While we are far
from being in a position where collaboration is a foundation of every company
culture, we have reach a point where it is generally recognised, accepted even,
that better collaboration means better business. Whether it is about making the
most of your people's knowledge and skills, or about creating new, innovative
ideas by connecting different parts of the organisation more effectively, the
potential benefits of better collaboration are tantalising for many business
leaders.
But at the same
time, it's important to make the point that not every activity, every business
decision has to be collaborative, even in the most collaborative organisation.
The final decision may well be taken by a single individual, be it a senior
manager or the relevant responsible employee. Similarly, trying to force
collaboration where the culture does not yet support it can actually slow down
productivity, as is evidenced in Morten T. Hansen's article When
Internal Collaboration Is Bad for Your Company. The goal is to create a
culture where the process of informing a decision is achieved in as open,
transparent a way as is possible, where individuals at all levels do not fear
asking others for their views or expertise, and where people do not fear they
are stepping out of line by questioning or challenging a long-held view, or
that of a more senior or longer-standing colleague.
Even in the most
collaborative organisation, some people will be naturally more collaborative
than others - or should I say, some
people will be more active on your social collaboration platform than others.
Over time, as your culture becomes more collaborative, the people who remain
its employees - and those who are recruited in the mean time - will most likely
be those who are more embracing of the idea of collaboration. But even among
these, there will be some who are more extrovert and are happy to share their
activities or progress regardless of its stage of completion, and other,
perhaps more introverted individuals will only share once they feel they have
explored their idea sufficiently independently. (Michael Sampson explores the
introvert/extrovert differences in this slideshare
presentation.) Both approaches are
fine - provided there is an acceptance that feedback and discussion will
reinforce (not ruin) this effort.
The key is to
remember that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to collaboration; how it
work will vary from organisation to organisation, from industry to industry,
and even from person to person. One thing that is vital though, is to have
senior-level support for your initiative. Changing the culture, the long-held
expectations about how things work and about what you get credit for, needs
management buy-in and commitment; without it, nothing will change.