COLLABORATION: HARNESSING THE IDEAS OF MANY
Purpose:
To demonstrate the
- Need for collaboration in the achievement of goals and objectives
- Benefits of seeking beyond your own organization for new ideas and solutions
Background:
When you hear the word, “collaboration,” what comes to mind? You may visualize yourself working with a small group of people to solve a common challenge. Often these groups of people are colleagues within your department or organization. Sometimes they represent multiple departments or functions. Yet, how often does the group include customers and suppliers? New hires? People in other locations?
In today’s environment, responsiveness to changing conditions is foundational to a successful organization. Whether your organization is large, small, non-profit, for profit, or an educational institution, the need to adapt and respond to new products, services, budgets, and regulations requires everyone’s involvement. According to a recent IBM study of over 400 companies in 40 countries, one of the three defining characteristics of a highly adaptable organization is the capability to collaborate across organizations, time zones, and cultures (p. 12). The study found that the biggest inhibitor to collaboration was “organizational silos, time pressure, and misaligned performance measures” (p. 13). Adaptive organizations have overcome these barriers by engaging different departments and functions throughout the organization in their efforts to change.
In this month’s process you will have the opportunity to explore the power of collaboration by cultivating the knowledge and ideas of different people. To get different results, you must first think differently so you will act differently. To promote new ways of thinking, it is essential to involve people with different points of view. Working together collaboratively takes on a whole new meaning when you look beyond your immediate organization and actively seek diverse perspectives in order to create more innovative and complete solutions.
Sources
Ringo, Tim, Peter MacDonald. “Unlocking the DNA of the Adaptable Workforce”; The IBM Human Capital Study 2008.
Skarzynski, Peter, Gibson, Rowan. Innovation to the Core. Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Business Press: 2008
