Transcript Collaboration

Collaboration
Definitions of Collaboration
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Collaboration is “a process through which parties who see different
aspects of a problem can constructively explore their differences and
search for solutions that go beyond their own limited visions of what is
possible” (Gray, 1989)
Collaboration
 Involves joint action; collaboration is a way of doing
 Involves regarding one another in a specific way-- as a partner, in a
“reciprocal relationship”
 Involves equivalence of status, resource sharing, value, gains
 Involves a process -- more like a game of soccer than like “kicking
a ball”
 Voluntary -- must be entered into by choice and in consideration of
other alternatives
Is Collaboration a Big Deal?
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“The last decade has seen a worldwide
movement toward collaborative
governance, collaborative public service
provision, and collaborative approaches to
addressing social problems” Huxham and
Vangen, 2003
Interesting Findings about
Collaboration
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Health Care
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Hospitals using collaborative communication were
reported at 41% lower than the predicted number of
patient deaths whereas hospitals noted for lack of
collaborative communication exceeded their predicted
number of patient deaths by 58%. (Tschannen, 2004)
Evidence from conflict research
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Overwhelming support for the use of integrative
communication practices that focus on “win-win”
strategies (Gross, Guerrero, & Alberts, 2004) to foster
positive interpersonal relationships
More Evidence
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Education
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Learning to collaborate and engage in successful
teamwork are educational goals expressed in most of
the new educational reform documents including the
National Science Education Standards.
Inter-organizational Relationships
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Trends demonstrating that this is more a taken-forgranted assumption that collaboration WILL occur. It is
a matter of how to make it successful.
“How to do it” not a small
question
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“Although communities perceive
collaboration as an innovative, positive
means for addressing social problems,
researchers and practitioners alike are still
trying to discover the most effective means
to create and sustain collaborative efforts”
(Keyton and Stallworth, 2003)
Conventional Wisdom - Focus
Group Results
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Things that Matter
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The Motivation and Beginning Context
$$$$ or not
Formalization of rules/roles/norms/membership
Buy-in of NPO Leadership (at the table)
Momentum and Letting go (appropriately)
Issues of “credit” “ownership” “fiefdoms”
Competition between partners and coalition
Hidden agendas
Right scope on membership (inclusiveness)
Time and Staff Resource needs
Fairness / Equality
Communicative Issues
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How to Formalize Membership
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Expectations verbalized?
Socialization of new members?
Expressions of Disappointment with some?
Identity and Commitment
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Who are “we”? Are we a “we”?
What does it mean to belong?
What rights and privileges are there?
What responsibilities come with it?
How explicit are we about this? And how do we
handle transgressions?
More Communication Issues
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Conflict Management
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Decision-Making
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How explicit are rules of engagement?
How confrontational can we be?
What is done with nonexpressed conflict?
Method of debate, dialogue, discussion
Means of “deciding” (voting, ballot, consensus)
and who “decides” (orgs, EDs, those present)
Follow-through and commitment
Process
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Facilitated process? How?
What are the norms for interaction?
More Communication Issues
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Use of Communication Channels
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Face-to-face vs. mediated
Frequency and Appropriateness of various forms
of contact
Types of Communication via various channels
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Conflict
Decision-making
Networking
Information Sharing
Forwarding and Proposing Course of Action
Debate and Discussion
Types of Collaboration
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Associational
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Purpose-Driven
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We all do similar things
We want to accomplish a specific goal
Opportunistic
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There is funding for collaboration, so we are
connecting in order to take advantage of the
resources
A Note on “Trust”
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This comes up a lot
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Focus Groups
Literature
Rarely, if ever, defined
Uncertainty about whether it is:
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Necessary Ingredient
A by-product of Success
A barrier to Success
Practical Ideas
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Explore and declare purpose(s)
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Clarity about why partners are involved, and what
the partnership is trying to accomplish is important
to identity and commitment as well as to process
Discern the appropriateness of structure to
your process. How important are:
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Written agreements?
Formalized membership rules?
Discussion, debate, dialogue processes?
Decision-making methods?
Formalized responsibilities for follow-up?
More Practical Ideas
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Create mechanism for re-evaluating process
and structure periodically
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As we grow
As we do different things
As we encounter new dynamics
Create means of emphasize the jointness of
your collaborative partnership.
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Logos, literature, belief statements
Use of “we,” “us” and “ours” in language
Discuss what it means to belong to the partnership
Issues to Tackle
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Turfism
Power
Competition
Equality