The old saying ‘two is a company and three is a crowd’ is not relevant these days when collaboration is a by word at every level of education and across professions.
Not only does collaboration benefit a target project, it develops various life skills which will help across the spectrum of one’s public and personal life.
Broadly, collaboration is working with others in a small or large group for a common goal: it could be to complete a project or to prepare for an exam.
Either way, the purpose is to get a job done with maximum efficiency while keeping one’s individual strengths intact.
Collaboration helps an institution because it plays to the stronger elements of individuals in a group so that the outcome is the best possible one.
For individuals, collaboration brings out the best in us: speaking and listening to others effectively, respecting others’ opinions and ways of work, and learning from a diverse group of people.
Collaboration does not come easily to many. Most of us tend to be introverted at work or study, and many others do not want to share their work for a common goal. We tend to think that our time and energy should go towards goals which we have set for ourselves and not for other, more general ones where we may not get credit.
But collaboration ensures that different points of view are considered, that the best ideas of a team have been activated, and that potential challenges have been addressed. No single individual can anticipate all this.
How can one fine tune their collaboration skills?
Common pointers include to set this down as a clear goal to be achieved within a time frame: actively tell yourself that you will be engaged in a few collaborative projects in the next six months. Telling somebody of this plan will ensure accountability – somebody else will remind you of this goal from time to time.
Being open minded is the next step: recognise that everybody does not act or think like you, but that is precisely the point. Learning from others’ strengths or limitations is the fastest way of recognising qualities within yourself.
Institutions must make collaboration possible and preferable. This can be done by actively creating collaborative projects suitable for every level. Communication within groups must be encouraged and time given for such conversations. Individuals within a group must be recognised for their contributions, both as an incentive to them, and as encouragement to others.
Challenges in collaborative work usually include individuals not being able to take criticism well, and wanting individual attention. This can be addressed by team leaders who can encourage dialogue and built short conflict resolution exercises from time to time.
Today’s world is very much a village tied together by a digital network. While our unique personalities must be reflected in our social and professional lives, we must accept that working together for a common good will add value to shared goals.
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