Collaboration

Changing the organizational culture of a business is never easy, whether it’s Ford or Joe’s Plumbing. It often causes fear, resistance, puzzlement and pain. Organizations contemplating culture change should be sure -- damned sure -- that they know what they are doing. Are the leaders really prepared to change the way they think and act and walk the new “talk” they are expecting of others?

“Collaboration” is one of the hot new buzzwords we’re hearing in “businessspeak”. Many companies talk about “working collaboratively” and about “creating a culture of collaboration” in their organizations. Yet the odds are that most of them will work hard yet produce little long lasting change. All too often, the default corporate culture re-emerges.

Why is creating a culture of collaboration so difficult? Isn’t Wikipedia -- collaboratively creating an on-line information powerhouse- a shining example of the ease of creative collaboration? Why shouldn’t companies easily shift their culture to the Wiki model?

“Wiki culture” works best when people are working at a distance from each other, and are free to engage and disengage. Unfortunately, most businesses don’t operate that way. Co-workers are in other’s faces and spaces, and they stay there. 

There is another human element that gets in the way of collaboration. Most of us learned early in life that to ask for help at work is perceived as a sign of incompetence and/or weakness. You don’t simply flick a switch to change a lifetime of acculturation.

I work with clients wanting to create a “climate” of collaboration. That’s why it’s important to take note of the change of wording. My clients understand that we will not create a culture change overnight. That would be like going to try out with the Metropolitan Opera after a couple of years of voice lessons. Instead, we create a climate in which the seeds of collaboration can take root.

I start with the front-line folks -- the ones who have the most to gain from a collaborative approach. We begin by creating group trust and commitment to the concept of individual and group excellence. The group begins to recognize individual value in the team context.

What do I mean by “individual value”? Most of us know all too well our litany of personal shortcomings. We can recite those at the snap of a finger. Yet we become tongue-tied and embarrassed when asked to list our strengths in front of our peers. In the group work, there are often tears of happiness when people see that their peers recognize the gold within.

The group process builds slowly to the final objective. That’s when the members of the group sit together and begin to talk about what the group needs to be successful.

It’s rewarding to watch the shift of focus from individual to group success. The magic really happens when each person asks others in the group for the assistance that they need to be more successful, and when the others honor those requests. The group’s hard work pays huge dividends in group effectiveness and individual job satisfaction.

Management will see that magic in the workplace, and that’s where the rubber meets the road. Will management have the courage to truly embrace the spirit of collaboration -- or will they choose the comfort of same-old? That’s the test -- and that’s why I’m always cautious about culture change.

-- Les Brost