Collaboration can become “coliberation” when done right.
When, exactly, are “two heads better than one”? When the overall goal and task at hand deserve this form of closely aligned partnering. Of course, not every type of work, every goal or every task deserves it, and when collaboration is warranted, success depends on the willingness and skill-sets of collaboration partners. Key is to neither over- nor under-utilize collaboration, saving it for situations that will benefit from its advantages, avoiding auto-pilot limitations due to habitual responses to diversity, stretching toward greater and greater effectiveness.
Check out our collaboration skills program course description, or contact us to schedule a delivery or discuss a tailored version of this course.
If you are an individual looking for self-study materials, consider downloading our 90-minute audio conference (offered through Lorman Education, with Continuing Education Unit credits available*) entitled Breaking Down Silos to Effective Collaboration (original Flyer PDF | Purchase program for $99 “on demand” at lorman.com/training/management/breaking-down-the-silos-for-effective-collaboration).
Related articles:
- Collaboration at Work — What’s an Elephant Between Coworkers? (four situations where a collaborative approach is essential)
- Collaborative Workplace Advantage
- Sailing the Seven C’s of Collaborative Business Relationships
- Collaborative Leadership series (introduction article)
Why bother gaining greater awareness and skill with these tools for collaboration? Because insanity is defined as doing what you’ve always done but expecting a different result. It takes a highly disciplined or slightly crazy (in a good way) person to choose what is less familiar and possibly uncomfortable, but such is the way of “style stretching” for those who normally over-use or under-use collaboration as their “go to” mode of interacting. Professionals these days let the discomfort be their guide — getting comfortable with the discomfort — of trying new things, until that greater flexibility has been added to their repertoire.
How flexible are you when it comes to working with others, especially those who are unlike you? At times a passenger, at others strongly “in charge” as topic leader, modern workplaces are most productive when experienced as a daily “flexibility drill” when collaborating with diverse others. Bending and stretching without get bent out of shape — skills worth honing over a lifetime!
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* This course has been reviewed and approved for inclusion in the Human Resource Professional Development (HRPD) Certificate Program and qualifies for 0.5 credit. Please visit www.lorman.com/certification/hrpd for more information.
