Collaboration is a partnership between people and or groups intended to generate a product or achieve a singular objective that is mutually beneficial to all parties involved. In today’s market one of the most critical ways leaders can generate performance is to start fostering collaboration among all members of an organization. Collaboration tends to move forward any kind of work or goal faster than any other approach because it is powered by skills, knowledge, expertise, experience, and insight of many people, not just one person.
It is particularly critical in service industries, including health care, because the needs and demands in these industries are complex, multidimensional, and filled with severe risks and often times dire consequences. In a laboratory, for example, a “simple” blood test involves multiple staff, processes, and knowledge areas. All of these units or players must work together not only to deliver the service (blood test) but also to achieve an interdependent goal (accurate and timely test results). A lack of cooperation (an element of collaboration) by team members in any step in this service process results in various negative outcomes, such as patient dissatisfaction, staff frustration, and delay or error in diagnosis or treatment.
More often than not the lack of collaboration stems from behavioural weaknesses, not deficiencies in technical knowledge and capacity. Behavioural weaknesses include poor communication, sabotage (conscious or unconscious) of existing processes, refusal to work with or participate in teams, gossip-mongering, apathy, procrastination and disregard for time frames, constant complaining and argumentativeness, rudeness, and resistance to constructive feedback. While these weaknesses may be chalked up to human nature, particularly if they occur only occasionally, they are disruptive nonetheless and signal that a larger problem exists. In other words, when blood results get mixed up in the lab or are lost in transit, the reasons likely have less to do with the technical aspects of the work, and more to do with behavioural lapses and inadequacies among the staff. The challenge for leaders and managers is to observe, identify, and amend behavioural weaknesses so that they do not impede true collaboration and high performance outcomes.
CORPORATE HARMONY is grateful to Dr. Michael E. Frisina for his contributions to this entry.
Catherine is the President and CEO of CORPORATE HARMONY, providing virtual solutions for leadership development and organizational culture change. Her leadership and coaching experience as a Project Manager in an ever-changing, fast moving technological organization with unrelenting demands drove her to the realization that a positive mindset and strength-building behaviors are essential for today’s complex and chaotic organizational systems. CORPORATE HARMONY’s virtual platform of programs, coaching and performance measurement, is an innovative online technology of tested proprietary content. The world-class content of CORPORATE HARMONY’s Positive Presence Program develops the skill of ‘Positive Presence’ and the necessary ‘Positive Presence Behaviour Competencies’ for maintaining a positive and energized mindset and increased performance in today’s complex work environment, and leading to a culture of collaboration and connection. Catherine’s vision for Corporate Harmony is to bring the skill of “Positive Presence” to the corporate world as it becomes more complex, ambiguous and chaotic. Catherine is uniquely positioned to impact organizations’ productivity and long term success, with her powerful vision of eliminating bad stress from every workplace around the globe, bringing purpose into the people equation to promote healthy, productive and meaningful work cultures and turn the tide on the neglect of mental health on a global scale. Catherine is author of the book: “CORPORATE HARMONY – The Performance Link for Today’s Modern Organization” Catherine can be reached at: Catherine.Osborne@corporateharmony.ca or go to ‘contact us’ on our website www.corporateharmony.ca. Catherine is available for consultation, and can be reached by 519-695-3407.