Why is Collaboration Difficult?

Organizations across the world are putting in a lot of energy to create and foster a collaborative environment.  We have companies developing tools to help connect people to share ideas and be productive.  With companies going agile, you are seeing more scrum masters being trained and hired. So with all this energy coming together, why does collaboration still fail?

The reason it fails is that we don’t talk about the underlying problem, people’s mindset.  Insecurities, lack of trust and an unsupportive culture, are just a few reasons why collaboration fails.  You don’t need any more tools, we just need to change our mindset.

A practical definition of collaboration.

You have certain skills that help your team and organization move forward.  You are there to help solve a problem or build a solution.  When it is time to work together, you bring your skills and your processes to the table.   Your ideas may not be the ones people go with and how you do your work might change. You might feel you are losing control of your processes, but that is okay because you are collaborating for the greater good. 

Sounds hard? Now you know why it fails.  Let’s talk about how we can create the right environment so that collaboration works.

How people identify themselves.

We all have accountabilities that span over different levels.  There are people and teams that might own 1 or 2 services.  If your team finds purpose and identity in their tasks, there will be a high level of ownership.  People take pride in their work and are looking to provide the best service possible.  That does sound good though, doesn’t it? 

Collaboration does require a give-and-take relationship.  If people find purpose through their work, it will be difficult to give, as there will be a feeling of losing control.  People don’t want to lose control of what they are hired to do, as most performance is measured against their accountabilities.  This is one major blind spot people miss when trying to create a collaborative environment. People aren’t always ready to give up anything when working together.

What can we do?

What we need to focus on is redefining our purpose and how we identify ourselves in the workplace.  Focusing on the bigger picture will help people understand that their value isn’t about a task but how they help an organization.  This is one that will probably take the most effort to shift but will give you the right outcome, for the long term.

Find the right balance of not being overly attached and showing the right level of ownership.  When we are too attached, our emotions can get in the way and losing control will force us to pull back. Focus on a culture that promotes cross-departmental teamwork and the experience your customers will have with your organization. Redirecting the energy for the greater good is the goal.

Trust.

This one is pretty straightforward.  People need to trust that their organization is a secure place to work and there is room for failure.  Without a sense of security, people will not step outside their comfort zone.  It is hard to collaborate on an idea without trust from all parties.  Call it collaboration or just working better together, the foundation needs to be solid for anything to happen.

People need to know and feel and they are in a trusted environment for them to open up. When we remove those barriers, there is more meaningful collaboration, which will naturally be contagious.  Sadly, we don’t trust by default, which then causes us to build trust first.  Be the leader that your organization needs and start to trust the people around you.  You will need to lead by example.

Awkward but true.

Leaders are always trying to create an environment where the atmosphere is positive, and people generally get along.  We might get together at lunch and maybe get a few drinks (when it’s normal again) after work.  All of that just adds to how we feel about each other, which usually is a positive to the team.

So here is the awkward part, the closer we get to our colleagues, the more we avoid a type of cooperation that might strain your relationship.  When we collaborate, we all must be comfortable with imposing some difficult trade-offs, but that gets even harder when you have a personal relationship with someone.  A legit catch-22.

How do you find that right balance?

Don’t go and push all your teammates away, because that won’t end well for you.  The goal is to build relationships properly.  Have a mutual understanding that a personal relationship comes with an agreement that you won’t always agree. If you think about it, that is a sign of a healthy relationship.

Final Thought.

To make something stick, we need to create the right eco-system and environment.  Leaders that make long-lasting change know this will take effort and coordination from all.  It gets even harder as organizations grow. Prepare to invest energy into working better together. It might one of the most important things you do. Good luck!