What does good collaboration look like? (RE: April OGD Workshop @ USDA)
(This question is part of the online participation effort leading up to the April 28th Open Government Directive Workshop at the USDA. Links to other questions in this dialogue are at the bottom of this page.)
This question was submitted by one of the workshop participants:
- What would collaboration look like if it was working well? What qualities/words we would use to identify collaboration between federal agencies? How would we know we are witnessing good inter-agency collaboration? What would the conversation sound like if we happened to overhear people talking about it? What do people need to know to participate in federal agency collaboration? What can we do to make sure the effort is successful?
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Barry Camson on -
RE: What would good collaboration look like?
These are all important questions. I think they are best answered by each agency and department. Doing so would in itself build transparency, openness and collaboration. You could then take a look at both their process and what they came up with and have a good sense of what good collaboration means for that organization.
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Permalink Reply by Chris Jones on -
I agree w/ Barry, each agency must refine the definition of effective Collaboration in the context of their own mission, but I do think there are common elements:
- Engagement. Includes active listening & avoiding 'broadcast' mode (talking 'at' others)
- Authenticity. Keeping it real, speaking from the heart & not a script
- Bias for Learning. Arriving with "all the answers" is counter-productive to the group dynamic
- Respect. Value all contributions, not just opinions that mirror your own
- Positive Vibe. Create a climate for exchange; tension erects barriers
- Results Focus. Always strive to produce viable, actionable outcomes
There are of course many dimensions to group interaction and team work, but from my experience, these are 6 fundamentals that will make the dialog in any group more productive. Hope they help.
Chris
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Permalink Reply by Gary Berg-Cross on -
While collaboration is natural in some societies, and can come natural in pre-existing teams, generous collaboration can seem unnatural when new groups form. People don't understand each others agenda or intentions. And groups need to buy into shared objectives. More than one or two people need to be passionaltely involved. And the group needs to understanding who needs to do what by when and why; so there need to be effective communidation on these.
To be effective collaboration and communication needs some time to work and let group trust and cohension develop. In this process it must avoid various putfalls and barriers. If these barriers are structurally build in by organizations that people work in they are particularly damagng.
Real collaborartion will avoid some of the perceived barriers to collaboration which include (from a large literature) :
Fear of the unknow or "stranger danger"; - a reluctance to share with others unknown to you
Old wine in new bottles or "needle in a haystack"; people believe that others may have already solved your problem but how do you find such solutions?
Fear of new wine or "Not Invented Here" which is the opposite side of the previous barrier; this is the avoidance of earlier work, research or knowledge because it was not originally developed within the "group" and has no institutional standing.
Controlling resoureces or "hoarding"; based on previous experience some "collaborators" will not fully share knowledge because they see their "expertise" as a source of power - after all isn't that how people get recognized and get ahead?
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