Every leader wants to see collaboration among his/her associates; every team needs collaboration to succeed. But is every individual made of similar mindset to collaborate? How easy or complex is it to influence individuals thinking and motivate them to collaborate? And why is collaboration so keenly pursued expectation? Let us explore!
Why is collaboration so important?
The way organizations are usually structured is very interesting. On one end, we see that no single business process can be executed by one individual or one department. Take for example, how a pizza gets delivered to your home. Imagine how many people need to coordinate seamlessly so that your order is delivered to your home without any hassles. If there is any slippage or gap in communication and coordination among the staff, the final customer delivery will not happen. Therefore, collaboration among all the related individuals is not simply desirable but essential.
On the other hand, some of the departments oversee each other so that there is a better control on the overall business. Take for example how bank loans are processed.
While the sales people’s objective is to generate as much business as possible by issuing loans, there will be another department that constantly assesses the risk attached to every loan account. While sales people want loans to be sanctioned speedily, the risk – assessment team will slow down or sometimes rejects a particular request for the loan. In this case, unlike the pizza example, collaboration is complex because both the departments are at loggerheads with regard to their goals. Yet, both these employees belong to the same bank and therefore are expected to collaborate. They both need to present one single voice and view to the end customer!
How does individual look at collaboration?
In organizations, diverse individuals who do not know each other come together to perform their job. They come into the organization primarily to serve their individual needs such as livelihood, learning, satisfaction, power, recognition and so on. These are the aspirations that each individual needs to pursue.
Deep down, individuals will look at collaboration as a tool to achieve their aspirations. If it helps them achieve their personal goals, then individuals will not mind to collaborate. That is, if I collaborate with others, they will help me achieve my target and that gives me money and recognition.
What if collaboration is against their personal goals? What makes collaboration complex? Is there a way organizations and leaders can instill collaboration? Let’s discuss these questions in our upcoming blog.
Excerpts from the article – Complexity of collaboration
By: Dr.Raj,
Published in HR Mirror, Hans India.
Follow Dr.Raj on Twitter @drraj29
