We have identified 8 essential steps or principles to ensure that any collaborative effort finds a positive outcome. The 8 steps or principles follow the U&I, DO™ communication model.
Understand
First, we must understand people, objectives, priorities, and situations. Understanding why we must collaborate sets the tone for an effective collaborative plan. Two principles apply here.
- Agree and work on a common objective. This guides the different teams or groups involved in a project to clearly identify and define the objective on which they will concentrate their common efforts. Setting clear objectives is associated with better collaboration and attainment of goals 1.Ex. By the end of Q3 of this year, we will together develop at least 6 champions for our new product among the key decision makers that we collectively identified.
- Understand/share our “sacred” values. In this case, stakeholders agree on the core behavioral values that link them and that will directly contribute to collaborative efforts. When core values are shared, groups that work together tend to have a better understanding of each other and their closeness 2. Ex. We care about excellence in our output as well as in the way we work as a team and for the corporation. We have integrity, we agree that effective and honest communication is essential, and we are committed to applying its principles in every interaction.
Identify
The second step is to clearly identify common ground, the way we will continuously foster trust, and what we will gain from an effective collaboration. Teams often accomplish this by asking solution seeking questions.
- Define the partnership. In this case, the stakeholders define how they will devise tasks and responsibilities based on capabilities, competencies, and other key aspects. They identify what must be accomplished and when, then distribute roles. This is where, based on what must be done, stakeholders determine the most workable plan of action. It is also suggested that leadership adopt a lattice approach in which individuals do not depend on a hierarchy but rather function in a manner that welcomes ideas from all members, whatever their role and specialty.
- Then, the different individuals must define ways to establish and maintain trust during the partnership. It may be via regular progress reporting and discussions, the early admission of mistakes or missteps to move forward, effective delegation of efforts, frequent recognition of excellence or advances, effective and caring challenging of the status quo, fostering a contribution on others’ growth and success. Trust and common purpose directly increase effort outcomes3.
Discuss/Develop
The third step in the process is to use what was learned in U&I to discuss and develop the communication plan and specific distribution of efforts.
- Communicate4. As the project progresses, all stakeholders commit to effective communication of what was identified in the previous step as well as how efforts match the objectives and values of the “team.” Effective communication depends on team members asking questions of each other, listening actively, sharing ideas, challenging each other in a productive manner and finding common ground5. Ex. Every week, the group will get together virtually to discuss progress. We encourage everyone to share both their progress and challenges. We must understand each other and share ideas that will contribute to the success of every member of the team.
- Deploy equivalent effort/common motivation. As a collaborative group, members ensure that there is either equivalency of efforts when necessary or that efforts are deployed by the proper team member. It also implies that help is requested and offered throughout. Collaborative groups tend to work longer and with increase perseverance to find solutions to problems6. Ex. if one team member is overstretched, they will readily ask for help either to specific individuals, who will respond in the most productive manner, or to the whole group with the expectation that someone will come forward to assist.
Organize
The last step is one of fine tuning, one that continues to organize efforts based on progress and learnings.
- Regularly identify and celebrate success. Efforts and progress, even when small at times, must be celebrated. It fosters trust, is a statement of progress and it recognizes collective effort. Regular celebrations of forward movement tend to create more sustainable changes7. Ex. During our weekly discussions, we will always encourage the sharing of significant successes and put them in the right perspective toward the objectives as well as underline how our sacred values have positively impacted the results.
- Fine tune. Finally, the collaborative group must use the learning from every effort to adjust, to fine tune the plan whenever necessary. For this, the group must accept mistakes or failures to be able to understand why they happened and learn from them. “Failure provides an opportunity to analyze a problem from different angles, pushing us to understand its deep underlying structure and to hone the transferable skill of problem solving itself8. Ex. Lessons learned, either during our weekly discussion or via other exchanges will be rigorously evaluated in the context of our partnership and, when necessary, will serve as an amendment or addition to our plan.