Are you a spy?
In the world of espionage, a collaborator would often be considered a ‘baddy’ - but collaboration in the workplace only has positive connotations for me. What makes the difference?
I am a member of a book club and as an antidote to some rather esoteric and dark novels that we’ve chosen recently, I decided to binge on spy thrillers. In one of them, the main character collaborated with various agencies to get his brother and family released from prison in a communist regime. He had a clear goal and was prepared to work with whoever would help him achieve his objective - irrespective of their principles and often using some pretty dodgy and risky tactics.
In the context of the spy thriller a collaborator could be a force for good or evil depending on your standpoint, but it struck me that the ‘hero’ in my book was actually pretty ruthless. In a sense, a collaborator could be seen as a kind of traitor - someone who hides or sells information to meet their own aims. My hero had a laudable goal but was prepared to compromise others along the way. It made me think about how collaboration works (or doesn’t) in the workplace. What behaviours are needed for successful collaboration?
One of the best examples of collaboration that I’ve been involved in recent years was in a company which had traditionally been very siloed in its culture. They had lots of duplication and re-inventing of the wheel going on until a cross-functional project team was set up with the brief of increasing revenue in the next 6 months. It didn’t take long for the team to work out that there were products and services in different divisions that could easily be exploited and sold into different markets. They even created a hybrid product that worked for all markets - which was a first for that company.
To collaborate effectively in the workplace there are many characteristics that need to be evident. These are my top 5
The desire to work to a common goal that everyone understands and buys into - usually to produce something or achieve an objective that matters to the people involved.
A degree of selflessness - egos need to be left at the door. An individual may have to sacrifice a pet theory or project and that can be hard.
Trust - the collaborating group most visibly and actively trust each other. People must be happy to share information and be confident that ‘everyone is in it together’.
Apply positive challenge and support - being collaborative doesn’t mean agreeing with everyone. It does mean feeling safe to challenge and to push colleagues to find the best solution.
Set aside organisational boundaries and hierarchies and play to strengths - irrespective of position and status
It’s easy to admire the single-minded person who strives to achieve their results at all costs (the spy thriller hero) but if you want greater creativity, better quality decision-making and a sense of fulfilment for team members in your organisation, it would be well worth exploring how you create a culture of collaboration.
If you want to have a conversation about collaboration or other aspects of your organisation’s culture, do get in touch: [email protected]
