Why Collaboration Should be Contagious in a Pandemic

As business and businesses become more complicated and the world more complex, and we've had to learn to deal with the reality of the "new norm", the majority of work has become increasingly team based. That’s a fact. And collaboration is an essential in effective teamwork.?

Even before the pandemic hit, a study conducted in 2016 and published in the?Harvard Business Review?found that ‘‘the time spent by managers and employees in collaborative activities has ballooned by 50 percent or more in the last two decades.”??That signals that if you haven’t experienced collaboration, now’s the time. It's accelerated as the demands for innovative ways to stay in business became essential.

In an environment where there was no “norm” and even experienced staff and leadership were facing the unknown, collaboration was and is an innovative way to get more done with limited resources. The pandemic demanded a better way of doing things or at least a different one.?Tools and practices such as virtual meetings, shared documents, remote working, and cloud-based systems all became more prevalent.

Whether we are speaking of the for-profit or nonprofit business worlds, or individual opportunities within an organization, collaboration at a time when resources can be limited makes sense.?

To collaborate effectively, here are essentials.? To start with, as is true with most processes and successful ventures, collaboration involves thinking, planning, and actions to get you there.

1.????THINKING:?Have clarity around what collaboration is and how you will apply it.?

What can it do for you and what are best practices of collaboration??

Are you considering internal collaboration among teams or external collaboration with other businesses, nonprofits or community partners?? Or both?

A simple definition: the process of two or more people or organizations working together to complete a task or achieve a goal.

There’s no need to try to figure it out on your own.?Hundreds of articles and research are available for your learning (see several at the end of this article). Talk to those who do it well in your industry or locally to get a firm foundation and discover the benefits they have realized.?Best practices can cross industry lines. Be vulnerable and bold enough to say, “I don’t really know how collaboration works, can you help me understand?”

?2.????THINKING:?Be willing to acknowledge that isolation and ego are toxic to collaboration. No one wakes up one day and says “oh, let’s collaborate with others” and then goes about business as usual in a silo.?There must be an openness and trust, an acceptance of the value in creating partnerships and a willingness to acknowledge that searching out common goals, combining efforts, and recognizing talents and strengths among various team members (whether we’re talking about individuals or organizations) will result in stronger gains. Be convinced of its value or you’ll fail.

3.????PLANNING:?Recognize that if none of the “partners” being invited to the collaboration table have experience with this process, an experienced and neutral facilitator may be valuable as you plan how your collaboration will work.?

4.????PLANNING and ACTION:?Identify or be willing to create a strong network to problem solve or create the vision for what needs to be done.?

Partnerships don’t often “fall from the sky”.?The surest way to pop the “collaboration balloon” at the beginning is to believe one partner has all the answers. ?Why would you go to any effort if that is the case?

Once you identify why collaboration is a consideration, be proactive in reaching out to potential partners.?Regularly attend networking events within your industry and community events where businesses or individuals with different strengths and expertise than yours are likely to be present.?Make it a habit to regularly and intentionally look for ways that your organization or others can enhance what each other is doing, and be interested to learn what others do.?Sometimes it's a simple as setting a goal of presenting yourself as someone who can help further another's growth. Such practices help you begin to understand both what you need in a fellow collaborator and what others have to offer.?Building a network also allows you to have ready partners when a new opportunity arises.

5.????THINKING and ACTION: You must be willing to put the work in to find the right partners.?

How do you do that??Begin by defining with clarity how the right partnership will improve results. Ask:

-Are there problems too big to address alone? |

-What expertise is needed that you do not have? ?Define roles.

-Do you have one strong piece but are lacking others??

Write down the gaps or weaknesses you acknowledge or the needs you have to deliver. Then go find those to help you attack the issue.?Determine how you can position your organization or team to be one that individuals want to collaborate with (i.e., deliver on promises, be innovative problem-solvers, value team contributions).

6.????ACTION:?An essential part of good collaboration is deciding to be an active listener and being dedicated to keeping communication flowing.?These practices are the core of good business ethics.? A good strategic partner doesn’t position themselves as having all the answers. They offer perspective while being open to others’ ideas. The best collaborations result when diversity of thought is present and no judgment on “right or wrong” solutions is present as you begin to work together.? You don't have to bring a solution; perhaps the collaboration is around finding the best answer. That builds trust, an essential in the world of collaboration.?

Collaboration can be messy work but well worth the effort.?It multiples each partners’ abilities, and the whole is stronger and more productive than the individual elements could be on their own.?That’s good for everyone involved.

Here are a few more resources to help you in your learning on a variety of types of collaboration:

7 Strategies for Promoting Collaboration in a Crisis (hbr.org)

6 Excellent Examples of Effective Collaboration in the Workplace - Humanyze

8 Best Practices for Effective Team Collaboration (kissflow.com)

Nonprofit Collaboration: The Basics | Nonprofit Blog (nonprofithub.org)

A Perspective on Public–Private Collaboration in the Health Sector - National Academy of Medicine (nam.edu)