Why bother to collaborate?

Tough times amplify what we need to do - communicate well.

But we don’t want to tell our story. We want to tell the stories of others.

Astley Media launched Project Positivity in April. Our ‘In Conversation With’ webcast series saw CEO Marc Astley talk with an amazing mix of people, from best-selling American authors and TED speakers to Dartmoor-based naturalist and TV presenter Nick Baker.

The Project Positivity podcast series has spanned 19 episodes. Howard Davies and John Hammond from Salcombe Gin told us how they adapted their business to produce hand sanitiser. Christopher Jamison, Abbot President of the English Benedictine Congregation, inspired us with his thoughts on isolation and what we can learn from time spent in reflection alone.

And we backed up the stories with support, launching a communications resource at www.astleymedia.co.uk to help people and brands reach out, connect and talk in difficult times.

Across it all has been one important learning. We are collaborators. We want to reach out and connect, communicate, learn, give and get support, work together, have fun together.

It’s been evident in the work we do with clients; Jurassic Fibre connecting with communities at a local level; Timewade launching the Technology for Success free business tech programme for SMEs. And it’s evident in the projects we’ve launched over the years; the Fast Track to Growth programme, Tech South West.

And now we have an exciting new chapter, working with and being part of Collaborate South West. It’s an organisation founded by Mandy Swift and Annabel McCabe and made for these times, facilitating and actively encouraging new collaborations across business. 

But why collaborate? For Astley Media it’s simple. We collaborate to improve our knowledge, problem solve, learn from others, learn about ourselves, increase operational efficiency, raise productivity, achieve market differentiation, get a fresh perspective, develop new joint ventures, learn about people’s challenges, talk with people about potential solutions.

Distance and unfamiliarity can be barriers, but not as great as we once thought. Collaborate South West seems to have the balance just right - technology to support how we collaborate and a core of great people involved that confirms why we collaborate.

I’m already working with others to look at the psychology of collaboration in business, exploring some of the tools and techniques available. In an increasingly connected but fragile global economy, collaborations may not just be a matter of prosperity, but of survival.

Do you know where you sit when it comes to collaboration in business? I recommend taking the Collaborate South West survey tracker https://bit.ly/CSWsurveyC to find out. 

Do please point me in the direction of tools, techniques and good advice. And remember: The future is always easier to predict in hindsight.