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. 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 public service industries because the needs and demands in these industries are complex, multidimensional, and in industries such as health care, 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 ineffective behaviour, not deficiencies in technical knowledge and capacity. At the extreme, ineffective behaviour is dysfunctional and includes 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, argumentativeness, rudeness, and resistance to constructive feedback.
While dysfunctional behaviour is often chalked up to human nature, particularly if it occurs only occasionally, it is nonetheless a 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 job and more to do with behavioural lapses and inadequacies among the staff. The challenge for leaders and managers is to observe, identify, and amend ineffective and dysfunctional behaviours so that they do not impede true collaboration and high performance outcomes.
Organizations still entrenched in the dated command and control leadership paradigm and “we work alone – rock star” mentality struggle to compete against organizations that embrace a culture of collaboration. Peak performing organizations embrace collaboration creating engaged employees in a culture where the work and goals are interdependent, and the leaders are self-aware, other-centered, and connected in highly effective relationships.
In today’s economy it is imperative, particularly in public service industries, that we adopt collaboration as a key performance strategy. An initiative for collaboration enriches work lives at all organizational levels. Collaboration emphasizes that everyone, no matter your position on the organizational chart, contributes to the goals of the enterprise. When someone asks you to get involved or to help, you feel needed, valued, and an integral part of a larger system. People who feel this way find their work meaningful, and as a result, they willingly contribute their time, talent and energy and are motivated to perform at high levels. Making the connection between collaborative behaviour and positive human energy begins with the skill of Positive Presence — an innovative thought model for equipping leaders with the knowledge and understanding necessary for developing and sustaining the behaviour skills needed for collaboration.
The good news is that we are already seeing a generational shift toward integrated thinking, system oriented problem solving, and objective standards of measurement for performance in our public service organizations. As leaders, using collaboration as the means to build teams, drive performance, share governance and responsibility, and establish accountability for performance, will provide the greatest opportunity for achieving a culture of performance excellence.
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.