June 2006
Making Collaboration Work
Collaboration is a process that is based on the philosophy that assumes the dignity and value of every human being, and each person's right to be involved in decisions that affect his or her life.
From this perspective, getting cooperation requires that all of the key stakeholders must be involved in the decision-making process. Often, we fail to get the cooperation (and results) that we expect because only the people with the "formal power" to make a decision participate in the discussion and they have not included or invited three other important stakeholders: those with the power to block a decision, those affected by a decision, and/or those with relevant information or expertise.
Collaboration is a process that is independent of content and can be applied to any kind of issue, subject, or opportunity. It can be used in a small business setting or a large community effort. This process involves the key stakeholders working face-to-face and phase-by-phase to reach a consensus in which everyone agrees to support a decision. The operative phrase here is: "where everyone agrees to support a decision." All of the relevant stakeholders must be present and must have an opportunity to contribute to the dialogue and decision-making process. Most of the time, once dissenters have had a chance to weigh in, they will go along with and support a group decision.
Participants work through the collaborative process with an agenda or process map that defines the order of activities and a sense of how the activities fit into the larger context. Most collaborative meetings should be run by a facilitator and a recorder who operate as neutral process guides, serving the group and capturing group memory. It is difficult for supervisors and leaders to run their own meetings when they care deeply about and are accountable for the decisions made in that meeting.
The final essential component to creating a collaborative work environment is facilitative leadership. The support of leadership is essential if an organization or community is to build a collaborative environment and implement the principles of collaboration. A facilitative leader has the usual positional power to act unilaterally, but chooses instead to work with others when appropriate to find win-win solutions to important issues.
Win Win Workplace Solutions often facilitates collaborative decision-making sessions for its clients and has a technology partner that will allow them to facilitate sessions with several hundred participants.