Product leaders today are always looking for ways to move faster, be more efficient, and simultaneously unleash people\u2019s creativity. One of the primary elements of this effort is collaboration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ironically, in the attempt to streamline, and promote collaboration, people across teams are often misaligned. Efficiency and impact are compromised, and ultimately, progress is hindered. This affects the entire organization. In the pursuit of collaboration more often than not we end up with more meetings, more status updates, and more progress reports. This is especially true when it comes to multidisciplinary digital product teams ranging from product managers, user experience designers, and engineers that are working across departments and often with external partners. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Collaboration is an intricate part of success. You won\u2019t find a product leader or team that doesn\u2019t talk about the importance of collaboration, but most don\u2019t have a clear understanding of what collaboration truly means and what is required. Ask yourself:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Can you answer these questions? Would those answers align with your organization\u2019s definition, understanding, and intended outcome? If your answer is yes then you are far ahead of most people’s organizations. Treasure your strategic advantage, protect it, and keep pushing forward. If the answer is no, then it is mission-critical to challenge yourself and your team to define what collaboration is and what success looks like. Without alignment (a shared understanding) on the definition and successful implementation of collaboration, it\u2019s just another buzzword. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The common challenge is that the concept of collaboration is thought of too narrowly, often as a culture value, a tool, or a process. While all of these things are helpful, they don\u2019t address the underlying foundation and the 3C\u2019s of true collaboration. Collaboration is a skill like anything else that must be practiced every day. There are two major foundational factors to collaboration, the first is trust and the second is alignment. Let\u2019s unpack both. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Stephen M.R. Covey, author of The Speed of Trust talks about the issue in this way. That you can\u2019t have true collaboration without people who trust one another. If people don\u2019t trust each other then they can coordinate but not truly collaborate. He goes on to explain the idea that people operate on a continuum of coordination, cooperation, and collaboration. The second major factor of achieving true collaboration is alignment. If a team is misaligned it erodes people’s commitment, communication, contributions, hinders performance, and delays decisions. This is completely antithetical to the intention of collaboration but is a remarkably common scenario. Here\u2019s a common scenario you may have experienced. Two people work together but have different managers. Each manager has a different perspective, goals, and expectations for the project. Now, alignment must be built beyond the two coworkers. It must be between the coworkers and the managers. To do so, each member of this ad-hoc cohort\u2014two workers, two managers\u2014must reconcile their expectations, and align around a shared goal and understanding of what a successful outcome looks like. In other words, all four must be on the same page. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Commitment <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The first of the 3Cs is essential to any effective collaboration is commitment. It evokes a strong sense of intention for many, and for some requires vulnerability. Commitment can be easily taken for granted, we might assume that the word means the same thing to all of us. I can assure you that it doesn\u2019t. When collaborating with others there needs to be a clear commitment to a shared outcome, something that everyone understands. Commitment is a declaration we make to the seriousness of our intention. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The second of the 3Cs that has to exist in any effective collaboration is communication. If everyone is speaking a different language or has a different understanding of what is being said, how do you effectively communicate? This challenge is present in every organization at every level. Imagine you are trying to create a digital product to solve a well-defined problem. All of your team members are using the same terminology, but it means something different to each team member. How will this disconnect impact your team? Communication needs to be clear and focused. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The third of the 3Cs that is key to any effective collaboration is contribution. It is essential (imperative) to understand your own contribution and the contributions of every person you are collaborating with to achieve your intended outcome. We have to remember that we build teams to take on a new opportunity or challenge that is too big for people to do on their own. The most successful teams and collaborations don’t just combine different hard skills; they empower each individual to bring their unique talents, attitudes, skills, knowledge, and style that collectively enable them to perform with excellence. True collaboration embraces everything a person brings to the table. This facilitates increased productivity, and an inspiring sense of collaboration that moves everyone on the team \u2013 and the project \u2013 forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. Ensure Clarity and Focus <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Trust is critical to high-level collaboration.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
People don\u2019t have to trust each other to coordinate, but as you work towards cooperation and collaboration the essential foundation of trust shifts people and teams to higher levels of performance.
The impact of this clarity is profound. It unlocks a critical understanding of what empowers teams to be authentic, creating a safe environment to learn, explore new and innovative ideas, and solve problems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. Alignment will keep your team committed and moving forward.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alignment extends far beyond roles and responsibilities. It is about how you integrate your unique disciplines, experiences, and perspectives with others to achieve a common goal. This clarity and focus allow people to effectively determine how they will best collaborate with one another. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
3C\u2019s of Effective Collaboration <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Communication <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Contribution<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n
3 Steps for Improving and Facilitating Effective Communication<\/h4>\n\n\n\n