Collaboration: Origami vs. Collage

When I look at teamwork, I think: collaboration should feel more like creating an origami figure and less like making a collage.

I've noticed this in multiple contexts, but it's been clearer when people collaborate in shared documents. People join the conversation expressing their opinions, disagreeing with something, or bringing additional ideas, but most times, this happens in a disconnected way. That's when it feels like we're making a collage. Everyone's unique thoughts, like different types of cut-outs, stuck together on the same page.

This exercise is very valuable. Yes, it's chaotic, but it's also a gold mine of ideas. If this kind of brainstorming isn't happening in your team, you're missing out on a world of creativity.

Another example came out this week in a conversation with a teammate. He told me he disagreed with our strategy and focus on a specific technology. When I asked more about his opinion, it turned out his views weren't against our strategy but added to it. He wasn't sure how to express it, and that's on me. We all need to do better in building a space where everyone feels heard and safe to speak up.

There is always room for disagreement, and to build a high-performing team, it's essential to create an environment where you can have difficult conversations and express your opinions openly. In most cases, different views and perspectives are not contradictory but complementary. When team members feel unsafe expressing their ideas, they usually feel like fighting an uphill battle. I encourage my team to think AND, not OR. This way, everyone's ideas add to the mix without feeling disruptive.

When teams express their opinions freely and constructively, they are already on the right path. But that is not enough. In multiple cases, the process stops in the divergence phase, and we end up with a collage of opinions, some very valuable but disconnected. Some people feel like they are not being heard, and others might feel they are getting a lot of pushback. Collaboration is a two-way street that requires active listening and effective communication.

Collaboration outcomes should look more like origami than a collage.

Think about it. Everyone in the team works together to shape something—a product, a company, or a strategy. But unlike a collage, we're not just sticking ideas next to each other. We're folding them together, creating something that's a sum of all its parts. This is the convergence we need.

In his book Peak, Chip Conley shares a great example of this. He describes how he shared a nine-point document with his team, where he presented the company's mission. The content didn't resonate with the team initially. Still, they worked together to transform that document into a new version of Joie de Vivre's mission statement: "Creating opportunities to celebrate the joy of life."

A leader could build that origami in isolation, which might work, but I firmly believe that the outcome will be better and stronger when it happens as a team.

The goal of collaboration shouldn't be a collage of ideas; it should be a beautifully shaped origami crafted through teamwork, communication, and shared efforts.