Working in Collaboration

In business, collaborations are generally arranged by superiors. This means you could find yourself in a situation where you'll be part of a 'team', and you might never have worked with most of the people on your team before. This calls for a special protocol and etiquette apart from the usual office procedure.

First, go over the project on your own, and determine the goals and objectives before you meet with the rest of your team. Is there a designated 'team leader'? Unless he/she is a superior to the rest of the team, she was probably (hopefully) assigned the leadership position due to longer experience with collaborative work, or more experience with the particular type of project your team will complete.

Once you have evaluated the project to your satisfaction, you should meet with the rest of your team (this will probably have been arranged for you, so just make sure you've done your homework). The first meeting should clearly establish the parameters of the project and what duties each member of the team will perform. Are you the team member with the least experience or tenure? You will undoubtedly be expected to perform the 'rote' tasks of the project, but remember that you were chosen for this team just like everyone else, so your superiors must believe you will make a valuable contribution. Take notes on anything not covered in your initial report.

What if there was no initial report? If your team is expected to work out all the strategies for your project from the ground up, you should consider taping the initial meeting -- and any others, if they will contain information important to the group. If possible, assign this task to one of the team members or take it on yourself -- don't duplicate someone else's efforts.

That last is important in collaborative work -- a lot of time and effort are lost if everyone on the team considers himself so important he can't understand that he's only responsible for part of the whole. When working alone, or even in a normal office atmosphere, most people have a clear-cut understanding of their role in the office structure. But a collaborative team consists of two or more members who are dividing up a project like a pie -- anyone who wants more than his piece can mess it up for the rest.

This leads to another important point -- some people just don't work well in collaboration. Usually they're the ones who want all the credit or are too anxious about the outcome of the project to allow any of the fellow team-members a free rein. With regard to those who would hog credit for brilliant ideas or solutions, this is where those tapes of meetings come in handy -- be certain you (or whoever has this responsibility) makes copies of the transcripts for all team members. This can cut credit-thieves off at the pass.

People who display anxiety about the outcome of the project are really projecting that they want control. The team leader (if there is one) should make certain everyone sticks to their portion of the pie; there are those whose egos won't accept the notion that anyone else is as competent as they at bringing the project together.

Working in collaboration isn't easy; it means some of your ideas can't or won't be used, and perhaps you'd rather have another role than the one assigned. But there are positive aspects involved, that can enhance the completed project. There is a combining of skills that might otherwise never come together, and a chance to work 'off' the ideas of fellow team-mates. Between meetings, keep in close contact with team-mates for the duration of the project and make certain ideas are free-flowing. The best way to work in collaboration is to share concepts and be open-minded about how the project develops.

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