Understanding Collaboration

Collaboration is fundamentally problem solving in a group. Instead of one person tackling a problem, the group takes on the work of finding a solution. Collaboration involves critical and creative thinking as well as communication.

Problem-Solving Process

This chapter outlines the ways in which groups solve problems. Beginning with a discussion of leadership as well as the dynamic roles that other group members play, these pages will take you through the problem-solving process:

• Analyzing the situation
• Imagining ideas
• Making decisions and resolving conflicts
• Planning and delegating
• Monitoring progress

The workhorse of collaboration is the group meeting. While many meetings are informal in nature, others are more tightly structured. The end of the chapter provides a quick overview of Robert’s Rules of Order and explains how to take meeting minutes.

 

Respect, Trust, and Goal Setting

For any group to collaborate effectively, members must respect and trust each other as well as share common goals.

• Respect creates an atmosphere in which all group members can contribute. Without respect, the group will disintegrate before it even gets started. But respect alone is not enough to ensure true collaboration.
• Trust is the belief that other group members will do the tasks they have agreed to do, on time and in a way that benefits the whole effort. Without trust, some group members will try to do everything, while others will feel excluded. Trust makes true collaboration possible.
• Goal setting establishes a direction for the group. Without a common goal, the group’s effort will at best be fragmented, and at worst self-destructive. Once group members respect each other, trust each other, and have common goals, barriers to achievement drop away.