How to create an environment for powerful Collaboration

Sometimes no conclusion was reached in a long meeting of 10 people. So, you think it is better to bypass any sort of group collaboration and take some time to write down a list of ideas on your own. But before you swear off the team collaboration for good, consider the benefits of differing perspectives and the collision of ideas that Steven Johnson champions in his video 'Where Good Ideas Come From.'

Why we need effective collaboration

Collaboration brings together individuals with different backgrounds and skill sets to work toward a single solution. When several individuals from different parts of the company tackles a problem from different angles, sometimes unexpected ideas can be generated, optimized and tested.

As Isaac Asimov writes in The Robots of Dawn,

“A knotty puzzle may hold up a scientist for a century, when it may be that a colleague has the solution already and is not even aware of the puzzle that it might solve.”

Characteristics of Good Collaborators:

• Not bureaucratic.
• Don't take whole credit.
• Appreciate different points of view.
• Care about other's ideas.
• Realize they need help from others to push their ideas further
  

Collaboration at Altura:

At Altura, we work to create a space for effective collaboration and utilize the following techniques to make sure our workshops are effective and result in the action steps:

1. Building Upon Ideas: Visualizing ideas up on the whiteboard allows us to combine the best parts of each idea to create the solution that meets our goals for that particular project. To develop upon ideas and provide constructive feedback we work to use 'and this..' language instead of 'but this..'

2. Capturing Ideas on Whiteboards: To make sure that everyone is able to contribute and ideas don't get lost in the discussion, we gather around one of our many whiteboards and write them up on the wall. We try to give our ideas the physical forms that can be referenced at any time.

3. Unique Backgrounds: Having different perspectives allows you to tackle problems from all sides. Everyone is exposed to different experiences in life and the more diversity you can have in a collaboration session, then more ways are going to available to solve a problem.

4. T-Shaped Team Members: We look for collaborators who want to learn more about general information across multiple disciplines while specializing in a few specific areas of interest. This will allow well-rounded and informed team members who understand each other's terminology and skill sets.

5. Mutual Respect: Respect is very important in collaboration sessions. If the skills and opinions of each participant aren't valued, then don't expect full participation. Listening and understanding the different ideas that are being discussed allows our meetings to be productive and have the whole team feel valued.