Collaborate

Collaboration is the act of joining together to make possible that which cannot be accomplished alone. Whether you are collaborating in the workplace, in school or as part of a creative project, collaboration can both help and hurt a project, depending on how it's done.

As a Group

 * 1) Have a clear goal in mind. Make sure everyone involved understands what the goal is and believes that the goal is worthwhile. The overarching goal of collaboration is to achieve something together that you would not be able to achieve alone. Sometimes that's in the nature of the finished product, but other times the gain is efficiency. Either way, the people who are collaborating should have some kind of shared vision. It may be helpful to make your first collaboration a mission statement.
 * 2) Create a results-driven structure within your team that is appropriate for the goal you want to achieve. There are three kinds of teams that are commonly used, based on the type of results desired:
 * 3) *Problem resolution teams The problem solvers. In order for this team to work, it's especially important that members are able to trust their co-collaborators in a secure atmosphere where they feel respected. Brainstorming should be encouraged, which means people must be able to suggest ideas without fear of getting immediately criticized.
 * 4) *Creative teams The innovators. This team needs to be independent of established systems and procedures, enabling them to explore new possibilities and alternatives.
 * 5) *Tactical teams The implementers. This team needs to have a well-defined plan.
 * 6) Give each member of the project a way to define his or her own role on the team. One way to approach this is to write down all the tasks that need to get carried out. For each task, ask who's interested in that task, and write their names next to it. Ideally, everyone will gravitate towards different roles, but many times a few roles are in high demand, and a few roles are unpopular. A solution to this is to rotate the most unpleasant roles (which are usually monotonous enough for this). Another idea is to outsource the unpleasant task(s).
 * 7) Establish a communications system. Make sure it allows collaborators to discuss team issues in a relaxed environment. Create ways of documenting issues raised and decisions made. Using wikis and shared documents can help with keeping everyone in the loop.
 * 8) Establish ways to monitor performance and provide feedback. Periodically, meet together to discuss ways to improve on the project. There should be some metrics by which you can monitor your progress. It might be as simple as how many pages of a book has been written, or as complex as a series of traffic analytics. Try to identify any bottlenecks--that is, areas where something isn't getting done, and that's slowing down the rest of the progress. If that bottleneck points to a single person, do not attack; ask the person what is making his or her tasks difficult, and seek ways to make it easier.
 * 9) Seek consensus. Disagreements are common in any group effort. When conflicts arise, seek consensus from all members on resolution. It's important that every person in the group stands behind the group decision, whether they agree with it or not.

As an Individual

 * 1) Create a collaborative climate. Prove that you are trustworthy. Respect others. Be consistent in your behavior and the way you respond to others.
 * 2) Be humble and open to others' ideas and suggestions. The opposite of collaboration is a form of dictatorship, where one person tells everyone else what to do, and nothing is open for discussion. Whereas a dictatorship is ego-driven, collaboration thrives on the quelling of egos. You need to accept that while your ideas might be good, someone else's ideas might be good too, and sometimes even better.
 * 3) Delegate tasks. Rather than trying to do everything, it is best to divide and conquer. Let everyone find his or her strength and work therein to contribute to the common goal. If you feel overwhelmed, speak up.
 * 4) Assume good faith. Collaboration is based on the common good, and we work most effectively together on the assumption of good faith of one another. If someone is not acting in good faith, it will reveal itself soon enough. But if you point a finger mistakenly, the spirit of collaboration can easily turn sour.

Tips

 * Decisions should be made based on consensus.

Related Tips and Steps

 * How to be a Socialist
 * How to Accomplish a Goal
 * How to Make a Decision Using a Quantitative Scoring System
 * How to Be Resourceful
 * How to Be Responsible
 * How to Collaborate in Lesson Planning
 * How to Collaborate on a wikiHow Article