Collaboration as a Competitive Tool

Collaboration as a Competitive Tool

With the use of social media and other e-Tools on the rise, the word "collaboration" has taken on new meaning and significance. More than ever, collaboration means leveraging the strengths and ideas of others, including those outside an organization.

Why Collaborate

If you are not using collaboration as a competitive tool, then your competitors are. By embracing collaboration you are better prepared to compete in a complex and changing environment. According to a CNBC series on collaboration, "In order to ensure success going forward, organizations will need to adopt the next generation of technology, plan for future innovation and collaboration, reinvent to stay current and use new R&D to stay a step ahead."

Collaboration and Crowdsourcing
You can begin fostering a culture of collaboration in your organization by involving others in meetings and brainstorming sessions. For example, if your organization is seeking business development ideas you can solicit ideas from everyone in your department or organization. Since everyone wants to make a meaningful impact on their company, including others will allow them to become valued contributors. Additionally, including others is a rewarding experience that can lead to successful outcomes.

Some organizations such as Microsoft have taken collaboration a step further by involving their customers in new product development. This strategy is known as "crowdsourcing," a method by which a job traditionally performed by an employee is outsourced to a group of people usually in the form of an open call. In his book Crowdsourcing: Why the Power of the Crowd is Driving the Future of Business, author Jeff Howe explains that crowdsourcing offers diversity by allowing crowds to solve complex problems.

The diversity of today's multi-generational workforce also offers organizations the opportunity to tap into a rich source of talent to solve problems and generate creative ideas. Clay Shirky author of Here Comes Everybody, believes humans are innately good at working in groups and that anything that amplifies group effort can bring about change.

Effective Collaboration
For collaboration to be effective, small groups of fifteen to even several hundred individuals can be created to maintain the flow of knowledge across the organization, break down traditional organizational barriers, and reduce the amount of time it takes for individuals to get answers to questions. In his book, Silo Busting, Dr. Ranjay Gulati, Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School, “draws attention for the first time to the importance of both internal and external integration.” Dr. Gulati states that, according to research, up to fifty percent of collaborative efforts end prematurely because objectives are not met. To achieve successful outcomes start with a mission, a clear plan of action, aligned goals, and clarity around roles.

Collaboration has many benefits that can ultimately lead to success! With clear goals and proper planning you will achieve win/win outcomes.

Share your thoughts: How does your organization practice collaboration?

Practice this process with your team: Collaboration: Harnessing the Ideas of Many

Sources:

CNBC Television

Gulati, R., http://www.ranjaygulati.com/

Howe, J., Crowdsourcing: Why the Power of the Crowd is Driving the Future of Business

Shirky, C., Here Comes Everybody