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Maximize Your Time and Efforts — Collaborate! This article was reprinted with permission from Board
Development Program Collaboration, a buzz word of the 90s, has proven to be an effective strategy for organizations looking for ways to:
In many instances, collaborating organizations have found that, by bringing together different complementary strengths, they can increase the quality of their results, while achieving goals that neither organization could have accomplished alone. Unfortunately, this level of success has not been everyone's experience. So, before embarking on your first — or next — collaborative effort, take some time to consider the following questions:
What Does Collaboration Really Mean? To better understand collaboration, you may find it helpful to think of a continuum consisting of three C's: cooperation, coordination, and collaboration. On this continuum, cooperation is the easiest of the relationships for organizations to establish and maintain, requiring little extra effort, and resulting in low risk for the participants. Cooperative efforts are informal relationships that usually exist without:
When involved in cooperative efforts, organizations:
Rewards for the effort are focused on the needs of the individual organizations. As a result, there is very little risk involved, and generally there is minimal synergy created between the participating organizations. Moving along the continuum from cooperation to coordination requires organizations to commit more time, energy, and resources to the relationship. Coordination requires organizations to have:
While authority stays with each participating organization, there is a need to set up a coordinating group to establish communication channels, to do some planning, and to divide roles between the players. All participating organizations make resources available to the coordinating group, and rewards are jointly recognized. With increased integration comes increased commitment, time, and a higher risk of loss of resources and reputation for participating organizations. Reaching collaboration requires organizations to establish a more lasting and integrated relationship. Organizations move from a limited view of the community, based on their own purpose, values, and goals, to a culture that says:
Thus, collaboration moves organizations from a competitive view of their environment that emphasizes protection and an attitude of there is only so much to go around, to an attitude that says 'the more we share, the more there is for all of us.' Collaboration means sharing for mutual benefit — space, information, and resources. In this relationship, previously independent organizations come together in a new working relationship that is characterized by full commitment to a mutual purpose. To accomplish this, organizations have to engage in comprehensive planning, establishing well-defined internal and external lines of communication. The collaborative structure, with approval from the participating organizations, determines what authority it needs to accomplish the purpose. Because of the degree of involvement, the pooling of resources, and the individual reputation contributed by each of the players, the risk factor is higher. However, there is also a greater potential for creating shared products and services that are unique and beyond what any of the partners could do individually. What are the Key Factors for Success in Collaborations? Current research shows there are some common factors which help make sure that a collaboration is a success, and that it has a strong possibility of moving organizations from an 'us and them' approach, to a 'we're in this together' approach. Six key factors for successful collaborations, described in more detail throughout this section, are:
1. Internal and external conditions Surveying the internal and external conditions of potential collaborating organizations is a good place to start in order to predict long-range success. Before entering into the relationship, ask yourself these important questions:
If you are unable to answer yes to the majority of these questions, your organization may not be ready or able to begin the collaboration process. Without this initial readiness and willingness to embark on a collaboration, the effort will probably fail or, at best, experience minimum success. If these conditions do not exist, consider doing some groundwork to improve the environment for collaboration. A successful cooperative or coordinated project can be the first step in building the foundation for later collaboration. 2. Purpose, planning, and progress To succeed, collaborating organizations must all agree that there is a need to work together and to blend each organization's individual vision for the collaboration into a shared vision of success. To do this, you first need to take the time to identify shared values and beliefs, and to determine what each organization needs to obtain from the collaboration in order to consider it a success. From the shared values and vision emerge strategies resulting, in concrete, attainable goals and objectives. The goals and objectives must differ in some way from the goals and objectives of the member organizations. You need to monitor these goals and objectives rigorously, making sure that the responsibility for completing each phase of the task is assigned. Positive, concrete results enhance commitment to a collaboration. Small successes early in the collaboration help to develop a sense of accomplishment that provides the energy needed to take on larger tasks. Five guidelines to keep in mind when developing your collaborative plan are:
Questions to consider throughout the collaboration include:
Trust and commitment to the collaboration — and to each other — grow as members meet one another's positive expectations and learn that they can depend on one another and that they can renegotiate unrealistic expectations. 3. Characteristics of the members The members, individually and organizationally, have a significant impact on collaborations. Effective collaborations require an appropriate cross-section of representatives from the community that the collaboration will affect. Not allowing key stakeholders the opportunity to participate may jeopardize the final outcome of the collaboration. Participating organizations must believe that this collaboration is in their best interests, and that the benefits outweigh the costs. Unspoken resistance to fully committing to the collaboration occurs when members do not believe in the competency of other participants, or when they perceive the group to be powerless. Members of the collaboration must believe that no one can accomplish alone what all of them can do together by using their complementary skills and resources. The participating organizations need to value interdependence, and be willing to provide the appropriate time and resources to the project. It is critical to have the right people from your organization involved in the collaboration. In order to contribute effectively and to keep the collaboration moving forward, these people must:
Other desirable characteristics include:
Working together effectively as a group requires members to trust and respect each other. Thus, members behave in ways that support and enhance their mutual trust, not abusing information or undermining each other outside of the meetings. It is vital that group decisions are honoured. Members also need to respect, and strive to understand, the culture, values, and operational styles of other organizations. To do this, members need to be open to the wisdom found in different perspectives, equally valuing the input of each person. One way to build and nurture trust is to establish, early in the process, ground rules for how people want to work together. For example, the ground rules might include:
Be sure to revisit the ground rules on a regular basis to make sure that members are satisfied that the group is honouring the rules. 4. Structure and process The structure developed by, and the processes used by, the collaborating group need to build commitment to how this group works and the results that it achieves. Within this structure, members need to become both teachers and learners as they move toward the established goal. This means being open to different ways of organizing themselves so that the members can work together effectively. As the group develops, members clarify roles, their shared responsibilities, and policy guidelines that help them get the work done. The group makes sure that the assignments are clear, and that each member has accepted responsibility to complete specific tasks. All members of the group must be included in the shared decision-making process of the collaboration. This means no side meetings of group members, or old partners working in a manner that excludes other members of the group. As the collaborating group matures, the relationship moves to a formal status in which responsibilities and decision-making processes are clearly documented. This enables the collaboration to continue beyond the specific people who formed the collaboration. The ability to adapt to changing conditions is a test of the flexibility and strength of the structure and processes of the collaboration. 5. Communication Members of the collaborating group need to interact regularly and in an open manner — updating one another, discussing issues, sharing all necessary information. In addition to sharing information about their technical expertise and their organization's goals, members of the group need to share their knowledge of conflict situations, trouble spots, and/or changing situations. This requires open discussion about problems, concerns, and risks associated with membership in the collaboration. If this type of information is not shared with people inside the group, and with other key people in the collaborating organizations, mistrust will build, weakening the entire collaboration. To facilitate communication, you need to take time to establish both formal and informal communication links. Formal channels of communication need to be agreed upon and written down. To keep information flowing, group members need to stay in contact with each other outside of the formal meetings. 6. Resources To succeed, collaborating groups require adequate assets to do the job. These assets include human and financial resources. All participants should contribute resources to the collaboration, even though the level of participation may differ, depending on the member's ability. Besides enabling the collaboration to exist, investing resources demonstrates a tangible commitment to the process and to the other participating organizations. What are the Board's Primary Responsibilities in Facilitating Successful Collaborations? The size and complexity of your organization will help determine your board's level of involvement in a collaboration. In some organizations, board members may be involved only in developing the desired outcomes for the collaboration, making sure that the collaboration is aligned with the organization's strategic direction. Staff and volunteers will then carry out the collaboration. In other organizations, board members may also be involved directly in the collaborating group. In both instances, the board needs to clarify its expectations — for what is and is not acceptable — for the organization in this relationship. Questions for all boards to clarify before formally entering the collaboration include:
Financial Reporting - types and frequency Publicity - for example, use of the organization's logo Recognition for the organization Levels of planning and approval Staff and volunteer resources Other
External networks and contacts Reputation Other More and more, collaboration is becoming the way to work and to get things done by the organizations in our communities. By taking the necessary time to build plans, relationships, and commitment, your organization can work collaboratively with others to accomplish new achievements. By taking the time to develop effective collaborations, you also maximize the valuable resources of both your organization and your community. Something to think about... Get it in writing Consider having a commitment letter, signed by someone with a high level of authority, from each organization in the collaboration. By signing on the dotted line, the participating organizations demonstrate their full commitment to collaboration. This letter can serve as a reference point throughout the collaboration. Some points to include in this letter are:
Adapted from the Collaboration Handbook by Amherst H. Wilder Foundation
Resources: Kanter, Rosabeth Moss. Collaborative Advantage. Harvard Business Review, p. 96-108. July-August 1994. Mattessich, Paul W. and Monsey, Barbara. Collaboration: What Makes It Work. Minnesota: The Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, 1992. Morton, Gene L. Working Together: Developing Collaboration Among Competing Organizations. Nonprofit World, Vol. 5, No. 1. p. 15-17. January-February 1987. Support Centre for Nonprofit Management and National Minority AIDS Council. The Collaboration Continuum. California: Support Centre for Nonprofit Management, 1993. Winer, Michael and Ray, Karen. Collaboration Handbook: Creating, Sustaining, and Enjoying the Journey. Minnesota: The Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, 1994.
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