1 of 11 pages
Building a collaborative workplace
Today we all need to be collaboration superstars. The trouble is, collaboration is a skill and set of practices we are rarely taught. It’s something we learn on the job in a hit-or-miss fashion. Some people are naturals at it, but most of us are clueless.
Our challenge doesn’t stop there. An organisation’s ability to support collaboration is highly dependent on its own organisational culture. Some cultures foster collaboration while others stop it dead in its tracks.
To make matters worse, technology providers have convinced many organisations that they only need to purchase collaboration software to foster collaboration. There are many large organisations that have bought enterprise licences for products like IBM’s Collaboration Suite or Microsoft’s Solutions for Collaboration who are not getting good value for money, simply because people don’t know how to collaborate effectively or because their culture works against collaboration.
Of course technology plays an important role in effective collaboration. We are not anti-technology. Rather we want to help redress the balance and shift the emphasis from merely thinking about collaboration technology to thinking about collaboration skills, practices, technology and supporting culture. Technology makes things possible; people collaborating makes it happen.
This paper has three parts. We start by briefly exploring what we mean by collaboration and why organisations and individuals should build their collaboration capability. Then, based on that understanding, we lay out a series of steps for developing a collaboration capability. We finish the paper with a simple test of your current collaboration capability.
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A N E C D O T E W H I T E PA P E R
Building a colla borative
workplace
I N T R O D U C T I O N coronavirusthatcausedSARSandswiftly
completethegeneticsequencingofthe
Todaywefaceanentirelynewenvironment
pathogen.Ithadtakentheinternational
forinnovationandgettingthingsdone.
communitythreeyearstodiscoverthatHIV
Thedaysofthelonegeniusquietlytoiling
ledtoAIDS.IdentifyingthecauseofSARS
awayinpursuitofthatEurekamoment
ledtoanunderstandingofitsmodesof
torevolutioniseanindustryareallbut
transmission,andenabledthedevelopment
over.Wearenowinthedaysofaskingand
ByShawnCallahan,Mark
ofguidanceformanagingtheoutbreak.
listeningtoourcustomersandworking
SchenkandNancyWhite*
withtheminourinnovationcycles. Todayweallneedtobecollaboration
Innovationdemandscollaboration.Sodoes superstars.Thetroubleis,collaboration
production.Inthepastwecouldfocuson isaskillandsetofpracticeswearerarely
asingletaskinanassembly-linefashion, taught.Itssomethingwelearnonthejob
handingourcompletedactivitytothenext inahit-or-missfashion.Somepeopleare
personwhowouldinturndothesame, naturalsatit,butmostofusareclueless.
untilthejobwasnished.Nowthejobs Ourchallengedoesntstopthere.
Todayweallneedtobe changefast,requiringlearningnewskills Anorganisationsabilitytosupport
collaborationsuperstars.ratherthanmerelyrepeatingtheold.We collaborationishighlydependentonits
havetoseekoutpeoplewhohaveother ownorganisationalculture.Somecultures
piecesofthepuzzleandworkwiththem fostercollaborationwhileothersstopit
totackleincreasinglycomplexissuesata deadinitstracks.
muchfasterpace.
Tomakemattersworse,technology
InNovember2002,alargenumberof providershaveconvincedmanyorganis-
atypicalpneumoniacasesoccurredin ationsthattheyonlyneedtopurchase
GuangdongProvince,China.ByJuly2003, collaborationsoftwaretofostercollabo-
justsevenmonthslater,thisnewvirus, ration.Therearemanylargeorganisations
knownasSARS,hadinfectedover8000 thathaveboughtenterpriselicencesfor
peoplein26countriesandresultedin774 productslikeIBMsCollaborationSuiteor
deaths.ChinasinitialreluctancetoshaMrie crosoftsSolutionsforCollaboration
informationisconsideredasignicantfawchtoaor renotgettinggoodvalueformoney,
intherapidspreadofthediseaseandthe simplybecausepeopledontknowhow
initialfailuretocontrolitsspread.InMtaocrcoh llaborateeffectivelyorbecausetheir
2003,whenitbecameobviousthatSARS cultureworksagainstcollaboration.
representedaglobalcrisis,avirtualnetwork
Ofcoursetechnologyplaysanimportant
of11leadinglaboratoriesinninecountries
roleineffectivecollaboration.Wearenot
formedtocollaborateinidentifyingthecause
anti-technology.Ratherwewanttohelp
ofSARSandhowtocombatit.Thenetwork
redressthebalanceandshifttheemphasis
wasconnectedbyasharedwebsite,email
frommerelythinkingaboutcollaboration
anddailyteleconferencestoidentifytheSARS
technologytothinkingaboutcollaboration
coronavirus.Researchwassharedinnearreal-
skills,practices,technologyandsupporting
*FullCircleAssociates, time.Withinonemonth,thisinternational
culture.Technologymakesthingspossible;
www.fullcirc.com collaborationwasabletodiscoverthenew
peoplecollaboratingmakesithappen.
ww 1w.anecdote.com ¥AnecdotePtyLtdwww.anecdote.com B U I L D I N G A C O L L A B O R AT I V E W O R K P L AC E
Thispaperhasthreeparts.Westartby managementwithinthermreceivedthe
brieyexploringwhatwemeanbycollabo- email.Withinanhourhehadresponsesfrom
rationandwhyorganisationsandindividuals threeothercolleagues,advisingthatDefence
shouldbuildtheircollaborationcapabilityw. asreviewingitsriskmanagementsoftware
Then,basedonthatunderstanding,we andwaslikelytoadoptanewstandard
layoutaseriesofstepsfordeveloping riskmanagementapplicationwithinafew
acollaborationcapability.Wenishthe months.Coincidentally,thermhadworked
paperwithasimpletestofyourcurrent ontheevaluationofthenewsoftwareand
collaborationcapability. acopyoftheevaluationwasprovided.In
February2006,anotherengineerposted
W H AT I S C O L L A B O R AT I O N ? amessagetothegroup,advisingthatthe
CollaborationisaprocessThinkbacktoameetingwhenyouhad newsoftwarestandardhadbeenformally
adopted.TheclientinPerthwasimpressed
throughwhichpeoplewho ahandfulofpeoplegatheredarounda
seedifferentaspectsofa whiteboardandonepersonisdrawingand atthecomprehensive,timelyandaccurate
talking,explainingwhatshemeans.Inmid informationtheconsultingorganisationwas
problemcanconstructively
ight,acolleaguegrabsanotherpenand abletoprovide.
exploretheirdifferencesand
addstothedrawing,suggestinganother Collaborationisaprocessthroughwhich
searchforsolutionsthatgo
perspective.Anewtrainofthought peoplewhoseedifferentaspectsofa
beyondtheirownlimitedvision
emerges.Everyonepitchesinandthe problemcanconstructivelyexploretheir
ofwhatispossi 1ble.
conversationiselectricwithideas,andwidtih fferencesandsearchforsolutionsthatgo
eachwordprogressismadetowardtheir beyondtheirownlimitedvisionofwhatis
commonobjective. possibl[e1]A.ndtodayitsmorethangroups
Howaboutwhenyouhadathornyproblem ofpeopleworkingtogetherasteamsand
atworkandrememberedsomeonefrom communities.Collaborationgenerates
yourprofessionalassociationwhohadtalked newideasandnewsolutionsthatemerge
aboutasimilarproblem?Youdecidetogoto fromtheinterplayoftheseperspectives,
themonthlymeetingandseekadvice,and experienceandknowledgethathelpus
comebackchargedupwithfreshnewideas getworkdone,comingfrompeopleboth
fromothersinthecommunity. insideandoutsideanorganisation,well-
knownand,yes,evenstrangers.Wecan
Today,wecancastourcollaborationnet
havelong-lastingcollaborationˆorshort-
evenwiderbyputtingaqueryonlineand
term,formalorad-hoc.
getanswersbackfrompeoplewedont
evenknow.Andtheycanbegoodanswers.
THREE TYPES OF COLLABORATION
Justlookatthenetworkofprogrammers
Oldermodelsofcollaborationtendedto
contributingtoOpenSourceprograms,
focusonteamsandformal,structured
orthewealthofknowledgepouredinto
collaboration.Wehavemoreoptionsnow.
Wikipedia.Wecanforgenewalliances
Hereweexplorethreetypesofcollabo-
beyondthewallsofourownorganisations.
rationandhowwemightapproachthem
WhenMarkwasworkingforanengineering
asanorganisation.
rmin2005,anengineerinPerthwas
Inteamcollaboration,theaskedbyhisDepartmentofDefenceclient, Inteamcollaborati,tonhemembersof
membersofthegroupareknown, WhatriskmanagementsoftwareisDefence thegroupareknown,therearecleartask
interdependencies,expectedreciprocity,
therearecleartaskinterdepuesn-ing? .DefenceissobigevenDefence
andexplicittime-linesandgoals.To
dencies,expectedreciprocietmyp,loyeesdontknowwhattheyareusing.
achievethegoal,membersmustfulltheir
Thereweremanyotherengineersfromthis
andexplicittime-linesandgoals.
rmworkinginDefenceacrossAustralia, interdependenttaskswithinthestated
time.Teamcollaborationoftensuggests
sotheemployeepostedamessageto
that,whilethereisexplicitleadership,
theorganisationsprojectmanagement
t heparticipantscooperateonanequal
listserver.Everyoneinterestedinproje c t
2¥AnecdotePtyLtdwww.anecdote.com B U I L D I N G A C O L L A B O R AT I V E W O R K P L AC E
footingandwillreceiveequalrecognition. Communitycollaborationsmayalsogive
Anexampleisasix-memberteamworking risetomoreformalisedteamcollaborations.
togethertodevelopanewmarketing Aspeoplegettoknoweachother,theycan
strategyinamonth,withadenedsetof identifygoodtsforteammembersand
resources.Teamcollaborationscanalso drawnewtalentintotheirteams.
occurwithexternalpartners,butthereis
Networkcollaborationstepsbeyondthe
alwaysaclearmandateanddenedroles.
relationship-centricnatureofteamand
IncommunitycollaboratioInn,communitycollaborati,otnhereisashared communitycollaboration.Itiscollaboration
thereisashareddomainoraredomaainorareaofinterest,butthegoalis thatstartswithindividualactionandself-
ofinterest,butthegoalismmoorereoftenfocusedonlearningratherthan interest,whichthenaccruestothenetwork
ontask.Peopleshareandbuildknowledge asindividualscontributeorseeksomething
oftenfocusedonlearningrather
ratherthancompleteprojects.Members fromthenetwork.Membershipandtime-
thanontask.Peopleshareand
maygototheircommunitiestohelpsolve linesareopenandunbounded.Thereare
buildknowledgeratherthan
theirproblemsbyaskingquestionsand noexplicitroles.Membersmostlikelydo
completeprojects.
gettingadvice,thentakingthatadvice notknowalltheothermembers.Power
backhometoimplementintheirteams. isdistributed.Thisformofcollaboration
Membershipmaybeboundedandexplicit, isdrivenbytheadventofsocialmedia
buttimeperiodsareoftenopenorongoing. (toolsthathelpusconnectandinteract
Membershipisoftenonequalfooting,but online),ubiquitousinternetconnectivity
moreexperiencedpractitionersmayhave andtheabilitytoconnectwithdiverse
morestatusorpowerinthecommunity. individualsacrossdistanceandtime.Itisa
Reciprocityiswithinthegroup,butnot responsetotheoverwhelmingvolumeof
alwaysonetoone( Ididthisforyou,now informationwearecreating.Itsimpossible
youdothisforme ).Anexamplemightbe foranindividualtocopeontheirown.
acommunityofpracticethatisinterested Sonetworksbecomemechanismsfor
inthetypeofmarketingmentionedinthe knowledgeandinformationcapture,
teamexampleabove.Amemberofthat lteringandcreation.
Networkcollaborationsteptseammaycometohercommunityandask
Anexampleofnetworkcollaboration
beyondtherelationship-cefonretrxiacmplesofpastprojects.
mightbemembersoftheteamintherst
natureofteamandcommunityRioTintosBengallaminingoperationis exampleabovebookmarkingwebsites
collaboration.ItiscollabolroactaitoendintheHunterValleyinAustralia. astheyndthem,usingasharedor
thatstartswithindividualOneoftheoperationseetofbulldozers socialbookmarkingtool.Thisbenets
actionandself-interest,which hadanintermittentproblemwiththebrakets heirteam,andpossiblytheirrelated
failing.Thiswasaserioussafetyissueancd ommunitiesofpracticeiftheyarealso
thenaccruestothenetworkas
monthsofeffortwereexpendedtryingto sharingbookmarks.Butitalsobenetsthe
individualscontributeorseek
resolvetheissueˆwithoutsuccess.Themiwnie dernetworkofpeopleinterestedinthe
somethingfromthenetwork.
superintendentwasonthevergeofremovintg opic.Atthesametime,teammembers
thismulti-milliondollarmachinefrom mayndotherbookmarksleftbynetwork
operationswhenhedecidedtolookmore membersrelevanttotheirteamwork.
widelyforasolution.On18January2007he Thissortofnetworkactivitybenets
postedamessagetoRioTintoscollaborattihveie ndividualandanetworkofpeople
forum,outliningthesituationandseekinrg eciprocallyovertime.Thereciprocity
assistance.Thefollowingday,anengineecr onnectionisremoteandundened.You
inCaliforniarepliedwithacomprehensivae ctinself-interestbutprovideanetwork-
solutiontotheproblem&aproblemtheyhad widebenet.
battledwithforoverayearbeforending
resolution. Wehadthesameproblem&itll
driveyounuts. Thesolutionwasappliedand
[2]
thedozerwasreturnedtonormaloperat ions.
3¥AnecdotePtyLtdwww.anecdote.com B U I L D I N G A C O L L A B O R AT I V E W O R K P L AC E
C O L L A B O R AT I O N "Leaderswhoseevalueinthecommunity
S U C C E SS FAC T O R S andatbestencouragetheirstaffto
Ourexperiencetellsusofcertainfactorsfor participateandatworstdontdiscourage
communityparticipation
successinallthreetypesofcollaboration.
Thatsaidwehavealsobeensurprisedin "Strongexecutivesponsorshipproviding
caseswheresuccessfactorsweremissingor legitimacy,resourcesandahelpinghand
whenthingsgetpolitical
evenoperatedcountertoourexpectations,
yetthecollaborationwassuccessful.So "Acoregroupofcommunitymembers
thatcareaboutthegroupandprovide
weoffertheselistsinthespiritofthose
thingswebelieveareimportant,butthey directionandenthusiasmforitsactivities
areneitherdenitivenorcomprehensive. "Ahandfulofmemberswhoare
Ourpurposeistoprovideanunderstanding connectors,helpingpeoplendeach
ofthetypeofculturerequiredtosupport otherinthecommunity
collaboration. "Regularmeetingstohelpestablishthe
TEAM communitysrhythm
"Appreciationfortheperiphery,which
Ourexperiencetellsusof"Commonpurposeorgoal
maybesilentbutislearningandcarrying
certainfactorsforsucces"siAnanoultlcomethatisvalued communitylearningsouttotheworld
threetypesofcollaborati"onP.ressuretodeliver(aduedate) "Memberswhobelongtorelated
"Complexproblemsthatasingleperson communities,whobringinandtakeout
couldnotresolveontheirown ideasandinformation(pollinatorsand
"Anexplicitprocessforgettingthings connectors).
done(noESPrequired)
" Clearlydenedroles NET WORK
"Technologytostoreandretrieve
"Knowledgeofeachotherswork,
communicationandlearningstyles informationofinterestwhichmakesit
immediatelyndabletoeveryoneinthe
"Anadmirationoftheskillsandabilities network
offellowteam-mates
"Anappreciationofhoweffectiveuseof
"Enoughresourcestodothejobbut socialtechnology,suchasbookmarking,
notsomanythattheteamlosesits
resourcefulness willsavetimeandassistteamand
communitycollaborations
"Regularsocialactivitiestobuildtrust "Havingdiverseskillsintheorganisationˆ
amongteammembers.
scanners,lterers,connectorsˆwho
COMMUNIT Y helpmakesenseofinformationand
"Atopicthatmemberscareabouttoa connectionsfromthenetworkandbring
pointwheretheiridentityiswrapped thembackintotheowoforganisational
work.Noteveryonehastodothis,but
upinthattopic
"Acommunitycoordinatorwhocan enoughpeopleneedto
"Atoleranceforahighvolumeof
orchestrateactivities,introductionsand
opportunitiesforlearning informationˆknowingthatyoucan
catchwhatyouneedfromtheow,but
"Regularsocialactivitiestobuildtrust youcantdrinktheentireriver
andnewsocialconnectionsamongteam
members "Abilitytoseeconnectionsacrossdiverse
signalsandbitsofinformation
"Opportunitiestopractiseandgain
experience,orvicariouslygainexperience "Connectionsbetweenteams,
communitiesandtheirlargernetworksas
byhearingthestoriesofother sourcesofnewideasandmembers.
practitioners
5¥AnecdotePtyLtdwww.anecdote.com B U I L D I N G A C O L L A B O R AT I V E W O R K P L AC E
U N D E R S TA N D I N G YO U R getaheadaroundhere? .Tocreatea
C O L L A B O R AT I O N C U LT U R E culturethatsupportscollaboration,
leadersmustunderstand,createconditions
Doesyourorganisationhaveaculture
for,andmodelcollaborationforteams,
thatworksfortheteam,communityand
communitiesandnetworks.
networktypesofcollaboration?Orare
Thebestwaytofosteravalueisbyexample.
youghtingagainstaculturethatsties
Heresaninstanceofhowleaderscan
collaboration?Stiingculturemayinclude
d emonstratethattheyvaluecollaboration.
asingularfocusonindividualachievement ,
Ashorthandforthislistis,
Leadersneedtochangetheirbehaviourso
aculturethatdoesnotvaluesharing
Howdoesonegetahead
thatthesetypesofstoriescirculatewithin
knowledgeorexpertise,orsimplyignoring
aroundhere? .Inthecollabo-
theirownorganisations.
thenetwork.
rativeage,itisaboutcreating
AnAustralianpharmaceuticalorganisation
theconditionssowecan THE ROLE OF LEADERSHIP
facedamajordilemma.TheSwedisharmof
answerthequestion, HowdoLeadershipisakeystoneforestablishing theorganisationhadadvisedthatakeydrug
WEgetaheadaroundhere? .supportivecollaborationcultures,especiawloluy ldbeinlimitedsupplyforaconsiderable
inteamsandcommunities.Thisisbasedon period.Thisdrugwasalife-savingantibiotic
howleadersmainlyembedtheirbeliefs, usedinintensivecaretotreatsevereinfections.
valuesandassumptionsinthefabricof Ifyouareanintensivecarephysicianand
theirorganisation.Therearesixmain youneedit,youdontwanttobetoldthat
behavioursthatleadersdisplaythatmould thereisnoneontheshelf. TheGMinsisted
[3]
theorganisationscult ure. thatcompanyemployeesbeproactive
"Whatleaderspayattentionto,measure, andengagewiththeircustomerstotackle
andcontrolonaregularbasisˆare theissue.Sales,marketingandnational
theypayingattentiontocollaborative accountsallworkedtogethertodevelopa
strategiesandbehavioursfromteam, strategybasedonidentifyingthehospitals
communityandnetworkperspectives? mostatrisk.Firstactionwastoengagewith
"Howleadersreacttocriticalincidents Swedentoexamineglobalissuesandto
andorganisationalcrisesˆarethey getanadequateallocationoftheavailable
sacricinglong-termgoalsforshort-term stock.Next, wephonedoverahundred
xeswhichsabotagecollaboration?Does directorsofpharmacyandintensivistsand
fearofconnectingtothelargernetwork hadadiscussionwiththemtoidentifyneeds
keepthemfromtappingintoit? andhowtheymightchangetheirinternal
protocolstousetheavailableproduction
Tocreateaculturethat "Howleadersallocateresourcesˆarethey
aseffectivelyaspossible.Theywerereally
supportscollaboration,leaidnevresstinginthecollaborationcapability?
appreciativeoftheengagement. The
Isitattentivetoallthreetypesof
mustunderstand,create
organisationhadlotsofpositivefeedback&
collaboration?
conditionsfor,andmodel
Wehatedthefactthatyouwereout,
"Howleadersexpresstheiridentity
collaborationforteams, butwereallyappreciatedthefactthatyou
throughdeliberaterolemodelling,
communitiesandnetworks. botheredtotalktousbeforehand. Staff
teaching,andcoachingˆasourleaders
involvedintheissuedescribedhow our
collaborate,sodowe!
GMledtheway,engagingwitheveryone
"Howleadersallocaterewardsandstatus
andmakingsureeverythingwaskeptoutin
ˆareyourleadersrewardingindividual
theopen,despiteothersinsistingthatwe
orcollaborativebehaviours?Orboth?
keepitquiet.Atthesametimetherewas
"Howleadersrecruit,select,promote,
anotherexamplewithacompetitor:the
andexcommunicateˆarecollaborative
pharmacistsandclinicianstoldus,Wedidnt
talentssoughtandnurtured?
ndoutaboutthisuntilsixweeksafterthe
Ashorthandforthislistis, Howdoesone fact.Soitwasagoodexampleofaglobal
getaheadaroundhere? .Inthecollabo- action,localactionatthehospitalandalso
rativeage,itisaboutcreatingtheconditions internallycoordinatingthoseactivities.
sowecananswerthequestion, HowdoWE
6¥AnecdotePtyLtdwww.anecdote.com B U I L D I N G A C O L L A B O R AT I V E W O R K P L AC E
TEAM CULTURE "Isthereclarityaboutwhatinformationis
Teamcollaborationrequiresaculture oktosharefromteamstocommunities?
thatvaluesandsupportsspecic "Isthecommunitytheretosupport
interdependenciesbetweenpeople.In peoplewhowishtoenhancetheircraft,
otherwords,welookoutforeachother orisitmerelyanorganisationalinitiative
andwecantsucceedwithouteachother. forsharingknowledgethatpeopleare
Doyourorganisationsteamshaveclarity instructedtoattend?
aroundthefollowing?: NET WORK CULTURE
"Prioritiesteamsuccessoverorin
Networksarereliantonstimulation
alignmentwithindividualperformance ofvariouspointsornodesratherthan
"Targetsdeliveringoutcomesontime,
tobudgetandtospecication centralisedleadership.Aneedisexpressed
and,somewhere,someoneinthenetwork
"Learninglearningfromwithinand whocanrespondtothatneedreplies.Some
acrossteams:
factorstoconsiderinsupportingnetwork
honest,constructivefeedback collaborationinyourorganisationinclude:
knowledgesharing,nothoarding "Networkcollaborationisreliantonthe
" Explicitteamprocesses: sendingandnoticingofsignalsaround
communications issuesofsharedinterest.Howdoemployees
workingandworkow attendtothissendingandreceivingin
waysthatareusefultotheorganisation?
identity-focusedroleclarity
decision-making. "Withinformationoverload,theability
tolterandscanthemessagesthaty
COMMUNIT Y CULTURE acrossanetworkiscritical,frombotha
Muchcommunitycollabo-Muchcommunitycollaborationisvoluntary, toolandaskillperspective.Havethose
rationisvoluntary,sothesotheissuesofstatusandreputation whoaregoodatthisinyourorganisation
issuesofstatusandreputatcairornyadifferentweightthanwithinteams beenidentied?Aretheygiventimeand
carryadifferentweightthan andformalorganisationalstructures. supporttoplaythisrole?
Communitiescanbechallengedbecause "Identityandtrustmanifestdifferentlyin
withinteamsandformal
organisationalstructures. theydonthavethestickofdothiswork networks,whereidentityismoreabout
oryouwontgetpaid,andthestatusof whatyouknowthanwhoyouare,and
organisationalrolemaynotberelevant. trustisaboutconsistentdeliveryand
Socommunityleadersoftenleadfrom qualityratherthanapersonalsenseof
theirownpassion.Theyeithergainthe trustandone-to-onereciprocity.Inother
supportofmembers,ortheyarerejected. words,youcantrustsomeonewithout
Membersengageandbuildtheirown gettingtoknowthem.Areemployeesin
reputationthroughcontribution,which yourorganisationawareofandusingthis
maylaterindirectlyreectbackintheirrise distinctiontobestparticipateinrelevant
withintheorganisation.Somethingsto networks?Aretheyrewardedfor
examineinyourorganisationscommunity participationthatbuildstheirnetwork
collaborationcultureinclude: reputation?
"Arethereincentivesorrewardsforpartici"- Networkscanraisetheproleof
pationincommunitiesorinadditionto employeesandsocreateaperceivedor
onesteamroles?Aretheredisincentives? realthreatoftheirbeingpoachedby
"Dopeoplehavetimetoparticipatein otherorganisations.Arekeyemployees
communitiesoraretheyonlyonyour beingrewardedsotheydontWANTto
owntime?Ifthelatter,howdoyou leave?Brightstarswillshine,soleaders
convertthatknowledgeandparticipation hadbetterbeawareofthedangerand
backintoyourorganisationsgoals? beproactive!
7¥AnecdotePtyLtdwww.anecdote.com B U I L D I N G A C O L L A B O R AT I V E W O R K P L AC E
"Networkscanmakeleadersfeelasthough (evangelist,manager,specialistˆthetitle
theyhavenothingtolead.Individuals doesntreallymatter)couldinclude:
caneasilybypassnodesinthenetwork "Findingopportunitiesintheorganisation
thattheydontcaretointeractwith, wherebettercollaborationwouldmake
makingonepersonaleadertosome adifferencetothequalityofproducts
andirrelevanttoothers.Soleadership andservices,thespeedofdelivering
becomesdistributedandembodiedin theseproductsandservicestoclients,
theactionsofeachindividual.Howdoes andtheabilitytouseadiversityofideas
yourleadershipculture(notedabove) andapproachestoferretoutgood
workwiththisdistributedleadership collaborationpracticesandtools
styleinnetworkculture?
"Connectingpeopleandideassonew
collaborationscanourish
A F E W WAYS T O S T R E N G T H E N
"Helpingpeopletolearnandadopt
T H E C O L L A B O R AT I O N C U LT U R E
collaborationpracticesandtools
Todaysorganisationscanconsidernotonly "Collectingstoriesofhowcollaboration
howtosupporttraditionalteam-based reallyworks,forthetimesyouneedto
collaboration,butcanalsoadoptcommunity justifytherole
andnetworkcollaborationwhereitserves
"Keepinguptodatewiththeeldof
theirneeds.Manyofthethingsyoucando
collaboration.
canechoacrossallthreetypesofcollabo-
Buildagroupofcollaborationsupporters
ration,whilesomeareuniquetoonetype.
Herearesomepossibilities. Thecollaborationcoordinatorcantdothis
jobalone,sosheshouldgatheragroup
A .FOSTER COLL ABOR ATION
ofsupporterstohelp.HereishowtheUS
LEADERSHIP AND SUPPORT [4]
DefenseIntelligenceAgencydidi t.
Establishacollaborationcoordinator
Following9/11,USintelligenceagencies
EstablishingacollaboratEisotnablishingacollaborationcapability reassessedthewaytheyworked,andthe
capabilityrequiressomeonerequiressomeonetofosterits USDefenseIntelligenceAgencyembarked
tofosteritsdevelopment.development.Peoplewouldthinkyoure onaculture-changeprojectaimedat
crazyifyousuggestedanorganisation developingtheAgencyasaknowledge-
establishasalescapabilitywithoutsales basedorganisation.Theapproachwas
people,orahumanresourcescapability basedonthreeprinciples:1)thechange
withoutanHRteam.Yetwehaveseen mechanismneededtoexistoutsidetheline
manyexamplesoforganisationsseeking management,becausethecurrentculture
toenhancetheircollaborationcapability wouldthwartinnovation,butatthesame
withoutidentifyingorresourcingpeople timetheprojectneededsponsorship;2)a
responsiblefordevelopingandnurturing focusonpracticeandmakingadifference
it.Wishfulthinkingisnotenough.Giving tothepeopledoingtherealwork;and3)
theroleofcollaborationcoordinatoras workinginaclimateoflimitedfunds.
anextratasktopeoplewhoarealready
Theirsolutionwasnetwork-based.Each
goodcollaboratorscanhaveunintended
ofthe27divisionsnominatedapersonto
negativeconsequences,suchassendingthe
joinacooperative(calledtheKnowledge
messagethattherewardforbeingagood
Lab),whichwouldchampionknowledge-
collaboratorisgettingmoreworktodo.
basedchange.TheKnowledgeLableader
Sotimeandresourcesmustbeallocated
interviewedeachnominee,andthe
totherole,evenifyoustartsmall.Infact,
successfulcandidatesthenidentiedve
PeterBlockisfondofsayingthatthe
totenpeersintheirdivisiontosupport
projectsthatbestsucceedaretheones
them.Thiscreatedanetworkof119change
thatareslow,smallandunderfunded.
agents.TheKnowledgeLabconducteda
Wereinterpretthistomean,thinkinsmall
socialnetworkanalysiswithitsmembers
steps,iterateandgrowasyoulearn.
tondouttheconnectors,bridgesand
Theroleofthecollaborationcoordinator peripheralsinDIAs8000strongworkforce.
8¥AnecdotePtyLtdwww.anecdote.com B U I L D I N G A C O L L A B O R AT I V E W O R K P L AC E
TheKnowledgeLabisconductingaseries B.COMMUNIC ATE THE FRUITS
ofpilotprojects,andhasseensome OF COLL ABOR ATION
remarkablechangesandtheformationof Initiatecommunicationwithleaders
newsocialnetworks.
Dontwaitforthebosstoaskfordocumen-
Collaborationsupportersareyourbest tationofcollaborationsuccess,especially
optionfortappingintothefullpower iftheyhaveinvestedincollaboration.
ofbothteam,communityandnetwork Coordinatorsshouldstartbytellingsuccess
collaboration.Andtheyuseavarietyof storiestoseniorleaders,thenbacktheseup
Dontwaitforthebossto skillsandtalents.Sopayattentiontowhat withreasoninganddata.Usethecontext
askfordocumentationof eachpersoncanbringandchannelthem ofastorytoengage.Leadingwithdata
intotheareawheretheycanbestmakea andreasoningreinforcescurrentideas
collaborationsuccess,especially
difference.Forexample: abouttheutilityofcollaboration,which
iftheyhaveinvestedin
"Peoplewithstrongproject-management isneifthoseideasarepositive.Butif
collaboration.Coordinators
andstrategicskillscanbestrongsupporteyros uneedtoconvincepeopleofthevalue
shouldstartbytellingsuccess
ofteamprocessesandthusteam ofcollaboration,startingwiththestories
storiestoseniorleaders,then
collaboration.Thesearethepeoplewho reducestheimpactofourhumantendency
backtheseupwithreasoning
liketofocusononethingatatimeand tolookforanyreasontoconrmour
anddata.
supportprogresstowardsadenedgoal. currentopinion,negativeorpositive(known
"Peoplewhoarecuriousandwanttobuild astheconrmationbias).
theirpersonalknowledgeandidentity Dontforgetthatlearningalsocomes
intheirelds,areofteninterestedin throughthosethingswedreadtovoiceˆ
communityparticipationasawayto FAILURES.Usefailurestolearn,andshow
attainthesegoals.Peoplewhoare howchangesmadeinthesystemcanmean
goodpeopleconnectorscanalsobring improvementsgoingforward.Collabo-
tremendousassetstobothcommunity rationthatfearsfailurewillneverfully
andnetworkcollaboration. function.Failureisapartofthesystem!
"Peoplewhoarecurious,globalthinkers,
Gobeyondtheleadership
whocanscanandconnectpeopleand
Collaborationinvolvesyourwhole
ideas,aregreatnetworkcollaborators.
organisationalsystem.Staffmayormay
Theyareoftenthebridgerswhobring
notperceivethevalueofcollaboration,
ideasintothecommunityorteamfrom
orunderstandhowitworks.Sosharethe
thenetworkandcarryoutideastotest
storiesofsuccessandlearningfromfailures
andevaluate.Theydontseemtobe
withthewidercommunity,asrecognition
fazedbytheowandvolumeofnetwork
oftheirworkandtoreinforcethatthisis
informatio[n5.]
[6]
notjustimportanttothebosse s .
Recruitandpromotecollaborativepeople
Celebrateboththepeoplewhohave
Weusedtorecruitpeoplebasedontheir collaboratedandthefruitsoftheirwork.
universitydegreesandyearsofexperience
Raisethevisibilityofcollaborativeleaders
inaspeciceld.Now,inthedaysof
andfollowers.Becareful,however,about
rapidlyshiftingworkandknowledge,we
explicitrewardsforcollaboration,because
needtorecruitlearnersandcollaborators. thiscanbackreandcollaborationwill
"Whatarekeyindicatorstolookforwhen bedoneonlyforthereward,ratherthan
hiring? beingdrivenbythemotivationtodeliver
"Howdoyoumeasurecollaborativeness? value,havingprideindoinggoodwork,
"Whatisthebalanceofpromoting andthejoyofworkingwithothersto
createwhatwasimpossibleforanysingle
individualand/orgroupbehaviours(i.e.
individua[7l].
whataboutfreeriding?)
9¥AnecdotePtyLtdwww.anecdote.com B U I L D I N G A C O L L A B O R AT I V E W O R K P L AC E
C.IMPLEMENT COLLABORATION TOOLS toolslikedelicious(http://www.del.icio.us),
Newtoolscanhelpsupportallthreetypes whichenablespeopletobookmarkandtag
web-pages.Unlikeindividualbookmarksor
ofcollaboration.Thekeyhereistoidentify
whatcollaborationactivitiesyouwant favourites,anyonecanseeeveryoneelses
tosupport,andthenmatchthetoolsto bookmarks.HereareShawnsbookmarks:
http://del.icio.us/unorder.However,thereal
them.Becarefultostartsimplyandnotgo
overboard.Bellsandwhistleslooknice,buvt alueisinthetagassociatedwitheach
theycanalsobeoff-putting,especiallyto bookmarkedpageˆthewordorlabelthat
busypeoplewhoarenottech-fansinthe indicateswhattheweb-pageisabout,and
rstplace!Herearethebasictechnologies awayofndingthatweb-pageagain.
thatmightbeusefulforcollaboration, Encouragepeopletoperformasearchon
butwhichwillbedoublyimportantfor deliciousforatagtheywanttokeeptrack
peoplewhoaregeographicallydispersed, of.Itrackthetagstorytelling.Thesearch
somethingthatisbecomingtherulerather resultshasitsownRSSfeedtowhichyou
thantheexceptionthesedays. cansubscribewithyourinformationaggre-
gator.RonLubensky,oneofourcommenters
"Telephoneandconference-callcapability,
ontheAnecdoteblog,explainsthatthis
includingcallrecording,cansupport
meansthatwheneversomeonetagsa
teamsandcommunitiestofocuswork
web-pagewithyourtag(word/phrase)of
andmakedecisions
interest,youareimmediatelynotied.
"Emailandrelevantemaildistributionlists
aregoodforinformationdissemination, D.START COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE
thoughbecautiousaboutvolumeand Developingcommunitiesofpracticeisan
Intermsofnetwork makesurecontentisrelevanttothe organicactivity.Youneverquiteknowwhat
collaboration,manypeoplerecipientforanykindofcollaboration isgoingtohappenorwhetheritwillsucceed
inorganisationsareunawa"reAplacetoshareelectronicdocuments entirely.Thisiswhyabigbangapproachisa
ofhownetworkcollaboratio"nWaystoshareideasandcreatecontent mistake.Toheraldtoyourentireorganisation
toolsworkorunderstandtheitrogether(e.g.shareddocumentediting, thatyouaregoingtodevelopacommunity
blogsandwikis) ofpracticeontopicXislikelytocausepainif
value.Sothestartingpointisto
"Peopledirectorywithphotosofyourcollab- theinitiativefailstogainsufcientsupport.
makethesetoolsavailableand
oratorsattheteamandcommunitylevels Wehaveseenthishappen,anditiseven
helppeopletousethem.
morecommonwhentheorganisationhas
"Instantmessagingtoseewhensomeone
justinvestedincommunitytechnology
isavailableforachat(presence)ortoask
aquickquestion whichhasforumsfunctionalityˆ Wemust
getCoPsgoingsothatpeopleareusingthis
" Directoryofrelevantnetworks
forumfunctionality .
"Socialbookmarkingtoshareinternet
Werecommendyoutakeamoregentle
treasures
approach.
"Toolstoaggregatecontentfromthe
outsideworld,suchasRSSreaders. "Identifysomepeoplewithcommon
interestsinadomainthatisimportant
Manyoftheabovefeatureshavebeen
tothebusiness
combinedincommercialandopensource
collaborationsoftwaretools.Theyoftenal "sMoeetwitheachpersonseparatelyand
askthemaboutthethingsthatinterest,
includefeatureslikegroupcalendar,discussion
challenge,exciteorintriguethem.Common
threads,andphotoandvideosharing.
itemsofinterestinvariablyemerge
Intermsofnetworkcollaboration,many
"Reporttoyourpotentialcommunity
peopleinorganisationsareunawareof
membersthattheyhavesomeinteresting
hownetworkcollaborationtoolsworkor
thingsincommonandoffertoorganise
understandtheirvalue.Sothestarting
ameetingsotheycandiscussthem
pointistomakethesetoolsavailableand
helppeopletousethem.Startwithsocial "Atthemeeting,suggesttheymight
meetregularlytoenhancetheirlearning
bookmarkingandshowearlyadopterssome
aroundthisimportanttopic.
1 0¥AnecdotePtyLtdwww.anecdote.com B U I L D I N G A C O L L A B O R AT I V E W O R K P L AC E
Oncethegroupstartstodeveloparhythm
(meetingregularly),suggesttheythinkof
smalltaskstoworkontogetherthatmight
improvetheirpractice.Onlywhenthe
groupmemberssaythingssuchas, How
arewegoingtosharethesedocuments?
or Canwediscussthisonline? doyou
investigatetechnologysupport.Some
groupswillgettothispointfasterthan R E F E R E N C E S
otherswill,anditdoesnotmatteronebit. 1.B.Gray,Collaborating:Finding
KeepalookoutforindicatorKseepalookoutforindicatorsthatsuggest CommonGroundforMultipartyProblems
thatsuggestyourcommunityyourcommunityismakingprogress.But (SanFrancisco:Jossey-Bass),1.989
whateveryoudo,dontletmanagement 2.RioTinto.CoalAustralia.Storiesfrom
ismakingprogress. turntheseindicatorsintotargets!Youdont theCoalFace(RioTinto,2007).Thisstory
Butwhateveryoudo,dont
letmanagementturnthese wantasituationwheremanagement,for isalsoavailableonlineasavideoat
indicatorsintotargets! example,ismandatingthatthecommunity http://www.riotinto.com/whatwe
postXnumberofmessagesorhaveY produce/376_video_library_6891.asp
numberofpeopleattendthecommunity 3.E.H.Schein,OrganizationalCultureand
meetings.Indicatorsareuseful.Turningthem Leadership(SanFrancisco:Jossey-Bass
intotargetscreatesperversebehaviour. Publishers,2004),p.246.
Testingthelikelyadoption 4.P.AnklamandA.Wolfberg, Creating
Beforeyoustartonthejourneyofcreatinga NetworksattheDefenseIntelligence
newcommunityofpractice,werecommend Agency ,KMReview,volume9,12006.
youconductthefollowingsimpletest.When 5.E.Mendizabal, Understanding
someonesays, Iwouldliketostartacommun- Networks:TheFunctionsofResearch
ityofpractice ,simplyask, Canyoudescribe PolicyNetworks ,(Overseas
thepotentialmembersbycompletingthe DevelopmentInstitute,20)0.6
followingsentence?Iama.... Iftheycan
llintheblankwithawordorphrasethat 6.D.Westen,ThePoliticalBrain:TheRole
ofEmotioninDecidingtheFateofthe
peoplecanpassionatelyidentifywith,then Nation(NewYork:PublicAffairs,2)0.07
thereisachanceacommunitymightemerge.
LetmegTiMveyouanexample.Iwashelpingthe 7.A.Kohn,Punishedbyrewards:the
Putting stories to work DepartmentofDefencedesignacommunity troublewithgoldstars,incentiveplans,
ofpracticeforprojectmanagers.Iaskedthe As,praise,andotherbribes(Boston:
sponsortocompletethetestsentenceand HoughtonMifinCompany,1993).
theanswerwas, Iamaprojectmanager .
Itwasastrongdescriptor,soweknewwe
hadachanceofestablishingaCoP.During
thedesignprocess,theclienthadanother
jobtypeforwhichtheywantedacommunity.
Thejobtypewascalledtechnical. Iam
atechnical failedthetestandweknewit
didnthaveachance.
1 1¥AnecdotePtyLtd
Building a colla borative
workplace
I N T R O D U C T I O N coronavirusthatcausedSARSandswiftly
completethegeneticsequencingofthe
Todaywefaceanentirelynewenvironment
pathogen.Ithadtakentheinternational
forinnovationandgettingthingsdone.
communitythreeyearstodiscoverthatHIV
Thedaysofthelonegeniusquietlytoiling
ledtoAIDS.IdentifyingthecauseofSARS
awayinpursuitofthatEurekamoment
ledtoanunderstandingofitsmodesof
torevolutioniseanindustryareallbut
transmission,andenabledthedevelopment
over.Wearenowinthedaysofaskingand
ByShawnCallahan,Mark
ofguidanceformanagingtheoutbreak.
listeningtoourcustomersandworking
SchenkandNancyWhite*
withtheminourinnovationcycles. Todayweallneedtobecollaboration
Innovationdemandscollaboration.Sodoes superstars.Thetroubleis,collaboration
production.Inthepastwecouldfocuson isaskillandsetofpracticeswearerarely
asingletaskinanassembly-linefashion, taught.Itssomethingwelearnonthejob
handingourcompletedactivitytothenext inahit-or-missfashion.Somepeopleare
personwhowouldinturndothesame, naturalsatit,butmostofusareclueless.
untilthejobwasnished.Nowthejobs Ourchallengedoesntstopthere.
Todayweallneedtobe changefast,requiringlearningnewskills Anorganisationsabilitytosupport
collaborationsuperstars.ratherthanmerelyrepeatingtheold.We collaborationishighlydependentonits
havetoseekoutpeoplewhohaveother ownorganisationalculture.Somecultures
piecesofthepuzzleandworkwiththem fostercollaborationwhileothersstopit
totackleincreasinglycomplexissuesata deadinitstracks.
muchfasterpace.
Tomakemattersworse,technology
InNovember2002,alargenumberof providershaveconvincedmanyorganis-
atypicalpneumoniacasesoccurredin ationsthattheyonlyneedtopurchase
GuangdongProvince,China.ByJuly2003, collaborationsoftwaretofostercollabo-
justsevenmonthslater,thisnewvirus, ration.Therearemanylargeorganisations
knownasSARS,hadinfectedover8000 thathaveboughtenterpriselicencesfor
peoplein26countriesandresultedin774 productslikeIBMsCollaborationSuiteor
deaths.ChinasinitialreluctancetoshaMrie crosoftsSolutionsforCollaboration
informationisconsideredasignicantfawchtoaor renotgettinggoodvalueformoney,
intherapidspreadofthediseaseandthe simplybecausepeopledontknowhow
initialfailuretocontrolitsspread.InMtaocrcoh llaborateeffectivelyorbecausetheir
2003,whenitbecameobviousthatSARS cultureworksagainstcollaboration.
representedaglobalcrisis,avirtualnetwork
Ofcoursetechnologyplaysanimportant
of11leadinglaboratoriesinninecountries
roleineffectivecollaboration.Wearenot
formedtocollaborateinidentifyingthecause
anti-technology.Ratherwewanttohelp
ofSARSandhowtocombatit.Thenetwork
redressthebalanceandshifttheemphasis
wasconnectedbyasharedwebsite,email
frommerelythinkingaboutcollaboration
anddailyteleconferencestoidentifytheSARS
technologytothinkingaboutcollaboration
coronavirus.Researchwassharedinnearreal-
skills,practices,technologyandsupporting
*FullCircleAssociates, time.Withinonemonth,thisinternational
culture.Technologymakesthingspossible;
www.fullcirc.com collaborationwasabletodiscoverthenew
peoplecollaboratingmakesithappen.
ww 1w.anecdote.com ¥AnecdotePtyLtdwww.anecdote.com B U I L D I N G A C O L L A B O R AT I V E W O R K P L AC E
Thispaperhasthreeparts.Westartby managementwithinthermreceivedthe
brieyexploringwhatwemeanbycollabo- email.Withinanhourhehadresponsesfrom
rationandwhyorganisationsandindividuals threeothercolleagues,advisingthatDefence
shouldbuildtheircollaborationcapabilityw. asreviewingitsriskmanagementsoftware
Then,basedonthatunderstanding,we andwaslikelytoadoptanewstandard
layoutaseriesofstepsfordeveloping riskmanagementapplicationwithinafew
acollaborationcapability.Wenishthe months.Coincidentally,thermhadworked
paperwithasimpletestofyourcurrent ontheevaluationofthenewsoftwareand
collaborationcapability. acopyoftheevaluationwasprovided.In
February2006,anotherengineerposted
W H AT I S C O L L A B O R AT I O N ? amessagetothegroup,advisingthatthe
CollaborationisaprocessThinkbacktoameetingwhenyouhad newsoftwarestandardhadbeenformally
adopted.TheclientinPerthwasimpressed
throughwhichpeoplewho ahandfulofpeoplegatheredarounda
seedifferentaspectsofa whiteboardandonepersonisdrawingand atthecomprehensive,timelyandaccurate
talking,explainingwhatshemeans.Inmid informationtheconsultingorganisationwas
problemcanconstructively
ight,acolleaguegrabsanotherpenand abletoprovide.
exploretheirdifferencesand
addstothedrawing,suggestinganother Collaborationisaprocessthroughwhich
searchforsolutionsthatgo
perspective.Anewtrainofthought peoplewhoseedifferentaspectsofa
beyondtheirownlimitedvision
emerges.Everyonepitchesinandthe problemcanconstructivelyexploretheir
ofwhatispossi 1ble.
conversationiselectricwithideas,andwidtih fferencesandsearchforsolutionsthatgo
eachwordprogressismadetowardtheir beyondtheirownlimitedvisionofwhatis
commonobjective. possibl[e1]A.ndtodayitsmorethangroups
Howaboutwhenyouhadathornyproblem ofpeopleworkingtogetherasteamsand
atworkandrememberedsomeonefrom communities.Collaborationgenerates
yourprofessionalassociationwhohadtalked newideasandnewsolutionsthatemerge
aboutasimilarproblem?Youdecidetogoto fromtheinterplayoftheseperspectives,
themonthlymeetingandseekadvice,and experienceandknowledgethathelpus
comebackchargedupwithfreshnewideas getworkdone,comingfrompeopleboth
fromothersinthecommunity. insideandoutsideanorganisation,well-
knownand,yes,evenstrangers.Wecan
Today,wecancastourcollaborationnet
havelong-lastingcollaborationˆorshort-
evenwiderbyputtingaqueryonlineand
term,formalorad-hoc.
getanswersbackfrompeoplewedont
evenknow.Andtheycanbegoodanswers.
THREE TYPES OF COLLABORATION
Justlookatthenetworkofprogrammers
Oldermodelsofcollaborationtendedto
contributingtoOpenSourceprograms,
focusonteamsandformal,structured
orthewealthofknowledgepouredinto
collaboration.Wehavemoreoptionsnow.
Wikipedia.Wecanforgenewalliances
Hereweexplorethreetypesofcollabo-
beyondthewallsofourownorganisations.
rationandhowwemightapproachthem
WhenMarkwasworkingforanengineering
asanorganisation.
rmin2005,anengineerinPerthwas
Inteamcollaboration,theaskedbyhisDepartmentofDefenceclient, Inteamcollaborati,tonhemembersof
membersofthegroupareknown, WhatriskmanagementsoftwareisDefence thegroupareknown,therearecleartask
interdependencies,expectedreciprocity,
therearecleartaskinterdepuesn-ing? .DefenceissobigevenDefence
andexplicittime-linesandgoals.To
dencies,expectedreciprocietmyp,loyeesdontknowwhattheyareusing.
achievethegoal,membersmustfulltheir
Thereweremanyotherengineersfromthis
andexplicittime-linesandgoals.
rmworkinginDefenceacrossAustralia, interdependenttaskswithinthestated
time.Teamcollaborationoftensuggests
sotheemployeepostedamessageto
that,whilethereisexplicitleadership,
theorganisationsprojectmanagement
t heparticipantscooperateonanequal
listserver.Everyoneinterestedinproje c t
2¥AnecdotePtyLtdwww.anecdote.com B U I L D I N G A C O L L A B O R AT I V E W O R K P L AC E
footingandwillreceiveequalrecognition. Communitycollaborationsmayalsogive
Anexampleisasix-memberteamworking risetomoreformalisedteamcollaborations.
togethertodevelopanewmarketing Aspeoplegettoknoweachother,theycan
strategyinamonth,withadenedsetof identifygoodtsforteammembersand
resources.Teamcollaborationscanalso drawnewtalentintotheirteams.
occurwithexternalpartners,butthereis
Networkcollaborationstepsbeyondthe
alwaysaclearmandateanddenedroles.
relationship-centricnatureofteamand
IncommunitycollaboratioInn,communitycollaborati,otnhereisashared communitycollaboration.Itiscollaboration
thereisashareddomainoraredomaainorareaofinterest,butthegoalis thatstartswithindividualactionandself-
ofinterest,butthegoalismmoorereoftenfocusedonlearningratherthan interest,whichthenaccruestothenetwork
ontask.Peopleshareandbuildknowledge asindividualscontributeorseeksomething
oftenfocusedonlearningrather
ratherthancompleteprojects.Members fromthenetwork.Membershipandtime-
thanontask.Peopleshareand
maygototheircommunitiestohelpsolve linesareopenandunbounded.Thereare
buildknowledgeratherthan
theirproblemsbyaskingquestionsand noexplicitroles.Membersmostlikelydo
completeprojects.
gettingadvice,thentakingthatadvice notknowalltheothermembers.Power
backhometoimplementintheirteams. isdistributed.Thisformofcollaboration
Membershipmaybeboundedandexplicit, isdrivenbytheadventofsocialmedia
buttimeperiodsareoftenopenorongoing. (toolsthathelpusconnectandinteract
Membershipisoftenonequalfooting,but online),ubiquitousinternetconnectivity
moreexperiencedpractitionersmayhave andtheabilitytoconnectwithdiverse
morestatusorpowerinthecommunity. individualsacrossdistanceandtime.Itisa
Reciprocityiswithinthegroup,butnot responsetotheoverwhelmingvolumeof
alwaysonetoone( Ididthisforyou,now informationwearecreating.Itsimpossible
youdothisforme ).Anexamplemightbe foranindividualtocopeontheirown.
acommunityofpracticethatisinterested Sonetworksbecomemechanismsfor
inthetypeofmarketingmentionedinthe knowledgeandinformationcapture,
teamexampleabove.Amemberofthat lteringandcreation.
Networkcollaborationsteptseammaycometohercommunityandask
Anexampleofnetworkcollaboration
beyondtherelationship-cefonretrxiacmplesofpastprojects.
mightbemembersoftheteamintherst
natureofteamandcommunityRioTintosBengallaminingoperationis exampleabovebookmarkingwebsites
collaboration.ItiscollabolroactaitoendintheHunterValleyinAustralia. astheyndthem,usingasharedor
thatstartswithindividualOneoftheoperationseetofbulldozers socialbookmarkingtool.Thisbenets
actionandself-interest,which hadanintermittentproblemwiththebrakets heirteam,andpossiblytheirrelated
failing.Thiswasaserioussafetyissueancd ommunitiesofpracticeiftheyarealso
thenaccruestothenetworkas
monthsofeffortwereexpendedtryingto sharingbookmarks.Butitalsobenetsthe
individualscontributeorseek
resolvetheissueˆwithoutsuccess.Themiwnie dernetworkofpeopleinterestedinthe
somethingfromthenetwork.
superintendentwasonthevergeofremovintg opic.Atthesametime,teammembers
thismulti-milliondollarmachinefrom mayndotherbookmarksleftbynetwork
operationswhenhedecidedtolookmore membersrelevanttotheirteamwork.
widelyforasolution.On18January2007he Thissortofnetworkactivitybenets
postedamessagetoRioTintoscollaborattihveie ndividualandanetworkofpeople
forum,outliningthesituationandseekinrg eciprocallyovertime.Thereciprocity
assistance.Thefollowingday,anengineecr onnectionisremoteandundened.You
inCaliforniarepliedwithacomprehensivae ctinself-interestbutprovideanetwork-
solutiontotheproblem&aproblemtheyhad widebenet.
battledwithforoverayearbeforending
resolution. Wehadthesameproblem&itll
driveyounuts. Thesolutionwasappliedand
[2]
thedozerwasreturnedtonormaloperat ions.
3¥AnecdotePtyLtdwww.anecdote.com B U I L D I N G A C O L L A B O R AT I V E W O R K P L AC E
C O L L A B O R AT I O N "Leaderswhoseevalueinthecommunity
S U C C E SS FAC T O R S andatbestencouragetheirstaffto
Ourexperiencetellsusofcertainfactorsfor participateandatworstdontdiscourage
communityparticipation
successinallthreetypesofcollaboration.
Thatsaidwehavealsobeensurprisedin "Strongexecutivesponsorshipproviding
caseswheresuccessfactorsweremissingor legitimacy,resourcesandahelpinghand
whenthingsgetpolitical
evenoperatedcountertoourexpectations,
yetthecollaborationwassuccessful.So "Acoregroupofcommunitymembers
thatcareaboutthegroupandprovide
weoffertheselistsinthespiritofthose
thingswebelieveareimportant,butthey directionandenthusiasmforitsactivities
areneitherdenitivenorcomprehensive. "Ahandfulofmemberswhoare
Ourpurposeistoprovideanunderstanding connectors,helpingpeoplendeach
ofthetypeofculturerequiredtosupport otherinthecommunity
collaboration. "Regularmeetingstohelpestablishthe
TEAM communitysrhythm
"Appreciationfortheperiphery,which
Ourexperiencetellsusof"Commonpurposeorgoal
maybesilentbutislearningandcarrying
certainfactorsforsucces"siAnanoultlcomethatisvalued communitylearningsouttotheworld
threetypesofcollaborati"onP.ressuretodeliver(aduedate) "Memberswhobelongtorelated
"Complexproblemsthatasingleperson communities,whobringinandtakeout
couldnotresolveontheirown ideasandinformation(pollinatorsand
"Anexplicitprocessforgettingthings connectors).
done(noESPrequired)
" Clearlydenedroles NET WORK
"Technologytostoreandretrieve
"Knowledgeofeachotherswork,
communicationandlearningstyles informationofinterestwhichmakesit
immediatelyndabletoeveryoneinthe
"Anadmirationoftheskillsandabilities network
offellowteam-mates
"Anappreciationofhoweffectiveuseof
"Enoughresourcestodothejobbut socialtechnology,suchasbookmarking,
notsomanythattheteamlosesits
resourcefulness willsavetimeandassistteamand
communitycollaborations
"Regularsocialactivitiestobuildtrust "Havingdiverseskillsintheorganisationˆ
amongteammembers.
scanners,lterers,connectorsˆwho
COMMUNIT Y helpmakesenseofinformationand
"Atopicthatmemberscareabouttoa connectionsfromthenetworkandbring
pointwheretheiridentityiswrapped thembackintotheowoforganisational
work.Noteveryonehastodothis,but
upinthattopic
"Acommunitycoordinatorwhocan enoughpeopleneedto
"Atoleranceforahighvolumeof
orchestrateactivities,introductionsand
opportunitiesforlearning informationˆknowingthatyoucan
catchwhatyouneedfromtheow,but
"Regularsocialactivitiestobuildtrust youcantdrinktheentireriver
andnewsocialconnectionsamongteam
members "Abilitytoseeconnectionsacrossdiverse
signalsandbitsofinformation
"Opportunitiestopractiseandgain
experience,orvicariouslygainexperience "Connectionsbetweenteams,
communitiesandtheirlargernetworksas
byhearingthestoriesofother sourcesofnewideasandmembers.
practitioners
5¥AnecdotePtyLtdwww.anecdote.com B U I L D I N G A C O L L A B O R AT I V E W O R K P L AC E
U N D E R S TA N D I N G YO U R getaheadaroundhere? .Tocreatea
C O L L A B O R AT I O N C U LT U R E culturethatsupportscollaboration,
leadersmustunderstand,createconditions
Doesyourorganisationhaveaculture
for,andmodelcollaborationforteams,
thatworksfortheteam,communityand
communitiesandnetworks.
networktypesofcollaboration?Orare
Thebestwaytofosteravalueisbyexample.
youghtingagainstaculturethatsties
Heresaninstanceofhowleaderscan
collaboration?Stiingculturemayinclude
d emonstratethattheyvaluecollaboration.
asingularfocusonindividualachievement ,
Ashorthandforthislistis,
Leadersneedtochangetheirbehaviourso
aculturethatdoesnotvaluesharing
Howdoesonegetahead
thatthesetypesofstoriescirculatewithin
knowledgeorexpertise,orsimplyignoring
aroundhere? .Inthecollabo-
theirownorganisations.
thenetwork.
rativeage,itisaboutcreating
AnAustralianpharmaceuticalorganisation
theconditionssowecan THE ROLE OF LEADERSHIP
facedamajordilemma.TheSwedisharmof
answerthequestion, HowdoLeadershipisakeystoneforestablishing theorganisationhadadvisedthatakeydrug
WEgetaheadaroundhere? .supportivecollaborationcultures,especiawloluy ldbeinlimitedsupplyforaconsiderable
inteamsandcommunities.Thisisbasedon period.Thisdrugwasalife-savingantibiotic
howleadersmainlyembedtheirbeliefs, usedinintensivecaretotreatsevereinfections.
valuesandassumptionsinthefabricof Ifyouareanintensivecarephysicianand
theirorganisation.Therearesixmain youneedit,youdontwanttobetoldthat
behavioursthatleadersdisplaythatmould thereisnoneontheshelf. TheGMinsisted
[3]
theorganisationscult ure. thatcompanyemployeesbeproactive
"Whatleaderspayattentionto,measure, andengagewiththeircustomerstotackle
andcontrolonaregularbasisˆare theissue.Sales,marketingandnational
theypayingattentiontocollaborative accountsallworkedtogethertodevelopa
strategiesandbehavioursfromteam, strategybasedonidentifyingthehospitals
communityandnetworkperspectives? mostatrisk.Firstactionwastoengagewith
"Howleadersreacttocriticalincidents Swedentoexamineglobalissuesandto
andorganisationalcrisesˆarethey getanadequateallocationoftheavailable
sacricinglong-termgoalsforshort-term stock.Next, wephonedoverahundred
xeswhichsabotagecollaboration?Does directorsofpharmacyandintensivistsand
fearofconnectingtothelargernetwork hadadiscussionwiththemtoidentifyneeds
keepthemfromtappingintoit? andhowtheymightchangetheirinternal
protocolstousetheavailableproduction
Tocreateaculturethat "Howleadersallocateresourcesˆarethey
aseffectivelyaspossible.Theywerereally
supportscollaboration,leaidnevresstinginthecollaborationcapability?
appreciativeoftheengagement. The
Isitattentivetoallthreetypesof
mustunderstand,create
organisationhadlotsofpositivefeedback&
collaboration?
conditionsfor,andmodel
Wehatedthefactthatyouwereout,
"Howleadersexpresstheiridentity
collaborationforteams, butwereallyappreciatedthefactthatyou
throughdeliberaterolemodelling,
communitiesandnetworks. botheredtotalktousbeforehand. Staff
teaching,andcoachingˆasourleaders
involvedintheissuedescribedhow our
collaborate,sodowe!
GMledtheway,engagingwitheveryone
"Howleadersallocaterewardsandstatus
andmakingsureeverythingwaskeptoutin
ˆareyourleadersrewardingindividual
theopen,despiteothersinsistingthatwe
orcollaborativebehaviours?Orboth?
keepitquiet.Atthesametimetherewas
"Howleadersrecruit,select,promote,
anotherexamplewithacompetitor:the
andexcommunicateˆarecollaborative
pharmacistsandclinicianstoldus,Wedidnt
talentssoughtandnurtured?
ndoutaboutthisuntilsixweeksafterthe
Ashorthandforthislistis, Howdoesone fact.Soitwasagoodexampleofaglobal
getaheadaroundhere? .Inthecollabo- action,localactionatthehospitalandalso
rativeage,itisaboutcreatingtheconditions internallycoordinatingthoseactivities.
sowecananswerthequestion, HowdoWE
6¥AnecdotePtyLtdwww.anecdote.com B U I L D I N G A C O L L A B O R AT I V E W O R K P L AC E
TEAM CULTURE "Isthereclarityaboutwhatinformationis
Teamcollaborationrequiresaculture oktosharefromteamstocommunities?
thatvaluesandsupportsspecic "Isthecommunitytheretosupport
interdependenciesbetweenpeople.In peoplewhowishtoenhancetheircraft,
otherwords,welookoutforeachother orisitmerelyanorganisationalinitiative
andwecantsucceedwithouteachother. forsharingknowledgethatpeopleare
Doyourorganisationsteamshaveclarity instructedtoattend?
aroundthefollowing?: NET WORK CULTURE
"Prioritiesteamsuccessoverorin
Networksarereliantonstimulation
alignmentwithindividualperformance ofvariouspointsornodesratherthan
"Targetsdeliveringoutcomesontime,
tobudgetandtospecication centralisedleadership.Aneedisexpressed
and,somewhere,someoneinthenetwork
"Learninglearningfromwithinand whocanrespondtothatneedreplies.Some
acrossteams:
factorstoconsiderinsupportingnetwork
honest,constructivefeedback collaborationinyourorganisationinclude:
knowledgesharing,nothoarding "Networkcollaborationisreliantonthe
" Explicitteamprocesses: sendingandnoticingofsignalsaround
communications issuesofsharedinterest.Howdoemployees
workingandworkow attendtothissendingandreceivingin
waysthatareusefultotheorganisation?
identity-focusedroleclarity
decision-making. "Withinformationoverload,theability
tolterandscanthemessagesthaty
COMMUNIT Y CULTURE acrossanetworkiscritical,frombotha
Muchcommunitycollabo-Muchcommunitycollaborationisvoluntary, toolandaskillperspective.Havethose
rationisvoluntary,sothesotheissuesofstatusandreputation whoaregoodatthisinyourorganisation
issuesofstatusandreputatcairornyadifferentweightthanwithinteams beenidentied?Aretheygiventimeand
carryadifferentweightthan andformalorganisationalstructures. supporttoplaythisrole?
Communitiescanbechallengedbecause "Identityandtrustmanifestdifferentlyin
withinteamsandformal
organisationalstructures. theydonthavethestickofdothiswork networks,whereidentityismoreabout
oryouwontgetpaid,andthestatusof whatyouknowthanwhoyouare,and
organisationalrolemaynotberelevant. trustisaboutconsistentdeliveryand
Socommunityleadersoftenleadfrom qualityratherthanapersonalsenseof
theirownpassion.Theyeithergainthe trustandone-to-onereciprocity.Inother
supportofmembers,ortheyarerejected. words,youcantrustsomeonewithout
Membersengageandbuildtheirown gettingtoknowthem.Areemployeesin
reputationthroughcontribution,which yourorganisationawareofandusingthis
maylaterindirectlyreectbackintheirrise distinctiontobestparticipateinrelevant
withintheorganisation.Somethingsto networks?Aretheyrewardedfor
examineinyourorganisationscommunity participationthatbuildstheirnetwork
collaborationcultureinclude: reputation?
"Arethereincentivesorrewardsforpartici"- Networkscanraisetheproleof
pationincommunitiesorinadditionto employeesandsocreateaperceivedor
onesteamroles?Aretheredisincentives? realthreatoftheirbeingpoachedby
"Dopeoplehavetimetoparticipatein otherorganisations.Arekeyemployees
communitiesoraretheyonlyonyour beingrewardedsotheydontWANTto
owntime?Ifthelatter,howdoyou leave?Brightstarswillshine,soleaders
convertthatknowledgeandparticipation hadbetterbeawareofthedangerand
backintoyourorganisationsgoals? beproactive!
7¥AnecdotePtyLtdwww.anecdote.com B U I L D I N G A C O L L A B O R AT I V E W O R K P L AC E
"Networkscanmakeleadersfeelasthough (evangelist,manager,specialistˆthetitle
theyhavenothingtolead.Individuals doesntreallymatter)couldinclude:
caneasilybypassnodesinthenetwork "Findingopportunitiesintheorganisation
thattheydontcaretointeractwith, wherebettercollaborationwouldmake
makingonepersonaleadertosome adifferencetothequalityofproducts
andirrelevanttoothers.Soleadership andservices,thespeedofdelivering
becomesdistributedandembodiedin theseproductsandservicestoclients,
theactionsofeachindividual.Howdoes andtheabilitytouseadiversityofideas
yourleadershipculture(notedabove) andapproachestoferretoutgood
workwiththisdistributedleadership collaborationpracticesandtools
styleinnetworkculture?
"Connectingpeopleandideassonew
collaborationscanourish
A F E W WAYS T O S T R E N G T H E N
"Helpingpeopletolearnandadopt
T H E C O L L A B O R AT I O N C U LT U R E
collaborationpracticesandtools
Todaysorganisationscanconsidernotonly "Collectingstoriesofhowcollaboration
howtosupporttraditionalteam-based reallyworks,forthetimesyouneedto
collaboration,butcanalsoadoptcommunity justifytherole
andnetworkcollaborationwhereitserves
"Keepinguptodatewiththeeldof
theirneeds.Manyofthethingsyoucando
collaboration.
canechoacrossallthreetypesofcollabo-
Buildagroupofcollaborationsupporters
ration,whilesomeareuniquetoonetype.
Herearesomepossibilities. Thecollaborationcoordinatorcantdothis
jobalone,sosheshouldgatheragroup
A .FOSTER COLL ABOR ATION
ofsupporterstohelp.HereishowtheUS
LEADERSHIP AND SUPPORT [4]
DefenseIntelligenceAgencydidi t.
Establishacollaborationcoordinator
Following9/11,USintelligenceagencies
EstablishingacollaboratEisotnablishingacollaborationcapability reassessedthewaytheyworked,andthe
capabilityrequiressomeonerequiressomeonetofosterits USDefenseIntelligenceAgencyembarked
tofosteritsdevelopment.development.Peoplewouldthinkyoure onaculture-changeprojectaimedat
crazyifyousuggestedanorganisation developingtheAgencyasaknowledge-
establishasalescapabilitywithoutsales basedorganisation.Theapproachwas
people,orahumanresourcescapability basedonthreeprinciples:1)thechange
withoutanHRteam.Yetwehaveseen mechanismneededtoexistoutsidetheline
manyexamplesoforganisationsseeking management,becausethecurrentculture
toenhancetheircollaborationcapability wouldthwartinnovation,butatthesame
withoutidentifyingorresourcingpeople timetheprojectneededsponsorship;2)a
responsiblefordevelopingandnurturing focusonpracticeandmakingadifference
it.Wishfulthinkingisnotenough.Giving tothepeopledoingtherealwork;and3)
theroleofcollaborationcoordinatoras workinginaclimateoflimitedfunds.
anextratasktopeoplewhoarealready
Theirsolutionwasnetwork-based.Each
goodcollaboratorscanhaveunintended
ofthe27divisionsnominatedapersonto
negativeconsequences,suchassendingthe
joinacooperative(calledtheKnowledge
messagethattherewardforbeingagood
Lab),whichwouldchampionknowledge-
collaboratorisgettingmoreworktodo.
basedchange.TheKnowledgeLableader
Sotimeandresourcesmustbeallocated
interviewedeachnominee,andthe
totherole,evenifyoustartsmall.Infact,
successfulcandidatesthenidentiedve
PeterBlockisfondofsayingthatthe
totenpeersintheirdivisiontosupport
projectsthatbestsucceedaretheones
them.Thiscreatedanetworkof119change
thatareslow,smallandunderfunded.
agents.TheKnowledgeLabconducteda
Wereinterpretthistomean,thinkinsmall
socialnetworkanalysiswithitsmembers
steps,iterateandgrowasyoulearn.
tondouttheconnectors,bridgesand
Theroleofthecollaborationcoordinator peripheralsinDIAs8000strongworkforce.
8¥AnecdotePtyLtdwww.anecdote.com B U I L D I N G A C O L L A B O R AT I V E W O R K P L AC E
TheKnowledgeLabisconductingaseries B.COMMUNIC ATE THE FRUITS
ofpilotprojects,andhasseensome OF COLL ABOR ATION
remarkablechangesandtheformationof Initiatecommunicationwithleaders
newsocialnetworks.
Dontwaitforthebosstoaskfordocumen-
Collaborationsupportersareyourbest tationofcollaborationsuccess,especially
optionfortappingintothefullpower iftheyhaveinvestedincollaboration.
ofbothteam,communityandnetwork Coordinatorsshouldstartbytellingsuccess
collaboration.Andtheyuseavarietyof storiestoseniorleaders,thenbacktheseup
Dontwaitforthebossto skillsandtalents.Sopayattentiontowhat withreasoninganddata.Usethecontext
askfordocumentationof eachpersoncanbringandchannelthem ofastorytoengage.Leadingwithdata
intotheareawheretheycanbestmakea andreasoningreinforcescurrentideas
collaborationsuccess,especially
difference.Forexample: abouttheutilityofcollaboration,which
iftheyhaveinvestedin
"Peoplewithstrongproject-management isneifthoseideasarepositive.Butif
collaboration.Coordinators
andstrategicskillscanbestrongsupporteyros uneedtoconvincepeopleofthevalue
shouldstartbytellingsuccess
ofteamprocessesandthusteam ofcollaboration,startingwiththestories
storiestoseniorleaders,then
collaboration.Thesearethepeoplewho reducestheimpactofourhumantendency
backtheseupwithreasoning
liketofocusononethingatatimeand tolookforanyreasontoconrmour
anddata.
supportprogresstowardsadenedgoal. currentopinion,negativeorpositive(known
"Peoplewhoarecuriousandwanttobuild astheconrmationbias).
theirpersonalknowledgeandidentity Dontforgetthatlearningalsocomes
intheirelds,areofteninterestedin throughthosethingswedreadtovoiceˆ
communityparticipationasawayto FAILURES.Usefailurestolearn,andshow
attainthesegoals.Peoplewhoare howchangesmadeinthesystemcanmean
goodpeopleconnectorscanalsobring improvementsgoingforward.Collabo-
tremendousassetstobothcommunity rationthatfearsfailurewillneverfully
andnetworkcollaboration. function.Failureisapartofthesystem!
"Peoplewhoarecurious,globalthinkers,
Gobeyondtheleadership
whocanscanandconnectpeopleand
Collaborationinvolvesyourwhole
ideas,aregreatnetworkcollaborators.
organisationalsystem.Staffmayormay
Theyareoftenthebridgerswhobring
notperceivethevalueofcollaboration,
ideasintothecommunityorteamfrom
orunderstandhowitworks.Sosharethe
thenetworkandcarryoutideastotest
storiesofsuccessandlearningfromfailures
andevaluate.Theydontseemtobe
withthewidercommunity,asrecognition
fazedbytheowandvolumeofnetwork
oftheirworkandtoreinforcethatthisis
informatio[n5.]
[6]
notjustimportanttothebosse s .
Recruitandpromotecollaborativepeople
Celebrateboththepeoplewhohave
Weusedtorecruitpeoplebasedontheir collaboratedandthefruitsoftheirwork.
universitydegreesandyearsofexperience
Raisethevisibilityofcollaborativeleaders
inaspeciceld.Now,inthedaysof
andfollowers.Becareful,however,about
rapidlyshiftingworkandknowledge,we
explicitrewardsforcollaboration,because
needtorecruitlearnersandcollaborators. thiscanbackreandcollaborationwill
"Whatarekeyindicatorstolookforwhen bedoneonlyforthereward,ratherthan
hiring? beingdrivenbythemotivationtodeliver
"Howdoyoumeasurecollaborativeness? value,havingprideindoinggoodwork,
"Whatisthebalanceofpromoting andthejoyofworkingwithothersto
createwhatwasimpossibleforanysingle
individualand/orgroupbehaviours(i.e.
individua[7l].
whataboutfreeriding?)
9¥AnecdotePtyLtdwww.anecdote.com B U I L D I N G A C O L L A B O R AT I V E W O R K P L AC E
C.IMPLEMENT COLLABORATION TOOLS toolslikedelicious(http://www.del.icio.us),
Newtoolscanhelpsupportallthreetypes whichenablespeopletobookmarkandtag
web-pages.Unlikeindividualbookmarksor
ofcollaboration.Thekeyhereistoidentify
whatcollaborationactivitiesyouwant favourites,anyonecanseeeveryoneelses
tosupport,andthenmatchthetoolsto bookmarks.HereareShawnsbookmarks:
http://del.icio.us/unorder.However,thereal
them.Becarefultostartsimplyandnotgo
overboard.Bellsandwhistleslooknice,buvt alueisinthetagassociatedwitheach
theycanalsobeoff-putting,especiallyto bookmarkedpageˆthewordorlabelthat
busypeoplewhoarenottech-fansinthe indicateswhattheweb-pageisabout,and
rstplace!Herearethebasictechnologies awayofndingthatweb-pageagain.
thatmightbeusefulforcollaboration, Encouragepeopletoperformasearchon
butwhichwillbedoublyimportantfor deliciousforatagtheywanttokeeptrack
peoplewhoaregeographicallydispersed, of.Itrackthetagstorytelling.Thesearch
somethingthatisbecomingtherulerather resultshasitsownRSSfeedtowhichyou
thantheexceptionthesedays. cansubscribewithyourinformationaggre-
gator.RonLubensky,oneofourcommenters
"Telephoneandconference-callcapability,
ontheAnecdoteblog,explainsthatthis
includingcallrecording,cansupport
meansthatwheneversomeonetagsa
teamsandcommunitiestofocuswork
web-pagewithyourtag(word/phrase)of
andmakedecisions
interest,youareimmediatelynotied.
"Emailandrelevantemaildistributionlists
aregoodforinformationdissemination, D.START COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE
thoughbecautiousaboutvolumeand Developingcommunitiesofpracticeisan
Intermsofnetwork makesurecontentisrelevanttothe organicactivity.Youneverquiteknowwhat
collaboration,manypeoplerecipientforanykindofcollaboration isgoingtohappenorwhetheritwillsucceed
inorganisationsareunawa"reAplacetoshareelectronicdocuments entirely.Thisiswhyabigbangapproachisa
ofhownetworkcollaboratio"nWaystoshareideasandcreatecontent mistake.Toheraldtoyourentireorganisation
toolsworkorunderstandtheitrogether(e.g.shareddocumentediting, thatyouaregoingtodevelopacommunity
blogsandwikis) ofpracticeontopicXislikelytocausepainif
value.Sothestartingpointisto
"Peopledirectorywithphotosofyourcollab- theinitiativefailstogainsufcientsupport.
makethesetoolsavailableand
oratorsattheteamandcommunitylevels Wehaveseenthishappen,anditiseven
helppeopletousethem.
morecommonwhentheorganisationhas
"Instantmessagingtoseewhensomeone
justinvestedincommunitytechnology
isavailableforachat(presence)ortoask
aquickquestion whichhasforumsfunctionalityˆ Wemust
getCoPsgoingsothatpeopleareusingthis
" Directoryofrelevantnetworks
forumfunctionality .
"Socialbookmarkingtoshareinternet
Werecommendyoutakeamoregentle
treasures
approach.
"Toolstoaggregatecontentfromthe
outsideworld,suchasRSSreaders. "Identifysomepeoplewithcommon
interestsinadomainthatisimportant
Manyoftheabovefeatureshavebeen
tothebusiness
combinedincommercialandopensource
collaborationsoftwaretools.Theyoftenal "sMoeetwitheachpersonseparatelyand
askthemaboutthethingsthatinterest,
includefeatureslikegroupcalendar,discussion
challenge,exciteorintriguethem.Common
threads,andphotoandvideosharing.
itemsofinterestinvariablyemerge
Intermsofnetworkcollaboration,many
"Reporttoyourpotentialcommunity
peopleinorganisationsareunawareof
membersthattheyhavesomeinteresting
hownetworkcollaborationtoolsworkor
thingsincommonandoffertoorganise
understandtheirvalue.Sothestarting
ameetingsotheycandiscussthem
pointistomakethesetoolsavailableand
helppeopletousethem.Startwithsocial "Atthemeeting,suggesttheymight
meetregularlytoenhancetheirlearning
bookmarkingandshowearlyadopterssome
aroundthisimportanttopic.
1 0¥AnecdotePtyLtdwww.anecdote.com B U I L D I N G A C O L L A B O R AT I V E W O R K P L AC E
Oncethegroupstartstodeveloparhythm
(meetingregularly),suggesttheythinkof
smalltaskstoworkontogetherthatmight
improvetheirpractice.Onlywhenthe
groupmemberssaythingssuchas, How
arewegoingtosharethesedocuments?
or Canwediscussthisonline? doyou
investigatetechnologysupport.Some
groupswillgettothispointfasterthan R E F E R E N C E S
otherswill,anditdoesnotmatteronebit. 1.B.Gray,Collaborating:Finding
KeepalookoutforindicatorKseepalookoutforindicatorsthatsuggest CommonGroundforMultipartyProblems
thatsuggestyourcommunityyourcommunityismakingprogress.But (SanFrancisco:Jossey-Bass),1.989
whateveryoudo,dontletmanagement 2.RioTinto.CoalAustralia.Storiesfrom
ismakingprogress. turntheseindicatorsintotargets!Youdont theCoalFace(RioTinto,2007).Thisstory
Butwhateveryoudo,dont
letmanagementturnthese wantasituationwheremanagement,for isalsoavailableonlineasavideoat
indicatorsintotargets! example,ismandatingthatthecommunity http://www.riotinto.com/whatwe
postXnumberofmessagesorhaveY produce/376_video_library_6891.asp
numberofpeopleattendthecommunity 3.E.H.Schein,OrganizationalCultureand
meetings.Indicatorsareuseful.Turningthem Leadership(SanFrancisco:Jossey-Bass
intotargetscreatesperversebehaviour. Publishers,2004),p.246.
Testingthelikelyadoption 4.P.AnklamandA.Wolfberg, Creating
Beforeyoustartonthejourneyofcreatinga NetworksattheDefenseIntelligence
newcommunityofpractice,werecommend Agency ,KMReview,volume9,12006.
youconductthefollowingsimpletest.When 5.E.Mendizabal, Understanding
someonesays, Iwouldliketostartacommun- Networks:TheFunctionsofResearch
ityofpractice ,simplyask, Canyoudescribe PolicyNetworks ,(Overseas
thepotentialmembersbycompletingthe DevelopmentInstitute,20)0.6
followingsentence?Iama.... Iftheycan
llintheblankwithawordorphrasethat 6.D.Westen,ThePoliticalBrain:TheRole
ofEmotioninDecidingtheFateofthe
peoplecanpassionatelyidentifywith,then Nation(NewYork:PublicAffairs,2)0.07
thereisachanceacommunitymightemerge.
LetmegTiMveyouanexample.Iwashelpingthe 7.A.Kohn,Punishedbyrewards:the
Putting stories to work DepartmentofDefencedesignacommunity troublewithgoldstars,incentiveplans,
ofpracticeforprojectmanagers.Iaskedthe As,praise,andotherbribes(Boston:
sponsortocompletethetestsentenceand HoughtonMifinCompany,1993).
theanswerwas, Iamaprojectmanager .
Itwasastrongdescriptor,soweknewwe
hadachanceofestablishingaCoP.During
thedesignprocess,theclienthadanother
jobtypeforwhichtheywantedacommunity.
Thejobtypewascalledtechnical. Iam
atechnical failedthetestandweknewit
didnthaveachance.
1 1¥AnecdotePtyLtd
