Chief Marketing Officer of America Online, is an example of a collaborative leader. Brandt was recently inducted into the Direct Marketing Association’s Hall of Fame for her role in growing AOL’s worldwide membership from 250,000 in 1993, when she joined the company as an Officer and Vice President of Marketing, to more than 30 million. In her acceptance speech, Brandt’s advice for success was to surround yourself with people who are smarter than you are, adding that working with others is a rewarding experience.
Collaborative E-Tools
Since its inception, AOL and the Internet have become places where people meet, network, and collaborate. Clay Shirky, author of Here Comes Everybody, believes humans are innately good at working in groups and that anything that amplifies group effort can bring about change. Shirky lauds technology as a tool that amplifies group communication and adds that, for the first time in human history, communication tools—mobile phones, instant messages, weblogs, and wikis—support the group conversation and group action.
Challenges and Solutions
Participants of IBM’s 2008 Global Human Capital Study validate Shirky’s belief by saying it is not technology that inhibits collaboration; instead, it is organizational silos, time pressures, and misaligned performance measures that are impeding organizations’ abilities to collaborate (p. 17). The study reveals examples for jumpstarting collaboration across traditional line-of-business boundaries to avoid silos and other challenges. These examples include creating small groups of fifteen to even several hundred individuals who maintain the flow of knowledge across the organization, break down traditional organizational barriers, and reduce the amount of time it takes for individuals to get answers to questions (p. 18).
Overcoming Barriers
In his forthcoming book, Silo Busting, Dr. Ranjay Gulati, Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School, “draws attention for the first time to the importance of both internal and external integration; he presents a detailed account of the management systems companies must embrace to effect successful internal and external integration” (ranjaygulati.com).
While collaboration has many advantages including the ability to increase a company’s bottom line, Dr. Gulati, one of several guests on CNBC’s “Collaboration Now,” cautions that, according to research, up to fifty percent of collaborative efforts end prematurely because objectives are not met. He cites common reasons for unsuccessful alliances, such as lack of proper planning, misaligned goals and roles, a lack of clarity about the mission, and a lack of coordination and cooperation. Dr. Gulati advises that these issues can be prevented by knowing the risks in advance and having a “prenuptial” agreement and a clear plan of action.
Important Takeaways
Collaboration is essential to Rapport’s Leadership Breakthrough Two (LB2) course as students learn to collaborate by linking team goals to each individual’s unique contribution to a task. Since the introduction of LB2 several years ago, collaboration has become an indispensable tool in today’s volatile and ever-changing environment. A recent IBM study polling more than 750 CEOs from around the world identified collaboration as a key tenet to fostering innovation and growth (IBM Global Human Capital Study).
This collaboration means shifting from a dictatorial leadership approach to a collaborative leadership style, one in which everyone’s talents and ideas are harnessed rather than merely relying on the skills and perspectives of one individual. Collaboration has many benefits that can ultimately lead you to success; however, proper planning and clear goals are essential to ensure winning outcomes.
By creating a culture that practices collaboration and then reviewing CNBC’s question: are you leading, managing, and teaming up for the ultimate collaboration success in this new global marketplace? Your answer will be Yes! Yes! Yes!
Sources:
IBM Global Human Capital Study (2008)
Collaboration Now
Shirky, C. (2008). Here Comes Everybody
