tma world viewpoint 29: a guide to successful collaboration

A Guide to…

Successful Collaboration

© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

2

We live in an age

of increasing

globalization,

resulting in

higher levels of

complexity that

can only be

managed by

greater teamwork.


3

Before we look at just what it takes to be successful at collaboration,

let’s consider what the potential barriers are

if you fail to work effectively with other colleagues.

Isolation Confusion Fragmentation


4 One barrier can be isolation – especially when working across different geographies, time zones and cultures. A second barrier that can hinder good collaboration is confusion; and finally the third obstacle is that of fragmentation – where processes and procedures are disjointed and disconnected.


5

Isolation to

Engagement

Confusion to

Clarity

Fragmentation to

Cohesion

However, for every barrier there is a countermeasure.

For isolation – consider engagement; for confusion – clarity and for fragmentation, we need cohesion. With this in mind, let’s take a deeper dive and look at specific factors that will help make you a far better collaborator.


6

Trust is everything and

without it you have

nothing.

In the book, “Why Teams Don’t

Work”, Michael Finley and Harvey

Robbins write:

‘Trust is the blood of teams – the

river that carries it along, that

pulses with life, that brings

thought and power to everything

the team attempts.’

Never

underestimate

the

importance

of trust


7

Reflect on the above questions and ask yourself if, as a leader, you have done enough to foster a climate of trust, or if as a team member, you do enough to promote and warrant it.

Is there contractual trust i.e. do I keep my word?

Have I established trust of competence i.e. do I have the skills to support what I say?

Does self-disclosure trust happen i.e. do I share my thoughts and feelings?

Have I established a culture where people do not feel persecuted and harassed i.e. trust of intention?

Never

underestimate

the

importance

of trust


8

Teams need to have a clear direction and

shared set of priorities.

If they don’t, fragmentation will occur, with the team

having no clear sense of purpose.

The types of questions you need to ask, therefore,

include:

Does your team have a goal?

What is it?

Has it been communicated?

Does everyone understand it?

Has everyone bought into it?

Make sure

you are on

the same

page

1

2

3

4

5


9

Some things that you can do to ensure everyone is on the same

page include the following:

Create a purpose statement which includes a set of team principles and a strategy plan.

Eliminate activities non-aligned with the key purpose of the team.

Manage local demands that could take members off-track.

Revisit team purpose, etc., on a regular basis to reinforce and check continued validity.


10

Good communication involves not just what you say and how you say it but how you strategize your communication. This can often be overlooked. When communicating, factor in the following:

Communication is a two-way street. Once conveyed, ensure you follow-up to see if the message has been understood.

Think about how you use your language. Do you check yourself when composing an e-mail to a colleague? If English isn’t their first language, do you ensure that you compose the message with that in mind?

Be a great

communicator

to be a great

collaborator


11

Modify your pace of speech on conference calls and think about the cultural issues involved when working with a culturally diverse mix of colleagues.

Make sure the right information is getting to the right people at the right time and in the right format.

Role model constructive communication.


Be a great

communicator

to be a great

collaborator


12

Communicate one-on-one and not just with the whole team. This builds relationships.

Recognize the strengths and limitations of available communication technologies, and select the right technology for the right job.


Be a great

communicator

to be a great

collaborator

Develop shared protocols for using communication methods most effectively, e.g., e-mail, teleconferences.


13


Be a great

communicator

to be a great

collaborator

Provide frequent and timely information and feedback.

Make sure that the decision-making process and outcomes are clear.


14

Having a good amount of cultural intelligence will

certainly help support the collaborative effort.

Each culture has its own set of values and beliefs

and that will be manifested in how people interact,

manage and reason.

Make sure you increase your knowledge of the

cultures you are exposed to so that, at the very

least, you minimize cultural faux pas and potentially

forge far stronger bonds with your colleagues

because you have a far greater understanding of

how they operate.

Be

culturally

savvy


15

Successful Collaboration Consider the following and reflect on whether you need to double your efforts when dealing with different cultures:

Support a climate in which people feel respected, fairly treated and valued.

Role model inclusive language, e.g., ‘we’ rather than ‘I’.

Role model inclusive behaviours, e.g., listening with an open mind, flexibility etc.

Show interest in other team member countries and cultures.

Be careful of denying or minimizing differences.


16

Successful Collaboration Consider the following and reflect on whether you need to double your efforts when dealing with different cultures:

Work at developing cultural self-awareness.

Prepare yourself for cultural differences, but focus on understanding individuals on the team.

Try to work with the values/beliefs of a culture. Be creative.

Co-create shared agreements in areas where it is important to establish common ground.

Look for opportunities to leverage differences to create value.


17

An area that can sometimes suffer due to a lack of

attention is that of not being aware of the collective

set of skills and capabilities contained within a team.

Managers have a responsibility to ensure they

address this and when working with virtual teams,

the old adage of out of sight, out of mind can

certainly rings true.

Have an acute

understanding

of the talent in

your team


18

If you are a leader, consider conducting a capability

audit so you have a much better appraisal of

individual skills and capabilities.

Where are the gaps and where are the development

opportunities?

Is there an opportunity to create a global mentoring

programme and will this, in turn help develop

relationships, thus making the collaborative bond

even stronger?

Have an acute

understanding

of the talent in

your team


19

Successful Collaboration Think about some of these best practices:

Identify your strengths and developmental areas.

Identify resources to support your continuous learning.

Communicate your knowledge, skills, and experiences.

Build a virtual network of individuals that can support and complement your knowledge and skills.


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Create opportunities for sharing your knowledge, skills, and best practices with the team, and learning from others.

Pay attention to the capability needs of the team as a whole, and identify how you could help meet those needs.

Constructively challenge behaviours that weaken team capability.


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If you make a concerted effort to adopt

many of these best practices,

we are confident that you will make

significant in-roads when it comes to being

a successful collaborator.


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Webinar Twitter Blog Viewpoints and articles

Publications Written by Terence Brake, Director of Learning & Innovation at TMA World. Our new Borderless Working e-book series

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23

Above all we’d like to hear from you directly, so please don’t

hesitate to send any comments, questions or feedback to us at:

[email protected]

Or visit our website:

www.tmaworld.com

About Us

Visit

www.tmaworld.com/insights

to discover the latest thinking

from our experts on global,

collaborative, cross-cultural

and virtual working.

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.tmaworld.com/

http://www.youtube.com/user/TMAWorldVideos

http://www.linkedin.com/company/210855

http://www.slideshare.net/StevenParkinson

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